Word Order

The basic French sentence follows Subject + Verb + Object order. The subject comes first, then the conjugated verb, and then any direct or indirect objects. This order holds true in simple declarative sentences.

Short adverbs that modify the verb usually come immediately after the conjugated verb. Longer adverbs or adverbial phrases tend to go either at the end of the sentence or before the verb group, depending on emphasis. Adverbs of time and place often appear at the very end.

Negation in French wraps around the conjugated verb with ne...pas (or another negative word), and any short adverb stays inside this negation. If there is an infinitive, the negation usually precedes the conjugated helper verb. Adverb placement is important to keep the intended meaning.

Object pronouns come before the conjugated verb in declarative sentences. When there is an infinitive, pronouns attach either to the infinitive or come before the helper verb. In negative sentences, pronouns sit between ne and the conjugated verb. This order is consistent and must be followed.

In questions, word order depends on the type of question. Yes/no questions can use inversion (Verb-Subject), est-ce que, or intonation. For information questions, the question word comes first, followed by inversion or est-ce que. In spoken French, rising intonation and est-ce que are more common.

To emphasize a certain part of the sentence, you can move elements to the front or use structures like c'est... qui/que. Adverbs can be repositioned for stress, and topicalization can highlight time, place, or manner. These shifts go beyond the basic order and serve pragmatic functions.

Some sentence types like commands, sentences with double pronouns, and sentences starting with adverbs have particular ordering rules. In commands, pronouns follow the verb and change form. When two pronouns appear, they follow a fixed sequence. Adverbs at the start can affect placement of the subject and verb.

French word order is reliably Subject + Verb + Object in simple sentences, with pronouns preceding the conjugated verb and short adverbs placed immediately after. Negation encloses the verb, and questions follow inversion or est-ce que patterns. Emphasis and sentence type can trigger moves of sentence elements, so pay attention to context.