Both English and Spanish follow the S-V-O (subject – verb – object) order, though each to a different degree.
In contemporary English, this scheme is preferred by the majority of speakers and writers. In Spanish, it is a basic order that the language often moves away from as a result of style guidelines and individual expressivity. This versatility is possible thanks to the grand system of word structures in Spanish. In English, however, the meaning or interpretability of a sentence mainly depends on the rigid and fixed position of the different grammatical elements that are a part of it, due to the morphological simplicity mentioned above, as well as the tonal accent, rhythmic groupings, and patterns of intonation of the spoken language.
The main difference with respect to English is the possibility in Spanish of placing the subject after the verb.
Rhythmic limitations can also be responsible for the strength of Spanish, again in notable opposition to English, by placing the verb at the end of the sentence or clause, for both main clauses and secondary clauses.
As in English, the familiar subject precedes any new information given about it, and subject and the topic tend to match up, taking up the initial position in the sentence, while the predicate and any new information come in the second part.
