verbsecondregel

Verbsecondregel, or verb-second rule, is a syntactic pattern in many Germanic languages in which the finite verb appears in the second position in main clauses. The clause typically begins with a first constituent that occupies the Vorfeld, followed by the finite verb in the Mittelfeld, with the remaining material (object, adverbials, etc.) in the Nachfeld. This V2 word order is a hallmark of many West Germanic languages and several North Germanic varieties.

In declarative main clauses, the finite verb is in second position, though which element occupies the first position can vary for focus or topic. In yes–no questions, the verb often precedes the subject through inversion (for example, German Kommst du morgen?, Dutch Komt u morgen?). In subordinate clauses, many V2 languages place the verb at or near the end of the clause, producing a verb-final effect (German weil ich ihn gesehen habe; Dutch dat hij morgen komt).

Examples:

German: Heute esse ich einen Apfel.

Dutch: Vandaag eet ik een appel.

Swedish: Idag äter jag ett äpple.

Norwegian: I dag spiser jeg et eple.

Danish: I dag spiser jeg et æble.

Origins and usage: The term Verbsecondregel is standard in German-language grammar and describes a core word-order property of these languages. It interacts with other grammatical features such as negation placement, auxiliary verb behavior, and the handling of subordinate clauses. While the V2 pattern is widespread among Germanic languages, its exact realization varies by language and by clause type, leading to notable cross-language differences in fronting, inversion, and verb placement in subordinate structures.