Gewöhnlich esse ich zu Hause zu Mittag.

the house

Breakdown of Gewöhnlich esse ich zu Hause zu Mittag.

• essen: to eat
• ich: I
• zu: at

Questions & Answers about Gewöhnlich esse ich zu Hause zu Mittag.

Why does the sentence start with Gewöhnlich instead of Ich? Can I say Ich esse gewöhnlich zu Hause zu Mittag instead?

Yes, you can say Ich esse gewöhnlich zu Hause zu Mittag. Both versions are correct.

German main clauses follow the verb-second rule (V2 rule): the conjugated verb must be in second position in the sentence. What can be in the first position is flexible: subject, time expression, adverb, object, etc.

• Gewöhnlich esse ich zu Hause zu Mittag.

  • 1st position: Gewöhnlich (adverb)
  • 2nd position: esse (verb)
  • 3rd position: ich (subject)

• Ich esse gewöhnlich zu Hause zu Mittag.

  • 1st position: Ich (subject)
  • 2nd position: esse (verb)
  • 3rd position: gewöhnlich (adverb)

Both are grammatical. Starting with Gewöhnlich puts more emphasis on the idea of usually.

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Why is the verb esse in second position after Gewöhnlich and not right after ich?