Version 3.3 (3/16/16)

Guía del estudio de español

por el Señor Murphy

Maestro de español

Parnassus Preparatory School

Maple Grove, MN

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Introduction

In an effort to help each scholar at Parnassus Preparatory School succeed in Spanish, I have

created this study guide. This is not to be considered a textbook. Rather, it is designed to provide

additional information to help with scholar’s personal study and further understanding of the

Spanish language.

Each topic is covered briefly with a short explanation and examples. I have attempted to include

the major rules and exceptions for each topic. However, not all rules or exceptions are covered

here. That is beyond the scope of this study guide.

Information for this guide comes primarily from Realidades 2 (2011)1 and the website Study

Spanish2.

If you have any comments or questions about this study guide please contact me at Parnassus.

Con mucho gusto servirles,

Señor Murphy

For additional help visit your teacher’s website.

1 Boyles, P., Met, M., Sayers, R., Wargin, C., (2011), Realidades 2, Pearson Education, Inc: Boston, MA

2 www.studyspanish.com, Retrieved October 14, 2014

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Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................1

Basic Vocabulary ...........................................................................................................3

Greetings ...............................................................................................................3

Cardinal Numbers 0-100 .......................................................................................3

Colors ....................................................................................................................3

25 Most Common Nouns ......................................................................................4

25 Most Common Verbs .......................................................................................4

Weather ..........................................................................................................................5

Time, Days, and Dates ...................................................................................................6

Verbs – Conjugation and Usage ....................................................................................7

Present Tense ........................................................................................................7

Preterite Tense ......................................................................................................9

Imperfect Tense ..................................................................................................11

Preterite vs. Imperfect Tense ..............................................................................12

Impersonal/Passive Voice ...................................................................................13

Present Progressive .............................................................................................14

Present Perfect ....................................................................................................15

Future Tense........................................................................................................16

Reflexive Verbs ..................................................................................................18

Commands ..........................................................................................................19

Present Subjunctive Tense ..................................................................................21

Grammar ......................................................................................................................23

Direct Object Pronouns .......................................................................................23

Indirect Object Pronouns ....................................................................................24

Indirect and Direct Object Pronouns Together ...................................................25

Ser vs. Estar ........................................................................................................26

Por vs. Para .........................................................................................................26

Saber vs. Conocer ...............................................................................................26

Articles and Adjectives .......................................................................................27

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Basic Vocabulary

Greetings

Spanish English Spanish English

Saludos Greetings Hola Hello

Adiós Good-bye Buenos días Good morning

Buenas tardes Good afternoon Buenas noches Good evening (night)

Me llamo My name is ¿Cómo estás? How are you?

Bien Good Mal bad

Cardinal Numbers 0-100 0 cero 11 once 22 veintidós

1 uno (un) / una 12 doce 30 treinta

2 dos 13 trece 31 Treinta y uno

3 tres 14 catorce 32 Treinta y dos

4 cuatro 15 quince 40 cuarenta

5 cinco 16 dieciséis 50 cincuenta

6 seis 17 diecisiete 60 sesenta

7 siete 18 dieciocho 70 setenta

8 ocho 19 diecinueve 80 ochenta

9 nueve 20 veinte 90 noventa

10 diez 21 veintiuno 100 cien

Numbers 21 and 22 are listed as an example of numbers between 21-29. Numbers 31 and 32 are

listed as an example for numbers beyond 30.

Colors Spanish English Spanish English

Rojo Red Verde Green

Azul Blue Amarillo(a) Yellow

Negro(a) Black Blanco(a) White

Rosado(a) Pink Anaranjado(a)* Orange

Morado(a) Purple Café brown

* Anaranjado is orange in Spain. Many Latin American countries use naranja.

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25 Most Common Nouns

1. vez time (as in number of times) 14. caso case, occasion

2. año year 15. país country

3. tiempo time, weather 16. lugar place, position

4. día day 17. persona person

5. cosa thing 18. hora hour, time

6. hombre man, mankind; husband 19. trabajo work, job, effort

7. parte part, portion 20. punto point, dot, period

8. vida life 21. mano hand

9. momento moment, time 22. maneramanner, way

10. forma form, shape, way 23. fin end

11. casa house 24. tipo type, kind

12. mundo world 25. gente people

13. mujer woman, wife

25 Most Common Verbs

1. ser to be 14. pasar to pass, spend time

2. haber to have 15. deber should, ought to; to owe

3. estar to be 16. poner to put on, get (+ adj.)

