SPANISH GRAMMAR - Lingue in Piazza



SPANISH GRAMMAR

NOUNS

THE GENDER OF NOUNS

In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine

|MASCULINE |FEMININE |

|el chico |la chica |

|boy |girl |

|el jardín |la universidad |

|garden |university |

|el libro |la revista |

|book |magazine |

|el miedo |la libertad |

|fear |liberty |

The idea that nouns have gender seems perfectly natural when the noun stands for a living creature. This is because in English, living creatures often have different names, depending upon whether they are male or female.

The following Spanish nouns all denote living creatures.

|MACULINE |FEMININE |

|el gato |la gata |

|the male cat |the female cat |

| el perro |la perra |

|the male dog |the female dog |

|el chico |la chica |

|the boy |the girl |

|el abuelo |la abuela |

|the grandfather |the grandmother |

Note:

1.Masculine nouns that end in a consonant often have a corresponding feminine form that ends in -a

Example: el profesor-la profesora, el señor-la señora.

2.Some nouns that refer to people use the same form for both masculine and feminine. These nouns indicate gender by the article (el or la).

Example: el estudiante-la estudiante, el pianista-la pianista

3. Nouns that end in -sión, -ción, -dad, -tad, -tud, -umbre are feminine.

Example: la televisión, la decisión, la conversación, la habitación

4. Some nouns that end in -a are masculine.

Example: el problema, el telegrama, el programa, el mapa

5. Four of the nouns that end in -a are simply exceptions and must be memorized.

Example: el día, el mapa, el planeta, el sofá

THE NUMBER OF NOUNS

If a noun ends in a vowel, make it plural by adding -s.

|Singular |Plural |

|Libro (book) |Libros (books) |

|Pluma (feather) |Plumas (feathers) |

|Chico (boy) |Chicos (boys) |

|Señora ( lady) |Señoras (ladies) |

The definite articles (el, la) also change in the plural form. They become "los" and "las."

|Singular |Plural |

|El libro (book) |Los libros (books) |

|La pluma (feather) |Las plumas (feathers) |

|El chico (boy) |Los chicos (boys) |

|La señora ( lady) |Las señoras (ladies) |

If a noun ends in a consonant, make it plural by adding -es.

|Singular |Plural |

|El borrador (the eraser) |Los borradores (the erasers) |

|La universidad (the university) |Las universidades (the universities) |

|El profesor (el profesor) |Los profesores (los profesores) |

|La ciudad (la ciudad) |Las ciudades (las ciudades) |

Note:

1. If a noun ends in -ión, add -es and drop the written accent.

Examples:

El avión ( the plane) [pic] Los aviones (the planes)

2. If a noun ends in -z, add -es and change the z to c.

Examples:

El lápiz (the pénsil) [pic] Los lápices (the pencils)

3. When the plural refers to two or more nouns of different genders, the masculine plural is used.

Examples:

2 perros +6 perras [pic]8 perros (no 8 perrras)

4. A few nouns are "compound nouns," that is, they are formed by combining two words into one. (Example: abre + latas = abrelatas / open + cans = can opener) These compound nouns are always masculine, and the plural is formed by changing the "el" to "los."

Examples:

El abrelatas (the tin opener) [pic] Los abrelatas (the tin openers)

Cardinal Numbers: 1-30

|Singular |

|1. uno |

|2. dos |

|3. tres |

|4. cuatro |

|5.cinco |

|6. seis |

|7. siete |

|8. ocho |

|9. nueve |

|10. diez |

|11.once |

|12. doce |

|13. trece |

|14. catorce |

|15. quince |

|16. dieciséis |

|17. diecisiete |

|18. dieciocho |

|19. diecinueve |

|20. veinte |

| 21. veintiuno |

|22. veintidós |

|23. veintitrés |

|24. veinticuatro |

|25. veinticinco |

|26. veintiséis |

|27. veintisiete |

|28. veintiocho |

|29. veintinueve |

|30. treinta |

VERBS

REGULAR VERBS

FORMATION OF SIMPLE VERB TENSES

All Spanish verbs are either "regular" or "irregular." In this lesson we will look at three completely regular verbs: hablar (to speak), comer (to eat), vivir (to live).

