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Do all the following word orders sound natural? Is there a difference in meaning?

Spanish Language Asked on November 28, 2021

Do all of the following sound natural? Is there a difference in meaning?

  1. El hombre leía el libro a la niña.

  2. Leía el hombre el libro a la niña.

  3. A la niña le leía el hombre el libro.

  4. El libro lo leía el hombre a la niña.

One Answer

It is a matter of emphasis. Without context, the most natural option is

  • El hombre leía el libro a la niña

But you might want to emphasize "la niña", in which case you can mention her first. For example:

  • El niño leía el libro solo porque ya había aprendido a leer. A la niña le leía el hombre el libro.

Or you might want to emphasize "el libro" and mention it first:

  • Había una revista y un libro para entretenerse. La revista la leía normalmente el niño. El libro se lo leía el hombre a la niña.

The additional se is a case of a duplicate indirect object pronoun, similar to le in sentence 3.

The other example (sentence 2.) is less common in spoken language, and sounds more poetic/literary to me. But it is also correct: you might well find it in a novel or a poem.

Answered by wimi on November 28, 2021

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