In linguistic typology, a subject–object–verb (SOV) language is one in which the subject, object, and verb of a sentence always or usually appear in that order.
Some Romance languages are SVO, but when the object is an enclitic pronoun, word order allows for SOV (see the examples below).
In a subordinate clause, the finite verb is not affected by V2, and also appears at the end of the sentence, resulting in full SOV order: "Ich sage, dass Karl einen Gürtel gekauft hat."
A rare example of SOV word order in English is "I (subject) thee (object) wed (verb)" in the wedding vow "With this ring, I thee wed."[4] SOV languages have a strong tendency to use postpositions rather than prepositions, to place auxiliary verbs after the action verb, to place genitive noun phrases before the possessed noun, to place a name before a title or honorific ("James Uncle" and "Johnson Doctor" rather than "Uncle James" and "Doctor Johnson") and to have subordinators appear at the end of subordinate clauses.
Many SOV languages are substantially double-marking and tend to exhibit properties intermediate between the two idealised types above.
AnaaISubjectalbaab(ka)(the) doorObjectfurayopenedVerbAnaa albaab(ka) furayI {(the) door} openedSubject Object VerbI opened the doorኑረዲንNurädinNureddinSubjectኣስመራʼAsmäraAsmaraObjectፈግራfägrahe went upVerbኑረዲን ኣስመራ ፈግራNurädin ʼAsmära fägraNureddin Asmara {he went up}Subject Object VerbNureddin went up to Asmara.ዳኒኤልDaniʼēlDanielSubjectኩዑሶkuʻusoballObjectቀሊዑqäliʻuhe kickedVerbዳኒኤል ኩዑሶ ቀሊዑDaniʼēl kuʻuso qäliʻuDaniel ball {he kicked}Subject Object VerbDaniel kicked the ball.Basque in short sentences, usually, subject or agent–object–verb; in long sentences, usually, subject or agent-verb-objects: EnekokEneko (+ERG)Agentsagarrathe appleObjectekarribrought (to bring)VerbduAUX has Enekok sagarra ekarri du{Eneko (+ERG)} {the apple} {brought (to bring)} {AUX has}Agent Object Verb {}Eneko has brought the appleEneritzekEneritz (+ERG)Partseskatuasked forAgentduAUX hasVerb+ + ++ + +ObjectsEneritzek eskatu du {+ + +}{Eneritz (+ERG)} {asked for} {AUX has} {+ + +}Parts Agent Verb ObjectsEneritz requested the book nobody wanted to readThe Dravidian languages commonly exhibit or prefer SOV order.
მეmeISubjectლექსიleksipoemObjectდავწერე.davc'ere[I]wroteVerbმე ლექსი დავწერე.me leksi davc'ereI poem {[I]wrote}Subject Object VerbI wrote (a) poem.SOV word order is quite common among Indo-European languages, leading to a common hypothesis that this reflects the original preferred word order of the ancestral Proto-Indo-European language.
ԻմImmy անունըanunənameSubjectՇուշանիկŠušanikShushanikObjectէēisVerbԻմ անունը Շուշանիկ էIm anunə Šušanik ēmy name Shushanik is{} Subject Object VerbMy name is Shushanik.Linguistic consensus holds that the Proto-Germanic language had free word order but preferred SOV.
Simple verbs look like SVO, compound verbs follow this pattern: ErHeSubjecthathasAuxiliaryeinenan ApfelappleObjectgegessen.eaten.VerbEr hat einen Apfel gegessen.He has an apple eaten.Subject Auxiliary {} Object VerbHe has eaten an apple.The word order changes also depending on whether the phrase is a main clause or a dependent clause.
𐌲𐌿𐌼𐌰GumamanSubject𐌵𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽qinonwomanObject𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌾𐍉𐌸.frijoþ.loves.Verb𐌲𐌿𐌼𐌰 𐌵𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌾𐍉𐌸.Guma qinon frijoþ.man woman loves.Subject Object VerbThe man loves the woman.Ancient Greek had free word order but generally preferred SOV sentences: ὁhoThe ανήρanḗrmanSubjectτὸνtònthe παĩδαpaîdachildObjectφιλεῖ.phileîloves.Verbὁ ανήρ τὸν παĩδα φιλεῖ.ho anḗr tòn paîda phileîThe man the child loves.
{} Subject {} Object VerbThe man loves the child.This is distinct from Modern Greek, where SVO is preferred.
