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Direct object and possessive/demonstrative

B1Word Order · lesson 20 of 69

A direct object that starts with a [possessive](#/lesson/Pronouns.Po01) or [demonstrative pronoun](#/lesson/Pronouns.De01) is always specific. If I talk about _my desk_, I am excluding all other possible desks. If _that desk_ is a bit untidy, I am talking about one particular desk.

Specific direct objects are placed at the beginning of the middle part.

[FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.13) | [MISC](#/lesson/WordOrder.34) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)

Zij heeft | haar sleutels | zojuist | in de auto | laten liggen

She just left her keys in the car.

_Haar sleutels_ is a specific direct object, because it refers to a specific set of keys (not my keys or your keys). Because it is a specific direct object, it is placed at the beginning of the middle part. _In the auto_ is not a PLACE component, because it refers to the [place of the direct object](#/lesson/WordOrder.34), which we find in the right side.

[FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [MISC](#/lesson/WordOrder.28) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)

Heb je | die film | op tv | gezien?

Did you see that movie on TV?

This sentence is a question, which we will deal with later. You can already see that the only change that takes place occurs in the FF: the subject and finite verb have switched places. Further, _op tv_ is not a PLACE element, because it is not the subject (je) but the direct object (die film) which is on tv.

Direct object starting with an article Proper name as a direct object
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