Basic word order and subordinate clauses
The basic word order is SVO, just like in most of the European languages, e.g. ik xazja banana 'I like bananas'. In subordinate clauses, however, the verb is usually placed at the end of the sentence, e.g. is kam und mis anxaims nimen 'he's come to take me home'.
Placing the verb at the end of the sentence is not obligatory if the group accompanying the word is too long, e.g. is kam und mis nimen t'unsr granam aldam xuza 'he's come to take me to our big old house'. In this example there are three meaningful words before the objects, which would make the sentence bulky in case of the verb being placed at the very end.
The verb generally does not appear after the object in subordinary clauses after the conjunction i 'that', e.g. ik vait, i si friet mis 'I know that she loves me', but also (occasionally, mainly in written language) ik vait, i si mis friet.
Inversion
Inversion is also present. It occurs in two cases:
- Before the enclitic particle ba 'if', e.g. vissa ba ik þat vord, ik maxta it in min rodin botjen 'if I knew this word, I would use it in my speech';
- In interrogatory phrases (see below).
Interrogatory phrases
Interrogatory sentences are basically formed with the help of inversion, just like in English, German or French: vaist þu min nama? 'do you know my name?'
Indirect questions have no inversion, e.g. eskje ina, jefle jera is aig 'ask him, how old he is'. It is important to note that all the interrogatory words beginning with a are changed into relative ones beginning in j-: thus, pe 'what' becomes je etc.
Questions beginning with the word an 'whether, really' also have inversion: an axjes þu, je þu keudend is? 'do you really mean what you're saying?'
In spoken language, the interrogatory character of a phrase may be shown with intonation.
The basic word order is SVO, just like in most of the European languages, e.g. ik xazja banana 'I like bananas'. In subordinate clauses, however, the verb is usually placed at the end of the sentence, e.g. is kam und mis anxaims nimen 'he's come to take me home'.
Placing the verb at the end of the sentence is not obligatory if the group accompanying the word is too long, e.g. is kam und mis nimen t'unsr granam aldam xuza 'he's come to take me to our big old house'. In this example there are three meaningful words before the objects, which would make the sentence bulky in case of the verb being placed at the very end.
The verb generally does not appear after the object in subordinary clauses after the conjunction i 'that', e.g. ik vait, i si friet mis 'I know that she loves me', but also (occasionally, mainly in written language) ik vait, i si mis friet.
Inversion
Inversion is also present. It occurs in two cases:
- Before the enclitic particle ba 'if', e.g. vissa ba ik þat vord, ik maxta it in min rodin botjen 'if I knew this word, I would use it in my speech';
- In interrogatory phrases (see below).
Interrogatory phrases
Interrogatory sentences are basically formed with the help of inversion, just like in English, German or French: vaist þu min nama? 'do you know my name?'
Indirect questions have no inversion, e.g. eskje ina, jefle jera is aig 'ask him, how old he is'. It is important to note that all the interrogatory words beginning with a are changed into relative ones beginning in j-: thus, pe 'what' becomes je etc.
Questions beginning with the word an 'whether, really' also have inversion: an axjes þu, je þu keudend is? 'do you really mean what you're saying?'
In spoken language, the interrogatory character of a phrase may be shown with intonation.
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