4. tener to have 17. parecer to seem, look like

5. hacer to do, make 18. quedar to stay, remain

6. poder to be able to, can 19. creer to believe, think

7. decir to tell, say 20. hablar to speak, talk

8. ir to go 21. llevar to take, carry

9. ver to see 22. dejar to let, leave

10. dar to give 23. seguir to follow

11. saber to know (a fact), find out 24. encontrar to find

12. querer to want. Love 25. llamar to call, name

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Weather

Hace frío

Hace viento

Hace sol

Hace calor

Hace fresco

Está nublado

Está nevando Está lloviendo

Primavera Verano Otoño Invierno

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Es la una

Son las dos

Son las tres

Son las cuatro

Son las

cinco

Son las seis

Son las

siete

Son las ocho

Son las nueve

Son las diez

Son las

once

Son las doce

en punto

y cinco

y diez

y quince, y caurto

y veinte

y veinticinco

y cincuenta y cinco, menos

cinco

y cincuenta , menos diez

y cuarenta y cinco, menos

quince, menos cuarto

y cuarenta, menos veinte

y treinta y cinco, menos

veinticinco y media, y treinta

lunes martes

miécoles jueves viernes sábado

domingo

Hoy es el de

enero febrero marzo abril mayo junio julio

agosto septiembre

octubre noviembre diciembre

de 2014 2015 2016

Time, Days, and Dates

Es la… / Son las… = It is…

A la… / A las… = At…

De la mañana/tarde/noche = In the…

Esta mañana/tarde/noche = This…

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Verbs – Conjugation and Usage

Present Tense

Spanish verbs end in –ar, -er-, or –ir; when in this form, they are in the infinitive (like the English

verb form with “to” in front of the verb). Most verbs end in –ar.

To conjugate a verb, the ending is dropped and the appropriate ending is added in its place. For

example; hablar habl. The ending can then be added to show who is doing the action.

The present tense of Spanish verbs can take on two meanings in English. The present tense is used

to state something is happening presently and can continue; such as I walk to school (you walked

today and will probably walk to school in the future). The present tense can also be used to state

that something is happening at that moment in time such as I am walking to school.

Hablo español = I talk Spanish and I am talking Spanish

Caminas a escuela = You walk to school and You are walking to school

To conjugate verbs in the present tense, drop the ending and add the following:

English Spanish -ar -er -ir

I Yo -o -o -o

You (familiar) Tú -as -es -es

He, she, you

(formal)

él, ella, usted -a -e -e

We Nosotros -amos -emos -imos

You (familiar,

plural)

Vosotros -áis -éis -is

They, you

(formal, plural)

Ellos, ellas,

ustedes

-an -en -en

Examples

Caminar = to walk Correr = to run Compartir = to share

Camino I walk Corro I run Comarto I share

Caminas You walk Corres You run Comartes You share

Camina He/she walks Corre He/she runs Compartes He/she shares

Caminamos We walk Corremos We run Compartimos We share

Camináis You walk Corréis You run Compartis You share

Caminan They walk Corren They walk Comparten They share

Stem Changing Verbs

Verbs that have a change in the “stem” or root portion fall into two categories. First, boot verbs.

Boot verbs have a change in every tense except nosotros and vosotros. Boot verbs change in the

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present tense. The other category is sole verbs. Sole verbs will be discussed in the section on the

preterite tense.

Boot verbs include:

(e ie) pensar, calentar, comenzar, despertar(se), recomendar, tropezar

Example: pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan

(o ue) contar, acostar(se) almorzar, costar, encontrar(se), probar(se), recordar

Example: cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis, cuentan

(u ue) jugar

Example: juego, juegas, juega, jugamos, jugáis, juegan

(e ie) entender, encender, perder

Example: entiendo, entiendes, entiende, entendemos, entendéis, entienden

(o ue) devolver, mover(se), torcer(se), volver

Example: vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve, volvemos, volvéis, vuelven

(e i) pedir, conseguir, despedir(se), repetir, seguir, vestir(se)

Example: pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden

(e ie) preferir, diverter(se), hervir, mentir, sugerir

Example: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, preferimos, preferís, prefieren

(o ue) dormir(se), morir(se)

Example: duermo, duermes, duerme, dormimos, dormís, duermen

(i y) destruir

Example: destruyo, destruyes, destruye, destruimos, destruís, destruyen

Some other irregular verbs

conocer yo conozco, other conjugations are normal

tener tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen

poner pongo, pones, pone, ponemos, ponéis, ponen

traer traigo, traes, trae, traemos, traéis, traen

venir vengo, vienes, viene, venimos, venís, vienen

ir voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van

estar estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis están

ser soy, eres, es, somos soís, son

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Preterite Tense The preterite tense used when talking about events that were completed in the past with a definite

beginning and end. For example, “I went to the store yesterday” or “We danced last night.”

Preterite tense usage:

Actions that can be viewed as a single event.

Actions repeated a specific number of times.

Actions that occurred during a specific time period.

Actions that were part of a chain of events.

To state the beginning or end of an action.

