Sentence Order

Question 1

Can you bake a cake for me?

Answer 1

Kannst du einen Kuchen fur mich backen

The preposition “für” (for) precedes the pronoun “mich” (me), which is the indirect object.

Question 2

Bake a cake for me please

Answer 2

[Back | Backen Sie] bitte, einen Kuchen fur mich.

breakdown:
“Back” / “Backen” - Verb “bake” / “to bake”
“Sie” - “you” - Subject pronoun
“bitte” - Adverb “please”
“einen Kuchen” - Direct object “a cake” (accusative case)
“für mich” - Prepositional phrase “for me” (dative case)

In German, prepositions usually come before the noun or pronoun they govern. However, when the prepositional phrase is placed at the end of the sentence, the preposition is split from its object, and the object (usually a pronoun) is placed before the preposition. This is common in imperative sentences or in sentences with subordinate clauses.

Question 3

Word order of simple sentence with subject object, and verb

Answer 3

The typical word order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), similar to English.

However, in certain cases, especially in subordinate clauses or when emphasis is placed on a particular element, the word order can change.

For example:
In main clauses: “Der Hund (subject) frisst (verb) das Fleisch (object).”
In subordinate clauses: “Ich sehe (verb) den Mann (object), der (subordinate conjunction) einen Hund (subject) hat.”

The verb usually comes second in a main clause, but in subordinate clauses, it often appears at the end. Additionally, in imperative sentences, the subject is often omitted, and the verb comes first:

“Komm (come) bitte (please) sofort (immediately)!”

Question 4

Where do time and location phrases typically go

Answer 4

Typically, they go after the conjugated verve and before the direct object