तत्त्tátthatSubject(त्)वमt(ú)vamyouObjectसिásiareVerbतत्त् (त्)वम सिtát t(ú)vam ásithat you areSubject Object VerbThat you are.Most later Indo-Aryan languages continue to prefer SOV word order, for example: Bengali: আমিamiamiI.SUBJSubjectভাতbʰatbhatrice.OBJObjectখাইkʰaikhaieat.PRESVerbআমি ভাত খাইami bʰat kʰaiami bhat khaiI.SUBJ rice.OBJ eat.PRESSubject Object VerbI eat rice.Hajong: MoiISubjecthugre'mguava re'ACCObjectkhaeat sei.PAST.INDVerbMoi hugre'm re' kha sei.I guava ACC eat PAST.INDSubject {} Object {} VerbI ate the guava.re is a particle that indicates the accusative case and 'sei' indicates past tense declarative.
The verb phrase is in retrospective perfect participle form, indicating completion of the action, and takes on the feminine plural suffixes in agreement with the gender and number of the object.
مینُوںਮੈਨੂੰmainū̃Me-toObjectسیبਸੇਬsebappleSubjectچاہِیداਚਾਹੀਦਾcāhīdadesiringVerbاےਏaeexistsCopulaمینُوں سیب چاہِیدا اےਮੈਨੂੰ ਸੇਬ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਏmainū̃ seb {cāhīda} aeMe-to {apple} desiring existsObject Subject Verb CopulaI want an apple.The copula in Punjabi is extraverbal in function.
Although their common ancestor Latin had free word order and preferred SOV, the modern Romance languages lost the Latin declension that enabled free word order and in general require subject-verb-object structures.
(Negative) We do not have them yet.And in a suffix construction for the future and conditional tenses: EuISubjectfá-lo-eido-it-willObjectamanhãtomorrowVerbEu fá-lo-ei amanhãI do-it-will tomorrowSubject Object VerbI will do it tomorrow.SVO form: Eu hei-de fazê-lo amanhã or eu farei o mesmo amanhã The basic principle in Japanese word order is that modifiers come before what they modify.
For example, in the sentence "こんな夢を見た。" (Konna yume o mita),[7] the direct object "こんな夢" (this sort of dream) modifies the verb "見た" (saw, or in this case had).
[8] ジョンJonJohnSubjectはwaTOP 台所daidokorokitchen でdeLOC 本honbookObjectをoACC 読みyomireadVerbました。mashitaPOL.PAST ジョン は 台所 で 本 を 読み ました。Jon wa daidokoro de hon o yomi mashitaJohn TOP kitchen LOC book ACC read {POL.PAST}Subject {} {} {} Object {} Verb {}John read a book in the kitchen.A closely related quality of the language is that it is broadly head-final.
{} {}Би ном уншивBi nom unshivI {a book} readSubject Object VerbI read a book.Quechuan languages have standard SOV word order.
Ñuqa-qaI-TOPSubjectpapa-tapotato-ACCObjectmikhu-rqa-nieat-PAST-1SGVerbÑuqa-qa papa-ta mikhu-rqa-niI-TOP potato-ACC eat-PAST-1SGSubject Object VerbI ate potatoes.SOV is believed to have been the "default" order of the protolanguage of the Sino-Tibetan family.
БэеBejemanSubjectбэеткэнмэbejetkenmeboy-ACCObjectичэрэн.ičerensee-NFUT-3SGVerbБэе бэеткэнмэ ичэрэн.Beje bejetkenme ičerenman boy-ACC see-NFUT-3SGSubject Object VerbThe man saw the boy.ᠪᡳbiISubjectᠪᡠᡩᠠbudamealObjectᠪᡝbeACC ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳjembieatVerbᠪᡳ ᠪᡠᡩᠠ ᠪᡝ ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳbi buda be jembiI meal ACC eatSubject Object {} VerbI eat a meal.The Turkic languages all exhibit flexibility in word order, so any order is possible.
Similarly, in Uzbek this SOV sentence is neutral: AnvarAnvar.NOMSubjectXivagato Khiva.DATObjectketdi.wentVerbAnvar Xivaga ketdi.Anvar.NOM {to Khiva.DAT} wentSubject Object VerbAnvar went to Khiva.
The same holds in Kazakh, where the below is neutral: ДастанDastanDastanSubjectкітапkitapbookObjectоқыдыoqıdıread-PSTVerbДастан кітап оқыдыDastan kitap oqıdıDastan {book} {read-PST}Subject Object VerbDastan read a book.But an OSV sentence (кітапты Дастан оқыды; it was Dastan who read the book) can be used to change the emphasis.
Other examples of SOV sentences in Turkic: Azerbaijani: ÜmidUmidSubjectağactreeObjectəkəcəkplant-FUTVerbÜmid ağac əkəcəkUmid tree {plant-FUT}Subject Object VerbUmid will plant a tree.Kyrgyz: БизBizWeSubjectалмаalmaappleObjectжедикjedikeat-PST-1PLVerbБиз алма жедикBiz alma jedikWe apple {eat-PST-1PL}Subject Object VerbWe ate an apple.The "idealized" profile of the Uralic languages has subject-verb-object word order.