In the most usual simple sentence, the order is subject + verb + complements. The subject names who performs the action or who is talked about, the verb expresses the action or the state, and the complements add information such as object, place, time or manner. María compra pan, El perro duerme en el sofá, Nosotros vimos la película anoche. That order appears again and again in Affirmative sentences, because it allows quickly identify who does what and with what extra information.

Base word order of the simple sentence

Idea
The most common sequence in a simple sentence is subject, verb, and complements.
The complement usually goes after the verb when you do not want to highlight any part.
If the subject is long, the sentence remains natural when the verb appears early.

In Spanish, the subject may not appear when the verb form already indicates who acts. In hablo, the ending -o indicates first person singular; in comen, the ending -en indicates third person plural. That is why we say Vivo en Madrid and there is no need to repeat yo. The subject is named only when it serves to clarify, contrast or correct: Yo vivo en Madrid, no mi hermano. The omission of the subject is a normal part of Subject-Verb Agreement.

Subject omission by verb form

Usage	Explanation
Everyday context	The subject is omitted when the verb form already shows who performs the action.
Short answer	The subject is omitted when the answer needs to be short and natural.
Clarity by the verb	The subject is avoided if the verb makes the person very clear.

Clitic object pronouns usually go before the conjugated verb. The pattern is pronoun + verb. Me llama, te buscan, lo entiendo, nos ayudan. If there are two pronouns, the person pronoun goes first and the thing pronoun after: me lo dice, te la presto. This order appears in the affirmative sentence and also in many constructions with a conjugated verb, as in Affirmative sentences.

Placement of clitic pronouns

Idea
Object pronouns go before the conjugated verb in the simple sentence.
If there are two pronouns, both are placed before the conjugated verb.
The pronoun keeps its form even if the verb changes person or number.

With the infinitive and the gerund, the pronoun usually goes behind and attached to the verb: infinitive + pronoun, gerund + pronoun. Quiero verla, vamos a llamarlo, está comprándolo. In the affirmative imperative the same happens: dime, sentaos, hazlo. When the verb changes form and is not conjugated, the pronoun sticks to the end and may carry an accent to keep the correct pronunciation. In Exclamatory sentences this type of chaining also frequently appears.

Position of pronouns with non-personal forms

Idea
With the infinitive, the pronoun can go after the verb and attached to it.
With the gerund, the pronoun can go after the gerund and attached to it.
With the affirmative imperative, the pronoun is stuck to the command.

The basic negation uses no before the conjugated verb: No quiero café, No vienen hoy, No sabemos nada. If there are clitic pronouns, no goes before them: No me llama, No lo entiendo, No se lo digas. The fixed order is no + pronoun + verb when the verb is conjugated. In Spanish, negation is part of the normal structure of Negative sentences, and it is not placed after the verb in this basic construction.

Use of no in negation

Idea
In a negative sentence, no goes before the verb.
If there are clitic pronouns, no goes before them.
The negation preserves the order even if the sentence is short.

Direct questions are recognized by intonation and by the question marks. The order can stay the same as in an affirmative: ¿Tú comes aquí?, ¿Viene María mañana?. It is also very common to place the verb or a part of the sentence at the front to sound more natural: ¿Vienes mañana?, ¿Has visto a Ana?. The choice depends on how much context already exists and which part of the sentence you want to present first. In Interrogative sentences this order helps mark a clear question from the start.

Formation of direct questions

Idea
Direct questions carry question intonation and may start with an interrogative.
In many questions, the subject can go after the verb to sound more natural.
Direct questions are recognized by their intent to ask for information and not just by order.

Words like qué, quién, cuándo, dónde, cómo and por qué usually go at the beginning of the question. Then comes the verb and the rest of the information: ¿Qué quieres?, ¿Dónde vive tu hermana?, ¿Cuándo salimos?. The interrogative word signals exactly what data is missing. If it is a question about a person, thing, place, time or cause, the interrogative opens the sentence and guides the answer. This pattern is central in Interrogative sentences.

quécuálcuántodóndepor quécómocuándoquién

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Sirve para preguntar por causa o motivoSirve para preguntar por elección o identificaciónSirve para preguntar por identidad, cosa o informaciónSirve para preguntar por tiempoSirve para preguntar por cantidadSirve para preguntar por personaSirve para preguntar por lugarSirve para preguntar por modo o estado

Question words for asking

Word	Definition
qué	Serves to ask about identity, thing, or information.
quién	Serves to ask about person.
cuál	Serves to ask about choice or identification.
cuándo	Serves to ask about time.
dónde	Serves to ask about place.
cómo	Serves to ask about manner or state.
cuánto	Serves to ask about amount.
por qué	Serves to ask about cause or motive.

Scramble

The normal place of the adjective is usually after the noun: un coche rojo, una casa antigua. The adverb normally accompanies the verb: habla despacio, llega tarde. If you change that order, the effect can be emphasis or style: rojo coche is not the usual form, but muy rojo or felizmente can highlight a quality or manner. Also in prose you can move forward an adverb to mark the frame of the sentence: Ayer, llegó temprano. The displacement does not change the basic function, but it does change the attention that word receives.

Movement for emphasis and style

Usage	Explanation
Emphasis on quality	The adjective is moved to highlight a quality and sound more expressive.
Emphasis on mode	The adverb is fronted when you want to give prominence to the mode.
More literary style	The position is changed to achieve a tone that is more natural or more elegant.

A subordinate clause depends on another and cannot function alone with the same value. It usually starts with a conjunction like que, si, porque, cuando or a relative pronoun like que, quien, el que, donde. In Quiero que vengas, the part que vengas depends on quiero. In La mujer que vive aquí es médica, que vive aquí describes the noun mujer. In the relatives, the relative pronoun or adverb connects the subordinate clause with its antecedent and occupies a position within that subordinate clause. This dependency relationship is worked out in detail in Subordinate clauses.

Links and position of subordinate clauses

Idea
A subordinate clause depends on another and uses a connector to join it.
Relative clauses usually have a relative pronoun that links two ideas.
The subordinate clause completes the main idea and cannot stand alone with the same value.