SPANISH GRAMMAR GUIDE: BEGINNER-INTERMEDIATE

Introduction to the Guide:

If the goal is to be able to communicate in Spanish, then it is important to know the general rules for the main parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc.). The general rules and all of the exceptions to these general rules are explained in this guide, although an imperfect use of the rule and making mistakes, especially with the exceptions, will not likely impede your ability to function in Spanish. Mistakes can, and will likely occur, such as in the following examples:

using a feminine article for a masculine noun using adjectives before nouns mixing up direct and indirect object pronouns speaking in the present tense when another tense is more appropriate

This guide is meant to be simple and easy, yet thorough and inclusive. Inclusive means that there is no information left out that you would have to search for elsewhere. You will find all the grammar necessary (and more!) to be prepared for a level 3 high school Spanish class. The concepts are briefly explained and there are always examples. The guide is in a suggested order in which the grammar should be taught in a beginner/intermediate class that has the goal to start communicating in the first days of class. Although, the order of the topics can certainly be changed. Actually, this manual includes ALL Spanish grammar topics, except for por vs. para and the subjunctive mood. These are generally treated as advanced concepts, usually only taught in 3rd level or higher Spanish classes, and even then it takes a lot of practice to master. The subjunctive is usually learned last, because it will not have much effect on your ability to communicate and function in Spanish.

The guide is color coded to make it easier to find what you are looking for:

New ConceptKey Words and Mnemonic DevicesCategoryExample

Table of Contents

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Pronunciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Typing Spanish Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Subject Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Present Tense Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Future Tense: Ir + a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Noun/Article Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Use of the Definite Articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Use of the Indefinite Articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Noun/Adjective Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Comparisons of Equality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Comparatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Superlatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Number: Singular -> Plural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Reflexive Object Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15The Personal “a” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Question Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16The Progressive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Present Participles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Conditional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Short Form of Possessive Adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Prepositional Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Long Form of Posessive Adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Possessive Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Demonstratives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Negative Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Simple Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Direct Object Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Indirect Object Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Reflexive, Indirect, and Direct Object (RID) Pronoun Placement . . . . . . . .24Gustar and Similar Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Prepositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26To Be: Ser vs. Estar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Perfect Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Past Participles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29The Past: Formation of the Preterite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30The Past: Formation of the Imperfect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33The Past: Preterite vs. Imperfect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33APPENDIX A. High Frequency Little Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36APPENDIX B. Present Tense Verb Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Pronunciation

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In English, there are no visual cues (accents) to show how to pronounce words. English pronunciation must be learned through practice and repetition. In Spanish, there are accents and 2 rules that reveal how to correctly pronounce words.

Stress the part of the word with the accent. Example: inglés

Many words do not have accents. Only vowels can be accented. Words can only contain one accent. To know how to pronounce words without accents, follow the rules:

1. Every Spanish word (if there isn’t a written accent mark) that ends in a vowel, “n,” or “s” has the stress on the second-to-last syllable. Remember the saying: "Vowel, n, or s, the second-to-last is stressed."Example: manzana, hablan, problemas

2. All other Spanish words without a written accent, those that end in consonants other than “n” or “s,” stress the last syllable.Example: hablar, azul

In Spanish, the vowels “i” and “u” are considered weak vowels. When there are 2 vowels in a row and 1 or both are weak vowels, then it is pronounced as a single syllable, known as a diphthong.Example: 2 weak vowels: ciudad -> pronounced “zyoo-dad”

1 weak, 1 strong vowel: bien -> pronounced as 1-syllable “byen”2 strong vowels: caer -> pronounced “caw-air”

When there is an accent on one of the vowels in what would otherwise be a diphthong (1-syllable), then the word breaks into 2 syllables.Example: país -> pronounced “paw-eese”

Many singular words with accents lose the accent when they are plural, because the “s” moves the stress to the second-to-last syllable, which required an accent in order to stress the syllable in the singular.Example: canción -> canciones, violín -> violines

In other cases, the plural gains an accent in order to preserve the accent that is NOT on the last syllable.Example: examen -> exámenes, joven -> jóvenes, orden -> órdenes

Sometimes an accent changes the meaning of a word that is spelled the same way. This is true of question and answer words. (See section on Question Words).Example: si vs. sí = if vs. yes

el vs. él = the vs. hehablo vs. habló = I talk vs. he/she/you/it talked

Punctuation

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Questions and Exclamations = inverted (upside-down) marks are placed at the beginning and end of the question or exclamation. The first inverted mark can be in the middle of the sentence if the first part of the sentence is not part of the question or exclamation. The word after the inverted question or exclamation mark is NOT usually capitalized if it is in the middle of the sentence.Example: Marta, ¿quieres comer? = Marta, do you want to eat?

Quieres comer, ¿verdad? = You want to eat, right?Sin embargo, ¡tengo hambre! = However, I am hungry!

Quotation Marks = use angular brackets (Spain), dashes (Latin America) or double quotation marks as used in English. Commas and periods are placed outside of the quotation marks.Example: «Quiero comer», dijo Olga. = “I want to eat,” Olga said.

–Quiero comer–dijo Olga.“Quiero comer”, dijo Olga.

Numbers = commas and periods are used in the opposite way from English usage. In other words, decimal points are commas in Spanish. Publications in Mexico and Puerto Rico often use the same style as the United States.Example: 3.000 = 3,000

$2,50 = $2.501.300,25 = 1,300.25

Capital letters = do NOT capitalize days, months, religions, nationalities, languages, “I,” or personal titles.Example: lunes, enero, cristiano, hondureño, español, yo, doctor Ochoa.

= Monday, January, Christian, Honduran, Spanish, I, Doctor Ochoa

Typing Spanish Symbols

1. Change to Spanish keyboard.a. Go to System Preferences (Mac) or Control Panel (Windows). b. Select "Keyboard" and click "Input Sources" (Mac) or select “Regional and Langauge Options” and click “Languages” (Windows).c. Check the box that says "Spanish" (Mac) or click “Add” and select “Spanish” (Windows).d. Make sure the box is checked that says “Show Input menu in menu bar” (Mac) or that says “Enable Indicator on Taskbar.” In the menu bar/taskbar at the top of your desktop screen you now have the option to change to a Spanish keyboard.

Mac“[” then vowel = á, é, í, ó, ú; = ñShift(hold down) + 1 = ¡Shift(hold down) + 2 = !Shift(hold down) + < = ¿Shift(hold down) + > = ?Windows

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“[” then vowel = á, é, í, ó, ú; = ñ+ = ¡Shift(hold down) + 1 = !equals key= = ¿underline key_ = ?

2. Use U.S. keyboardMacOption(hold down) + e, then vowel = á, é, í, ó, úOption(hold down) + n, then “n” = ñOption(hold down) + 1 = ¡Option(hold down) + Shift(hold down) + ? = ¿

WindowsCtrl(hold down) + ‘ then vowel = á, é, í, ó, úCtrl(hold down) + Shift(hold down) + ~ then n = ñCtrl(hold down) + Alt(hold down) + Shift + ! = ¡Ctrl (hold down) + Alt(hold down) + Shift + ? = ¿

Subject Pronouns

Pronouns = words that take the place of a nounSubject Pronouns = pronouns that are the subject of the sentence

singular plural1st person I we2nd person you you all3rd person he, she they

1. In Spanish there are 3 ways to say “you.” -Tú is familiar/informal and used with friends-Usted is formal and used to show respect-Vos is used instead of tú in many Latin American countries

2. Vosotros is only used in Spain and is the plural form of the familiar/informal “tú.”

3. In Spanish, subject pronouns are not as important as in English. In Spanish, the verb ending gives away the doer of the action, thus the subject pronoun is not necessary, except for in the 3rd person.

4. When referring to a group of mixed gender, than use the masculine pluralExample: ellos y ellas -> ellos

Verbs

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singular plural1ra persona yo nosotros/nosotras2da persona tú vosotros/vosotras3ra persona él, ella, usted ellos, ellas, ustedes

Verbs = words that show action or state of beingInfinitive = the verb before conjugationConjugation = changing the verb to agree with the subject pronoun

(subject/verb agreement)Example: Infinitive: hablar = to talkConjugation: hablo, hablas, etc. = I talk, you talk, etc.

