German sentence structure involving two verbs requires specific placement rules to maintain grammatical accuracy. When using an auxiliary verb—such as *werden* for future tense, *haben* or *sein* for perfect tense, or modal verbs like *können* and *müssen*—the auxiliary verb occupies the second position in the sentence, while the main verb shifts to the end in its infinitive or past participle form. Negation with *nicht* occurs immediately before this final main verb. In cases where a sentence begins with an adverbial phrase, the auxiliary verb retains its second-position status, followed by the subject. Subordinate clauses further modify this structure, requiring the auxiliary verb to move to the very end, placing it behind the main verb. Mastering these patterns helps listeners decode complex sentences by identifying the final verb to establish context.
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