LKA3000 15. May 2011
So ein Glück hat er nicht alle Tage. = He doesn't have such luck every day. Literally, in original order:
Such luck | has | he | not every day.
object | verb | subject | modifier
1 2 3 4
Normal word order is subject-verb-object. In a main clause, German word order can flip the subject and the object, as long as the verb remains in second spot (Verb 2nd rule). In this case, it sounds better when rearranged so, because of the presence of the modifier.
This sentence could be written to start with the modifier, pushing the object to the end:
Nicht alle Tage hat er so ein Glück.=Not every day does he have such luck.
This would be done to emphasize "not every day." Note that the Verb 2nd rule still applies. |
