The property Verb Subject has the value "yes" when in a clause with an intransitive verb the order
Verb Subject can be used in a <a href="/glossary#neutral-context">neutral context</a>. The clause in this property is an active (non-
passive) declarative (non-interrogative) clause. In this property, the subject is not a pronoun.
Furthermore, the verb must be clause initial (see German example below). As with all word order properties, we restrict our attention to <a href="/glossary#productive">productive word order</a> patterns.<br><br>


<strong><a href="/glossary#subject">Definition of Subject</a></strong><br><!--
In an active (non-passive) sentence with an action verb (e.g. "Bill left.") and one noun phrase argument, the subject is the noun phrase argument. In an active (non-passive) sentence with an action verb (e.g. "Bill will pet the dog") and two noun phrase arguments, the subject is the noun phrase argument referring to the one who performs the action (agent) and the object is the other noun phrase argument.<br>--><br>

<strong>General Note on Word Order Properties:</strong><br>
A "yes" value for Verb Subject does not exclude a "yes" value for any other order of these categories.<br><br>

<strong>NA (Not Applicable):</strong> All known languages have subjects in the defined sense, so this property is always defined and never has the value NA.<br><br>

Examples:<br><br>

1.<br> Welsh is “yesâ€ for Verb Subject:<br><br>

Gadawodd         Mair.<br>
leave.3SG.PST Mair<br>
"Mair left."<br><br>

2.<br> Italian is "yes" for Verb Subject:<br><br>

È apparsa   la    Madonna<br>
is appeared the Vergin Mary<br>
"The Virgin Mary appeared."<br><br>

3.<br>

In general, a language will be classified as Verb Subject when that order is possible with a clause initial verb. German admits the order Verb Subject,  but only in the presence of an initial adverb (this is the so-called Verb-Second property). Therefore, we assume that German is not Verb Subject.<br><br>

Heute fliegt    Hans nach München<br>
today   fly.3SG John  to     Munich<br>
"Today John flies to Munich."<br><br>


4.<br>
English is “noâ€ for Verb Subject since this order is always ungrammatical:<br><br>

*Left John.<br>
(* means ungrammatical)