Start with the intended meaning
Find the complete phrases first. A useful neutral sequence is time, reason, means or manner, then location or destination. Known information, emphasis and verb-bound complements can change the actual order.
TeKaMoLo gives one useful starting sequence
| Adverbial type | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Te | gestern |
| Ka | wegen des Regens |
| Mo | mit dem Bus |
| Lo | zur Schule |
Together: Wir sind gestern wegen des Regens mit dem Bus zur Schule gefahren. The mnemonic sorts temporal, causal, modal and local information. Modal here means manner or means, not “a modal verb”. Mit dem Bus tells how we travelled. The final goal also connects closely to fahren.
You do not need all four types. Nor should you place every object after all four adverbials. Ich habe der Kollegin gestern die Unterlagen gegeben is ordinary: the recipient precedes the time phrase. Verb-bound complements, sentence-level comments and negation have their own behavior. TeKaMoLo is a planning aid for relevant adverbials, not an algorithm for the entire middle field.
Apply the pattern in another context
Wir fahren morgen wegen des Streiks mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit.
Morgen gives time, wegen des Streiks the reason, mit dem Fahrrad the means and zur Arbeit the destination.
Zur Arbeit fahren wir morgen mit dem Fahrrad.
The destination is now the starting point. This does not make the sentence wrong or change the cases inside the phrases.
Choose the form and explain the meaning
5. Identify Te, Ka, Mo, Lo: gestern / mit dem Bus / zur Schule / wegen des Regens.
gestern = time; wegen des Regens = reason; mit dem Bus = means; zur Schule = place/goal. Their neutral teaching sequence is the one shown in the table.
8. Does Ich habe der Kollegin gestern die Unterlagen gegeben violate TeKaMoLo?
No. TeKaMoLo orders relevant adverbials relative to one another; it does not force every object to follow the time phrase. The dative recipient can come before gestern.
Additional check 1. Which phrase gives the reason: am Dienstag / wegen der Baustelle / zu Fuß?
Wegen der Baustelle. Am Dienstag gives time and zu Fuß the means. Identify the relation before arranging the phrases.
Additional check 2. Give one neutral TeKaMoLo arrangement: Wir fahren / am Freitag / wegen des Umzugs / mit dem Transporter / nach Leipzig.
Wir fahren am Freitag wegen des Umzugs mit dem Transporter nach Leipzig. This is a neutral teaching model, not the only possible contextual order.
Start with the topic overview
German middle-field word order: objects, pronouns and TeKaMoLo · Find another grammar topic
Questions about this topic
Is TeKaMoLo a fixed grammar law?
No. It is a useful neutral sequence for comparable adverbials. Information focus, weight and the verb’s own complements can produce other natural orders.
Sources and further learning
- IDS: Mittelfeld — Systematische Grammatik
- IDS: Stellung der Komplemente im Mittelfeld
- IDS: Mittelfeld — Schulgrammatische Terminologie
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