When determining which past tense to use, it may be helpful to determine if there is a trigger

phrase. Some trigger phrases are:

at that time last night

yesterday noon

morning at that moment

last week one time

Like all verbs, the preterite tense is conjugated by dropping the –ar, -er, or –ir ending of the verb

and adding the appropriate preterite tense ending.

cantar = to sing correr = to run vivir = to live

Yo canté I sang corrí I ran viví I lived

Tú cantaste you sang corriste you ran viviste you lived

él/ella/usted cantó he/she/sang corrió he/she/ran vivió he/she/lived

Nosotros cantamos we sang corrimos we ran vivimos we lived

Vosotros cantasteis you sang corristeis you ran vivisteis you lived

Ellos/ustedes cantaron they sang corrieron they ran vivieron they lived

Examples

Escribí un cuento en la clase de español. I wrote a story in Spanish class.

¿Miraste el programa anoche? Did you see the program last night?

Ayer la clase cantó. Yesterday the class sang.

Hablamos después de la clase. We talked after class.

¿Conocisteis el nuevo director? Did you (plural) meet the new principal?

Comieron todo el postre. They ate the entire desert.

Irregular verbs in the preterite tense

There are several categories of stem changing verbs in the preterite tense. The first category is

sole verbs. These are verbs that only change in the third person (he, she, you formal, they, you all

formal).

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(e i) pedir, conseguir, despedir(se), repetir, seguir, vestir(se), preferir, divertir(se), hervir,

mentir, sugerir

Example: pedí, pediste, pidió, pedimos, pedisteis, pidieron

(o u) dormir, morir(se)

Example: dormí, dormiste, durmió, dormimos, dormisteis, durmieron

There are other verbs that have spelling changes in specific tenses, mostly for spelling and/or

pronunciation.

almorzar = change z to c in first person singular

Example: almorcé

buscar, practicar, sacar, tocar = change c to qu in first person singular

Example: busqué, practiqué, saqué, toqué

creer, leer = change e to y in third person

Example: creyó, creyeron; leyó, leyeron

destruir = change i to y in third person

Example: destruyó, destruyeron

empezar = change z to c in first person singular

Example: empecé

jugar, pagar = change g to gu in first person singular

Example: jugué, pagué

reir(se) = change e to I in all conjugations

Example: me reí, te reíste, se rió, nos reímos, os resísteis, se rieron

Some verbs have a totally irregular pattern in the preterite tense. These include:

caer(se) tener

dar traer

decir ser

estar poner

haber querer

hacer saber

ir venir

oir

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Imperfect Tense The imperfect tense used when talking about events that were completed in the past without a

definite beginning and end. The imperfect is similar to English statement of “used to” and “was –

ing.” For example, “I used to go to the store,” “We used to dance all night,” or “He was sleeping

when the alarm went off.”

Imperfect tense usage:

Actions that were habitually repeated.

Actions set the stage for another action (Sally was studying when Tom arrived).

Telling time.

Telling age.

State of being, physical and/or mental.

Characteristics of people, things, conditions.

Like all verbs, the imperfect tense is conjugated by dropping the –ar, -er, or –ir ending of the verb

and adding the appropriate imperfect tense ending.

cantar = to sing correr = to run vivir = to live

Yo cantaba Used to

sing or was

singing.

corría Used to run

or was

running

vivía Used to live

or was

living Tú cantabas corrías vivías

él/ella/usted cantaba corría vivía

Nosotros cantábamos corríamos vivíamos

Vosotros cantabais corríais vivíais

Ellos/ustedes cantaban corrían vivían

Examples

Escribía cuentos en la clase de español. I used to write stories in Spanish class.

¿Mirabas el programa? Were you watching the program?

La clase cantaba cuando se cayó. The class was singing when it fell.

Hablabamos después de la clase. We used to talk after class.

¿Conocías el nuevo director? Did you know the new principal?

Comían todo el postre. They used to eat all the desert.

There are very few, if any, irregular verbs in the imperfect tense.

Special Preterite vs. Imperfect Meanings

Verb Preterite Meaning Imperfect Meaning

conocer To meet for the first time Already acquainted with, knew earlier

saber Found out Used to know, knew earlier

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Preterite vs. Imperfect Tense

There are several simple rules to follow to determine which past tense to use. Like all grammar,

eventually it becomes second nature. In the meantime, these simple rules will help you decide

which to use.

Preterite Imperfect

What Happened What Was Happening

Single event Repeated action

Physical action Mental activity

Specific beginning and ending points Process

Interrupted action Action being interrupted

Time in the past

Physical descriptions

Examples:

Asistí el partido anoche. Yo asistía los conciertos.

Jugaron con Marcos. Estudiaban mucho.

Miraste la televisión anoche por 3 horas Mirabas la televisión y comiste dulce.

Practicábamos el español cuando Pablo llegó para visitar con nosotros.

Era las dos y media cuando terminé mi tarea.

Guadalupe y Diego eran hermosos en el baile.