Verbs have 2 parts:Stem = the first part of the word that does not changeEnding = all verbs end in “ar”, “er”, “ir.” When conjugated the ending is replaced

with an ending that agrees with the subject pronounExample:habl ar

ending stem Like in English, when there are 2 consecutive verbs (not including progressive and perfect tenses), the second verb is stated in the infinitive.Example: Me gusta comer. = I like to eat. NOT Me gusta como.

Quiero tener un gato. = I want to have a cat. NOT Quiero tengo un gato.

Present Tense Verbs

There are 4 categories of present tense verbs: regular, irregular in the first person singular (yo), stem-changing verbs (aka shoe verbs), and the completely irregular verbs.

Category 1 : Regular Verbs Most verbs fall in the first category.

1. Verbs that end in “ar” = first conjugation verbs.2. Verbs that end in “er” = second conjugation verbs.3. Verbs that end in “ir” = third conjugation verbs.

Most verbs are regular first conjugation verbs (end in –ar). These verbs follow the following pattern:

Example:o amosas áisa an

yo hablo nosotros hablamostú hablas vosotros habláisél, ella, usted habla ellos, ellas, ustedes hablan

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Regular second conjugation verbs (ending in –er) follow the following pattern: Example:

o emoses éise en

Regular third conjugation verbs (ending in –ir) are the same as second conjugation verbs, except for in the nosotros and vosotros forms:

Example:o imoses íse en

Category 2 : Irregular in Yo These verbs are regular in all but the first person singular (Yo).There are 5 subcategories:1. “Go in the yo” Example: poner -> pongo2. “Jo in the yo” Example: escoger -> escojo3. “Zco in the yo” Example: conocer -> conozco4. “Zo in the yo” Example: convencer -> convenzo5. The Completely Irregular Example: dar -> doy, ser -> soy, saber -> sé, caber -> quepo,

ver -> veo

There is also a hybrid subcategory, verbs that are a mix of Category 2 and Category 3. Verbs from this hybrid subcategory are “Go in the yo” + shoe verbs.Example: yo tengo nosotros tenemostú tienes vosotros tenéisél, ella, usted tiene ellos, ellas, ustedes tienen

Category 3 : Shoe Verbs These verbs have changes in the singular and the third person plural, thus the conjugation chart looks like a shoe/boot.

quiero queremosquieres

queréis

quiere quieren

There are 5 subcategories:1. e -> ie Example: querer: quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren2. o -> ue Example: poder: puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden

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yo como nosotros comemostú comes vosotros coméisél, ella, usted come ellos, ellas,

ustedescomen

yo vivo nosotros vivimostú vives vosotros vivísél, ella, usted vive ellos, ellas, ustedes viven

yo digo nosotros decimostú dices vosotros decísél, ella, usted dice ellos, ellas, ustedes dicen

3. e -> i Example: pedir: pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden4 “y” shoe Example: incluir: incluyo, incluyes, incluye, incluimos, incluís, incluyen5. Accent shoe Example: actuar: actúo, actúas, actúa, actuamos, actuáis, actúanCategory 4 : Irregular These verbs must be memorized, since they do not follow the pattern of any of the above categories. The most common in this category are: haber, ir, and ser

yo he nosotros hemostú ha

svosotros habéis

él, ella, usted ha ellos, ellas, ustedes han

yo soy nosotros somostú ere

svosotros sois

él, ella, usted es ellos, ellas, ustedes son

For a complete list of the most common verbs from each category, see Appendix B. Present Tense Verb Categories.

Future Tense: Ir + a + infinitive

The future can be easily expressed in Spanish by conjugating “ir” and adding an infinitive, like the English “to be going to.” This expression is very common in Spanish.Example: Voy a comer. = I am going to eat.

Vamos a estudiar. = We are going to study.

Noun/Article Agreement

The definite article (the) and the indefinite article (a, an), like adjectives, must agree with the noun in both number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine). Unos/unas is translated as “some.”

Definite article Indefinite articlemasculine feminin

emasculine feminine

singular el la un unaplural los las unos unas

When referring to a group of mixed gender, then use the masculine plural.Example: los chicas y las chicas -> los chicos

The only contractions in Spanish are in the masculine singular “from the” = del (de el) and “to the” = al (a el). There are no such contractions in the feminine or in the plural.

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yo voy nosotros vamostú vas vosotros vaisél, ella, usted va ellos, ellas, ustedes van

Example: Voy al mercado. Es el libro del amigo.

but Voy a los centros comerciales.Voy a la escuela.Es el libro de la amiga.Es el libro de los amigos.

Use of the Definite Articles

In Spanish, the definite article is required in many cases in which no article is used in English.

1. Before nouns that refer to abstract or general concepts.Example: El amor es un misterio. Love is a mystery.

Los deportes son importantes. Sports are important.

2. With nouns that refer to a general group.Example: Los mexicanos son alegres. Mexicans are happy.

3. With dates, days, seasons, meals, and hours.Example: El lunes, como el desayuno a las 8am. On Monday, I eat breakfast at 8am.

4. With the reflexive pronoun, in place of the possessive adjective for parts of the body and clothing.Example: Me cepillo los dientes. I brush my teeth.

Me pongo la camisa. I put on my shirt.

5. Before titles when talking about someone. “Los” is used with last names to refer to a family and to refer to decades.Example: La Señora Ochoa visita a la Doctora Mendez. = Mrs. Ochoa visits Dr. Mendez.

Los Herman comen mucho. = The Hermans eat a lot.En los cuarenta había una guerra. = In the forties there was a war.

6. Before names of sciences, skills, school subjects, and languages when they are the subjects of the sentence or the object of a preposition other than “de” or “en.” When languages are objects of a verb, the article is not used.Example: El inglés es mi clase favorita.

but La clase de inglés es mi clase favorita.Hablo inglés.

7. Before a preposition with cama, cárcel, colegio, escuela, guerra, iglesia, and trabajo.Example: Voy a la escuela y mi mamá está en la iglesia. = I go to school and my mom is in church.

8. With weights and measures.Example: Cuesta $1 la libra. = It costs $1 each/per pound.

La tela está a 20 pesos el metro. = The cloth is 20 pesos a/per meter.

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9. The masculine definite articles and the feminine subject pronouns can be used to replace a noun when it is clear from the context what is being referred to. Example:El carro es rojo. -> El es rojo. = The car is red. -> It is red.La camisa es barata. -> Ella es barata. = The shirt is cheap. -> It is cheap.Los carros son rojos. -> Ellos son rojos. = The cars are red. -> They are red.Las camisas son baratas. -> Ellas son baratas. = The shirts are cheap. -> They are cheap.Use of the Indefinite Articles

In Spanish, the indefinite article is not used as often as in English. It is NOT used after the verb “ser” when an unmodified noun follows the verb.

Example: Señor González es maestro. Mr. Gonzalez is a teacher.Señor González es un maestro inteligente. Mr. González is an intelligent teacher.

Nouns

Noun = a person, place, thing, or idea

1. Regulars

a. Nouns in Spanish have a gender, masculine or feminine. Almost all nouns ending in –o are masculine and –a are feminine. All other nouns can be categorized according to their endings.Example: el chico vs. la chica

b. When referring to a group of mixed gender, than use the masculine pluralExample: el maestro y la maestra -> los maestros

c. Nouns that refer to a man are masculine and nouns that refer to a woman are feminine. There are slightly different words for people (like English) and for jobs (unlike English) of different genders (o -> a). Jobs ending in –ero change to –era.

