A unit built around one verb, with its subject and any objects — the building block of a sentence.
In precise terms
A syntactic unit consisting of a predicate together with its arguments. Sentences may contain one clause or several, related by coordination or subordination.
An example
Kiedy wróciłem, wszyscy już spali.
When I got back, everyone was already asleep.
What is going on here
Two clauses, each with its own verb: 'wróciłem' (I got back) and 'spali' (they were sleeping). The first is subordinate, introduced by 'kiedy'; the second is the main clause. Neither is a complete sentence on its own here.
Why this matters when you are learning a language
Once you can see clause boundaries, long sentences stop being intimidating: complex text is mostly simple clauses joined together. Many word-order rules also apply per clause, not per sentence.
Across languages
German famously puts the finite verb at the end of subordinate clauses but second in main clauses, so recognising a clause boundary is the difference between parsing the sentence and not. Japanese marks subordination with clause-final elements rather than clause-initial ones.
Related terms
- Phrase and constituentIntermediate — A group of words that behaves as a single unit inside a sentence.
- Subordinate clauseIntermediate — A clause that cannot stand alone — it depends on a main clause.
- Relative clauseIntermediate — A clause that modifies a noun — 'the book that I read'.
- Word orderIntermediate — The order in which subject, verb and object normally appear.
Where to go next
- Language guides — See grammatical and lexical categories used in context.
- Terminology quiz — Test the terms on this page.