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Impersonal/Passive Voice

When speaking about or to someone in particular you are using an active voice. Examples of

active voice are:

John sold the car.

Sally wrote the book.

You cooked the dinner.

A passive voice is used when the subject is not the person being spoken of. As a result, the

sentence makes a general statement instead of a specific one. Examples of passive voice are:

The car was sold by John.

The books were written by Sally.

The dinner was cooked by you.

As you can see, the individual, who was the subject in the first set of examples, no longer holds

that place in the sentence.

In Spanish the impersonal/passive voice is made by making the verb reflexive (venderse). The

verb is then conjugated in the 3rd

person singular or plural.

Examples of the impersonal/passive voice in use

English Spanish

House for sale Se vende la casa

Dinners cooked by Jorge Se cocinan las cenas por Jorge

Eat here Se come aqui

Car for sale Se vende el auto

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Present Progressive

The present progressive is used to describe an action that is taking place at the time the statement

is made. It is a formed by conjugating the verb “to be” and adding –ing to the ending of the action

verb.

Examples

I am studying. We are playing. You are running. Roger is sleeping.

In English the present progressive can also be used for actions that will soon take place. This

would be statements such as, “I am eating with Sarah tonight” or “Sarah is practicing the piano

tomorrow.” However, in Spanish the present progressive is only used for current actions.

Statements regarding a future action do not use the present progressive in Spanish.

To use the present progressive tense in Spanish the verb “estar” is conjugated. The following

action verb is also conjugated by dropping the ending and adding –ando to –ar verbs, and –iendo to

–er and –ir verbs.

Estar conjugation

yo estoy nosotros estamos

tú estás vosotros estáis

él/ella/ud está ellos/ustedes están

Conjugating the action verb

hablar hablando comer comiendo

cantar cantando escribir escribiendo

Examples of the present progressive tense in use

English Spanish

I am studying. Estoy estudiando.

You are running. Estás corriendo.

Janet is living in Mexico. Janet está viviendo en México.

We are learning to talk in Spanish Estamos aprendiendo hablar en español.

They are singing. Están cantando.

Irregular progressive verbs

English Infinitive Progressive English Infinitive Progressive

to serve servir sirviendo to sleep dormir durmiendo

to ask for pedir pidiendo to die morir muriendo

to say decir diciendo to be able to poder pudiendo

to fall caer cayendo to believe creer creyendo

to run away huir huyendo to go ir yendo

to influence influir influyendo to hear oír oyendo

to bring traer trayendo to read leer leyendo

to follow seguir siguiendo

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Present Perfect

The present perfect tense is used to describe an action that took place at an unspecified time in the

past and has current consequences. It is a formed by placing “has” or “have” before a verb using

the –ed ending.

Examples

I have studied. We have played.

You have talked. Roger has slept.

To use the present perfect tense in Spanish the verb “haber” is conjugated. The following action

verb is also conjugated by dropping the ending and adding –ado to –ar verbs, and –ido to –er and –

ir verbs.

Estar conjugation

yo he nosotros hemos

tú has vosotros habéis

él/ella/ud ha ellos/ustedes han

Conjugating the action verb

hablar hablado comer comido

cantar cantado vivir vivido

Examples of the present progressive tense in use

English Spanish

I have studied. He estudiado.

You have run. Has corrido.

Janet has lived in Mexico. Janet ha vivido en México.

We have talked in Spanish Hemos hablado en español.

They have sung. Han cantado.

Irregular perfect verbs

English Infinitive Progressive English Infinitive Progressive

to say Decir Dicho to return

(send back)

Devolver Devuelto

to write Escribir Escrito to make/do Hacer Hecho

to die Morir Muerto to put Poner puesto

to break Romper Roto to see Ver Visto

to return (go

back)

Volver vuelto

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Future Tense

The Spanish future tense can be considered similar to the English use of “will,” “is going to,” or

words such as “tomorrow.” For example:

I will eat.

You will study tonight.

I’m going to eat.

They are going to sing.

Pedro comes tomorrow.

We work on Friday.

When using context to denote the future, examples are:

Pedro viene el viernes. Pedro comes on Friday.

Comemos pizzas esta noche. We eat pizza tonight.

Estudio español mañana. I study Spanish tomorrow.

Jugamos este sabado. We play this Saturday.

As you can see above, in both English and Spanish there are times when the only reference to the

future is in the time frame (i.e. tomorrow, Friday). Likewise, both languages can use the verb to

go (ir) to denote the future. Examples of this are:

Voy a comer. I’m going to eat.

Vas a estudiar esta noche. You’re going to study tonight.

Pedro va a venir mañana. Pedro is going to come tomorrow.

Vamos a jugar. We are going to play.

To show the future as in the English “will” form requires conjugating the verb in the future tense.

