Abstract
This study explored native English speakers' interpretations of second-language Spanish sentences featuring an animate subject and an ambitransitive verb (e. g., Escuchan bien los niños ' The children listen well'). First-(N= 37), third-(N= 39), and fifth-semester (N= 23) participants heard eight subject-verb (SV) and eight verb-subject (VS) sentences and selected from two English translations. Paired-samples /-tests indicated all levels scored significantly higher (p<. 01) for SV than VS sentences. A one-way ANO VA also showed significant differences (p<. 01) across levels for VS sentences, with fifth-semester learners significantly outperforming first-(p=.O2) and third-semester (p<. 01) learners. Findings reveal a tendency to interpret the first noun as an object in the VS sentences, contrary to the First Noun Principle.