The following table lists some common syntactic structures. The first column describes the conceptual structure, showing its so-called head in red color. (The head is somehow the main character in the structure, while the rest gives further information, or modifies, the head.) Notice that conceptual structures are language-independent, hence there is no order assumed between the head and the rest; each specific language imposes a specific order (but I had to arrange textually the head and the rest in some order in that column, so I arbitrarily opted to put the head first). The following columns give examples in English, Modern Greek, and Spanish. The same phrase is translated in each language along each row, and heads are always marked in red. The reader may compare the placement of the head in relation to the rest in each case and language. The three columns titled “agreement” show whether there is an agreement between English vs. Greek, Greek vs. Spanish, and Spanish vs. English, regarding whether the head leads or trails the structure.
| CONCEPTUAL STRUCTURE | English | agreement En/Gr | Modern Greek | agreement Gr/Sp | Spanish | agreement Sp/En |
verb  direct object |
read the book |  |
διαβάζω το βιβλίο | |
leo el libro | |
| verb prepositional
phrase |
hide under the table | |
κρύβομαι κάτω από το τραπέζι | |
me escondo debajo de la mesa | |
| verb embedded clause |
think that he will win | |
νομίζω οτι θα νικήσει | |
creo que él ganará | |
| verb personal
pronoun |
gave me |  |
μου έδωσε | |
me dio | |
| verb pers. pron.
(imperative) |
give me | |
δώσε μου | |
dame | |
| verb modifying
adverb |
walk quickly | |
περπατάω γρήγορα | |
camino rápidamente | |
| adverb modifying
adverb |
very quickly | |
πολύ γρήγορα | |
muy rápidamente | |
| complementizer embedded clause |
that he will win | |
οτι θα νικήσει | |
que él ganará | |
| auxiliary main verb |
have bought | |
έχω αγοράσει | |
he comprado | |
| preposition related noun
phrase |
in the house | |
μέσα στο σπίτι | |
en la casa | |
| noun related
prepositional phrase |
book under the table | |
βιβλίο κάτω από το τραπέζι | |
libro debajo de la mesa | |
| noun modifying
adjective |
red car | |
κόκκινο αυτοκίνητο | |
coche rojo | |
| possessive pronoun related noun
phrase |
my child | |
παιδί μου | |
mi hijo/hija | |
| number related noun
phrase |
three big bears | |
τρεις μεγάλες αρκούδες | |
tres osos grandes tres grandes osos |
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