All regular verbs (–ar, -er, and –ir) are conjugated the same in the future tense. First, the ending is

not removed, as it is in the present or past tenses. Next, all verbs have the same ending added to

the infinitive form:

-ar, hablar (to

talk)

-er, comer (to

eat)

-ir, vivir (to

live)

Ending Example Example Example

Yo -é Hablaré Comeré Viviré

Tu -ás Hablarás Comerás Vivirás

El, Ella, Ud -á Hablará Comerá Vivirá

Nosotros -emos Hablaremos Comeremos Viviremos

Vosotros -éis Hablaréis Comeréis Viviréis

Ellos(as), Uds -án Hablarán Comerán vivirán

Note that the verbs are left in their infinitive form and the same endings are added to all verbs, no

matter if they have –ar, -er, or –ir endings.

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Examples of the future tense:

El lunes hablaré con Carmen. I will talk to Carmen on Monday.

¿Comerás las zanahorias? Will you eat the carrots?

Marta ganará el premio. Marta will win the prize.

En un año viviremos en Bogotá. In one year we will live in Bogota.

Trabajarán aquí por dos años. They will work here for two years.

Irregular Verbs in the Future Tense

There are a few verbs that are irregular in the present tense. These verbs take the same endings as

regular verbs. However, the stem changes as shown below.

hacer har-

poder podr-

saber sabr-

tener tendr-

haber habr-

Examples in context are:

¿Qué trabajo hará ella? What work will she do?

Podremos usar las cucharas. We will be able to use the spoons.

¿Sabrás nadar en el mar? Will you learn to swim in the sea?

Tendré los regalos pronto. I will have the presents soon.

Habrá mucha gente en el estadio. There will be many people in the stadium.

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Reflexive Verbs

When saying that people perform an action to or for themselves a reflexive verb is used. In other

words, the subject and object are the same. Adding the reflexive pronoun to a verb can also

change the meaning of the verb from one where the action has taken place to one where the action

is/was in progress. For example:

Verb Meaning Reflexive Verb Meaning

Dormir To sleep Dormirse To fall asleep

Aburrir To be bored Aburrirse To get bored

Cepillar To brush Cepillarse To brush oneself (i.e. your own teeth)

Vestir To dress Vestirse To dress oneself

Peinar To comb Peinarse To comb oneself (i.e. your own hair)

Lavar To wash Lavarse To wash oneself

Conjugating Reflexive Verbs

A verb is reflexive if –se is added to the end of the infinitive form. The –se is a reflexive pronoun.

When the verb is conjugated, the reflexive pronoun goes in front of the verb.

lavar = to wash lavarse = to wash oneself

bañar = to bathe bañarse = to bathe oneself

llamar = to call llamarse = to call oneself

me llamo I call myself/my name is

te levantas you get yourself up

se baña he bathes himself

Reflexive pronouns are:

me = myself nos = ourselves

te = yourself os = yourselves

se = herself/himself se = themselves

Examples

Llamó al medico. = She called the doctor (medic).

Me llamo Guillermo. = I call myself William (My name is William).

Lavamos los platos. = We wash the dishes.

Nos lavamos antes de comer. = We wash ourselves before eating.

Los nietos duermen = The grandchildren sleep (are sleeping).

Se duermen los nietos = The grandchildren fall asleep.

Poniste los zapatos aquí. = You put the shoes here.

Te poniste los zapatos. = You put on your shoes.

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Commands

Commands are used in the same way as in English. However, they are broken into three groups,

familiar, or tú, formal, or usted, and plural, or ustedes. Within each group there are separate

instructions for conjugations in both positive and negative occurances.

Tú Commands – Positive

Regular tú (informal) commands use the 3rd

person singular.

Examples: Come tu helado. Camina a la escuela

Irregular positive tú commands

decir = di salir = sal

hacer = haz ser = sé

ir = ve tener = ten

poner = pon venir = ven

Tú Commands – Negative

Negative informal commands are more complicated to conjugate. There are several steps that

must be followed to conjugate these commands properly.

1. Put the verb in the 1st person singular (i.e. hablar hablo, comer como, entender

entiendo, poner pongo)

2. Next, drop the –o from the ending

3. For –ar verbs as –es, for –er and –ir verbs add –as (these are the opposite 2nd

person

singular conjugations)

4. Add “no” directly in front of the verb

Examples:

hablar hablo habl hables no hables

comer como com comas no comas

entender entiendo entiend entiendas no entiendas

poner pongo pong pongas no pongas

Irregulars:

Verbs ending in –car change to –ques: sacar no saques

Verbs ending in –gar change to –gues: jugar no juegues

Verbs ending in –zar change to –ces: empezar no empieces

dar = no dés

estar = no estés

ir = no vayas

ser = no seas

Formal (usted, ustedes) Commands

Both positive and negative formal commands follow the steps as the negative tú commands. The

only change is that instead of adding the opposite 2nd

person singular, the opposite 3rd

person

singular or plural is added. The rules for irregular, negative informal commands apply to formal

commands.