Example: el hermano la hermanael tío la tíael cocinero la cocinerael mesero la meserael jefe la jefa

Some nouns are completely different depending on the gender (like English).Example: el actor la actriz

el hombre la mujerel rey la reinael padre la madreel varón la hembrael toro la vaca

2. Nouns not ending in “o” or “a”

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a. Sicknesses, islands and provinces, and letters are feminine.Example: la fiebre, la Isla de Pinos, las Baleares, la eñe

b. Days of the week, months, numbers, cardinal directions, musical notes, names of rivers, lakes, oceans, and mountains are masculine.Example: el lunes, el abril, el treinta, el norte, el mi, el Hudson, el Amazonas

c. Nouns ending in –dad, -tad, -tud, -umbre, -ción, -sión, -z, -ie are feminine.Example: la ciudad, la realidad, la actitud, la costumbre, la nación, la pensión, la voz, la serie

d. Most nouns ending in –sis are feminine. A few nouns ending in –sis are masculine.Example: la crisis Example: el análisis

e. The gender of nouns ending in –e must be memorized. Many are masculine.Example: el parque, el coche, el viaje, el postre, el aire, el baile, el bosque, el cacahuate, el nombre, el cine, el accidente, el aceite, el café, el pie, el deporte, el puente, el restaurante

Some common nouns that end in –e are feminine.Example: la calle, la clase, la fe, la leche, la llave, la noche, la tarde, la nube, la suerte, la fuente, la gente, la parte, la mente

f. Most nouns that end in –l, -n, -r, -s, and -aje are masculineExample: el papel, el fin, el amor, el mes, el viaje

3. Impostersa. Many nouns that end in –ma, -pa, -ta are masculine.Example: el problema, el idioma, el tema, el sistema, el clima, el programa, el poema, el mapa, el planeta

b. Shortened feminine nouns that end in –o are still feminine.Example: la fotografía -> la foto, la motocicleta -> la moto, la discoteca -> la discoc. When the first syllable is stressed, feminine nouns beginning in a- would be hard to pronounce and thus are masculine in the singular. The words are still feminine and in the plural the article “las” is used. These nouns always use feminine adjectives. The same rule applies to feminine words that begin with “ha” since the h- is silent. Example: el agua mediana las aguas medianas

el hada pequeña las hadas pequeñasNote that when the stress is not on the first syllable, the feminine article is used.Example: la atmósfera, la agricultura

d. Many compound nouns are formed by using a verb and a noun to form one word and are always masculine.Example: el lavaplatos, el paraguas, el abrelatas, el rascacielos, el sacapuntas, el salvavidas

4. Gender Bendersa. Nouns ending in –ista refer to jobs or politics and can be either masculine or feminine, depending upon the gender of the person to whom they refer.

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Example: el/la artista, el/la comunista

b. Nouns ending in –nte usually refer to people and can be used for both genders. Many Spanish speakers will change –nte to –nta when referring to a female.Example: el presidente - la presidente OR la presidenta

Some words ending in –nte CANNOT change.Example: el/la cantante, el/la adolescente, el/la comediante

There are some jobs, not ending in –ista/-nte, which do not change, but can be either feminine or masculine depending on the gender of the person.Example: el/la juez, el/la modelo, el/la astronauta

c. Nouns that refer to equipment (aparato) or machinery (máquina) end in either –or or –oraExample: el computador – la computadora, el refrigerador – la refrigeradora

5. Irregularsa. Irregular nouns that require the gender to be memorized.Example: el día, la mano, la cárcel, la miel, la sal, el sofá, el corazón, la flor, la labor

b. Some words are the same, but change meaning depending on gender.Example: el cura = priest la cura = cure

el orden = order (arrangement) la orden (command or religious order)el corte = cut la corte = courtel frente = front la frente = foreheadel papa = pope la papa = potatoel policía = cop la policía = police department

c. Persona and víctima are always feminine regardless of who they refer to.Example: Mi padre es una persona lista.

Noun/Adjective Agreement

Adjective = a descriptive word that modifies a noun.Adjectives most often come after the noun. Adjectives agree in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine) with the nouns they modify.

1. Many adjectives end in –o and have 4 forms.Example: el carro rojo los carros rojos

la casa roja las casas rojas

2. Adjectives that end in –e and most adjectives that end in –consonant have only 2 forms.Example: el niño/la niña pobre los niños/las niñas pobres

el chico/la chica popular los chicos/las chicas populares

3. Adjectives ending in –án, -ón, -or, -ín have 4 forms.Example: un hombre trabajador los hombres trabajadores

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una mujer trabajadora las mujeres trabajadores

4. A few adjectives in the masculine singular have a shortened form and can come before the noun. Alguno and ninguno have accents in the shortened form.Example: bueno -> buen chico primero -> primer libro alguno -> algún dinero

malo -> mal chico tercero -> tercer libro ninguno -> ningún libroThe adjective can also come after the noun in which case the longer form is used.Example: un chico bueno

Grande has a shortened form in both the masculine and feminine singular and means great or famous.Example:un gran libro = a great book una gran revista = a great/famous magazineun libro grande = a big book una revista grande = a big magazine

5. Colors that are words taken from fruits, flowers, etc. are invariable, meaning they have only 1 form. Example: zapato naranja, zapatos naranja, camisa naranja, camisas naranja

All colors, if modified (such as the adjectives light or dark), are invariable.Example: zapato rojo claro, zapatos rojo claro, camisa rojo claro, camisas rojo claro

6. Adjectives can be turned into nouns by using the definite article with the adjective.Example: Los grandes se hablan mientras el pequeño juega. =

The big ones (adults) talk to each other while the little one (kid) plays.

7. A masculine singular adjective is combined with the gender neutral article “lo” (also known as neuter = not masculine or feminine) to express an abstract noun. It gets translated in English as either “part” or “thing.” Example: Lo bueno es que no hay mucha tarea. = The good thing/What’s good is that there is

not much homework.El inicio fue lo peor. = The beginning was the worst part.Lo más importante es ser honesto. = The most important thing is to be honest.

Comparisons of Equality

When you compare people, places, and things that are equal, use the following formulas:

1. tan + adjective + como (as . . . as)Example: Eric es tan inteligente como Mateo.

Los amigos son tan locos como Tómas.

2. tan + adverb + como (as . . . as)Example: Juan canta tan maravillosamente como José.

3. tanto/a/os/as + noun + como (as many . . . as)Example: María tiene tantos niños como Rosa.

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4. verb + tanto como (as much . . . as)Example: Paulo duerme tanto como Paco.

Comparatives

When you compare people, places, or things that are not equal, use the following formulas:

1. más/menos + adjective, adverb, or noun + que (more/-er, less than)Example: El examen es más fácil que la tarea.

La ciudad es más sucia que el campo.Tengo menos tarea que mi amigo.

2. verb + más/menos queExample: Los perros comen más que los gatos.

3. más de/menos de + numberExample: El pollo cuesta más de 5 dólares.

But when the sentence is in the negative, más que is used.Example: El pollo no cuesta más que 5 dólares.

Superlatives

When you rank one member of a group as the highest or lowest use the following formulas:

definite article + noun + más/menos + adjective + de (most/-est, least)

Example: Ricardo es el estudiante más inteligente de la clase.

Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives

bueno/a -> mejor (better)malo/a -> peor (worse)viejo/a -> mayor (older)joven -> menor (younger)

Irregular superlatives come before the noun and más/menos is not used.Example: Mateo es el mejor médico en el mundo.

Number: Singular -> Plural

The plural is formed by

1. adding “s” to nouns and adjectives that end in a vowel

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rosa -> rosas2. adding “es” if ending in a consonant or y

flor -> flores, ley -> leyes, el gas -> los gases3. adding “es” and changing z -> c if ending in a z

lápiz -> lápices4. no change to the noun if ending in unaccented vowel + “s” (i.e. ends in “es” or “is”), but adjust the definite article.

el lunes -> los lunes, la crisis -> las crisis5. adding “es” and losing the accent if ending in accented vowel + s

inglés -> ingleses, autobús -> autobuses, BUT el país -> los países (because of diphthong)6. no change to compound nouns formed of a verb and a noun, but adjust the definite article.

el lavaplatos -> los lavaplatos7. adding “es” to words if ending in an accented i or u, but “s” to words ending in the accented vowels a, e, or o.

tabú -> tabúes, rubí -> rubíes but this rule isn’t always followed: el menú -> los menús

mamá -> mamás, papá -> papás, café -> cafés, sofá -> sofás

Reflexive Object Pronouns

Reflexive verb = a verb in which the action is completed and received by the subject.

In Spanish, when an action is done “to oneself” or “for oneself,” a reflexive verb is used. The infinitive will end in “se” and that indicates the use of a reflexive pronoun that must be conjugated to agree with the subject.

me myselfte yourself (informal)se himself, herself, itself, yourself

(formal)nos us (ourselves)os yourselves (informal)se themselves, yourselves Example: bañarseyo me baño nosotros nos bañamostú te bañas vosotros os bañáisél, ella, usted se baña ellos, ellas,

ustedesse bañan

Reflexive pronouns can also be used to express “each other.”Example:Nos amamos. = We love each other.Se ayudan. = They help each other.

Take away the reflexive pronoun and the verb is no longer reflexive and is used to express an action done to “someone else.”

