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### The Placeholder Object *es*

In English, we often use "it" as a placeholder, as in "I hate *it* when..." or "I find *it* unbearable that..." German does exactly the same thing with **es**. When the true direct object of a verb is an entire clause or an infinitive phrase, German often uses **es** in the main clause as a placeholder (sometimes called a *Korrelat*).

### With Infinitive Phrases

When talking about habits and preferences, verbs like *hassen* (to hate), *bevorzugen* (to prefer), or *ablehnen* (to refuse) often take an infinitive phrase (a phrase ending with *zu* + infinitive) as their true object. The placeholder *es* sits in the normal object position of the main clause, and a comma separates the main clause from the infinitive phrase.

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### With Subordinate Clauses

The placeholder *es* is also used when the true object is a full subordinate clause, typically starting with **wenn** (when/if) or **dass** (that). 

Remember that subordinate clauses send the conjugated verb to the very end of the sentence.

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You can also use *es* with verbs like *finden* (to find) paired with an adjective to express your strong opinion about a situation.

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The placeholder object (es)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (der, die, das)

Indefinite articles (ein, eine)

Regular verbs and statement word order (ich -e, er -t)

The second person (du -st, Sie -en)

Yes/No questions

The verb 'to have' (habe, hast, hat)

Plural pronouns and regular verbs (wir, ihr, sie)

Plural 'to be' and 'to have' (sind, haben)

Plural nouns and the plural article (die)

Sentence negation (nicht)

Noun negation (kein, keine)

Question words (wer, was, wo, wie)

Numbers 0 to 12 (null, eins, zwei)

The accusative case (den, die, das)

Indefinite accusative articles (einen, keinen)

Direct object pronouns (mich, dich, ihn)

There is / there are (es gibt)

Vowel changes: e to i/ie (er spricht, sie liest)

Vowel changes: a to ä (er fährt)

Weather and conditions (es regnet)

First- and second-person possessives in the nominative (mein, dein, Ihr)

First- and second-person possessives in the accusative (meinen, deinen, Ihren)

Third-person and plural possessives (sein, ihr, unser, euer)

Possession with names (Annas Auto)

Demonstrative pronouns (dieser, diese, dieses)

Expressing preference (gern, lieber)

Asking about direction and origin (woher, wohin)

Expressing ability (können)

Polite requests (möchten)

Expressing intention (wollen)

Modal verbs of obligation and permission (müssen, dürfen)

Separable prefix verbs

Adverbs of frequency (immer, oft, manchmal, nie)

The Dative case and definite articles (dem, der, den)

Dative indefinite and negative articles (einem, einer, keinem)

Dative personal pronouns (mir, dir, ihm, ihr...)

Dative verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen, schmecken)

Dative prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach...)

Accusative prepositions (für, ohne, gegen)

Two-way prepositions for location (in, an, auf...)

Informal singular imperative (mach, komm)

Plural and formal imperative (macht, machen Sie)

Coordinating conjunctions (und, oder, aber, denn)

Simple past of sein and haben (war, hatte)

The perfect tense: regular verbs (gemacht, gespielt)

Past tense: irregular verbs (ge-...-en)

The perfect tense: mixed verbs (gebracht, gekannt)

The perfect tense with sein (ist gegangen)

The perfect tense: separable verbs (eingekauft)

The perfect tense: inseparable and -ieren verbs (besucht, studiert)

Informal singular commands (mach, lern)

Numbers 13 to 20 (dreizehn to zwanzig)

Counting by tens to 100 (dreißig, vierzig)

Telling time (Uhr, halb, Viertel, vor, nach)

Numbers 21 to 99 (einundzwanzig, zweiunddreißig)

Greetings and farewells

Thank you, sorry and good wishes

Everyday replies

Numbers 100 to 1,000,000 (hundert, tausend...)

Becoming and getting (werden)

The impersonal pronoun (man)

Indefinite pronouns (jemand, niemand...)

Time sequence prepositions (vor, nach, bei)

Time span prepositions (von... bis, seit, für)

Adverbs of sequence (zuerst, dann, danach)

Two-way prepositions for direction (in, auf, an...)

Directional adverbs (hin, her)

Placement verbs (setzen, stellen, legen)

Months of the year (Januar, Februar)

The four seasons (Frühling, Sommer)

Time prepositions and indefinite pronouns (an, in, um)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 19th (am ersten)

Ordinals 20th and beyond (-ste, -sten)

Placement vs. location verbs (stellen vs. stehen)

Accusative reflexive pronouns (mich, dich, sich)

Accusative reflexive verbs (sich freuen)

Dative reflexive pronouns (mir, dir, sich)

Dative reflexive verbs (sich etwas merken)

Ordinal numbers 11th to 19th (-te)

Temporal prepositions (an, in, um)

Double objects with nouns

Double objects with pronouns

The modal verb for advice (sollen)

Simple past of modal verbs (musste, wollte...)

Simple past of common irregulars (wurde, wusste, es gab)

Adverbial connectors of consequence (deshalb, darum...)

Subordinate clauses for statements (dass)

Question	Answer
to hate	hassen
I hate getting up early.	Ich hasse es, früh aufzustehen.
the quirk	die Macke
Every person has a little quirk.	Jeder Mensch hat eine kleine Macke.
He hates it when people laugh about his quirk.	Er hasst es, wenn man über seine Macke lacht.
to despise	verabscheuen
She despises it when the train is delayed.	Sie verabscheut es, wenn der Zug Verspätung hat.
He despises standing silently in a traffic jam.	Er verabscheut es, schweigend im Stau zu stehen.
to prefer	bevorzugen
They prefer showering in the evening.	Sie bevorzugen es, abends zu duschen.
the routine	die Routine
We prefer not to change our routine.	Wir bevorzugen es, unsere Routine nicht zu ändern.
to refuse	ablehnen
My boss refuses to work on the weekend.	Mein Chef lehnt es ab, am Wochenende zu arbeiten.
the preference	die Vorliebe
He refuses to explain his preference.	Er lehnt es ab, seine Vorliebe zu erklären.
We share this crazy preference.	Wir teilen diese verrückte Vorliebe.
unbearable	unerträglich
I find it unbearable that you ignore me.	Ich finde es unerträglich, dass du mich ignorierst.
the habit (personal quirk or mannerism)	die Angewohnheit
This habit is really unbearable, you see.	Diese Angewohnheit ist nämlich wirklich unerträglich.
I have the habit of singing loudly.	Ich habe die Angewohnheit, laut zu singen.
to allow (to happen, tolerate)	zulassen
I will not allow you to give up.	Ich lasse es nicht zu, dass du aufgibst.
I will not allow it.	Ich werde es nicht zulassen.
to bear	ertragen
Although it is raining, she endures waiting outside.	Obwohl es regnet, erträgt sie es, draußen zu warten.
I can hardly bear this routine anymore.	Ich kann diese Routine kaum noch ertragen.