The most common adverbs end in -mente, equivalent to the English ending -ly.

To form these adverbs, add -mente to the feminine form of the adjective. If the adjective does not have a special feminine form, just add -mente to the standar form.

Adjectives do not lose their accents when adding -mente.

fácil (easy) - fácilmente (easily)

Adverbs that end in -mente generally follow the verb, while adverbs that modify an adjective or another advern precede the word they modify.

Javier dibuja maravillosamente.

Javier draws wonderfully.

Inés está casi siempre ocupada.

Inés is almost always busy.

When a sentence contains two or more adverbs in suquence, the suffix -mente is dropped from all but the last adverb.

El médico nos habló simple y abiertamente.

The doctor spoke to us simply and openly.

Affirmative tú commands usually have the same form as the él/ella form of the present indicative.

hablar --> habla

volver --> vuelve

pedir --> pide

The days of the week are never capitalized in Spanish.

Monday is considered the first day of the week in Spanish-speaking countries.

Use el + [day of the week] when an activity occurs on a specific day and los + [day of the week] when an activity occurs regularly.

El lunes tengo un examen.

On Monday I have an exam

Los lunes y miércoles tomo biología.

On Mondays and Wednesdays I take biology.

the

Masculine

singular - el

plural - los

Feminine

singular - la

plural - las

A direct object noun receives the action of the verb directly and generally follows the verb.

When a direct object noun in Spanish is a person or a pet, it is preceded by the word a. This is called a the personal a; there is no English equivalent for this construction.

Direct object pronouns are words that replace direct object nouns. Like English, Spanish sometimes uses a direct object pronoun to avoid repeating a noun already mentioned.

Maribel hace las maletas.

Maribel las hace.

Felipe compra el sombrero.

Felipe lo compra.

Vicky tiene la llave.

Vicky la tiene.

In affirmative sentences, direct object pronouns generally appear before the conjugated verb. In negative sentences, the pronoun is placed between the wrod no and the verb.

Adela lo practica.

Gabriela no las tiene.

When the verb is in an infinitve construction, such as ir a + [infinitive], the direct object pronoun can be placed before the conjugated form or attached to the infinitive.

Ellos las van a escribir.

Ellos van a escribirlas.

When the verb is in the present progressive, the direct object pronoun can b e placed before the conjugated form or attached to the present participle. When a DO pronoun is attached to the present participle, an accent mark is added to maintain the proper stress..

Gerardo la está leyendo.

Gerardo está leyéndola.

In Spanish, the command forms are used to give orders or advice. You use tú commands when you want to give an order or advice to someone you normally address with the familiar tú.

require the masculine articles el and un. This is done in order to avoid repetition of the a sound:

el agua - water

las aguas - waters

un hacha - ax

unas hachas - axes

ending in -a - la chica, la pasajera

ending in -ora - la conductora, la profesora

ending in -ista - la turista

ending in -ción - la lección, la conversación

ending in -dad - la nacionalidad, la comunidad

In Spanish, verbs that are not reflextive can be used with se to form impersonal constructions. These are statemens in which the person performing the action is not defined.

Se habla español en Costa Rica.

Spanish is spoken in Costa Rica.

Se puede leer en la sala se espera.

You can read in the waiting room.

Se hacen operaciones aquí.

They perform operations here.

Se necesitan medicinas enseguida.

They need medicine right away.

Note that the third person singular verb form is used with singular nouns and the third person plural form is used with plural nouns.

You often see the impersonal se in signs, advertisements, and directions.

a, an, or some

Masculine

singular - un

plural - unos

Feminine

singluar - una

plural - unas

decir - di

hacer --- haz

ir   ---- ve

poner -- pon

salir -- sal

ser --- sé

tener -- ten

venir -- ven

Since ir and ver have the same tú command (ve), context will determine the meaning.

dar - no des

estar - no estés

      ir - no vayas

saber - no sepas

  ser - no seas

ending in -o - el chico, el pasajero

ending in -or - el conductor, el profesor

ending in -ista - el turista

ending in -ma - el problema, el programa

ending in -s - el autobús, el pais

To make a sentence negative in Spanish, the word no is placed before the conjugated verb. In this case, no means not.

Alicia no desea bailar ahora.

Alicia doesn't want to dance now.

The negative tú commands are formed by dropping the final -o of the yo form of the present tense. For -ar verbs, add -es. For -er and -ir verbs, add -as.

Verbs with irregular yo forms maintain the same irregularity in their negative tú commands. These verbs include conducir (conduzco), conocer (conozco), decir (digo), hacer (hago), ofrecer (ofrezco), oír (oigo), poner (pongo), salir (salgo), tener (tengo), traducir (traduzco), traer (traigo), venir (vengo), and ver (veo).

