About an "unusual" sentence structure?

Question

In German, most sentences have a simple structure: subject, verb, object. > Ich liebe dich. But there are some verbs such as *gefallen* or *gelingen*, where this structure doesn't apply. Instead, the word order is *Es gefällt mir* or *Es gelingt mir*, with the object *es* in the first position, and the subject *mir* in the third position, and the DATIVE case. (The verb is still in the second spot.) What is this kind of construction called in German? Is it true that most of these verbs begin with *ge-*, and would there be a reason for this? Are there more common examples of such constructions? How might I look them up?

Answer 1

Actually, in both sentences "es" is the subject and "mir" the indirect object. The verbs are intransitive*, meaning they have no direct object. Since the self is the beneficiary of the operative verb's action (gefallen, to please; lit. "it pleases me"; fig: "I like it") it gets the Dative.

*) In fact, you can use them without any object (i.e. "Es gefällt."; lit.: It pleases.; fig.: They like it.)