Sentence Structure

Understanding the sentence structure in Spanish is crucial for forming correct and fluent sentences. This guide will explore the standard sentence order in Spanish and highlight variations that are commonly used.

Spanish sentences generally follow a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, but due to the inflected nature of the language, variations are common and grammatically correct. This flexibility allows for emphasis and stylistic choices in speech and writing.

Standard Sentence Structure

Subject-Verb-Object (SVO)

The most basic and common sentence structure in Spanish is subject-verb-object, where the subject comes first, followed by the verb and then the object.

• Example:

  Juan come manzanas. (Juan eats apples.)

Verb-Subject-Object (VSO)

In questions and some statements, the verb can precede the subject, especially for emphasis or in poetic forms.

• Example:

  ¿Qué dijo Juan? (What did Juan say?) Come Juan manzanas. (Juan eats apples. Emphasis on the action)

Object-Subject-Verb (OSV)

Less common but still used for emphasis, particularly in literary or formal writing, where the object precedes both the subject and the verb.

• Example:

  Manzanas come Juan. (Apples, Juan eats.)

Use of Pronouns

Pronouns in Spanish often follow the verb and can either be attached to infinitives, gerunds, or used before conjugated verbs.

• Example:

  Dámelo. (Give it to me.)
  Estoy escribiéndote. (I am writing to you.)

Adjective Placement

Unlike English, adjectives in Spanish typically follow the noun they describe, which can affect the sentence structure by placing descriptive information after the noun.

• Example:

  Una casa grande. (A big house.)

Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases

Adverbs can be more flexible in placement, but they typically follow the verb or the entire phrase they modify.

• Example:

  Juan come rápidamente. (Juan eats quickly.)
  Juan rápidamente come las manzanas. (Juan quickly eats the apples.)