Note also that stem-changing verbs keep their stem changes in negative tú commands.

pierdas, vuelvas, repitas

Verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar have a spelling change in the negative tú commands.

sacar - c --> qu - no saques

apagar - g --> gu - no apagues

almorzar - z --> c  - no almuerces

Nouns that end in a vowel form the plural by adding -s.

Nouns that end in a consonant add -es.

Nouns that end in -z change the -z to a -c, then add -es.

In general, when a singular noun has an accent mark on the last syllable, the accent is dropped from the plural form.

la lección --> las lecciones

el autobús --> las autobuses

1. Motion or a general location...

(around, through, along, by)

La excursión nos llevó por el centro

The tour took us through downtown.

Pasamos por el parque y por el río.

We passed by the park and along the river.

2. Duration of an action...

(for, during, in)

Estuve en la Patagonia por en mes.

I was in patagonia for a month.

Ana navegó la red por la tarde.

Ana surfed the net in the afternoon.

3. Reason or motive for an action...

(because of, on account of, on behalf of)

Lo hizo por su familia.

She did it on behalf of her family.

Papá llegó a casa tarde por el tráfico.

Dad arrived home late because of traffic.

4. Object of a search...

(for, in search of)

There is no Spanish equivalent of the English construction [noun] + 's (Maite's). Instead, Spanish uses [noun] + de + [owner].

Se also describes accidental or unplanned events. In this construction, the person who performs the action is de-emphasized, implying that the accident or unplanned event is not his or her direct responsibility.

se + [IO pronoun] + [verb] + [subject]

Se + [me] + [cayó] + [la pluma]

Se me cayó la pluma.

I dropped my pen.

To clarify or emphasize who the person involved in the action is, this construction commonly begins with the preposition a + [noun] or a + [prepositional pronoun]

Al paciente se le perdió la receta.

The patient lost his prescription.

A ustedes se les quedaron los libros en casa.

You left the books at home.

Spanish speakers often omit subject pronouns because the verb endings indicate who the subject is. In Spanish, subject pronouns are used for emphasis, clarification, or contrast.

¿Qué enseñan? - Ella enseña arte y él enseña física. 

What do they teach? - She teaches art, and he teaches physics.

¿Quién desea trabajar hoy? - Yo no deseo trabajar hoy.

Who wants to work today? - I don't want to work today.

First person: singular - yo = I, plural - nosotros/as = we

Second person: singular - tú = you (familiar), usted = you (formal), plural - vosotros/as = you(familiar), ustedes = you (formal)

Third person: singular - él = he, ella = she, plural - ellos/as = they

When telling time, us es+ la with una, and son + las with all other hours.

You may use either y cuarto or y quince to express fifteen minutes or quarter past the hour. For thirty minutes or half past the hour, you may use either y media or y treinta.

...de la mañana. - ...in the morning.

...de la tarde. - ...in the afternoon.

...de la noche. - ...at night.

1. Describe an ongoing past action with no reference to its beginning or end.

Don Francisco esperaba a Javier.

Don Francisco was waiting for Javier.

El médico se preocupaba por sus pacientes.

The doctor worried about his patients.

2. Express habitual past actions and events.

Cuando era joven, jugaba al tenis.

When I was young, I used to play tennis.

De niño, don Francisco se enfermaba con mucha frecuencia.

As a child, Don Francisco used to get sick very frequently.

3. Describe physical & emotional states & characteristics.

La chica quería descansar. Se sentía mal y tenía dolor de cabeza.

The girl wanted to rest. She felt ill and had a headache.

Ellos eran altos y tenían ojos verdes.

They were tall and had green eyes.

Estábamos felices de ver a la familia.

We were happy to see the family.

1. Express actions that are viewed by the speaker as completed.

Don Francisco se rompió la pierna.

Don Francisco broke his leg.

Fueron a Buenos Aires ayer.

They went to Buenos Aires yesterday.

2. Express the beginning or end of a past action.

La película empezó a las nueve.

The movie began at nine o'clock.

Ayer terminé el proyecto para la clase de química.

Yesterday I finished the project for chemistry class.

3. Narrate a series of past actions or events.

La doctora me miró los oídos, me hizo unas preguntas y escribió la receta.

The doctor looked in my ears, asked me some questions, and wrote the prescription.

Me di con la mesa, me caí y me lastimé el pie.

I bumped into the table, I fell, and I injured my foot.

1. Location or spatial relationship...

El aeropuerto está lejos de la ciudad.

Tu habitación está en el tercer piso.