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Example:Me levanto. = I stand myself up.Levanto a mi silla. = I pick up my seat.

The Personal “a”

The preposition “a” comes before the direct object if the direct object is a specific person or a personalized object, such as a pet or geographical location. Example: Miro a José.

Alimento a mi perro.Conozco a Honduras.

The “a” is also used with indefinite pronouns when they are direct objects and refer to people, like alguien, nadie, and quien. The “a” has no English translation.Example: ¿A quién habla?

Escribo a alguien.

If it is not a specific person, then no “a” is used.Example: Busco un amigo.

Question Words

¿Quién/es? Who?¿De quién/es?

Whose?

¿A quién/es? Whom?¿Qué? What?¿Cuál/es? Which?¿Cuándo? When?¿Dónde? Where?¿Adónde? To where?¿Por qué? Why?¿Cómo? How?¿Cuánto/a How much?¿Cuántos/as? How many?

All question words (also known as interrogatives) have an accent, which does not change the pronunciation, but is used to distinguish them from the answering words.Example: ¿Cuándo miras televisión? Cuando tengo tiempo.

In Spanish the subject and verb are reversed in questions.Example: Qué juega Juan? What does Juan play?

Juan juega fútbol. Juan plays soccer.

Qué vs. Cuál

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Although cuál is defined as “which,” in Spanish cuál is often used when in English “what” would be used. When there are options, cuál is used. Cuál is usually used with the verb ser.Example:¿Cuál es su nombre? What is your name?¿Cuál es su color favorite? What is your favorite color?

The Progressive

The present progressive is used to describe actions in the process of

taking place. Use the following formula:present tense conjugation of estar + present participle (also known as the gerund)Example: Yo estoy hablando con mis amigos. = I am talking with my friends.

Present tense conjugation of estar (irregular in the yo and note the accents):

The same formula is used for the past progressive, only the verb “estar” is in the imperfect tense. The past is used to express an action that was happening. Example: Yo estaba trabajando cuando me llamaste por teléfono

= I was working when you called me on the phone.

Additionally, the future, conditional, and subjunctive conjugations of estar + present participle are used to express other progressives.Example: Estaré hablando. = I will be talking.

Estaría hablando. = I would be talking.Ojalá que estés hablando. = Let’s hope that you are talking.

Pronouns (reflexive, indirect object, direct object) can come before or be attached to the end of the present and past progressive. The rules of the order of the pronouns are the same as in other instances (RID: reflexive, indirect, direct). If attached to the end, then an accent is required.Example: Me estoy cepillando. = Estoy cepillándome.

Present Participles

To form the present participle in English add –ing to the verb and in Spanish:

1. –ar verb = verb stem + ando Example: hablando2. –er/-ir verb = verb stem + iendo Example: comiendo3. Underground gIRlz* = 3rd person preterite stem + iendo Example: muriendo4. Basement boYz**= verb stem + yendo Example: incluyendo5. –ñir/ullir = present tense verb stem*** + endo Example: gruñendo, tiñendo

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yo estoy nosotros estamostú estás vosotros estáisél, ella, usted está ellos, ellas, ustedes están

6. Irregulars: ir = yendo, poder = pudiendo

*–ir shoe verbs (remember the hybrid –ir verbs as well)** Y Shoe verbs (end in uir, except for verbs ending in –guir) + caer, leer, oír, creerExample: distinguiendo***These verbs are rare. There are some that end in –ñir like gruñir and bruñir that have a regular stem in the present tense, while there are others like constreñir, teñir, and reñir that are –ir stem changers (e->i).

Conditional

To express “would” in Spanish use the following formula:verb infinitive + imperfect of second and third conjugation verbs (ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían).

The endings are the same for all –ar,-er,-ir verbs.Example: hablaría, hablarías, etc. = I would talk, you would talk, etc.

The following verbs have regular verb endings, but the same irregularities in the stem in both the conditional and future. These verbs can be remembered by the cheer: “HHPPSSVV Quarterbacks Count Touch Downs.”

1. shortened stems (belong to the present tense category of “go in the yo”):decir: dir -> diríahacer: har -> haría

2. -e removed from the Infinitivecaber: cabr ->cabríahaber: habr -> habríapoder: podr -> podríaquerer: querr -> querríasaber: sabr -> sabría

3. -dr added to the stem (belong to the present tense category of “go in the yo”):poner: pondr -> pondríasalir: saldr -> saldríatener: tendr -> tendríavaler: valdr ->valdríavenir: vendr -> vendría

All similar verbs share these irregular stem changes in the future and conditional tenses.Example: poner -> componer, disponer, exponer, imponer, proponer, reponerse, suponer

tener -> contener, detener, mantener, obtener, retenerdecir -> bendecir, predecirvenir -> prevenir, convenir

Short Form of Possessive Adjectives

Reveal ownership or possession. Come before the noun.

mi / mis my nuestro / nuestra / nuestros / our

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(de mí) nuestras(de nosotros)

tu / tus(de ti)

your (informal)

vuestro / vuestra / vuestros / vuestras(de vosotros)

your (2 or more friends)

su / sus(de él/ella)

his, her su / sus (de ellos/ellas) their

su / sus(de usted)

your (formal) su / sus (de ustedes) your (2 or more people)

1. mi, tu, and su have 2 forms: singular or plural.Example: mi libro, mis libros

2. nuestro and vuestro have 4 forms: masculine or feminine and singular or pluralExample: nuestro libro, nuestra casa, nuestros libros, nuestras casas

3. Since su can mean more than one thing, either the context or a prepositional phrase clarifies the meaning.Example: María tiene su libro. = María tiene el libro de él.

Prepositional Pronouns

The corresponding prepositional pronoun of each possessive adjective is listed above in parentheses.1. All are the same as the subject pronouns except for yo and tú, which change to mí and

ti. Mí has an accent and ti does not.2. con + mí = conmigo

con + ti = contigo

Long Form of Possessive Adjectives

There are 4 forms of each possessive adjective. They come after the noun. Usually means: “of mine, of yours, etc.”

mío / mía / míos / mías

mine nuestro / nuestra / nuestros / nuestras(de nosotros)

ours

tuyo / tuya / tuyos / tuyas

yours (informal)

vuestro / vuestra / vuestros / vuestras(de vosotros)

yours (2 or more friends)

suyo / suya / suyos / suyas(de él/ella)

his, hers suyo / suya / suyos / suyas (de ellos/ellas)

theirs

suyo / suya / suyos / suyas (de usted)

yours (formal) suyo / suya / suyos / suyas (de ustedes)

yours (2 or more people)

Example: el libro mía, la casa mía, los libros míos, las casas mías = the book of mine, the house of mine, the books of mine, the houses of mine

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Possessive Pronouns

The long form of possessive adjectives can replace the noun. It includes a definite article. The possessive pronoun and definite article must agree with the noun it replaces. Example: Tengo mi libro, no tu libro -> Tengo el mío, no el tuyo.

After the verb ser the definite article is not used.Example: El libro es tuyo.Demonstratives

Used to show where an object is in relation to the person that is speaking.

Demonstrative AdjectivesRemember the rhyme: “This and these have t's, that and those don't.” They come before the noun and agree in gender and number with the noun.

este, esta / estos, estas this / these

(here) object is close to speaker

ese, esa / esos, esas that / those

(there) object is far from the speaker, but close to the person spoken to

aquel, aquella / aquellos, aquellas

that / those

(over there) object is far from the person spoken to and from the speaker

Example: Quiero este pan que tengo. I want this bread that I have.Quiero esta camisa. I want that shirt.Quiero ese pollo que tiene usted. I want that chicken that you have.Aquel confite cuesta mucho. That candy (over there) costs a lot.

Demonstrative PronounsThe same as the demonstrative adjectives. The Real Academia Española states that the demonstrative pronouns do not need accents, but they should be recognized, as you will still see them spelled that way.

éste, ésta, éstos, éstas this oneése, ésa, ésos, ésas that oneaquél, aquélla, aquéllos, aquéllas that one over there

Example:Quiero comer este/éste. = I want to eat this one.Quiero comprar ése/ese. = I want to buy that one (that you have there).Quiero tomar aquella/aquélla. = I want to drink that one (over there).

Gender neutral (not masculine or feminine) demonstrative pronouns are used when referring to a general concept.eso = that, esto = this, aquello = that (over there)

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Example: No digas eso. = Do not say that.Esto es lo más difícil.

