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Old August 03, 2012, 12:16 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Philippines
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Question Verb before the subject

For practice, I'm reading the Reina Valera, which is a Spanish translation of the Bible. (By the way, for those who are looking for a long text with Spanish and English translations for practice and cross-checking, I suggest the Bible. It's legally free, and available just about anywhere.)

I observed that, at least in the Book of Genesis, the verb often went before the subject. For example:

En el principio crió Dios los cielos y la tierra.
(In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.)

Y dijo Dios: Sea la luz: y fué la luz.
(And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.)

And God blessed the seventh day.
(Y bendijo Dios al día séptimo.)

At first, I chucked it to the Bible's more liberal and poetic language; but then I checked out the Spanish Wikipedia and saw these:

1911 - Muere Reinhold Begas, pintor y escultor neobarroco alemán.

1944 - Nace Nino Bravo, cantante español.

So when should the verb go before the subject? Or can it be used as commonly as the subject-before-verb position?
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