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1. Put the verb in the 1st person singular (i.e. hablar hablo, comer como, entender

entiendo, poner pongo)

2. Next, drop the –o from the ending

3. For –ar verbs as –e or -en, for –er and –ir verbs add –a or -an (these are the opposite 3rd

person singular or plural conjugations)

4. Add “no” directly in front of the verb

Examples:

hablar hablo habl hable(n) no hable(n)

comer como com coma(n) no coma(n)

entender entiendo entiend entienda(n) no entienda(n)

poner pongo pong ponga(n) no ponga(n)

Irregulars:

Negative Tú

Command

Negative Usted

Command

Negative Ustedes

Command

No busques No busque No busquen

No hagas No haga No hagan

No des No dé No den

No vayas No vaya No vayan

No seas No sea No sean

Adding Object Pronouns to Commands

For positive commands any object pronouns will be connected to the end of the verb.

For negative commands any object pronouns will be placed before the verb.

Examples:

Hagalo No lo haga

Busquenla No la busquen

Desme No me des

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Present Subjunctive Tense

To many, the subjunctive tense is scary. Once you understand how to conjugate commands you

are half way to understanding the subjunctive tense.

Present Subjunctive Tense

Two main reasons to use the subjunctive tense are:

to show that one person influences the actions of another.

to show uncertainty.

An easy way to remember when to use subjunctive is by the acronym WEIRDO

Wish, Emotion, Interpersonal, Request, Doubt, Ojalá.

If statements can also take the subjunctive, these statements take the form of if/then, if X then Y.

If it rains then I will get wet. If Tom comes then we will play ball. In this sentence the if

statement takes the subjunctive and the then statement takes the future tense.

The verb showing the influence or uncertainty is the one that is conjugated in the subjunctive

tense. The subjunctive tense can be used in all six forms (yo, tú, el/ella/ussted, nosotros, vosotros,

ellos/ustedes)

Examples

We recommend that you speak with the principal. (influence/request)

Do you want us to write our names on the paper? (influence/wish)

I doubt that Tom will come in time. (uncertainty/doubt)

He doesn’t think that Jill will score the goal. (uncertainty/doubt)

We will go with you if Mary arrives in time. (uncertainty/if statement)

Conjugation

Rules for conjugation fo the present subjunctive tense follow the negative tú, usted, and ustedes

command conjugations.

1. Conjugate the verb in the first person singular.

2. Drop the –o ending.

3. Add the appropriate opposite ending (-ar endings use the –er form, -er/-ir endings use the –

ar form).

The first person singular (yo) form is the same as the usted form.

The same rules that are used for irregular commands are used in the present subjunctive.

Conjugation Examples

Venir Vengo

Venga, vengas, venga, vengamos, vengáis, vengan

Cantar Canto

Cante, cantes, cante, cantemos, cantéis, canten

Sentence Examples

Recomendamos que hables con el director.

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¿Quiere que escribamos nuestros nombres en el papel?

Dudo que Tomas venga en tiempo.

No cree que Jill marque el gol.

Iremos contigo si Maria llegue en tiempo.

Impersonal Statements

Another use of the subjuntive tense is the impersonal statement. This is the I in WEIRDO. In an

impersonal statement the initial subject is not a specified. It can be written as:

It is important It is necessary

It is required It is recommended

After the impersonal statement, the remaining part of the sentence can either be specific or general.

A specific phrase addresses a specific object/person. In these sentences the verb after the

impersonal statement is subjunctive. A general phrase is open to whomever. In these sentences

the second verb is not conjugated. For example:

It is important that you come.

Es importante que vengas.

It is important to come.

Es importante venir.

It is necessary that you do your homework.

Es necesario que hagas tu tarea.

It is necessary to do the homework.

Es necesario hacer la tarea.

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Grammar

Direct Object Pronouns

The direct object answers the question who or what receives the action from the verb. For

example, in the sentence “I brought the salad” the direct object is salad as it tells what was

brought. To avoid having to state the direct object we use direct object pronouns (DOP). These

are words such as it, him, and them. Spanish direct objects are:

Singular DOP’s Plural DOP’s

lo = it, him, you (masculine) los = them, you (masculine)

la = it, her, you (feminine) las = them, you (feminine)

The DOP goes before a conjugated verb or after, and connected to an infinitive verb.

Examples using conjugated verbs

English English w/ DOP Spanish Spanish w/ DOP

John has the pencil. John has it. Juan tiene el lápiz. Juan lo tiene.

Paul ate the salad. Paul ate it. Pablo comió la

ensalada.

Pablo la comió.

Mary looks for (is

looking for) her shoes.

Mary looks for (is

looking for) them.

María busca sus

zapatos.

María los busca.

Martha ate the grapes. Martha ate them. Marta comió las uvas. Marta las comió.

