We cannot place just any component before the left side. The table below lists all elements in the order they were presented in this chapter.
Component | Allowed before the left side?
[Finite formation](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | NO (default beginning of the left side)
[Reflexive pronoun](#/lesson/WordOrder.05) | YES (only the [marked form](#/lesson/Pronouns.Rf01))
[Reduced indirect object](#/lesson/WordOrder.06) | YES
[Reduced direct object](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | YES
[Hier and daar](#/lesson/WordOrder.09) | YES
[Time](#/lesson/WordOrder.13) | YES
[Manner](#/lesson/WordOrder.14) | YES
[Place](#/lesson/WordOrder.15) | YES
[Direct object](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | YES
[The other verbs](#/lesson/WordOrder.24) | NO
[Prefix of a separable verb](#/lesson/WordOrder.25) | NO
[EHD-postposition](#/lesson/WordOrder.29) | NO
[Indirect object](#/lesson/WordOrder.30) | YES
[Complement](#/lesson/WordOrder.31) | YES
[Prepositional phrase](#/lesson/WordOrder.35) | YES
Recall that if a sentence does not start with the subject, the subject and finite verb switch places (see also [finite formation](#/lesson/WordOrder.04)). This is the case when we place something before the left side.
Examples
- Neuter word order:
[FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [INDOB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.06) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.13) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
We hebben | haar | gisteren | een boek | gegeven
Yesterday, we gave her a book.
Reduced indirect object
- Placing the [reduced indirect object](#/lesson/WordOrder.06) before the left side:
[INDOB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.06) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.13) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Haar | hebben we | gisteren | een boek | gegeven
Yesterday, we gave her a book (we did not give it to someone else).
Time
- Placing the [time](#/lesson/WordOrder.13) element before the left side:
[TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.13) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [INDOB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.06) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Gisteren | hebben we | haar | een boek | gegeven
Yesterday (not today or tomorrow), we gave her a book.
Direct object
- Placing the [direct object](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) before the left side:
[DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [INDOB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.06) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Het boek | hebben we | haar | gisteren | gegeven
The book (is what) we gave her yesterday.
The observant reader may have spotted that I now used a [specific direct object](#/lesson/WordOrder.17) (het boek) instead of an non-specific direct object (een boek). Technically, it is possible to place a non-specific direct object before the left side but this is very uncommon.
- Neuter word order:
[FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [DIROB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.13) | [PLACE](#/lesson/WordOrder.15) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Ik ben | hem | net | in de supermarkt | tegengekomen
I just ran into him in the supermarket.
Place
- Placing the [place](#/lesson/WordOrder.15) element before the left side:
[PLACE](#/lesson/WordOrder.15) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [DIROB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
In de supermarkt | ben ik | hem | net | tegengekomen
In the supermarket, I just ran into him.
Reduced direct object
- Placing the [reduced direct object](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) before the left side:
[DIROB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [PLACE](#/lesson/WordOrder.15) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Hem | ben ik | net | in de supermarkt | tegengekomen
I just ran into him (not someone else) in the supermarket.
If the reduced indirect object is the pronoun _het_, we cannot place it before the left side. Instead of _het_, we have to use a [demonstrative pronoun](#/lesson/Pronouns.De01) (dit or dat).
- Neuter word order:
[FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [DIROB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | [PLACE](#/lesson/WordOrder.15) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Ik heb | het | in de winkel | gekocht
I have bought it at the shop.
- Placing _het_ (dit or dat) before the left side:
[DIROB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [PLACE](#/lesson/WordOrder.15) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Dit | heb ik | in de winkel | gekocht
This I have bought at the shop.
EHD (er, hier, daar)
- Neuter word order:
[FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [EHD](#/lesson/WordOrder.09) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [EHD-postposition](#/lesson/WordOrder.26) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Ze hebben | er | ondertiteling | onder | gezet
They have put subtitles under it.
Just like you cannot place the pronoun _het_ before the left side, we can also not place _er_ (which replaces _het_) before the left side.
Note that there are other types of [_er_](#/lesson/WordOrder.36) that can or must be placed here.
Instead of _er_, we use _hier_ (replacing _dit/deze_) or _daar_ (dat/die). See also [EHD-pronoun](#/lesson/WordOrder.11).
- Placing [EHD](#/lesson/WordOrder.09) before the left side:
[EHD](#/lesson/WordOrder.09) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [EHD-postposition](#/lesson/WordOrder.29) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Daar | hebben ze | ondertiteling | onder | gezet
They have put subtitles under that.
We can also say: " _Hier_ hebben ze ondertiteling onder gezet", but not: " _Er_ hebben ze ondertiteling onder gezet".
Complement
- Neuter word order:
[FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [DIROB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | - | [LINK](#/lesson/WordOrder.31) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
We kunnen | het | niet | leuker | maken
We cannot make it more fun.
- Placing the [complement](#/lesson/WordOrder.31) before the left side:
[LINK](#/lesson/WordOrder.31) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [DIROB'](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | - | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Leuker | kunnen we | het | niet | maken
We cannot make it more fun (but we can make the job easier).
From the slogan of the Dutch Tax Office: "Leuker kunnen we het niet maken, wel makkelijker" ("We cannot make it more fun but we can make it easier").
Prepositional phrase
It is very common to place the [prepositional phrase](#/lesson/WordOrder.26) outside the core sentence. This is in accordance with the general guideline that we should place lengthy components before or after the core sentence. Prepositional phrases always consist of several words.
The most common place for the prepositional phrase is after the right side but we can also find it before the left side.
[FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.13) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [prep](#/lesson/WordOrder.26) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Je moet | eerst | de korting | van het totaalbedrag | aftrekken
You first have to subtract the discount of the total amount.
- Placing the [prepositional phrase](#/lesson/WordOrder.26) before the left side:
[prep](#/lesson/WordOrder.26) | [FF](#/lesson/WordOrder.04) | [TIME](#/lesson/WordOrder.07) | [DIROB](#/lesson/WordOrder.16) | [OV](#/lesson/WordOrder.24)
Van het totaalbedrag | moet je | eerst | de korting | aftrekken
Of the total amount, you first have to subtract the discount.