word order

[john291thomson3046]

I am constantly being reminded that word order does not really matter in most cases
Do some people always use one order and others use another?

alcuni esempi

è Lei ? or Lei è ?
anche tu sel ? or sei anche tu ?
Lei è Americana ? or è Americana Lei ?

It probably is no more than another of the delightful quirks which makes la lingua italiana so charming

John Thomson

[community.italian]

Hi John,

Good question!
It depends: sometimes the order doesn't change the meaning, sometimes it is useful to emphasize some element.
The normal order in Italian is Subject Verb Object, so when this order is inverted, it is to emphasize some element.
For example:
è Lei Maria = She (and no one else) is Maria. (the verb comes before the subject)
and
Lei è Maria = She is Maria. (normal order)

I hope this will help!
Grazie e ciao!
Ofelia
Team ItalianPod101.com

[john291thomson3046]

grazie tanto Ofelia.

è molto gentile Lei

è giusto questo ?

John