Adverbs

Adverbs are words that describe and modify verbs. Adverbs can also modify adjectives or other adverbs. In Spanish, many adverbs are formed by adding –mente to the feminine form of the adjective, just like –ly in English. Example: fácil -> fácilmente, maravillosa -> maravillosamente, lenta -> lentamenteCommands

When learning to communicate in Spanish it is only necessary to be able to express the affirmative and negative of the usted and ustedes commands. Since these 4 forms are the same as the present subjunctive, communication with these 4 forms of commands is simplified to learning one method of conjugation.

In addition, the nosotros affirmative and the negative of all 5 types of commands (also known as imperatives) are exactly the same as the conjugations for the present subjunctive. 1. usted 2.

ustedes3. nosotros

4. tú 5. vosotros

Formation of usted, ustedes, nosotros affirmative and all negative commands:Put the verb in yo, drop the –o, and flip the endings. Add –er endings to –ar verbs (e, es, e, emos, éis, en)Add –ar endings to –er/-ir verbs (a, as, a, amos, áis, an)

Example: hablar -> hablo -> habl -> hable usted, hablen ustedes, hablemos nosotroscomer -> como -> com -> coma usted, coman ustedes, comamos nosotrosvivir -> vivo -> viv -> viva usted, vivan ustedes, vivamos nosotros

Verbs with spelling changes in the yo form will retain this irregularity.Example: tener -> tengo -> teng -> tenga usted, tengan ustedes, tengamos nosotros

traducir -> traduzco -> traduzc -> traduzca usted, traduzcan ustedes, traduzcamos nosotros

-ar/-er shoe verbs do not have a stem change in the nosotros of the subjunctive and command forms. –ir shoe verbs do retain the stem change in the nosotros.Example: cerrar -> cierro -> cierr -> cierre usted, cierren ustedes, cerremos nosotros

pedir -> pido -> pid -> pida usted, pidan ustedes, pidamos nosotros

There are only 6 irregular verbs in the present subjunctive. The first letter of these infinitives spell the word DISHES. Take note of the accents.

D ar: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, denI r: vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayanS aber: sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepanH aber: haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayanE star: esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén

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S er: sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean

The nosotros commands express suggestions or collective commands like “Let´s speak.” The one exception is the affirmative of ir.Example: vamos but no vayamos

The –s is dropped from the affirmative of reflexive verbs before you attach the pronoun nos.Example: levantarse -> levantémosnos -> levantémonos irse -> vámosnos -> vámonos

To form affirmative tú commands, use the third-person singular of the present tense.Example: habla tú.

There are 8 irregular affirmative tú commands, remembered by the mnemonic “Pontensalvensévedihaz.”poner -> pon tener -> ten salir -> sal venir -> vensaber -> sé ir -> ve decir -> di hacer -> haz

To form all affirmative vosotros commands, replace the final –r of the infinitive with –d.Example: hablad vosotros

Negative Commands

As stated before, all negative commands use the present subjunctive.usted ustedes tú nosotros vosotrosno hable no hablen no hables no hablemos no habléis

Pronouns (reflexive, indirect, and direct object) attach to the end of affirmative commands and before the conjugated verb in negative commands. The rules of the order of the pronouns are the same as in other instances (RID: reflexive, indirect, direct).Example: hábleme, no me hables = talk to me, do not talk to me

démelo, no me lo dé = give it to me, do not give it to me

Rule of Accent Omission:With 1 pronoun: There is NO accent added to tú and vosotros affirmative commands that end in consonants (pontensalven. . .haz) and no accent added to the irregulars dar and estar.Example: haz -> hazlo hablad -> habladme dé -> deme

In all other pronoun-command combinations, an accent is required. There is always an accent with 2 or more attached pronouns. Command words which have 2 or more syllables before pronouns are added, place the accent on the second-to-last syllable of the command word. Example: cómalo levántelo represénteme

Explanation: Accents are added to affirmative commands if the attached pronouns shift the stressed syllable. All reflexive, indirect, and direct object pronouns end in either a vowel or “s” and thus would indicate stressing the second-to-last syllable. If the command stresses a different part of the word before the pronoun is added, then an accent is needed.

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Example: hable ends in a vowel and thus stresses the second-to-last syllable. If you add thepronoun“me,” the stress would also be on the second-to-last syllable, which would nowbe hableme. To preserve the stress on the “a” an accent is needed -> hábleme.

diga -> dígame -> dígamelohaz -> hazlo -> házmelo

Simple Future

To express “will” in Spanish use the following formula:verb infinitive + present tense ending of haber (é, ás, á, emos, éis, án). All conjugations are accented except for nosotros. The endings are the same for all –ar,-er,-ir verbs.

Example: hablaré, hablarás, etc. = I will talk, you will talk, etc.

Direct Object Pronouns

A direct object pronoun replaces a direct object noun so as to avoid repetition.

me me nos uste you

(informal)os you all (informal in Spain)

lo him, it los them (masculine)la her, it las them (feminine)lo / la you (formal) los /

lasyou all

A direct object receives the action of the verb and answers the questions “who?” or “what?”To identify the direct object (DO) it helps to find the subject (S) and the verb (V) of the sentence.Example: S V DO S V DOAna compra flores. Él ve a Ramón.Ana buys flowers. I see Ramón.

What does Ana buy? Flowers. Who does he see? Ramón.

The direct object noun of the above example sentences can be replaced by a direct object pronoun.Example:Ana las compra. Yo lo veo.Ana buys them. I see him.

*The following verbs use direct object pronouns because they include the words “to” or “for.”buscar = to look for

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esperar = to wait forescuchar = to listen to

“Lo que” is a gender neutral relative pronoun used to replace a concept or idea. It is used to say “what” when you are not asking a question. It is often used to begin a sentence, but can also be used in the middle. lo + que = what

Example:Lo que quiero es una camisa. = What I want is a shirt.No quiero decirte lo que me dijeron. = I do not want to tell you what they told me.Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect object pronouns also receive the action of the verb, but answer the questions: “to whom?” or “for whom?”

me me nos uste you

(informal)os you all (informal in Spain)

le him, it les them (masculine)le her, it les them (feminine)le you (formal) les you all

Example: S IO V S IO V DOEl profesor me habla. Sofia te manda un regalo.The teacher talks to me. Sofia sends you a present.

To whom does the teacher talk? Me. To whom did Sofia send the present? You.

Since “le” and “les” have more than one meaning, it is common to include clarification by stating the preposition “a” and the noun or pronoun.Example:Le escribo (a Bessy). I write (to Bessy).

The following verbs commonly use indirect object pronouns:dar decir escribir explicar hablarmandar ofrecer pedir preguntar prestartprometer recomendar regalar server traer

Reflexive, Indirect, and Direct Object (RID) Pronoun Placement

1. Immediately before conjugated verbs and before perfect tense verbs.Example: Yo los quiero. NOT Yo quiero los.

I want them.

Yo lo he dicho. NOT Yo he lo dicho.

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I have said it.

2. Before or after the infinitive or progressive forms, but it cannot break up (be located in the middle) of the verbal phrase or progressive.Example: Yo quiero comprarlas. OR Yo las quiero comprar. NOT Yo quiero las comprar.

I want to buy them.

Yo estoy viéndote. OR Yo te estoy viendo. NOT Yo estoy te viendo.

3. Attached to the end of an affirmative command.Example: Cómprelo. NOT Lo compre.

Buy it.4. Before negative commands.Example: No lo compres. NOT No compres lo.

Do not buy it.

5. Remember the acronym RID to remember the order: 1st reflexive pronoun, 2nd indirect object pronoun, 3rd direct object pronoun when there is more than one pronoun.Example: S V IO DOMaritza me da a mí una galleta. -> Maritza me la da.= Maritza gives me a cookie. Maritza gives it to me.

6. To express an unexpected or unwanted action, the reflexive and indirect object pronouns are used together.Example:Se me cayó el plato. = I dropped the plate. = The plate fell itself from me.A él se le olvidó la tarea. = He forgot the homework. = The homework forgot itself to him.

7. When both the indirect and direct object begin with the letter “l,” then le/les is replaced with “se.” The “se” often needs a prepositional phrase for clarification, since it can refer to so many different things.Example:Elvis escribe un libro para ella. -> Elvis se lo escribe (a ella). NOT Elvis le lo escribe.= Elvis writes a book for her. Elvis writes it for her.

