EasyCroatian_r47.an

Easy Croaan (rev. 47b) / A5 Word Order 516 / 600
A5 Word Order
The word order consists of two 'components':
mandatory order
non-mandatory order
Words that have mandatory order cannot be tweaked to emphasize something or
carry some information; words with non-mandatory order can be.
Non-mandatory order
The default order in sentences like Ana is watching TV is the same as in English
(SVO):
Ana gleda televiziju.
In sentences of type X is PLACE, there are two equally used word orders:
when PLACE is first, it's about PLACE and a something new (X) was introduced;
when X is first, it's about X, which is something already known.
This roughly corresponds to definiteness:
Pismo je na stolu. The letter is on the table.
Na stolu je pismo. A letter is on the table. / There's a letter on the table.
This also holds for the verb nalazi se² is found, is placed.
The same holds for sentences of type subject + verb (SV). The subject comes first if
it's something known, and comes after the verb if it's a new thing introduced:
Film počinje. ≈ The movie is starting.
Počinje film. ≈ A movie is starting.
However, the word order can be changed as well to emphasize something.
In sentences where somebody experiences something from the environment (cold,
heat, boredom) or pain, the experiencer comes first, despite not being the subject:
Ani je hladno. Ana is cold.
Anu boli noga. Ana's leg hurts.
Locations and directions usually come after verbs:
Ana ide na posao. Ana is going to work.
Živimo u Zagrebu. We live in Zagreb.
Adverbs usually come before verbs:
Ana često gleda televiziju. Ana often watches TV.