Examples using conjugated or infinitive verbs

English with DOP DOP with Conjugated Verb DOP with Infinitive Verb

I want to buy it (pluma). I want to buy it (pluma). I want to buy it (pluma).

Bill needs to wash it (carro). Bill lo necesita lavar. Bill necesita lavarlo.

We can eat them (zanahorias). Las podemos comer. Podemos comerlas.

DOP’s with Negative Statements

When making a negative statement the word “no” goes before the DOP and a conjugated verb. If

the DOP is added to the end of an infinitive verb, then the “no” goes before the preceding

conjugated verb.

Examples

English Negative Statement Spanish Negative Statement

Juan doesn’t have it. Juan no lo tiene.

Martha didn’t eat the grapes. María no las comió.

Bill doesn’t need to wash it. Bill no lo necesita lavar.

Bill no necesita lavarlo.

We don’t want to buy them. No las queremos comprar.

No queremos comprarlas.

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Indirect Object Pronouns

The indirect object answers the question who receives the direct object It answers the question of

to whom, or for whom was the action done. For example, in the sentence “I brought the salad to

Jane” the direct object is “salad” as it tells what was brought. The indirect object is Jane as it tells

for whom the salad was brought, or who received the salad. To avoid having to state the indirect

object we use indirect object pronouns (IOP). IOPs are words such as me, him, her, and them.

Spanish indirect objects are:

Singular IOP’s Plural IOP’s

me = me nos = us

te = you (informal) os = you

le = him, her, you (formal) les = them, you

Like the DOP, the IOP is placed before the conjugated verb or connected to the end of an infinitive

verb.

Examples

English Statement with IOP Spanish Statement with IOP

John gives me the book (to me). John me da el libro.

John bought you a book (for you). María no las comió.

Mary wrote them a letter. Mary les escribió una carta.

Mary wants to write them a letter. Mary les quiere escribir una carta.

Mary quiere escribirles una carta.

Sally can bring her the pencil. Sally le puede traer el lápiz.

Sally puede traerle el lápiz.

Feeling vs. Action Verbs with Indirect Objects

As a general rule the verb is connected with the subject, as seen above. This holds true for verbs

showing an action. However, with feeling verbs (like, enjoy, hurt) the subject and the indirect

object are often switched. As a result, this changes the order of the sentence.

Examples

Regular English English with Verb/Subject

Switch

Regular Spanish

I like it. It pleases me. Me gusta.

He hurt his elbow. His elbow is hurting him. Le duele el codo.

They love Spanish class. Spanish class is enjoyable to

them.

Les encanta la clase de

español.

We are interested in the game. The game is interesting to us. Nos interesa el partido.

(Note: In the examples above you can first see that the English sentence was changed so that the

subject and object were switched).

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Indirect and Direct Object Pronouns Together

When a sentence has both an indirect and direct object pronoun they are placed together with the

indirect object pronoun first, followed by the direct object. As before, the IOP and DOP go before

a conjugated verb or after an infinitive verb.

If the DOP is in the third person (lo, la, los, las) and the IOP is also in the third person (le, les), the

IOP changes from le or les to se.

Examples

English With Object

Pronouns

Spanish With Object

Pronouns

Mary wrote me a

letter.

Mary wrote it to me. Mary escribió una

carta a mí.

Mary me la escribió.

David gives you the

money.

David gives it to you. David da el dinero a

ti.

David te lo da.

Paul wants to give us

a gift.

Paul wants to give it

to us.

Paul quiere dar un

regalo a nosotros.

Nos lo quiere dar.

Quiere dárnoslo.

Sally doesn’t bring

Tom the lunch.

Sally doesn’t bring it

to him.

Sally no trae el

almuerzo a Tom.

Sally no se lo trae.

Sally doesn’t want to

bring Tom the lunch.

Sally doesn’t want to

bring it to him.

Sally no quiere traer

el almuerzo a Tom.

Sally no se lo quiere

traer.

Sally no quiere

traerselo.

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Ser vs. Estar

The verb “to be” is expressed using both ser and estar. However, in Spanish both verbs have

specific definitions. The following chart will help determine when to use ser and when to use

estar.

Ser (DOCTOR) Example Estar (PLACE) Example

Date Es lunes. Position Estoy en la casa.

Occupation Soy professor. Location Está en sala.

Characteristics Eres alto. Action Estamos corriendo

Time Son las dos. Condition Están nuevos.

Origin Es de Perú. Emotion Estoy feliz.

Relation Somos hermanos.

Por vs. Para

Both por and para can be translated as “for” or “to.” The proper use of each of them is shown in

the chart below.

Por (ATRACTED) Example Para (PERFECT) Example

Around a place Está por aquí Purpose Las manzanas están

buenas para comer

Through a place Pasa por el parque. Effect Toma medicina para

mejorarse.

Reason No jugamos por la

lluvia..