Gustar and Similar Verbs

Gustar is the closest to the English verb “to like,” but in Spanish gustar technically means “to be pleasing.” These and similar verbs always use the indirect object to express to whom it is pleasing. The subject of the sentence is the person or thing that is pleasing, NOT the person to whom it is pleasing. In English the subject of the sentence comes first, but in Spanish it is at the end.Example:IO V S S V IO(A mí) Me gusta el chocolate. = Chocolate is pleasing to me.

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(A ellos) les gusta la clase. = The class is pleasing to them.

The prepositional phrase in parentheses is optional. With the indirect object pronouns “me, te, nos, os” it is clear who is being referred to and so stating the prepositional phrase “a mí, a ti, a nosotros, a vosotros” is done so for extra emphasis. Clarification is often needed with “le, les” since they could mean more than one thing (him, her, you formal, them, you all) and thus it becomes necessary to use a prepositional phrase (a él, a ella, a usted, a ellos, a ellas, a ustedes).

You may have noticed that the verb gustar is usually used only in the third person. If it is one thing (it) that is pleasing use “gusta” and if it is more than one thing (they) that is pleasing use “gustan.”

Example:Te gusta el libro. = The book (it) is pleasing to you.Te gustan los libros. = The books (they) are pleasing to you.

Similar verbs that also use indirect object pronouns:aburrir Me aburre. It is boring to me.asustar Me asusta. It is scary to me.caer bien/mal Me cae bien. He is pleasing to me. (like/dislike someone)dar asco Me da asco. It is disgusting to me.dar ganas de Me da ganas de comer. It gives to me the urge to eat.dar igual Me da igual. It is the same/doesn’t matter to me.doler Me duele. It is painful to me.encantar Me encanta. It is delighting to me.fascinar Me fascina. It is fascinating to me.fastidiar Me fastidia. It is bothersome to me.importar Me importa. It matters to me.interesar Me interesa. It is interesting to me.molestar Me molesta. It is annoying to me.parecer Me parece. It seems to me.preocupar Me preocupa. It is worrisome to me.sorprender Me sorprende. It is surprising to me.

Prepositions

Prepositions tell us the relation between two parts of a sentence. Prepositions are used just like in English, except that the same preposition can mean various different things in English and vice versa. Example:A las 6pm = At 6pmVoy a la casa = I go to the house

para usted = for youpor usted = on your behalf or because of you

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1. There are prepositions of location . . .Example: El niño está cerca de la escuela y lejos de la casa.

The child is near the school and far from the house.

2. . . . and of time.Example: En la mañana de las 6 a 7 leo.

In the morning from 6 to 7 I read.

Also, prepositions should not end a sentence in Spanish.Example: Quiero una mujer con quien bailar. NOT Quiero una mujer para bailar con.

I want a woman with whom to dance. I want a woman to dance with.

If a verb comes after a preposition it must be in the infinitive.Example: Me baño antes de dormir.

I bathe myself before sleeping.

Many prepositions attach to certain verbs when coming before infinitives or nouns. Be careful, because sometimes the English-to-Spanish translation would lead you to use an incorrect preposition.

1. Verbs with Aacostumbrarse a to get accustomed toadaptarse a to adapt toanimarse a to be encouraged toaprender a to learn toayudar a to help tocomenzar a to begin to

dedicarse a to dedicate oneself toempezar a to start toenseñar a to teach toinvitar a to invite toparecerse a to look likevolver a to do again

2. Verbs with Concasarse con to get married tochocar con to collide withcontar con to count on

cumplir con to carry out withsoñar con to dream about

3. Verbs with Deacabar de to finishacordarse de to rememberaprovecharse de to take advantage ofdepender de to depend ondespedirse de to say goodbye todivorciarse de to divorce

enamorarse de to fall in love withencargarse de to take charge ofenterarse de to find something outolvidarse de to forget somethingtratar de to try to

4. Verbs with Enbasarse en to be based onconfiar en to trust inconsistir en to consist in

fijarse en to notice, to look atinsistir en to insist in

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5. Verbs with Pordisculparse por to apologize forpreocuparse por to worry about

To Be: Ser vs. Estar

In Spanish, there are 2 ways to say the verb “to be.”

1. Ser is used to describe permanence (remember the acronym COMET). The only exception is in describing events.

C – characteristics¿Cómo es? Es serio y inteligente. Es un profesor.

O – origin and ownership¿De dónde es? Es de México. ¿De quién es el papel? El papel es de Manuel.

M – material ¿De qué material es? Es de madera.

E – event¿Dónde es la boda? Es en la playa.

T – time and date¿Qué hora es? Son las 2pm.

2. Estar is for the temporary (remember the acronym PLACE). The only exception is for describing location. "To say how you feel and where you are, you should use the verb estar.”

P – position of a physical object¿Está sentado? Sí, está sentado.

L – location¿Dónde está México? México está en Norteamérica.

A – action¿Qué está haciendo? Estoy estudiando.

C – condition and change¿Está cansada? Sí, estoy cansada.

E – emotion¿Cómo está? Estoy feliz.

Some words will change meaning depending on the use of ser or estar.

Estoy aburrido. – I am bored (right now). Soy aburrido. – I am a boring person.Estoy feliz. – I am happy (right now). Soy feliz. – I am a happy person.Ella está lista. – She is ready. Ella es lista. – She is smart.

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Isa está guapa. – Isa looks pretty (today). Isa es guapo. – Isa is a pretty person.Él está vivo. – He is alive. Él es vivo. – He is lively.La fruta está verde. – The fruit is not ripe. La fruta es verde. – The fruit is green.

¿Cómo estás tú? – How are you (right now)? ¿Cómo eres tú? – What are you like?

The Perfect Tenses

The perfect tenses are formed by the following formula:haber + past participleExample: Yo he hablado. = I have talked.When haber is used with a past participle it is like the English “to have.” Present tense conjugation of haber (irregular) is the same as the endings for the simple future (except for vosotros) and there is an “h” in front and different accents.

The pluperfect (pluscuamperfecto in Spanish) is formed with haber in the imperfect tense. The future, conditional, and subjunctive perfect are also options.Example: Yo había comido. = I had eaten.

Yo habré aprendido. = I will have learned.Ojalá que él haya estudiado. = Let’s hope that he has studied.

Past Participles

Past participles in English usually end in –ed. Most all Spanish verbs have a regular past participle:1. Add the ending –ado to –AR verbs. mirado, bailado, tocado, etc.2. Add the ending –ido to –ER/-IR verbs bebido, corridor, vivido, etc.

Remember the pronoun placement rule: reflexive, indirect, and direct pronouns must come before the perfect tense.Example:Yo me he cepillado los dientes. = I have brushed my teeth. NOT Yo he me cepillado.

The word “ya” is often used with the perfect tense and means “already.” Unlike in English, in Spanish, nothing ever comes between haber and the past participle.Example: Ya he comido. = I have already eaten.

There are more irregulars in English than in Spanish. The Spanish irregulars can be remembered by the acronym: “REVV MAC has his PHD.” All verbs based on these irregular verbs (in parentheses) will also have these irregular changes.

R – romper -> rotoE – escribir -> escrito (describir)

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yo he nosotros hemostú ha

svosotros habéis

él, ella, usted ha ellos, ellas, ustedes han

V – volver -> vuelto (devolver, envolver, revolver)V – ver -> visto (prever)M – morir -> muertoA – abrir -> abiertoC – cubrir -> cubierto (descubrir)P – poner -> puesto (componer, disponer, exponer, imponer, proponer, reponerse, suponer)H – hacer -> hecho (satisfacer)D – decir -> dicho (predecir, NOT bendecir -> bendecido/bendito)

Verbs that end in –aer and the verbs leer, oír, and creer add an accent to the past participle. Example:traer -> traídocaer -> caídoleer -> leídooír -> oídocreer -> creído

When past participles are used in perfect tenses, they always end in –o. Past participles can also be used as adjectives in which case they need to agree in both number and gender with the nouns they modify.Example: Él está sorprendido.Ella está sorprendida.Ellos están sorprendidos.

The Past: Formation of the Preterite

The preterite tense is perhaps the hardest tense to learn. There are 6 categories of preterite verbs: regular, car-gar-zar, underground gIRlz, basement boYz, fish verbs, and the completely irregular.