2. Health...

¿Cómo estás?

Estoy bien, gracias.

3. Physical states and conditions...

El profesor está ocupado.

Las ventanas están abiertas.

4. Emotional states...

Marisa está feliz hoy.

Estoy muy enojado con Javier.

5. Certain weather expressions...

Está lloviendo.

Está nublado.

6. Ongoing actions (progressive tenses)...

Estamos estudiando para un examen.

Ana está leyendo una novela.

1. Nationality and place of origin...

Martín es argentino.

Es de Buenos Aires.

2. Profession or occupation...

Adela es agente de viajes.

Francisco es médico.

3. Characteristics of people and things...

José y Clara son simpáticos.

El clima de Puerto Rico es agradable.

4. Generalizations...

¡Es fabuloso viajar!

Es difícil estudiar a la una de la mañana.

5. Possession...

Es la pluma de Maite.

Son las llaves de don Francisco.

6. What something is made of...

La bicicleta es de metal.

Los pasajes son de papel.

7. Time and date...

Hoy es martes. Son las dos.

Hoy es el primero de julio.

8. Where or when an event takes place...

El partido es en el estadio Santa Fe.

La conferencia es a las siete.

Unlike in English, Spanish adjectives of nationality are not capitalized. Proper names of countries, however, are. Adjectives of nationality are formed like other descriptive adjectives.

Those that end in -o form the feminine by changing the -o to -a.

chino/os --> china/as, mexicano/os --> mexicana/as

Those that end in -e have only two forms, -e and -es.

canadiense --> canadienses

Those that end in a consonant form the feminine by adding -a.

alemán --> alemana, español --> española

Those that carry an accent mark on the last syllabel drop it in the feminine and plural forms.

inglés --> inglesa, alemán --> alemanes

In Spanish, body parts are usually referred to with an article and not a possessive adjective. 

Me duelen los pies.

The idea of "my" is expressed by the indirect object pronoun me.

Can be placed beofre or after a noun. When placed before a masculine singular noun, the forms are shortened.

bueno --> buen

malo --> mal

These verbs do not need to be followed by prepositions ad they do in English.

Busco la tarea. - I'm looking for the homework.

Escucho la música. I'm listening to the music.

Espero el autobús. I'm waiting for the bus.

Miro la pizarra. - I'm looking at the blackboard.

Calor and frío can apply to both weather and people. Use hacer to describe weather conditions or climate. Use tener to refer to people.

Hace frío en Santiago.

It's cold in Santiago.

El viajero tiene frío.

The traveler is cold.

When de is followed by the article el, the two combine to form the contraction del. De does not contract with la, las, or los.

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives are used with the verb ser to point out characteristics such as nationality, size, color, shape, personality, and appearance.

In Spanish, the forms of the decriptive adjectives agree in gender and/or number with the nouns or pronouns they describe.

Adjectives that end in -o have four different forms.

-o, -os, -a, -as

Adjectives that end in -e or a consonant have the same masculine and feminine forms.

-e, -es

Adjectives that end in -or are variable in both gender and number.

-or, -ores, -ora, -oras

When grande appears before a singular noun, it is shortened to gran, and the meaning of the word changes.

gran = great

Don Francisco es un gran hombre.

Don Francisco is a great man.

grande = big, large

La familia de Maite es grande.

Maite's family is large.

There are no stem changes in the imperfect.

cantar - cantaba, cantabas, cantaba, cantábamos, cantabais, cantaban

beber - bebía, bebías, bebía, bebíamos, bebíais, bebían

escribir - escribía, escribías, escribía, escribíamos, escribíais, escribían

Jugar (to play a sport or game) is the only spanish verb that has a u:ue stem change. Jugar is followeb by a + [definite article] when the  name of a sport or game is mentioned.

The word mil, which can mean a thousand and one thousand, is not usually used in the plural form when referring to numbers. Un millón (a million or one million), has the plural form millones, in which the accent is dropped.

The numbers 200-999 agree in gender with the nouns they modify.

Y is used in most numbers from 31 through 99. Unlike numbers 21-29, these numbers must be written as three seperate words.

Descriptive adjectives and adjectives of nationality generally follow the nouns they modify.

El niño rubio es de España.

The blond boy is from Spain.

Unlike descriptive adjectives, adjectives of quantity are placed before the modified noun.

Hay muchos libros en la biblioteca.

There are many books in the library.

Bueno/a and malo/a can be placed before or after a noun.

Juan es un buen amigo. / Juan es un amigo bueno.

Juan is a good friend.

Possessive adjectives, like descriptive adjectives, are words that are used to qualify people, places, or things. Possessive adjectives express the quality of ownership or possession.