Notice the last two letters of each verb. There are three categories of verbs:

-ar verbs (like hablar -to speak)

-er verbs (like comer- to eat)

-ir verbs (like vivir- to live)

| | 1 conjugation |

| |stem+ endings |

|infinitive | |

| | Am- -ar (to love) |

| | Cant- -ar (to sing) |

| | Mud- -ar (to move) |

| | 2 conjugation |

| |stem+ endings |

|infinitive | |

| | Tem- -er (to fear) |

| |Com- -er (to eat) |

| | Deb- -er (to owe) |

| | 3 conjugation |

| |stem+ endings |

|infinitive | |

| | Viv- -ir (to live) |

| | Sub- -ir (to go up ) |

| | Escrib- -ir (to write) |

|GERUND | stem+ endings |

| 1ST CONJUGATION |Am- -ando (loving) |

|2ND CONJUGATION |Tem- -iendo (fearing) |

|3RD CONJUGATION |Viv- iendo (living) |

|past participle | stem+ endings |

| 1ST CONJUGATION |Am- -ado (loved) |

|2ND CONJUGATION |Tem- -ido (feared) |

|3RD CONJUGATION |Viv- ido (lived) |

Note:

To coniugate the simple present of -ar verbs, drop the ending and add:

-o

-as

-a

-amos

-áis

-an

2. To coniugate the simple present of -er verbs, drop the ending and add:

-o

-es

-e

-emos

-éis

-en

3. To coniugate the simple present of -ir verbs, drop the ending and add:

-o

-es

-e

-imos

-ís

-en

Examples: Yo vivo en Madrid pero ella no vive en Madrid. (I live in Madrid but she doesn’t live in Madrid.) / Yo estudio medicina y ellos estudian derecho. (I study medicine and they study law.) / Hablas español ? Do you speak Spanish? (informal)/ Habla Ud. español? Do you speak Spanish? (formal)

Note: The verb forms are the same for él, ella and Ud. as are the verb forms for ellos, ellas and Uds, although In Spanish the subject pronouns are not always required. This is because the verb endings can indicate who is performing the action.

TWO VERY IMPORTANT VERBS: “SER” AND “ESTAR”

Ser and estar can both be translated as "to be." Notice that these two sentences can have different meanings in English.

La manzana está verde[pic] The apple is not ripe

La manzana es verde [pic] The colour of the apple is green

In the first case, our example speaks of the condition of the apple. The apple is green because it has not yet ripened. When the condition of the apple changes, that is, when it has ripened, it will no longer be green, it will be ripe.

In the second case, our example speaks of the essential characteristics of the apple. The apple is green in color. This particular apple remains green even after it has ripened.

To address condition, use estar. Estar is an irregular verb. It does not follow the standard rules of conjugation for regular -ar verbs. Therefore, you must memorize it.

ESTAR

estoy

estás

está

estamos

estáis

están

To address an essential quality, use ser. Ser is also irregular and must be memorized.

SER

soy

eres

es

somos

sois

son

IRREGULAR VERBS

Spanish verbs are irregular when they change the vowels or the consonant in the stem of the verb. There are also particularly irregular verbs. Here are some verbs of each category:

VOWEL CHANGE

Stem-changing verbs E-IE

First conjugation : CERRAR

|PRESENTE INDICATIVO |IMPERATIVO |PRESENTE SUBJUNTIVO |

|cierro | |cierre |

|cierras |cierra | cierres |

|cierra |cierre |cierre |

|cerramos |cerremos | cerremos |

|cerráis |cerrad | cerréis |

|cierran |cierren | cierren |

Other verbs which follow the same pattern are: Acertar (to guess), alentar (to encourage), arrendar (to rent), atravesar (to cross), calentar (to heat), cegar (to blind), comenzar (to start), concertar (to arrange), despertar (to wake up), enterrar (to bury), regar (to water), temblar (to tremble)

Second conjugation : PERDER

|PRESENTE INDICATIVO |IMPERATIVO |PRESENTE SUBJUNTIVO |

|pierdo | |pierda |

|pierdes |pierda | pierdas |

|pierde |pierde |pierda |

|perdemos |perdamos | perdamos |

|perdéis |perded | perdáis |

|pierden |pierdan | pierdan |

Other verbs which follow the same pattern are: Ascender (to climb), defender (to defend), encender (to light), entender (to understand), querer (to want) and all the verbs ending in : -erder, -erner,- erter (verter-to pour)

Third conjugation : CONCERNIR

|PRESENTE INDICATIVO |IMPERATIVO |PRESENTE SUBJUNTIVO |

|concierno | |concierna |

|conciernes |concierne | conciernas |

|concierne |concierna |concierna |

|concernimos |concernamos | concernamos |

|concernís |concernid | concernáis |

|conciernen |conciernan | conciernan |

Other verbs which follow the same pattern are: discernir (to discern)

Stem-changing verbs E-I : competir( to compete), perseguir ( to chase), reís (to laugh), sonreír (to smile)

