German word order: TEKAMOLO and the middle field (Mittelfeld)
Between the verb and the end of the clause, German sorts extra information as time – cause – manner – place, with pronouns first.
Rule
Everything between the conjugated verb and the end of the clause is the middle field, and German fills it in a predictable order: TE-KA-MO-LO — temporal (when?), kausal (why?), modal (how? with what?), lokal (where? where to?).
The frame comes from the basic word-order chapter: the verb stays in second position, a second verb part (infinitive, past participle, separable prefix) closes the clause.
Two things to keep in mind:
- TEKAMOLO is a default, not a law. Most sentences use only two or three of the four kinds of information; the ones present keep this relative order. Reordering these free adverbials does not produce a wrong sentence, only a different emphasis. A complement the verb requires is not free: a directional phrase such as nach Köln closes the middle field, so a time expression cannot follow it.
- Pronouns come first. Personal pronouns move to the start of the middle field, directly behind the conjugated verb: subject pronoun first, then the objects. A pronoun object stands in front of a noun object and may even precede a noun subject (Gestern hat mir mein Kollege geholfen; the noun subject first is equally correct).
In the neutral case the order of the two objects is decided by their form: two nouns → dative before accusative; one noun and one pronoun → pronoun first; two pronouns → accusative before dative.
Two forces overrule the default. Known before new: familiar information comes early, new late — hence Ich habe das Buch einem Kollegen geliehen with the accusative first. And fronting: exactly one element may move in front of the conjugated verb for emphasis or to link back; it then leaves the middle field and the subject follows the verb.
Negation: negating the whole sentence, nicht stands at the end of the middle field, but in front of the second verb part and of an obligatory place or predicative complement; otherwise it stands directly before the element it negates.
Examples
- Ich fahre morgen mit dem Zug nach Köln. — I'm going to Cologne by train tomorrow.
- Ich bin gestern wegen des Staus zu spät ins Büro gekommen. — I got to the office late yesterday because of the traffic jam.
- Sie hat mir das Problem am Telefon erklärt. — She explained the problem to me on the phone.
- Ich habe dem Kunden den Vertrag schon geschickt. — I've already sent the client the contract.
- Ich zeige es ihm morgen. — I'll show it to him tomorrow.
- Deshalb habe ich es ihm gestern erklärt. — That's why I explained it to him yesterday.
- Wir haben den Vertrag am Montag in Ruhe besprochen. — We discussed the contract calmly on Monday.
- Ich habe das Buch einem Kollegen geliehen. — I lent the book to a colleague.
- Nach Köln fahre ich morgen mit dem Zug. — To Cologne — that's where I'm going by train tomorrow.
- Ich fahre heute nicht ins Büro. — I'm not going to the office today.
Quick table
| Field | Question | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| TE — temporal | wann? wie lange? wie oft? | morgen, am Montag, seit einer Woche |
| KA — kausal | warum? wozu? | wegen des Staus, aus Angst |
| MO — modal | wie? womit? mit wem? | gern, in Ruhe, mit dem Zug |
| LO — lokal | wo? wohin? woher? | im Büro, ins Büro, nach Köln |
| Front + verb | Pronouns | TE | KA | MO | LO | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ich fahre | — | morgen | — | mit dem Zug | nach Köln | — |
| Ich bin | — | gestern | wegen des Staus | zu spät | ins Büro | gekommen |
| Morgen fahre | ich | — | — | mit dem Zug | nach Köln | — |
| Deshalb habe | ich es ihm | gestern | — | — | — | erklärt |
| Sie hilft | mir | jeden Samstag | — | gern | im Garten | — |
| Objects | Order | Example |
|---|---|---|
| two nouns | dative before accusative | Ich habe dem Kunden den Vertrag geschickt. |
| noun + pronoun | pronoun first | Ich habe es dem Kunden geschickt. |
| two pronouns | accusative before dative | Ich habe es ihm geschickt. |
Common mistakes
- ❌ Ich fahre nach Köln morgen. → ✅ Ich fahre morgen nach Köln. — in a neutral sentence the time comes before the place; the directional phrase closes the middle field.
- ❌ Ich habe dem Kollegen es gegeben. → ✅ Ich habe es dem Kollegen gegeben. — a pronoun object moves in front of a noun object.
- ❌ Ich gebe ihm es. → ✅ Ich gebe es ihm. — with two pronouns the accusative one comes first.
- ❌ Deshalb habe es ich ihm erklärt. → ✅ Deshalb habe ich es ihm erklärt. — the subject pronoun stays in front of the object pronouns.
- ❌ Morgen mit dem Zug fahre ich nach Köln. → ✅ Morgen fahre ich mit dem Zug nach Köln. — only one element fits in front of the conjugated verb; the rest stays in the middle field.
Related
The verb-second rule and the sentence bracket come from the basic word-order chapter, the full rules for nicht from the negation chapter, the object endings from the dative and pronoun chapters. Subordinate-clause word order is a chapter of its own.
Frequently asked questions
What does TEKAMOLO stand for?
Temporal – kausal – modal – lokal: time, cause, manner, place. It is the default sequence of adverbial information in the middle field; most sentences only use two or three of the four fields.
Is TEKAMOLO a strict rule?
No, it is the neutral default for the free adverbials: emphasis, the known-before-new principle and fronting one element move them around without making the sentence wrong. An obligatory directional complement is fixed — it closes the middle field.
Where do pronouns go in the middle field?
Right at the start, behind the conjugated verb: subject pronoun first, then accusative before dative. A pronoun object stands in front of a noun object and may even precede a noun subject: Gestern hat mir mein Kollege geholfen.
Dative or accusative first in German?
Two nouns: dative first (dem Kunden den Vertrag). Noun plus pronoun: the pronoun first (es dem Kunden). Two pronouns: accusative first (es ihm).
Where does nicht go in the middle field?
Negating the whole sentence it stands at the end of the middle field, but in front of the second verb part and of an obligatory place or predicative complement. Otherwise it stands directly before the element it negates.