B2 German Grammar Hub

TEKAMOLO is a useful orientation, not an unbreakable rule. Start with the information you want to emphasise, then check the verb position.

Practice: Rewrite the example with a different element at the beginning and check the resulting word order.

Check that the two linked elements have the same grammatical form whenever possible.

Practice: Write one sentence with nicht nur … sondern auch and one with weder … noch.

Compare Es regnet, Es gibt ein Problem and Ich weiß es. The function of es differs in each case.

Practice: Create three examples in which es has three different functions.

Pay attention to the case required inside the relative clause and the role of the whole clause.

Practice: Write a general rule beginning with Wer …, then complete the main clause.

Choose the construction based on whether you want to emphasise the action, possibility, obligation or a general agent.

Practice: Rewrite one active sentence as a passive sentence and then with a suitable alternative.

These constructions normally work when the understood subject of the infinitive is the same as the subject of the main clause.

Practice: Write one sentence for purpose, one for without doing something, and one for instead of doing something.

Meaning depends strongly on context and intonation. Learn modal particles in complete, natural dialogues.

Practice: Take a neutral sentence and add a modal particle; describe how the tone changes.

Learn common forms such as sei, habe, könne and werde. In real usage, alternatives may appear when forms are ambiguous.

Practice: Turn a short direct quotation into reported speech.

The construction often suggests that the impression is not literally true. In informal usage, verb placement can vary, but practise the standard subordinate pattern.

Practice: Describe a person acting as if they were someone else.

After je, the verb comes at the end of the subordinate clause; the desto/umso clause follows main-clause word order.

Practice: Make a comparison using als, one using wie and one using je … desto.

A good text makes the relationship between ideas explicit without repeating the same wording in every sentence.

Practice: Combine three short sentences into a coherent mini-paragraph with clear references.

Learn the complete phrase with its article, verb, case pattern and a sample sentence.

Practice: Choose three combinations and use each in a workplace or study-related sentence.

Compare Die Tür wird geschlossen (an action is happening) with Die Tür ist geschlossen (the resulting state). Context can affect interpretation.

Practice: Describe two objects using sein-passive and explain the state each sentence expresses.

The finite verb goes to the end of the indem/dass clause. Avoid using these structures when the relationship is actually a purpose or a cause.

Practice: Explain how to improve a skill using indem or dadurch, dass.

Learn each expression as a complete unit, including its case and a question form such as worauf? or wofür?

Practice: Create a personal list of five expressions and write one example for each.

Nominalisation can make writing concise, but too many noun-heavy phrases can make a text difficult to read.

Practice: Rewrite one sentence with a subordinate clause using a suitable nominalised phrase.

The relative pronoun’s case is determined by its function in the relative clause—not by the case of the noun in the main clause.

Practice: Add a relative clause to describe a person, place and object.

Notice which forms decline and whether a pronoun takes a singular or plural verb in context.

Practice: Write a short comparison using mindestens four indefinite pronouns.

As a connector, während introduces a subordinate clause. As a preposition, it is followed by a noun phrase, traditionally in the genitive.

Practice: Write one sentence with während as a connector and one with it as a preposition.

Partizip I often describes an ongoing or active relationship; Partizip II often describes a completed action or resulting state, depending on the verb.

Practice: Describe a process with a Partizip-I adjective and a result with a Partizip-II adjective.