Category 1 : Regular Verbs 1. –AR verb endings

Example:é amosaste asteisó aron

yo hablé nosotros hablamostú hablaste vosotros hablasteisél, ella, usted habló ellos, ellas, ustedes hablaron

2. –ER/IR verb endings Example:

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í imosiste

isteis

ió ieron

yo comí, viví nosotros comimos, vivimostú comiste, viviste vosotros comisteis, vivisteisél, ella, usted comió, vivió ellos, ellas, ustedes comieron, vivieron

Category 2 : Car-Gar-Zar Verbs that end in car, gar, or zar have a spelling change in the yo. All other forms are regular.

car -> qué tocar -> toqué, tocaste, tocó, etc.gar -> gué jugar -> jugué, jugaste, jugó, etc.zar -> cé almorzar -> almorcé, almorzaste, almorzó

Category 3 : underground gIRlz Shoe verbs that end in –IR use the regular –IR endings, but have irregular stem changes in the preterite, but only in the third person. That is why they are “underground,” because the changes are only in the bottom of the conjugation chart. The word “gIRlz” reminds us that these are –IR shoe verbs. Example:1. e -> i

2. o -> u*

*dormir and morir are the main verbs in this category.

Category 4 : basement BoYz Verbs that end in uir, except for verbs ending in –guir, have a change in the third person, “basement” of the conjugation chart. The “Y” in “boYz” reminds us that the “i” in the ending changes to “y.” Also, note that -ió becomes just -ó and -ieron is just -eron. In the present tense these are the Y Shoes and the verbs caer, leer, oír, creer. These last 4 verbs will have an accented “i” in the tú, nosotros, and vosotros forms.Example:

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yo pedí nosotros pedimostú pediste vosotros pedisteisél, ella, usted pidió ellos, ellas, ustedes pidieron

BUT distinguir -> . . . distinguió . . . distinguieron

*Verbs ending in –ñir (gruñir, teñir, etc.) and –ullir (zambullirse) will use -ó and –eron endings in the third person “basement,” since they already have a “y” sound in their stems.

Category 5 : Fish Verbs Fish verbs do not have accents in any of the forms. All verbs based on these verbs will have the same irregularities.The U-Fish Verbs (fish with an open mouth) and I-Fish Verbs (fish with a bubble from mouth) use these endings:e imosiste

isteis

o ieron

The J- Fish Verbs (fish

hooked in the mouth) use the same endings as the other fish verbs, except for in the third person plural. (ieron -> eron)e imosiste isteiso eronU-Fish Verbs = These verbs will have a stem change to a “u” along with other changes. Remember the acronym PEPSCAT. P – poder – pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieronE – estar – estuve, estuviste, estuvo, estuvimos, estuvisteis, estuvieronP – poner – puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieronS – saber – supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis, supieronC – caber – cupe, cupiste, cupo, cupimos, cupisteis, cupieronA – andar – anduve, anduviste, anduvo, anduvimos, anduvisteis, anduvieronT – tener – tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron

I-Fish Verbs = These verbs will have a stem change that includes an “i.” Remember the mnemonic: Que Have.Que –querer – quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieronHa – hacer – hice, hiciste, hizo*, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron *hizo is also irregularVe – venir – vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinisteis, vinieron

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yo dormí nosotros dormimostú dormiste vosotros dormisteisél, ella, usted durmió ellos, ellas,

ustedesdormieron

yo incluí, caí nosotros incluimos, caímostú incluiste, caíste vosotros incluisteis, caísteisél, ella, usted incluyó, cayó ellos, ellas, ustedes incluyeron, cayeron

J-Fish Verbs = These verbs will have a stem change that includes a “j.” Remember the acronym DCPTT (the capitals DC and Pittsburgh). The missing “I” in PTT reminds us that these verbs do not have an “i” in the third person plural (-eron). All verbs based on these verbs will have the same irregularities (verbs that end in “ucir” and “raer”).D – decir – dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeronC – conducir – conduje, condujiste, conduje, condujimos, condujisteis, condujeronP – producir – produje, produjiste, produjo, produjimos, produjisteis, produjeronT – traer – traje, trajiste, trajo, trajimos, trajisteis, trajeronT – traducer – traduje, tradujiste, tradujo, tradujimos, tradujisteis, tradujeron

Category 6 : Irregular These verbs must be memorized. Dar is the “pretender verb,” because it acts as if it were an –er/-ir verb, but without the accents. Ser and Ir are exactly the same in the preterite and only context will tell which is being used.

Dar

yo di nosotros dimostú diste vosotros disteisél, ella, usted dio ellos, ellas,

ustedesdieron

*Ver is conjugated like dar -> vi, viste, vio, vimos, visteis, vieronyo fui nosotros fuimostú fuist

evosotros fuisteis

él, ella, usted fue ellos, ellas, ustedes fueron

Ser/Ir

The Past: Formation of the Imperfect

Finally a tense with only 3 irregular verbs!1. –AR verbs use these endings:

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aba ábamosabas abaisaba aban

Note the accented “a” only in the nosotros form.

2. –ER/-IR verbs use these endings:

Note the accented “i” in all forms.

3. Irregulars:Ir

Ser

Ver

yo era nosotros eramostú era

svosotros erais

él, ella, usted era ellos, ellas, ustedes eranThe Past: Preterite vs. Imperfect

In Spanish, there are 2 ways to talk in the past, using the preterite and using the imperfect. Think of the preterite tense as the “backbone” of the story, the actions that move the story forward. Example: Henry se levantó. Tomó café. Desayunó. Salió para la escuela.

yo veía nosotros veíamostú veía

svosotros veíais

él, ella, usted veía ellos, ellas, ustedes veían= Henry got up. He drank coffee. He ate breakfast. He left for school.

The imperfect tense is the description used to “flesh” out the story and these details do not move the story line forward.

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ía íamosías íaisías ían

yo iba nosotros íbamostú ibas vosotros ibaisél, ella, usted iba ellos, ellas, ustedes iban

Example: Eran las 6am. Estaba cansado. Tenía hambre. Hacía calor.= It was 6am. He was tired. He was hungry. It was hot.

Together you have:Eran las 6am. Henry se levantó. Estaba cansado. Tomó café. Tenía hambre. Desayunó. Salió para la escuela. Hacía calor.

A sentence written in the preterite would be a report of what happened. Example:El cliente pidió comida y el mesero lo trajo. = The customer ordered food and the waiter brought it.

The same sentence in the imperfect would be a description of what was happening.Example:El cliente pedía comida y el mesero lo traía. = The customer was ordering food and the waiter was bringing it.

Specific Uses of the Preterite:1. Single, completed actions, often in succession

Example: Empezó su tarea. Escribió su nombre. Leyó las instrucciones. Completó las oraciones. Terminó de escribir.= He started his homework. He wrote his name. He read the instructions. He completed the sentences. He finished writing.

2. Completed actions within a specific time period

Example: Viví 6 semanas en México. Estudié por 2 horas.= I lived 6 weeks in Mexico. I studied for 2 hours.

3. Summary or reaction statementsExample: Fue un buen día. Me gustó.

= It was a good day. I liked it.

There are “trigger/buzz words,” words that tell us whether to use the preterite or imperfect.

Preterite buzz words:ayer- yesterdayanoche – last nighthace dos días – 2 days agouna vez – one time/oncela semana pasada – last weekel año pasado – last year

Specific Uses of the Imperfect:1. Progression or continuing action with no focus on the start and end. Essentially, a description of what was going on – “was/were . . . ing.”

Example: Mi mamá lavaba los platos mientras mis hermanas miraban televisión.= My mom was washing the dishes while my sisters were watching television.

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2. Habitual, usual, repeated actions – used to express “used to”Example: Comía mucho. Siempre miraba el programa “Rugrats.”

= I used to eat a lot. I always used to watch the program “Rugrats.”3. Describing physical and emotional states – “head/heart verbs” that express mental processes are often in the imperfect (querer, temer, esperar, preferir, sentir, desear, poder, saber, pensar, creer, considerar)

Example: El chico era flaco. Tenía muchos nervios. Quería calmarse.= The boy was skinny. He was very nervous. He wanted to calm himself down.

4. Background information, like time, weather, and ageExample: Eran las 10pm y hacía frío. Ella tenía 12 años.

= It was 10pm and it was cold. She was 12 years old.

