Did you know:
A simple main clause in German can be written with the same word order as English:
Ich gab dem Jungen einen Ball.
I gave the boy a ball.
However, unlike in English, the word order in a main clause can also be rearranged to emphasize something other than the subject by putting it first – so long as the conjugated verb remains in the second position:
Einen Ball gab ich dem Jungen.
I gave the boy a ball. (as opposed to giving him something else)
Dem Jungen gab ich einen Ball.
I gave the boy a ball. (as opposed to giving it to someone else)
