Sentence structure

Question

Son muy populares los siguientes platos: The following dishes are very important

I am confused as to why this sentence is ordered in this way. Why does Los siguientes platos precede son muy populares?

thanks

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

¡Buenos días!
Great question, Kofi! Word order in Spanish can be a bit different from English, especially when it comes to emphasis.
In the sentence "Son muy populares los siguientes platos", the subject "los siguientes platos" comes after the verb. This is a common structure in Spanish used to highlight or emphasize the description — in this case, that the following dishes are very popular.
It’s similar to saying in English: “Very popular are the following dishes.” While it sounds poetic or unusual in English, it’s quite natural in Spanish and helps the speaker draw attention to what comes next.
You're doing great by noticing these differences — keep asking questions like this! They really help deepen your understanding of the language.
Un saludo
Silvia