VSO is the third-most common word order among the world's languages,[1] after SOV (as in Hindi and Japanese) and SVO (as in English and Mandarin Chinese).
Standard Arabic is an example of a language that uses VSO: يَقْرَأُyaqraʼureadsverbٱلْمُدَرِّسُl-mudarrisuthe teachersubjectٱلْكِتابَl-kitābathe bookobjectيَقْرَأُ ٱلْمُدَرِّسُ ٱلْكِتابَyaqraʼu l-mudarrisu l-kitābareads {the teacher} {the book}verb subject objectThe teacher reads the book^* Arabic script is written right-to-left Another Semitic language, Biblical Hebrew, uses VSO, as in Genesis 1:1, which is seen here, and many other places in the Tanakh: בָּרָאBaracreatedverbאֱלֹהִיםElohimGodsubjectאֵתetPTCL* הַשָּׁמַיִםha-shamayim...the heavensobjectבָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִםBara Elohim et ha-shamayim...created God PTCL* {the heavens}verb subject {} objectGod created the heavens...^* et is a particle marking the direct object of the verb.
In Welsh, some tenses use simple verbs, which are found at the beginning of the sentence and are followed by the subject and any objects.
Verb} Subject Verb-Noun ObjectAled speaks Welsh.In Irish, phrases also use VSO: ItheanneatsVerbSeánSeánSubjectaránbreadObjectItheann Seán aráneats Seán breadVerb Subject ObjectSean eats bread.In Irish, in forming a question, the same order is used (with an interrogative particle in front): An itheannDo ...eatVerbtúyouSubjectaránbreadObject{An itheann} tú arán{Do ...eat} you breadVerb Subject ObjectDo you eat bread?The typological classification of Breton syntax is problematic.
It has been claimed that Breton has an underlying VSO character, but it appears at first sight that V2 is the most frequent pattern.