Pedir(to request) [pic]pido(I request)

Stem-changing verbs O-UE : apostar (to bet), colgar (to hang), encontrar (to find), volver (to return), cocer (to cook) and all the verbs ending in: -olgar, -ontrar, -oler, -olver,-order, -over

Acordar(to agree) [pic]acuerdo(I agree)

Stem-changing verb U-UE : This irregularity only happens with First conjugation verb JUGAR

|PRESENTE INDICATIVO |IMPERATIVO |PRESENTE SUBJUNTIVO |

|juego | |juegue |

|juegas |juega | juegues |

|juega |juegue |juegue |

|jugamos |juguemos | juguemos |

|jugáis |jugad | juguéis |

|juegan |jueguen | jueguen |

Other stem-changing verbs are : SENTIR ( siento, sientes, siente...), ADQUIRIR ( adquiero, adquieres, adquiere...), PODRIR ( pudro, pudres, pudre...)

CONSONANT CHANGE

Stem-changing verb C- G: Second Conjugation: HACER

|PRESENTE iNDICATIVO |PRESENTE SUBJUNTIVO |

|hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen. |HAGA, HAGAS, HAGA, HAGAMOS, HAGÁIS, HAGAN. |

Other stem-changing verbs are : HABER (haya, hayas, haya…) CONOCER ( conozco, conozca…)

PONER ( pongo, ponga…) TRADUCIR ( traduzco, traduzca…) SALIR ( salgo, salga…) TRAER ( traigo,

Traiga…)

3. PARTICULARLY IRREGULAR VERBS

|VERB |“PRETERITO INDEFINIDO” (SIMPLE PAST) |

|andar (walk) |Anduve- anduviste- anduvo- anduvimos- anduvisteis- anduvieron |

|Caber (fit) |cupe – cupiste- cupo- cupimos- cupisteis- cupieron |

|dar (give) |di – diste- dio- dimos- disteis- dieron |

|decir (say) |dije – dijiste- dijo- dijimos- dijisteis- dijeron |

|estar ( be) |estuve – estuviste- estuvo- estuvimos- estuvisteis- estuvieron |

|haber (there was /were only |hube- hubiste- hubo- hubimos- hubisteis- hubieron |

|“hubo”) | |

|Hacer (do) |hice- hiciste- hizo- hicimos- hicisteis- hicieron |

|Ir, ser (go) |fui- fuiste- fue- fuimos- fuisteis- fueron |

|Poder (be able) |pude- pudiste- pudo- pudimos- pudisteis- pudieron |

|Poner (put) |puse- pusiste- puso- pusimos- pusisteis- pusieron |

|querer (want) |quise- quiste- quiso- quisimos- quisisteis- quisieron |

|saber (know) |supe- supiste- supo- supimos- supisteis- supieron |

|Tener (have) |tuve- tuviste- tuvo- tuvimos- tuvisteis- tuvieron |

|Traer (bring) |traje – trajiste- trajo- trajimos- trajisteis- trajeron |

|Venire (come) |vine- viniste- vino- vinimos- vinisteis- vinieron |

.

4. PERSONAL FORMS OF THE VERB

|Presente |Te llamo y no me contestas (I call you and you don’t answer me) |

|PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO |Aquel día llovía mucho (it was raining very much that day) |

|PRETÉRITO PERFECTO |He sufrido mucho (I’ve suffered very much) |

|PRETÉRITO INDEFINIDO |La semana pasada fui al cine (That summer I went twice to the cinema) |

|PRETÉRITO PLUSCUAMPERFECTO |Cuando llegué, ya había terminado. (when I arrived, the lecture had already finished). |

|PRETÉRITO ANTERIOR |Apenas hubo cenado, se acostó. (As soon as he’d have eaten, he went to sleep) |

|FUTURO IMPERFECTO |Pasado mañana iremos al cine. (Tomorrow we will go to the cinema) |

|FUTURO PERFECTO |Cuando llegues, ya habré acabado el trabajo. (when you’ll come back, I’ll have finished ) |

|CONDICIONAL SIMPLE |Iría si pudiera. (I’d go if I could) |

|CONDICIONAL COMPUESTO |Nos dijo que habría podido hacerlo a tiempo. (He told us that he could have done it on time.) |

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

EL, LA, LOS, LAS

In Spanish, the definite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.

|THE FOUR FORMS OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE |

|el gato |

|the male cat |

|los gatos |

|the male cats |

|la gata |

|the female cat |

|las gatas |

|the female cats |

Note: The masculine plural definite and indefinite articles (los, unos) are also used to indicate a group of mixed sex. Thus, "los gatos" could refer to a group of 10 male cats, or it could refer to a group of 9 female cats and one male cat.