In English, possessive adjectives are invariable (they do not agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify). In Spanish however, they do agree in number. Nuestro and vuestro agree in both gender and number with the nouns they modify.

Possessive adjectives are always placed before the nouns they modify.

mi, mis - my

tu, tus - your (familiar)

su, sus - his, her, its, your (formal)

nuestro/a, nuestros/as - our

vuestro/a, vuestros/as - your (familiar)

su, sus - their, your (formal)

Form the present participle by adding the following endings. -ar and -er verbs do not have a stem change in the present participle.

-ar: hablar - -ando - hablando

-er: comer - -iendo - comiendo

-ir: escribir - -iendo - escribiendo

When the stem of an -er or -ir verb ends in a vowel, the present participle ends in -yendo.

leer - -yendo - leyendo

ir - -yendo - yendo

traer - -yendo - trayendo

-ir stem changing verbs have a stem change in the present participle.

e:ie - e:i

preferir - prefiriendo

e:i - e:i

conseguir - consiguiendo

o:ue - o:u

dormir - durmiendo

To form the present progressive, use the present tense of estar and a present participle.

Before a masculine singular noun, primero and tercero are shortened to primer and tercer.

Spanish has two verbs that mean to know; saber and conocer. They cannot be used interchangeably.

Saber means to know a fact or pieces of information or to know how to do something.

No sé tu número de teléfono.

I don't know your telephone number.

Mi hermana sabe hablar francés.

My sister knows how to speak French.

Conocer meants to know or be familiar/acquainted with a person, place, or thing.

¿Conoces la ciudad de Nueva York?

Do you know New York City?

No conozco a tu amigo Esteban.

I don't know your friend Esteban.

When the direct object of conocer is a perso or pet, the personal a is used.

The number uno (one) and numbers ending in -uno, such as veintiuno, have more than one form. Before masculine nouns, uno shortens to un. Before feminine nouns, uno changes to una.

un hombre --> veintiún hombres

una mujer --> veintiuna mujeres

1. Habitual or repeated actions

íbamos al parque los domingos.

We used to go to the park on Sundays.

2. Events or actions that were in progress.

Yo leía mientras él estudiaba.

I was reading while he was studying.

3. Physical characteristics.

Era alto y guapo.

He was tall and handsome.

4. Mental or emotional states.

Quería mucho a su familia.

He loved his family very much.

5. Telling time.

Eran las tres y media.

It was 3:30.

6. Age.

Los niños tenían seis años.

The children were six years old.

In contrast to direct object pronouns, an indirect object recieves the action of the verb indirectly.

An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that answers the question to whom or for whom an action is done.

In both English and Spanish, relative pronouns are used to combine two sentences or clauses that share a common element, such as a noun or pronoun.

Spanish has three frequently-used relative pronouns. Interrogative words (qué, quién, etc.) always carry an accent. Relative pronouns, however, never carry a written accent.

que - that; which; who

quien(es) - who; whom; that

lo que - that which; what

Que is the most frequently used relative pronoun. It can refer to things or to people. Unlike its English counterpart, that, que is never omitted.

¿Dónde está la cafetera que compré?

Where is the coffee maker (that) I bought?

El hombre que limpia es Pedro.

The man who is cleaning is Pedro.

The relative pronoun quien refers only to people, and is often used after a preposition or the personal a. Quien has only two forms: quien (singular) and quienes (plural).

¿Son las chicas de quienes me hablaste la semana pasada?

Are they they girls (that) you told me about last week?

Eva, a quien conocí anoche, es mi nueva vecina.

Eva, whom I met last night, is my new neighbor.

Quien(es) is ocassionally used in written Spanish instead of que in clauses set off by commas.

Lola, quien es cubana, es médica.

Lola, who is Cuban, is a doctor.

Su tiá, que es alemana, ya llegó.

His aunt, who is German, alrady arrived.

Unlike que and quien(es), lo que doesn't refer to a specific noun. It refers to a specified or unspecified object, idea, situation, or pas event that means what, that which, or the thing that.

Lo que me molesta es el calor.

What bothers me is the heat.

Lo que quiero es una casa.

What I want is a house.

The usted and ustedes commans, like the negative tú commands, are formed by dropping the final -o of the yo form of th present tense. For -ar verbs, add -e or -en. For -er and -ir verbs, add -a or -an.

decir - digo - diga - digan

pensar - pienso - piensa - piensan

volver - vuelvo - vuelva - vuelvan

servir - sirvo - sirva - sirvan

Verbs with irregular yo forms maintain the same irregularity in their formal commands. These verbs include conducir, conocer, decir, hacer, ofrecer, oír, poner, salir, tener, traducir, traer, venir, and ver.

