The German roots of English grammar
Many people are surprised to learn that while English has borrowed thousands of words from French, Latin, and Greek, its grammar is actually much closer to German. That’s because English and German come from the same language family: the Germanic family.
So, if you’ve ever wondered why English verbs behave a certain way—or why word order matters so much—the answer may lie in its German roots.
Let’s explore how German shaped the core structure of English, especially its grammar.
🌳 1. English Is a Germanic Language
English belongs to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family—just like:
-
German
-
Dutch
-
Afrikaans
This means that while English vocabulary has absorbed a lot of Latin and French, the core structure of the language—its grammar—is Germanic.
🧱 2. Basic Grammar Features from Germanic Origins
Here are some key English grammar features that have German roots:
🔄 Word Order
Both English and German follow the Subject–Verb–Object word order in main clauses:
-
English: I eat bread.
-
German: Ich esse Brot.
But German allows more flexibility and often changes word order in subordinate clauses:
-
German: Ich weiß, dass du müde bist.
-
English: I know that you are tired.
English used to be more flexible like this too, but has become more rigid over time.
⏱️ Verb Tenses and Modal Verbs
English and German share many modal verbs with similar uses:
-
can / können
-
must / müssen
-
should / sollen
-
will / wollen
These verbs help express possibility, necessity, or intention—a typically Germanic feature.
📚 Strong and Weak Verbs
In both languages, verbs are divided into two groups:
-
Weak verbs: form the past tense with -ed (English) or -te (German)
-
play → played
-
spielen → spielte
-
-
Strong verbs: change the vowel (sometimes irregularly)
-
sing → sang → sung
-
singen → sang → gesungen
-
This strong/weak verb system is a hallmark of Germanic grammar—and it’s why English has so many “irregular” verbs.
🔠 Word Formation & Compound Words
German is famous for creating long compound words, and English inherited that ability:
-
English: toothbrush, airport, sunflower
-
German: Zahnbürste, Flughafen, Sonnenblume
Even though English compounds are usually shorter, the concept is the same.
🧙 3. Old English Was Even More Germanic
Go back 1,000 years, and English looked even more like German. Take this Old English sentence:
Se cyning giefþ þæm cnihtum gold.
(“The king gives gold to the knights.”)
Compare to modern German:
Der König gibt den Knappen Gold.
Modern English:
The king gives gold to the knights.
Old English had genders, cases, and more inflections, just like modern German still does today. Over time, English grammar simplified—but it still kept its Germanic roots.
🧠 4. Why This Matters for Learners
Understanding the German background of English helps learners make sense of:
-
Why some verbs don’t follow regular patterns
-
Why we say “I will go” instead of “I go will”
-
Why so many common words (father, mother, house, water) are not from Latin or French, but Germanic origin
If you’re learning both English and German, you’ll see many deep similarities—especially in grammar patterns.
✅ Final Thoughts
While English has borrowed vocabulary from many languages, its grammatical foundation is unmistakably Germanic. From modal verbs and irregular verbs to word order and syntax, English grammar is built on the same roots as German.
So next time you struggle with verb tenses or sentence structure, remember: you’re not dealing with a Romance language—you’re working with a Germanic puzzle!