INDEFINITE ARTICLE

UN, UNA, UNOS, UNAS

The 4 forms of the indefinite article are: UN, UNA, UNOS, UNAS.

|INDEFINITE ARTICLES |EXAMPLES |

|un |un gato |

|masculine singular |a male cat |

|una |una gata |

|feminine singular |a female cat |

|unos |unos gatos |

|masculine plural |some male cats |

|unas |unas gatas |

|feminine plural |some female cats |

NOTE:

"Un" and "una" can mean "one," "a," or "an."

Examples:

Un libro ( one book, a book)

Una pluma ( a feather, one feather)

Una manzana (an apple, one apple)

ADJECTIVES

In Spanish, most adjectives change form, depending upon whether the word they modify is masculine or feminine. Notice the difference between "the tall boy" and "the tall girl."

Example: El chico alto ( the tall boy) [pic] La chica alta (the tall girl)

Adjectives also change form depending upon whether the word they modify is singular or plural. Notice the difference between "the tall boy" and "the tall boys" ; "the tall girl" and "the tall girls."

Example: El chico alto ( the tall boy) [pic] Los chicos altos (the tall girl)

La chica alta ( the tall girl) [pic] Las chicas altas (the tall girls)

1. Many common adjectives end in -o. These adjectives have four forms. The following words all mean "tall": alto, alta, altos, altas.

2. Adjectives that end in -e also change form for singular or plural. To form the plural, simply add -s. These do not, however, change form for masculine or feminine.

La chica inteligente ( the intelligent girl) [pic] Las chicas inteligentes (the intelligent girls)

El chico inteligente ( the intelligent boy) [pic] Los chicos inteligentes (the intelligent boys)

3. Similarly, most adjectives that end in a consonant do change form for singular or plural, but do not change for masculine or feminine. To form the plural, add -es.

La chica popular ( the popular girl) [pic] Las chicas populares (the popular girls)

El chico popular ( the popular boy) [pic] Los chicos populares (the popular boys)

KINDS OF ADVERBS

INTERROGATIVE AND EXCLAMATIVE ADVERBS

These are:

¿Porqué?, ¿dónde?,¿ cómo?,¿ cuándo?, ¿Qué?, ¿Quién?,¿ Cúantos?, ¿Cuáles?¿Cuánto?

They are usually placed at the beginning of a question and they always take the graphic accent.

Note that exclamatives always take the graphic accent and admiration mark, as questions take question marks, at the beginning and at the end of a sentence.

Examples:

• ¿Porqué has llegado tan tarde? (Why are you so late?)

• ¿Dónde está mi pasaporte? (Where is my passport?)

• ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)

• ¿Cuánto cuesta ese abrigo?(How much is that coat?)

• ¿Cuándo llega el tren?( When does the train arrive?

• ¿Qué pasó? ( What happened?)

• ¿Quién lo ha comprador? (Who has bought it?)

• ¿Cuántos quieres? (How many would you like?)

• ¿Cuáles son los mejores libros? (Which are the best books?)

• ¡Qué pena! (What a pity!)

PERSONAL AND POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

|subject pronounS |possessive adjectives |POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS |

|yo - I |Mi-Mis |Mío, mía, míos, mías |

|tú - you (familiar) |Tu-Tus |Tuyo, tuya, tuyos, tuyas |

|él – he/ ella - she /usted - you |Su-Sus |Suyo, suya, suyos, suyas |

|(formal) | | |

|nosotros |Nuestro/s |Nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras |

|we (masculine or mixed gender)/ nosotras|Nuestra/s | |

|we (feminine)/ | | |

|vosotros |Vuestro/s |Vuetro, vuestra, vuestros, vuestras |

|you-all (familiar, Spain, masculine or |Vuestra/s | |

|mixed gender)/ vosotras | | |

|you-all (familiar, Spain, feminine) | | |

|ellos |Su-Sus |Suyo, suya, suyos, suyas |

|they (masculine or mixed gender)/ ellas | | |

|they (feminine)/ ustedes | | |

|you-all (formal in Spain, formal and | | |

|familiar in Latin America) | | |

Note: Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns replace the article to express possession. MI, TU and Su agree in number with the noun they precede. NUESTRO Y VUESTRO agree with the noun in both number and gender.

Examples:

mi libro (my book –singular noun)

vuestra madre (your (plural pronoun) mother – feminine singular noun)

tus amigos (your (singular pronoun) friends – masculine plural noun)

tus amigas (your (singular pronoun) friends – feminine plural noun)

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