# Object–subject–verb word order

In linguistic typology, the object–subject–verb (OSV) or object–agent–verb (OAV) word order is a structure where the object of a sentence precedes both the subject and the verb. Although this word order is rarely found as the default in most languages, it does occur as the unmarked or neutral order in a few Amazonian languages, including Xavante and Apurinã. In many other languages, OSV can be used in marked sentences to convey emphasis or focus, often as a stylistic device rather than a normative structure. OSV constructions appear in languages as diverse as Chinese, Finnish, and British Sign Language, typically to emphasize or topicalize the object. Examples of OSV structures can also be found in certain contexts within English, Hebrew, and other languages through the use of syntactic inversion for emphasis or rhetorical effect. The OSV order is also culturally recognizable through its use by the character Yoda in Star Wars.
An example of this word order in English would be "Apples Sam ate" (meaning, Sam ate apples).

## Unmarked word order
### Natural languages

OSV is rarely used in unmarked sentences, which use a normal word order without emphasis. Most languages that use OSV as their default word order come from the Amazon basin, such as Xavante, Jamamadi, Apurinã, Warao, Kayabí and Nadëb. Mizo language also uses OSV in unmarked sentences. Here is an example from Apurinã:
anana
pineapple
nota
I
apa
fetch
anana nota apa
pineapple I fetch
I fetch a pineapple
British Sign Language (BSL) normally uses topic–comment structure, but its default word order when topic–comment structure is not used is OSV.

## Marked word order

Various languages allow OSV word order but only in marked sentences, which emphasise part or all of the sentence.

### Chinese

Passive constructions in Chinese follow an OSV (OAV) pattern through the use of the particle 被:
这个
Zhège
this
苹果
píngguǒ
apple
被
bèi
by
我
wǒ
me
吃
chī
eat
掉
diào
了
le
PFV
这个 苹果 被 我 吃 掉 了
Zhège píngguǒ bèi wǒ chī diào le
this apple by me eat PFV
This apple was eaten by me.

### English

In English, object-subject-verb order is atypical but can be used for contrastive focus, as in: That car we bought at least five years ago. The other one we only bought last year.

### Finnish

Finnish has a remarkably lax word order and so emphasis on the object is often marked simply by putting it first in the sentence. The word by word translation in example (1) would be "you I love!" and expresses a contrast to maybe loving someone else.
Sinua
2SG.PTV
minä
1SG.NOM
rakastan!
1SG.love.PRS.IND
Sinua minä rakastan!
2SG.PTV 1SG.NOM 1SG.love.PRS.IND
"I love you!"
This word order is totally natural and quite often used for emphasis. Example (2) expresses the contrast of refusing to eat something else (like something more healthy).
Suklaata
chocolate.PTV
se
3.SG
kyllä
INT
suostuu
3SG.consent.PRS.IND
syömään
eat.ILL
Suklaata se kyllä suostuu syömään
chocolate.PTV 3.SG INT 3SG.consent.PRS.IND eat.ILL
"He instead consents to eating chocolate."

### Hebrew

In Modern Hebrew, OSV is often used instead of the normal SVO to emphasise the object. אני אוהב אותה would mean "I love her", but "אותה אני אוהב" would mean "It is she whom I love". Possibly an influence of Germanic (via Yiddish), as Jewish English uses a similar construction ("You, I like, kid") much more than many other varieties of English and often with the "it is" left implicit.

### Hungarian

In Hungarian, OSV emphasises the subject:
A szócikket én szerkesztettem = The article/I/edited (It was I, not somebody else, who edited the article).

### Korean and Japanese

Korean and Japanese have SOV by default, but since they are topic-prominent languages, they often seem to be OSV when the object is topicalized. Here is an example in Korean:
그
geu
that
사과–는
sagwa-neun
apple-TOP
Object
제–가
je-ga
I.POL-NOM
Subject
먹–었–어–요
meog-eoss-eo-yo
eat-PST-DEC-POL
Verb
그 사과–는 제–가 먹–었–어–요
geu sagwa-neun je-ga meog-eoss-eo-yo
that apple-TOP I.POL-NOM eat-PST-DEC-POL
 Object Subject Verb
As for the apple, I ate it. (or) The apple, I ate.
An almost identical syntax is possible in Japanese:
その
sono
that
りんご゠は
ringo-wa
apple-TOP
Object
私゠が
watashi-ga
I.POL-NOM
Subject
食べ゠まし゠た
tabe-mashi-ta
eat-POL-PST/PERF
Verb
その りんご゠は 私゠が 食べ゠まし゠た
sono ringo-wa watashi-ga tabe-mashi-ta
that apple-TOP I.POL-NOM eat-POL-PST/PERF
 Object Subject Verb
As for the apple, I ate it. (or) The apple, I ate.

### Malayalam

OSV is one of the permissible word orders in Malayalam, the other being SOV.

### Portuguese

OSV is possible in Portuguese to emphasize the object.
De
of
maçã
apple
Object
eu
I
Subject
não
NEG
gosto
like-1SG
Verb
De maçã eu não gosto
of apple I NEG like-1SG
 Object Subject Verb
I do not like apple

### Turkish

OSV is used in Turkish to emphasize the subject:
yemeğ-i
meal-ACC
ben
I
pişir-di-m
cook-PST-1SG
yemeğ-i ben pişir-di-m
meal-ACC I cook-PST-1SG
It was I, not somebody else, who cooked the meal.