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SOV

SOV

9.6
A word order where the subject comes first, the object second, and the verb last
  • symbol
  • Specialized
translation icon : orden sujeto-objeto-verbo
  • Languages like Korean and Hindi typically use the SOV order, making it distinct from the more common SVO order in English.

Examples

  • In Japanese, the standard sentence structure follows the SOV pattern, where the subject is placed first, followed by the object and the verb.

  • So the question is, why sometimes can you use SOV and why sometimes can you use OSV?

  • Understanding the SOV structure is crucial for learning languages that prioritize this word order, as it affects sentence meaning.

Surface Forms

SOV main

Etymology

SOV stands for subject, object, verb — the order of words in a sentence, with the person or thing first, the object second, and the action last. That's why languages like Japanese are called SOV languages: the verb comes at the end.