Wenn ich den Roman heute herunterlade, kann ich ihn überall lesen.

If I download the novel today, I can read it everywhere.

Breakdown of Wenn ich den Roman heute herunterlade, kann ich ihn überall lesen.

• ich: I
• heute: today
• lesen: to read
• können: can
• wenn: if
• ihn: it
• der Roman: the novel
• herunterladen: to download
• überall: everywhere

Questions & Answers about Wenn ich den Roman heute herunterlade, kann ich ihn überall lesen.

Why does the verb herunterladen appear as herunterlade at the end of the wenn-clause, instead of splitting into lade … herunter?

In German subordinate clauses (introduced by conjunctions like wenn), the finite verb moves to the very end. With separable-prefix verbs such as herunterladen, you keep the prefix attached in the subordinate clause, so you get herunterlade. In a main clause you would split it: ich lade den Roman herunter.

Why is den Roman used here, and not der Roman or dem Roman?

Roman is a masculine noun (der Roman). Because it’s the direct object of herunterladen, it takes the accusative case: den Roman.

Why is there a comma before kann?

German requires a comma between a subordinate clause and the main clause. Since Wenn ich den Roman heute herunterlade is a subordinate clause, you must write a comma before the main clause kann ich ihn überall lesen.

Why does the main clause start with kann instead of ich?

When you put a subordinate clause first, the main clause moves its finite verb into position 1 (the “verb-first” rule). The subject ich then follows the verb: Kann ich ihn überall lesen.

Why is ihn used instead of repeating den Roman?

Ihn is the masculine accusative pronoun that replaces den Roman to avoid repetition. Both refer to the same thing.

Why is überall placed at the end of the sentence, and could we move it?

Überall is an adverb of place and typically goes after the object in German. In principle you can move it for emphasis (e.g. Überall kann ich ihn lesen in a standalone sentence), but in this structure—after a wenn-clause—the main clause must still begin with the verb.

Why is heute placed between Roman and herunterlade, and could we move it?

German adverb order is fairly flexible. Heute (a time adverb) often appears right after the subject: Wenn ich heute den Roman herunterlade is equally correct. Placing it after den Roman is also possible, though slightly less common.

Could we use runterladen instead of herunterladen here?

Yes. Runterladen is a colloquial short form of herunterladen and is common in spoken German. In formal writing, herunterladen is preferred.