Abstract: This paper investigates the status of VS order in Portuguese. The rules of subject posposing found in traditional grammars are listed, then some data of written and oral language are examined, in order to see if those rules are alive in contemporary language. The frequency of VS order in both varieties is compared and it is concluded that VS order is a markd order, not very frequent in written language and less in oral language. Finally, some functional explanation of the phenomenon is given.