ABSTRACT
The main subjects discussed in this chapter are: • Verb-Subject-Object order in sentence containing relative clauses (Section
37.2.1) • Word order in questions and exclamations (Section 37.2.2-4) • -Gracias -dijo Juan (not -Juan dijo) (Section 37.2.5) • Verb-Subject order after adverbs (Section 37.2.6) • Miscellaneous word order rules (Section 37.3) • The position of adverbsandadverbial phrases (Section 37.4) • Sentences like tonta no es, dinero tiene, etc. (Section 37.5.1) • Viene el profesor or el profesor viene? (Section 37.5.2) • Ana ley6 ellibro, ellibro lo ley6 Ana, etc. (Section 37.5.3)
3 7. I General Compared with English and French, word order in Spanish is pretty variable. Many adjectives may be placed before or after the noun that they modify: en el pasado remotojen el remoto pasado 'in the remote past'; see 4.11 for discussion. A subject may follow or precede a verb: Juan lo sabejlo sabe Juan 'Juan knows'. A direct object noun phrase may follow or precede the verb: no tengo hambrejhambre no tengo Tm not hungry'; and, as in English, adverbs and adverb phrases may occupy various positions in relation to the verb that they modify: a veces lluevejllueve a veces 'sometimes it rains' I 'it rains sometimes'.
