Spanish Sentence Structure and Word Order

The Basic Order

The default order is subject, verb, object:

• Yo como manzanas. → I eat apples.

Because the verb ending already identifies the subject, Spanish usually drops the subject pronoun, so Como manzanas is the more natural form.

Adjectives Follow the Noun

Descriptive adjectives normally come after the noun, the opposite of English: una casa blanca (a white house), not "una blanca casa". A few adjectives go before the noun, covered in full on the adjectives page.

Object Pronouns Come Before the Verb

Object and reflexive pronouns are placed before a conjugated verb, which differs from English:

• Lo veo. → I see it.
• Te llamo mañana. → I will call you tomorrow.

With an infinitive, a gerund or an affirmative command, the pronoun attaches to the end instead (quiero verlo, I want to see it).

Negation

To make a sentence negative, place no directly before the verb:

• No como carne. → I don't eat meat.

Other negative words such as nunca (never) and nada (nothing) can be used with no in a double negative, which is standard in Spanish: No veo nada (I don't see anything).

Questions

Spanish forms questions through intonation and, in writing, the inverted question mark, often with the subject and verb swapped:

• ¿Habla María español? → Does María speak Spanish?
• ¿María habla español? → Does María speak Spanish?

Both orders are correct. The inverted opening mark is covered on the accents and punctuation page.

Flexibility for Emphasis

Because meaning is carried by verb endings and pronouns, Spanish can move words for emphasis in ways English cannot. Fronting an element draws attention to it, as in A María le gusta el café (María likes coffee), where the person is placed first. This flexibility is a feature of Spanish, not an error, and it becomes natural with exposure.