Sentence completion tasks test your ability to finish German statements accurately using the correct vocabulary, verb forms, and word order. Practise choosing words, using profile facts, building sentences from notes and finishing sentence beginnings to develop accurate writing.
Sentence Completion Formats
Sentence-completion practice includes several common formats:
- Word-bank fill: Choose the missing word from a list using meaning, article, and case clues.
- Fact-file completion: Use details from a short profile to complete a German statement accurately.
- Notes-to-sentence: Turn short prompt notes into a complete, correctly ordered German sentence.
- Completing stems: Add a logical, grammatically correct ending to an unfinished phrase.
| Format | Prompt | Complete sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Notes-to-sentence | Wann? am 3. August | Die Klassenfahrt ist am 3. August. |
Always read the whole sentence before writing to decide what type of word is missing.
The Verb-Second Rule and Inversion
In a German main statement, the conjugated verb—the verb form that matches the subject, such as spiele in ich spiele—always takes the second grammatical position. Count sentence parts, not individual words:
- Normal order: The subject sits in position one, followed immediately by the conjugated verb.
- Inversion: Starting with time or place puts the verb in position two before the subject.
- Modal brackets: The modal verb takes position two, and the infinitive moves to the end.
- Perfekt brackets: The helping verb takes position two, and the past participle moves to the end.
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| Normal order | Ich lerne heute Deutsch. |
| Inversion | Am Samstag spiele ich Tennis. |
| Modal bracket | Wir müssen um acht Uhr aufstehen. |
| Perfekt bracket | Gestern habe ich Tennis gespielt. |
Expressing Future Events
Junior Cycle writing tasks often ask you to describe upcoming plans or future events. You can express the future in two standard ways:
- Using werden: Put conjugated werden in position two and the infinitive at the very end.
- Using present tense: Combine a present-tense verb with a future time expression.
| Method | Example |
|---|---|
| werden + infinitive | Ich werde morgen Tennis spielen. |
| Present tense + time | Morgen spiele ich Tennis. |
When you place the time expression first, remember to invert the subject and verb so the verb stays in position two.
Connecting Clauses: Main and Subordinate
When you join two ideas together, the connector decides the position of your conjugated verb:
- Coordinating connectors: Und, aber, and oder link statements without changing standard verb-second word order.
- Subordinating connectors: Weil and dass send the conjugated verb to the very end of the clause.
| Connector type | Connectors | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinating | und, aber, oder | Ich lerne Deutsch, und morgen schreibe ich einen Test. |
| Subordinating | weil, dass | Ich bleibe heute zu Hause, weil ich krank bin. |
Always place a comma before weil or dass.
Essential Accuracy: Nouns and Verb Endings
Check spelling, noun capitals, and verb forms before finishing your work.
- Noun Capitalisation: Capitalise every German noun (das Buch, die Schule, der Kuli).
- Regular present-tense endings:
| Subject pronoun | Ending | Example (lernen) |
|---|---|---|
| ich | -e | ich lerne |
| du | -st | du lernst |
| er / sie / es | -t | er lernt |
| wir | -en | wir lernen |
| ihr | -t | ihr lernt |
| sie / Sie | -en | sie lernen |
Common irregular verbs change their stems: du bist, er hat, du fährst.
- Article clues: Articles narrow the choices, but meaning decides: die Milch and die Tafel share an article.
Key terms
- Verb-Second Rule
- The rule requiring the conjugated verb to take the second grammatical position in a German main statement.
- Inversion
- In a main statement, putting a time or place phrase first places the verb before the subject.
- Conjugated Verb
- The verb form that matches the subject, such as spiele in ich spiele or bin in ich bin.
- Infinitive
- The dictionary form of a verb ending in -en or -n, such as spielen or aufstehen.
- Coordinating Conjunction
- A linking word such as und, aber, or oder that joins clauses without sending the verb to the end.
- Subordinating Conjunction
- A connector such as weil or dass that introduces a clause and moves the conjugated verb to the very end.
- Subject
- Who or what the sentence is about, such as ich in ich bin krank.
- Noun Capitalisation
- The grammatical rule requiring every German noun to begin with an uppercase letter.
Check yourself
Which position must the conjugated verb take in a German main statement?
Position two.
How does 'Ich spiele morgen Tennis' change if you start the sentence with 'Morgen'?
Morgen spiele ich Tennis.
Where does the conjugated verb go in a clause that begins with 'weil'?
At the very end of the clause.
How do you form a future statement using 'werden' for 'I will play'?
Ich werde spielen (conjugated werden in position two, infinitive spielen at the end).