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Word Order
Esperanto’s usual word order is more or less as in English — the person or thing performing the action (the subject) comes first, then the action itself (the verb), followed by the person or thing acted on (the object). Adjectives come before the nouns they describe, contrary to Romance practice:
| Jesuo konstruis mian hotrodon. | Jesus built my hotrod. |
| Oni promesis al mi poneon! | I was promised a pony! |
| Mi nepre ĉesus ludi World of Warcraft kelkhore por vi. | I would totally stop playing World of Warcraft for a few hours for you. |
When an adjective is part of a compound verb, it often comes after an adverb or pronoun object, if only to break up the clunkiness:
| Jesuo estas ĝin konstruinta. | Jesus has built it. |
| Mi estus nepre ĉesinta ludi... | I would totally have stopped playing... |
However, if one wants to emphasize part of a sentence, one can put that part first, or, if the thing to be emphasized is the subject, introduce it with esti:
| Estis Jesuo, kiu konstruis mian hotrodon | It was Jesus who built my hotrod. |
| Poneon oni promesis al mi! | A pony I was promised! |
| Nepre mi ĉesus ludi... | Totally I would stop playing... |
| Kelkhore mi nepre ĉesus ludi... | For a few hours I would totally stop playing... |
| (Eĉ) World of Warcraft mi nepre ĉesus ludi... | (Even) World of Warcraft I would totally stop playing... |
One can sometimes change the word order to simulate that of a translated original:
| Tuta Gaŭlio en tri partoj dividita estas. | Omnia Gallia in tres partes divisa est. |
| Pugfikos mi vin kaj buŝfikos! | Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo! |
