Gewöhnlich komme ich um acht ins Büro.

I usually come to the office at eight.

Breakdown of Gewöhnlich komme ich um acht ins Büro.

• kommen: to come
• ich: I
• in: into
• acht: eight

Questions & Answers about Gewöhnlich komme ich um acht ins Büro.

Why does the sentence start with Gewöhnlich instead of Ich, and why does the verb komme come right after it?

In a normal German main clause, the finite verb must be in second position (the “V2 rule”). The element in first position can be many things: the subject, an adverb, an object, etc.

• Here, Gewöhnlich (an adverb of frequency: “usually”) is placed first for emphasis.
• Because the first slot is taken by Gewöhnlich, the verb komme must still be in second position, so it comes next.
• The subject ich then moves after the verb.

So the structure is:

1. Gewöhnlich – first element (adverb)
2. komme – verb (must be second)
3. ich – subject
4. um acht ins Büro – time + place

If you started with Ich, it would look like this:

• Ich komme gewöhnlich um acht ins Büro.

This is also correct German. The meaning is the same; the difference is the focus/emphasis. Starting with Gewöhnlich emphasizes how often you come at eight; starting with Ich is the neutral, “default” style.

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Can I also say Ich komme gewöhnlich um acht ins Büro? Is there any difference in meaning?