5. To refer to the future in a past tense – to express “was going to”Example: Me dice que va a correr. -> Me dijo que iba a correr.

= He tells me that he is going to run. -> He told me that he was going to run.

Imperfect buzz words:siempre – alwaysgeneralmente - generallyusualmente – usuallycon frecuencia – frequentlya menudo – oftena veces – sometimesde vez en cuando – from time to timemientras – while/meanwhilemuchas veces – many timestodos los días – every daylos sábados – on Saturdayscada día – every/each day

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APPENDIX A. High Frequency Little Words

Definite Articles Contractionsel / la thelos / las

the

Indefinite Articles un / una a, anunos / unas some

Subject Pronounsyo Itú you (informal)él / ella / usted he, she, you (formal)nosotros, nosotras wevosotros, vosotras you all (informal in Spain)ellos / ellas / ustedes

they (males or males & females), they (females), you all

Possessive Adjectivesmi / mis mytu / tus your

(informal)su / sus his, her,

your (formal),its, their, your (2 or more people)

nuestro, nuestra / nuestros, nuestras

our

Possessive Pronounsmío, mía / míos, mías

mine

tuyo, tuya / tuyos, tuyas

yours

suyo, suya / suyos, suyas

his, hers, yours (formal), its, theirs, yours (2 or more people)

nuestro, nuestra / nuestros, nuestras

ours

Demonstrative Adjectives / Dem. Pronounseste, esta / estos, estas / (near) this / these /

esto thisese, esa / esos, esas / eso

(far) that / those / that

aquel, aquella / aquellos, aquellas / aquello

(farther) that / those / that over there

Direct Object Pronounsme mete you (informal)lo / la him, her, you (formal), it)nos uslos / las them, youlo que what

Indirect Object Pronounsme mete you (informal)le him, her, you (formal), it)nos

us

les them, you all

Indefinite Pronouns & Adjectivesalgo somethingalguien someone, somebodyalguno,a/os,as some (one)nada nothingnadie no one, nobodyninguno,a no one, nonetodo, toda, todos, todas

all, everybody, everyone, everything

otro, otra anothercualquier, cualquiera

any, anyone

cualquier cosa anythingambos, ambas bothcada each, everylo, la, los, las demás the rest, the others

Reflexive Object Pronounsme myselfte yourself (informal)se himself, herself, itself, yourself (formal)nos us (ourselves)

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a el = al to thede el = del

from the

os yourselves (informal)se themselves, yourselves

Conjunctionso ory andni norpero butsino but, ratherque that, whichaunque althoughasí que so thatpara que so that, in order thatporque becausecomo as, likesi if, whethercomo si as ifmientras while

Prepositionsa to, atantes beforecon withsin withoutcontra againstde of, fromdesde sincedespués

after

durante duringen in, on, athasta untilpara for, in order topor for, because ofsobre about, on, upon, over

Adverbsya alreadyaquí, acá hereallí thereallá over therenunca neversiempre alwaysahora nowahorita right nowluego laterhoy todayayer yesterdaymuy verymucho a lotpoco littlebastante a lotmás moremenos lesstan, tanto as, as muchtampoco either, neitherquizás perhapstal vez perhapspor supuesto

of course

sin embargo however

Questions¿Quién? Who?¿Qué? What?¿Cuándo? When?¿Dónde? Where?¿Adónde? To where?¿Por qué? Why?¿Cómo? How?¿Cuál? Which?¿De quién? Whose?¿Cuánto,a/os,as? How many?

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APPENDIX B. Present Tense Verb Categories

1. Regular–ar-o -amos-as -áis-a -an

abandonaracamparaceptaracompañaraconsejaracusaradaptaradoraradoptarahorraralquilaramaranalizarandaranunciarapagararararreglarasarasearasustaratraparaumentaraveriguarayudarbailarbajarbañarse

besarborrarbruñirbuscarcallarsecambiarcaminarcantarcausarcelebrarcenarcepillarseclasificarcocinarcolocarcomentarcompararcomprarconservarcontactarcontestarcooperarcortar

cosecharcrearcruzarcuidarcultivardeclarardedicarsedejardesayunardescansar

descargardeseardeterminardibujardisfrutardoblarducharsedurarecharempacarempujarencantar

enseñarentrarentregarescaparescucharesperaresquiarestacionarestudiarevitarexaminarexperimentarexplicarfascinarfastidiarfelicitarfirmarfumarfuncionarganargastar

golpeargrabargritargustarhablarhornearignorarilustrarimaginarseimportarinteresarinterrumpirinventarinvestigarinvitarlastimarlavarlevantarselimpiarllamarllegarllevarllorarmandarmanejarmarcarmarcharmejorarmezclarmirarmolestarnadarnecesitar

observarodiarolvidaropinarordenarordeñarorganizarpagarpararparticiparpasarpatinarpelarpeinarsepescarpintarplancharplanearplanificarplaticarpracticarpreguntarpreocuparpremiarpreparar

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presentarpublicarquedarquemarsequitarreclamarrefrescarregalar

regresarrepasar

representarreservarrespirarretirarsesacarsaltarsaludarsangrarsembrartardarterminartirar

tocartomartrabajartransportartrapeartratartrotartullirusarutilizarveranearviajar

visitarvomitarvotarzambullirse

2. Regular –er-o -emos-es éise en

aprenderasustarbarrerbebercomercomprendercorrercosercreerdeberleermeterprometerresponderrompersorprendertemervender

3. Regular –ir-o -imos-es -ís-e -en

abriraburriradmitirasistirbatircompartircubrirdecidirdefinirdescribirdescubrirdiscutir

escribirgruñirpermitirpresidirpresumirprohibirrecibirsubirsufrirunirvivir

4. Go in yo

a. go in yo

componerdisponerdistinguirexponerextinguir*hacerimponerponerproponerreponersesalir*satisfacersuponervaler

b. igoatraercaercontraerdistraerextraertraer

c. hybrid: shoe (e-ie)contenerconvenirdetenermantenerobtenerprevenirretenertenervenir

d. hybrid:–ir shoe (e-i)bendecirdecirconseguirperseguirpredecirproseguirseguir

5. Jo in yoverbs –ger/gir

afligircogerdirigiremergerencogerescogerexigirfingirmugirprotegerrecogerrugir

6. zco in yovowel + -cer/cir

agradeceramaneceraparecerapetecerconducir

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conocercrecerdesaparecerdesconocerenternecerestablecerintroducirlucirmerecerobedecerofrecerparecerpermanecerpertenecerproducirreconocerreducirtraduciryacer

7. zo in yoconsonant + cer/cir

convencerejercermecer

vencer

8. Irregular in yo*no accents in dar/ver

*no accents in yo/nosotros of estar/prever

darestarsabercaberpreverver

9. -ar/er shoe

e-ieacertarapretarascenderatravesarcerrarcomenzarconfesardefenderdespertarseempezarencenderencerrarentenderextenderfregargobernarhelarnegarnevarpensarperderquebrarsequerer recomendarsentarse

o-ueacordarseacostarsealmorzarcolgarconmovercontarcostardemostrardevolverdolerencontrarenvolver*jugarllovermostrarmover

*olerpoderprobarserecordarresolverrevolversonarsoñarsolertronarvolarvolver

10. –ir shoee-ie, o-ue

advertirconvertirdivertirseherirsehervirmentirpreferirreferirsesentirsugerirdormirmorir

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11. -ir shoe e-i *infinitives with accents, accent i in all forms

constreñirdespedirfreírgemirimpedirmedirpedirreírsereñirrepetirservirteñirsonreírsevestirse

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12. y shoes-uir (not –guir/quir)

atribuirconcluirconstruircontribuirdestruirdisminuirdistribuirfluirhuirincluirinfluirinstruir

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sustituir

13. co in yo-quir

delinquirfaquir

14. Accent shoe-iar, uar, reunir

acentuaractuarampliarconfiarcontinuarcriarenviar

espiarevaluarfiarsegraduarsehabituarguiarresfriarsereunirsesituarvaciarvaluarvariar

15. Irregular

adquirircocercorregirelegirerguirsehaberiroír

sertorcer

Be careful when conjugating verbs like gustar. . .

aburrirasustar

caer biendar ascodar ganas dedar igualdolerencantarfascinarfastidiarimportarinteresarmolestarparecerpreocuparsorprender

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