Recipient El regalo es para José.

After Seguimos caminando

por dos cuadras más.

Future dates Estudiamos para el

examen el viernes.

Cost Vendo el carro por

$2.00.

Employment Trabajo para

Parnassus.

Thanks Gracias por el carro. Comparison Kathy es alta para una

chica de 3o grado.

Exchange Puedo darte mi helado

por tu postre.

Toward a place Miramos para la

cancha.

Duration Estudiamos por dos

horas más.

Saber vs. Conocer

Both saber and conocer are translated as “to know.”

Saber = to know a fact

Conocer = to know someone/to be acquainted with

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Articles and Adjectives

Definite Articles

There is only one definite article in English – The.

Spanish definite articles are – el (masculine, singular); la (feminine singular); los (masculine

plural); and las (feminine plural).

The clock el reloj

The clocks los relojes

The chair la silla

The chairs las sillas

Indefinite Articles

The English indefinite articles are: a, an, and some. As with the definite articles, there are four

forms: un (masculine, singular); una (feminine singular); unos (masculine, plural); unas (feminine,

plural).

A clock un reloj

Some clocks unos relojes

A chair una silla

Some chairs unas sillas

Gender Agreement

Spanish nouns have a gender. Most follow the rule that nouns ending in –a are feminine and those

ending in –o are masculine. For those ending in –ista (dentista, artista) the gender is based on the

article (él, la). Adjectives must agree with gender. The ending of the adjective will change

accordingly.

Casa roja Blusa roja

Pollo rojo Cabello rojo

El chico alto La chica alta

El dentista bueno Los dentistas buenos

La dentista buena Las dentistas buenas

Number Agreement

If the noun is plural, the adjective(s) must also be plural

Dos casas rojas Muchas blusas rojas

Los pollos rojos Muchos autos rojos

Los chicos altos Las chicas altas

Gender Note: In all cases (nouns, articles, adjectives, etc.) if there are both masculine and

feminine items included, the masculine forms are used.

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Irregulars and nouns ending in consonants

Words that end in –ma, -pa, and –ta are masculine. Examples are el tema and el mapa.

Words ending in –dad, -ión are feminine. Examples are la ciudad, la estación.

Placement of Adjectives

An adjective describes a noun. In English adjectives are usually placed before the noun, such as:

Red house Large dog Bright sky

Fast car Small, white, cuddly kitten

In Spanish the adjectives are usually placed after the noun, such as:

Casa roja Perro grande Cielo brillante

Carro rápido Gatito pequeño, blanco, y cariñoso

Some adjectives can be placed before or after. Their placement will determine the meaning. As a

general rule, placing the adjective before the noun expresses emotion, after the noun expresses fact

or subjective meaning. Examples are:

Adjective Before Noun Meaning After Noun Meaning

Antiguo Antigua silla Old-fashioned Silla Antigua Antique

Grande Gran hombre Great, wonderful Hombre grande Large, big

Mismo Mismo atleta Same athlete Atleta mismo Athlete himself

Nuevo Nuevo libro New, new to you Libro Nuevo Just printed

Pobre Pobre mujer Pitiful Mujer pobre Lack of money

Propios Propios zapatos My own Zapatos propios Appropriate

Solo Solo hombre Only one Hombre solo Lonely

Único Único joven Only Joven unico unique

Compare and Contrast Adjectives

To express a comparison of similarity, use tan + adjective + como …

Examples

Ella es tan bonita como la princesa. She is as pretty as the princess.

Juan es tan viejo como mi abuelo. Juan is as old as my grandfather.

To express comparisons of differences use más/menos + adjective + que…

Examples

Ella es más bonita que la princesa. She is prettier than the princess.

Juan es menos viejo que mi abuelo. Juan is younger than my grandfather.

The following adjectives have irregular forms of comparison. They do not use tan, más, or menos.

Instead, the adjective itself changes. These adjectives are:

good = Bueno(a) better = major (que) best = el major

bad = malo(a) worse = peor (que) worst = el peor

old = viejo(a) older = mayor (que) oldest = el mayor

young = joven younger = menor (que) youngest = el menor

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Compare and Contrast Nouns

To express a comparison of similarity, use tanto(a) + noun + como … The word tanto(o) must

agree in both number and gender.

Example

Hay tantos gatos como perros. There are as many dogs as cats.

Tengo tantos vasos como platos. I have as many glasses as plates.

To express comparisons of differences use más/menos + noun + que…

Examples

Hay más gatos que perros. There are more dogs than cats.

Tengo menos vasos que platos. I have fewer glasses than plates.

To express most/least, place el/la/los/las before the noun. For best/worst, place el/la/los/las before

major or peor.

Examples

Pedro es el más alto chico en la escuela. Pedro is the tallest boy in school.

Las Sillitas son los peores cantantes. The Little Chairs are the worst singers.