Grammar Book: Spring SemesterBenicio Klingler

Future

The future tense is used to express things that will occur in the future.

All of the verb endings in spanish are conjugated in the same way in the future tense.

É, ás, á, emos, éis, án are the endings for both the regular and irregular stems of the future verbs.

Some of the common irregular verbs in the future tense include; caber (cabr-), haber (habr-), poder (podr-), querer (querr-), saber (sabr-), poner (pondr-), salir (saldr-), tener (tendr-), valer (valdr-), venir (vendr-), decir (dir-), hacer (har-)

Future Tense Examples

Llegarán a Florida en dos semanas.

The sentence above is in the future tense because it is expressing a future action that will occur. Also, the mood is indicative because the action is definite.

The future tense can also be used to express probability.

Qué hora será? (I wonder what time it is.)

Ya serán las dos de la mañana. (It must be two a.m. by now)

Uses of the Conditional and examples

The conditional tense is used to express what would occur.

- Iría primero a Quito. (I will first go to Quito)

The conditional is used to make polite requests.

- Podría pasarme ese mapa? (Could you pass me the map?)

Is used to express what would happen if another action took place.

- Creía que hoy haría mucho viento.

Conjugation and irregulars of the Conditional tense

Ía, ías, ía, íamos, ías, ían

The common irregulars of the conditional tense include:

caber (cabr-), haber (habr-), poder (podr-), querer (querr-), saber (sabr-), poner (pondr-), salir (saldr-), tener (tendr-), valer (valdr-), venir (vendr-), decir (dir-), hacer (har-)

Present PerfectThe present perfect tense expresses what has happened. It most often refers to things that have recently happened or things still relevant.

Used by conjugating present tense of haber and forming a past participle.

For ar verbs the ending –ado is added and for ir/er –ido is added to the ending.

Example: He comprado, has comprado, ha comprado, hemos comprado, habéis comprado, han comprado

When a verb ends in a, e, or o the ending must carry an accent. Leer – leído. Stems in u do not. Construir- construido.

Present Perfect irregulars and example

sentences. Abrir- abierto, cubrir- cubierto, decir- dicho, desubrir- descubierto, escribir- escrito, hacer- hecho, morir- muerto, poner- puesto, resolver – resuelto, romper – roto, ver- visto, volver- vuelto.

La gerente ha cambiado mi horario de trabajo dos veces este mes.

Porque ya lo he invertido en la bolsa de valores.

Relative PronounsRelative pronouns connect short sentences to create longer sentences.

The common relative pronouns include que, el/la que, el/la cual, quien/quienes, cuyo

Que is the most common relative pn and refers to people or things.

El incendio que vimos ayer destruyó la tercera parte del bosque.

After prepositions, que is used with the article el or la. The article agrees in number and gender with what it refers to.

El edificio en (el) que viven es viejo.

Relative Pronouns Cont.El cual is used interchangeably with el and la que. It tends to be used in more formal situations.

El edificio en el cual viven es viejo.

Quien and quienes are used to refer only to people, but not things. Can sometimes be used interchangeably with el que and el cual.

Los investigadores, quienes estudian la erosión, son de Ecuador.

The relative adjective cuyo means whose and agrees in number and gender with the noun that it precedes.

El equio, cuyo proyecto aprobaron, viajará a las islas en febrero.

Que vs. cual

The words que and cual both mean what and which but cannot be used interchangeably.

Que- Is used for general information. Qué es la lluvia ácida?

Cuál(es) is used for specific information. Cuál becomes cuáles when the thing is plural.

Cuál es el problema?

Cuál(es) is not used before nouns. Qué is used however.

Qué vs. Cuál cont.

Qué ideas tienen ustedes?

Qué and cuál(es) can both be used in declarative sentences.

Also, qué can be used to express exclamation in a sentence.

Qué triste te ves!

The neuter lo

Lo + [masculine singular adjective] expresses characteristics and ideas.

The english equivalent is the + [adj.] + thing

En el Amazonas, lo difícil es promover el desarrollo.

In the Amazons, the difficult thing is to promote development.

To express the idea of the most or the least, más and menos can be added after lo. Lo mejor and lo peor means the best and worst.

The neuter lo continued

Lo + [adj/adv] + que expresses the English how + [adj.]. The adjective agrees in number and gender with the noun that it is modifying.

No te das cuenta de lo bella que eres?

Don’t you realize how beautiful you are?

Lo que is the english equivalent of what, that, which. It can be used to refer to an abstract idea or a situation.

Lo que más me gustó fue el paisaje.

The thing I liked best was the scenery.

Subjunctive in adjective clauses

When the subordinate clause is uncertain the subjunctive is used to refer to it.

Necesito el libro que tiene información sobre los prejucios sociales.

Necesito un libro que tenga información sobre los prejuicios sociales.

The second sentences uses the subjunctive because the book is unknown.

The subjunctive is still conjugated in the same manner that it is in noun clauses because it is still the present tense of the subjunctive.

Subjunctive in Adj Clauses cont.

When the antecedent is a negative pronoun, the subjunctive is used.

Él no tiene ningún pariente que viva el Limón.