Simple sentences are generally constructed in the order subject – verb – complement :

• La mujer cierra la ventana. The woman closes the window.
• Un campesino vendió esos productos. A farmer sold these products.

In a common construction, the direct object complement comes first (complement – verb – subject). The sentence must include a direct object pronoun, underlined below, to keep its meaning:

• La ventana la cierra la mujer.
• Esos productos los vendió un campesino.

Without an object pronoun, the meaning of the first sentence would be: The window closes the woman.

Sentence with indirect object

As a general rule, the indirect object is placed in the last position in simple sentences:

• Un campesino le vendió esos productos a mi esposa. A farmer sold these products to my wife.
• La madre le está ofreciendo un juguete a su hijo. The mother gives her son a toy.

If other elements provide information about the direct object, the indirect object is placed before it:

• Un campesino le vendió a mi esposa esos productos del campo. A farmer sold my wife these products from the countryside.
• La madre le está ofreciendo a su hijo un juguete que le gusta mucho. The mother gave her son a toy that he liked very much.

If the complements are replaced by pronouns, the verb or verbal group is placed at the end of the sentence:

• Un campesino se los vendió. A farmer sold them to him.
• Su madre se lo está ofreciendo. His mother gave it to him.

Sentence with circumstantial complement

The syntax is open, a circumstantial complement can be at the beginning, middle or end of the sentence:

• Mañana iremos nosotros al campo.
• Nosotros iremos mañana al campo.
• Nosotros iremos al campo mañana.
  We will go to the country tomorrow.

If it is at the beginning (first example above), the verb is usually placed before the subject.

Passive sentence

Passive sentences constructed with a pronominal verb usually begin with it:

• Se buscan voluntarios. Volunteers are needed.
• Se construyen edificios en la costa. Buildings are being constructed on the coast.

Nuances and emphasis

The verb ser placed at the beginning of the sentence puts the emphasis on the subject. The rest of the sentence then becomes a relative proposition:

• Fue el quien vendió esos productos. He was the one who sold…
• Es ella quien le ofrece juguetes. She is the one who offers him…

Several adverbs and phrases are commonly used to reinforce the statement: por supuesto, claro (que), seguro (que), ya, sí (que).

• Claro que iremos al campo mañana. Of course we’ll go to the country tomorrow.
• Por supuesto se lo está ofreciendo. Of course she offers it to him.
• Ya sabía que se lo iba a comprar. I knew she was going to buy it for him.
• Suerte sí que tiene. He is lucky.

Personal pronouns are optional, often omitted in everyday language. They are used to add nuance or to raise the level of language:

• ¿Cuantos años tienes? How old are you?
• ¿Cuantos años tienes tú? You, how old are you?
• No sé. I don’t know (meaning: let’s leave it at that, change the subject).
• Yo no sé. I don’t know (meaning: sorry).

Flexibility

Flexible syntax and optional personal pronouns allow for flexibility. The following sentences are correct and have much the same meaning, although the last phrases are less common:

• Se lleva el equipaje al aeropuerto.
• El equipaje se lo lleva al aeropuerto.
• Se lleva al aeropuerto el equipaje.
  He takes the luggage to the airport.

• Tengo mucha suerte.
• Yo tengo mucha suerte.
• Mucha suerte tengo yo.
  I am very lucky.

We can see that the similarity of Spanish with English does not prevent real differences in syntax and subtleties of expression.

👉 Exercise on affirmative sentences

👉 Next lesson : Exclamatory sentences

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