Short before long
A German sentence keeps the reader waiting for its closing verb. Every long phrase in between stretches that wait. Good writers therefore put short parts first and heavy parts last: pronouns and short adverbs early, long noun phrases late in the Mittelfeld, and whole clauses after the closing verb. This tendency is so strong that it can override the usual order of objects.
Heavy object late in the Mittelfeld
Wir haben den Kunden einen Gutschein geschickt.
We sent the customers a voucher.
Both objects short: normal order, dative before accusative.
Wir haben den Gutschein allen Kunden aus dem Raum Stuttgart geschickt.
We sent the voucher to all customers in the Stuttgart area.
The heavy, new dative moves to the end of the Mittelfeld.
Clauses go behind the verb
A subordinate clause inside the bracket forces the reader to hold the main verb in suspense. Placed after the closing verb, the main clause is complete before the clause starts. Both versions are correct; the second is easier to follow.
Embedded or at the end
Inside: the reader waits
Er hat, weil sein Zug ausgefallen ist, den Termin abgesagt.
He cancelled the appointment because his train was cancelled.
Ich habe den Artikel, den du mir empfohlen hast, gestern gelesen.
I read the article you recommended to me yesterday.
At the end: the sentence flows
Er hat den Termin abgesagt, weil sein Zug ausgefallen ist.
He cancelled the appointment because his train was cancelled.
Ich habe gestern den Artikel gelesen, den du mir empfohlen hast.
Yesterday I read the article you recommended to me.
The relative clause can follow the verb when only the verb stands between it and its noun.
Heavy subjects and subject clauses
A long subject in the Vorfeld makes the reader wait for the finite verb. Two fixes: put a short phrase in front and let the subject follow the verb, or, for a clause, leave es in its place and move the clause to the end. English does the same with it: It surprised nobody that…
Dass die Firma nach München umzieht, hat niemanden überrascht.
That the company is moving to Munich surprised nobody.
Correct, but top-heavy.
Es hat niemanden überrascht, dass die Firma nach München umzieht.
It surprised nobody that the company is moving to Munich.
Die Entscheidung des Vorstands, die Produktion ins Ausland zu verlagern, hat für Unruhe gesorgt.
The board's decision to move production abroad caused unrest.
The reader waits through ten words for the verb.
Für Unruhe hat die Entscheidung des Vorstands gesorgt, die Produktion ins Ausland zu verlagern.
What caused unrest was the board's decision to move production abroad.
Short phrase first, the infinitive clause after the closing verb.