Note also that verbs maintain their stem changes in usted and ustedes commands.

Verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar have a spelling change in the command forms.

sacar - c -> qu - saque, saquen

jugar - g -> gu - juegue, jueguen

almorzar - z-> c - almuerce, almuercen

To make a formal command negative, simply place no before the verb.

In affirmative commands, reflexive, indirect and direct object pronouns are always attached to the end of the verb. When a pronoun is attached to an affirmative command that has two or more syllables, an accent mark is added to maintain the original stress.

In negative commands, these pronouns always precede the verb.

Usted and ustedes can be used with the command forms to strike a more formal tone. In such instanecs they follow the command form.

dar - dé - den

estar - esté - estén

ir - vaya - vayan

saber - sepa - sepan

ser - sea - sean

The present subjunctive is formed very much like usted and ustedes and negative tú commands. From the yo form of the present indicative, drop the -o ending, and replace it with the subjunctive endings.

hablar - hablo - hable

comer - como - coma

escribir - escribo - escriba

The yo form and el/ella/Ud. forms have the same ending. Verbs with irregular yo forms show the same irregularity in all forms of the present subjunctive.

To maintain the -c, -g, and -z sounds, verbs ending in  -car, -gar, and -zar have a spelling change in all forms of the present subjunctive.

-ar and -er stem-changing verbs have the same stem changes in the subjuntive as they do in the present indicative. Note the nosotros and vosotros forms do not stem change.

pensar (e:ie): piense, pienses, piense,

pensemos, penséis, piensen

volver (o:ue): vuelva, vuelvas, vuelva,

volvamos, volváis, vuelvan

-ir stem-changing verbs have the same stem changes in the subjuntive as they do in the present indivative, but in addition, the nosotros/as and vosotros/as forms undergo a stem change. The unstressed e changes to i, while the unstressed o changes to u.

pedir (e:i): pida, pidas, pida, pidamos, pidáis, pidan

sentir (e:ie): sienta, sientas, sienta, sintamos, sintáis, sientan

dormir (o:ue): duerma, duermas, duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerman

dar - dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den

estar - esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén

ir - vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan

saber - sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan

ser - sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean

The subjunctive is mainly used to express:

1. will and influence

2. emotion

3. doubt, disbelief, and denial

4. indefiniteness and nonexistence

The subjunctive is most often used in sentences that consist of a main clause and a subordinate clause. The main clause contains a verb or expression that triggers the use of the subjunctive. The conjunction que connects the subordinate clause to the main clause.

The impersonal espressions are always followed by clauses in the subjunctive.

Es bueno que...

Es mejor que...

Es malo que...

Es importante que...

Es necesario que...

Es urgente que...

Verbs of will and influence are often used when someone wants to afect the actions or behavior of other people.

Enrique quiere que salgamos a cenar.

Enrique wants us to go out to dinner.

Paola prefiere que cenemos en casa.

Paola prefers that we have dinner at home.

Here is a list of widely used verbs of will and influence.

aconsejar - to advise

desear - to wish, to desire

importar - to be important; to matter

insistir (en) - to insist (on)

mandar - to order

necesitar - to need

pedir (e:i) - to ask (for)

preferir (e:ie) - to prefer

prohibir - to prohibit

querer (e:ie) - to want

recomendar (e:ie) - to recommend

rogar (o:ue) - to beg; to plead

sugerir (e:ie) - to suggest

Some impersonal expressions, such as es necesario que, es importante que, es mejor que, and es urgente que, are considered expressions of will or influence.

When the main clause contains an expression of will or influence, the subjunctive is required in the subordinate clause, provided that the two clauses have different subjects.

Indirect object pronouns are often used with the verbs aconsejar, importar, mandar, pedir, prohibir, recomendar, rogar, and sugerir.

Te aconsejo que estudies.

I advise you to study.

Les recomiendo que barran el suelo.

I recommend that you sweep the floor.

Le sugiero que vaya a casa.

I suggest that he go home.

Le ruego que no venga.

I beg him not to come.

Note that all forms of prohibir in the present tense carry a written accent, except for the nosotros/as form. prohíbo, prohíbes, prohíbe, prohibimos, prohibís, prohíben

The infinitive is used with words or expressions of will and influence, if there is no change of subject in the sentence.

No quiero sacudir los muebles.

I don't want to dust the furniture.

Es importante sacar la basura.

It's important to take out the trash.

Paco prefiere descansar.

Paco prefers to rest.

No es necesario quitar la mesa.

It's not necessary to clear the table.