German Grammar Hub

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388 Total Rules
71 Chapters
6 CEFR level
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Active filters: CEFR level: B2
B2 Verb Moods Verified

Passive with 'durch': Explaining Means & Causes

Use `durch` for 'how' something happened (means) and `von` for 'who' did it (agent).

  • • Use `durch` + Accusative for means, causes, or cha...
  • • Contrast `durch` (means/cause) with `von` (active...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

Passive with Modals: It Must Be Done

To express what must, can, or should be done, conjugate the modal verb and put 'Partizip II + werden' at the end.

  • • Combines a modal verb with passive voice.
  • • Formula: Modal + Subject + Partizip II + werden.
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

Reflexive Passive: "sich lassen" and Passive Substitutes

Use `sich lassen` or reflexive verbs with adverbs to elegantly express passive possibility without using `werden`.

  • • Reflexive structures act as passive substitutes to...
  • • The 'sich lassen' + Infinitiv construction replace...
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

The 'Would' Form: Konjunktiv II with 'würde'

The `würde`-construction is the standard modern way to express the conditional 'would' for most German verbs.

  • • Use `würde` + Infinitiv to express hypothetical ac...
  • • Conjugate `würde` and place the main verb at the s...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

Could, Should, Would: German Modals in Konjunktiv II

Use Konjunktiv II modals to soften requests, give advice, or dream about unreal possibilities without sounding like a textbook.

  • • Modal verbs in Konjunktiv II usually get an Umlaut...
  • • Use them for politeness, advice, and hypothetical...
10 examples 1 exercises 1 FAQ
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

Dreams & Wishes: Using 'wäre' and 'hätte' (Konjunktiv II)

Mastering `wäre` and `hätte` allows you to express polite desires and hypothetical scenarios like a native speaker.

  • • Use `wäre` and `hätte` for dreams, wishes, and pol...
  • • Form them by adding an Umlaut to the past tense st...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

German Irrealis: Wishes and 'What-Ifs' (Konjunktiv II)

Use Konjunktiv II to escape reality, speak politely, and describe dreams using 'würde' or Umlauted past stems.

  • • Konjunktiv II expresses hypotheticals, wishes, dre...
  • • Form it using 'würde' + Infinitiv or the Umlauted...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

Polite Requests in German (Konjunktiv II)

Konjunktiv II creates hypothetical distance, transforming direct demands into respectful, modern, and native-sounding polite requests.

  • • Use Konjunktiv II to turn harsh commands into soft...
  • • Formation: Use `würde` + Infinitiv or strong forms...
11 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Tenses Verified

German Past Perfect (Plusquamperfekt)

Use Plusquamperfekt to describe the 'past before the past' and establish a clear chronological sequence in your stories.

  • • Used for actions happening before another past act...
  • • Formed with 'hatte' or 'war' plus the past partici...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Tenses Verified

German Past Perfect with 'sein' (Plusquamperfekt)

The Plusquamperfekt with sein describes a 'past-before-the-past' specifically for movement and change-of-state verbs.

  • • Used for actions that happened before another past...
  • • Formed with 'war' (sein in past) + Partizip II.
10 examples 1 exercises 1 FAQ
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B2 Word Order Verified

German Verb Bracket with Modals (Satzklammer)

The modal verb and the final infinitive form a 'bracket' that encloses all other sentence information.

  • • Modal verb takes position 2 and conjugates to the...
  • • The main action verb moves to the very end in its...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Word Order Verified

The Double Infinitive Rule (Ersatzinfinitiv)

When modals hit the past tense with another verb, use two infinitives and move 'haben' forward in subordinate clauses.

  • • Used when modals or 'lassen' are in Perfekt/Plusqu...
  • • Replace the past participle with the infinitive fo...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Adjectives & Adverbs Verified

Irregular Comparatives: Better, More, Preferred (gut, viel, gern)

Irregular comparatives change their stems completely; use 'besser', 'mehr', and 'lieber' to compare quality, quantity, and preference.

  • • Gut becomes besser (comparative) and am besten (su...
  • • Viel changes to mehr and am meisten to measure qua...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Adjectives & Adverbs Verified

Comparing with 'than' (Vergleich mit als)

Always use `als` after a comparative adjective (`-er`) to show that one thing is more than another.

  • • Use `als` only for unequal comparisons (than).
  • • Add `-er` to the adjective or adverb before `als`.
12 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Adjectives & Adverbs Verified

Equality Comparisons (so... wie)

Always use `so... wie` with base adjectives to express equality; save `als` for differences and comparatives.

  • • Use `so... wie` to show two things are equal in qu...
  • • The adjective always stays in its base form (no -e...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

Reporting the Past: German Konjunktiv I Perfect

Use Konjunktiv I Perfect to neutrally report past events told by others without claiming they are definitely true.

  • • Used for reporting what someone else said in the p...
  • • Distances the speaker from the truth of the statem...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Adjectives & Adverbs Verified

The Superlative: Being the Best (am ...-sten)

When an adjective stands alone as 'the best/fastest/etc.', always use the fixed pattern 'am ...-sten'.

  • • Use for 'the [adj]-est' at sentence ends
  • • Formula: am + Adjective + -sten
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Adjectives & Adverbs Verified

The Best! German Superlatives (der/die/das ...-ste)

Superlatives with articles require both the -st- marker and correct adjective declension to match the noun's case and gender.

  • • Used to identify the absolute top or bottom of a c...
  • • Requires a definite article (der/die/das) which de...
12 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Word Order Verified

Position of 'nicht' (Negation)

Place `nicht` before what you specifically negate, or at the end for whole-sentence negation.

  • • Place `nicht` after the conjugated verb in simple...
  • • Put `nicht` before adjectives, adverbs, and prepos...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Word Order Verified

German Negation: No vs Not (kein vs nicht)

Negate nouns with `kein` if they're indefinite; use `nicht` for almost everything else in the sentence.

  • • Use `kein` to negate nouns with indefinite or no a...
  • • Use `nicht` for verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and de...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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B2 Verb Moods Verified

Reporting What Others Said: Modal Verbs (Konjunktiv I)

Use Konjunktiv I to report modal verbs neutrally, signaling you're the messenger, not the source of information.

  • • Used for reporting what someone else said neutrall...
  • • Formed by adding special endings to the infinitive...
10 examples 8 exercises 8 FAQ
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Frequently Asked Questions About German Grammar

SubLearn covers 388 German grammar rules organized across 6 CEFR proficiency levels (from A1 to C2), spanning 71 structured chapters. Each rule includes clear explanations, real-world examples, and interactive practice exercises.

Our German grammar curriculum covers CEFR levels from A1 to C2. Each level is designed to match your current proficiency — beginners start with basic sentence patterns at A1, while advanced learners tackle nuanced structures at C1-C2.

Yes! All German grammar rules, explanations, and examples are completely free to access. You can browse the full curriculum, read detailed explanations, and practice with exercises at no cost.

Grammar is organized into 71 thematic chapters following the CEFR framework. Each chapter groups related rules together — for example, verb tenses, sentence structure, or particles — so you can learn related concepts in a logical sequence.

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