Dutch and German Word Order

Dutch word order has many similarities to that of German. Both languages have V2 order and TMP. However, in certain respects Dutch word order is different.

The sentence I want to sleep now has the same word order in both Dutch and German:

Dutch Ik wil nu slapen
German Ich will jetzt schlafen

We can change the word order to create the sentence Now I want to sleep. This also has the same word order in Dutch and German:

Dutch Nu wil ik slapen
German Jetzt will ich schlafen

Both Dutch and German have V2 movement. This means that the verb must occupy second position in the sentence. In the sentence Now I want to sleep, the verb follows the adverb.

German and Dutch both follow TMP. This means Time Manner Place. For example, the sentence I'm flying to Paris tomorrow with KLM, English uses the order Place Time Manner. Compare the order to that of Dutch and German:

Dutch Ik vlieg morgen met KLM naar Parijs. 
German Ich vliege morgen mit KLM nach Paris.

In subordinate clauses Dutch and German word order often differ. The sentence He hopes that she has found it has two possible word orders in Dutch, but only one in German. In German the verb must come at the end of the subordinate clause, but in Dutch the past participle can follow the verb. Dutch allows two word orders, but the one which ends with the past participle is the most common.

Dutch Hij hoopt dat zij het gevonden heeft./ Hij hoopt dat zij het heeft gevonden. 
German Er hofft, daß sie es gefunden hat. 

The question Is it true that she is not here? has two possible orders in Dutch, but only one in German.

Dutch Is het waar dat zij is niet hier?/ Is het waar dat zij niet hier is?
German Ist es wahr, daß sie nicht hier ist?

The sentence He isn't coming because he must work today differs in Dutch and German. 

Dutch Hij komt niet, omdat hij vandaag moet werken.
German Er kommt nicht, weil er heute arbeiten muß.

In Dutch the infinitive follows the verb, but in German the infinitive precedes it. All subordinate clauses in German must end with the verb. The adverb today precedes the verb phrase of the subordinate clause in both languages.

Dutch word order is similar to German in many respects. The two languages have V2 movement and TMP. English lacks V2 movement and has PTM. However, Dutch word order in subordinate clauses is often different. In German, verbs must always come at the end of the subordinate clause. This is not the case in Dutch.