Questions & Answers about Ich trinke nur Wasser.
Why does nur (only) come after the verb trinke instead of before it?
In German, the main verb must be in the second position. Since Ich (I) is first, trinke (drink) must be second. This forces adverbs like nur to come after the verb, unlike in English where we often say "I only drink". This is the exact same placement rule you use for frequency adverbs like oft (often) or nie (never).
If I wanted to add a frequency adverb like immer (always) to this sentence, where would it go?
If you want to say "I always only drink water," you put the frequency adverb right after the verb and before nur. The sentence becomes: Ich trinke immer nur Wasser.
Why doesn't Wasser have an article like das in this sentence?
Just like in English, mass nouns (things you cannot easily count, like liquids and materials) do not need an article when you talk about them generally. You can just use Wasser, exactly like we say "water" instead of "the water".
Can I move nur Wasser to the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, you can say Nur Wasser trinke ich. Putting it first strongly emphasizes that water is the absolutely only thing you drink. Notice that because the whole phrase Nur Wasser takes up the first slot, the verb trinke still stays strictly in the second position!
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