Idiomatic expressions

• Estar acostumbrado/ to be accustomed to

• Estar conforme/ to be satisfied, in agreement

• Estar de acuerdo/ to be in agreement

• Estar de buen (mal) humor/ to be in a good (bad) mood

• Estar apurado (a)/ to be in a hurry

• Estar de vacaciones/ to be on vacation

• Estar de vuelta/ to be back

• Estar listo (a)/ to be ready

• Estar de moda/ to be in fashion

• Estar de viaje/ to be on a trip

• Estar embarazada/ to be pregnant

• Estar de rodillas/ to be kneeling

PREGUNTAS/ QUESTIONS

In Spanish there are 3 ways of asking a question to elicit a yes or no answer, and they are the following:

1. Verb + pronoun ...Unlike English, the auxiliaries do and does are not used.

• ¿Quieren ustedes aprender español?/ Do you want to learn Spanish?

NOTE: That interrogative questions have an opening (¿) question mark and also a closing one (?).

2. Pronoun + verb...The intonation makes the sentence interrogative.

• ¿Ustedes quieren aprender español?/ Do you want to learn Spanish?

3. Verb +...+ pronoun. The pronoun goes last.

• ¿Quieren aprender español ustedes?/ Do you want to learn Spanish?

PALABRAS INTERROGATIVAS/ INTERROGATIVE WORDS

NOTE: These words are ALWAYS graphically accentuated, whether they are used to formulate a direct or indirect question.

• ¿Qué hora es?/ What time is it? (direct)

• Dime qué hora es./ Tell me what time it is. (indirect)

¿A qué hora...?	What time...?
¿Dónde?	Where?
¿De dónde?	From where?
¿Por dónde?	Which direction?
¿A dónde?	To where?
¿Cómo?	How?
¿Cuál/-es?	Which one/-s?
¿Cuándo?	When?
¿Cuánto/-a?	How much?
¿Cuántos/-as?	How many?
¿Qué?	What?
¿Para qué?	For what reason?
¿Por qué?	Why?
¿Quién/-es?	Who?
¿A quién?	To whom?
¿Para quién?	For whom
¿De quién/-es?	Whose?

Acentuación/ Accentuation

Spanish words are classified into 4 categories, aguda, grave, esdrújula and sobresdrújula, depending on where the words are stressed.

A written accent indicates where a word is stressed; however, not all words have the written accent. Therefore, the following rules will be helpful.

AGUDA

Agudas are stressed in the last syllable. All words that do not have a written accent and end in a consonant other n or s, the stress is on the last syllable.

EXAMPLES:

azul/ blue

avestruz/ ostrich

Agudas are graphically accentuated only if the words DO end in n, s or a vowel.

EXAMPLES:

ratón/ mouse

interés/ interest

acné/ acne

GRAVE

Graves are stressed in the second to the last (penultimate) syllable. All words that do NOT have a written accent and end in n, s or a vowel, the stress is on the penultimate syllable.

EXAMPLES:

mono/monkey

ave/bird

pato/duck

Graves are graphically accentuated only if the words do NOT end in n, s or a vowels. Note that graves have opposite rules to agudas.

EXAMPLES:

lápiz/ pencil

difícil/ difficult

útil/useful

ESDRÚJULA

Esdrújulas are stressed in the third from last (antepenultimate) syllable. They are always graphically accentuated.

EXAMPLES:

rápido/ quick

pájaro/ bird

América/ America

SOBRESDRÚJULA

Sobresdrújulas are stressed in the fourth, fifth, sixth, etc. from last syllable. They are always graphically accentuated. Generally, sobresdrújulas are adverbs, which end in mente.

EXAMPLES:

rápidamente/ quickly

fácilmente/ easily

Género y Número/ Gender and Number

In Spanish, all nouns, including those denoting non-living things and abstract concepts, are either masculine or feminine and singular or plural.

Therefore, the articles and adjectives change according to the grammatical gender and agree in number with the nouns they modify.

GENDER

The following are some rules to determine the gender; however, the gender of some nouns must be learned by memorization.

The gender of living beings, such as people or animals, determines their grammatical gender.

A noun that refers to a male is masculine; a noun that refers to a female is feminine.

FEMININE NOUNS

1. Most nouns that end in -a are feminine.

EXAMPLES:

• la cara/ the face

• la cabeza/ the head

EXCEPTIONS: The following words end in a; however, they are masculine:

• el día/ the day

• el sofá/ the sofa

• el mañana/ the tomorrow, the future (Note that la mañana means morning.)

2. Many female nouns that end in -a have a corresponding male form that end in -o.

Gender	gato/ cat	perro/ dog
Masculine	el gato	el perro
Feminine	la gata	la perra

3. Nouns that end in -ista may be masculine or feminine. In these instances, the article determines the gender of the person.

Gender	dentista/ dentist	electricista/ electrician
Masculine	el dentista	el electricista
Feminine	la dentista	la electricista

4. Nouns ending in -ión, -d, -ez, and -umbre are generally feminine.

EXAMPLES:

• La televisión/ TV

• la comunicación/ communication

• la oportunidad/ opportunity

• la aptitud / aptitude

• la vejez/ old age

• la costumbre/ custom

5. The letters of the alphabet are feminine.

EXAMPLES:

• la l/ l

• la a/ a

6. The following are nouns that can only refer to females despite of the ending:

• la actriz/ actress

• la mujer/ woman

7. The following nouns refer to females when the article is feminine:

• la bebé/ female baby

• la cliente/ female client

• la psiquiatra/ female psychiatric

• la columnista/ female columnist

8. Nouns of Greek origin that end in -ma, -pa, and -ta are masculine.

EXAMPLES:

• el programa/ program

• el mapa/ map

• el poeta/ poet

• el planeta/ planet

• el idioma/ language

• el sistema/ system

• el telegrama/ telegram

• el problema/ problem

• el clima/ climate

• el drama/ drama

• el cometa/ comet

• el diploma/ diploma

• el tema/ theme

MASCULINE NOUNS

1.Most of the masculine nouns end in -o.

EXAMPLES:

• el libro/ book

• el sombrero/ hat

EXCEPTIONS: Some nouns that end in a are masculine.

EXAMPLES:

• la mano/ hand

• la foto/ photo

2. Colors, numbers, and days of the week are masculine.

EXAMPLES:

• el verde/ green

• el rojo/ red

• el uno/ one

• el cien/ hundred

• el lunes/ Monday

• el martes/ Tuesday

3. The following are nouns that refer to males, regardless of the ending:

• el hombre/ man

• el profesor/ male professor

• el juez/ male judge

• el policía/ male police officer

• el doctor/ male doctor

4. Compound nouns are always masculine and plural.

EXAMPLES:

• el abrelatas/ can opener

• el sacacorchos/ bottle opener

NUMBER

Number identifies words as singular or plural. To make a noun, plural follow the rules below:

1. Add -s to a noun ending in a vowel, as in huevo/ egg and uva/ grape.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	el huevo	los huevos
Feminine	la uva	las uvas

2. Add -es to a noun ending in a consonant.

Word	Singular	Plural
cereal	el cereal	los cereales
examen	el examen	los exámenes

NOTE: At times, it is necessary to add or drop a written accent when a word is made plural because the stress of their singular form is maintained in their plural form.

Word	Singular	Plural
water melon	el melón	los melones
exam	el examen	los exámenes

3. For the nouns that end in -z, change the z to ces.

Word	Singular	Plural
rice	el arroz	los arroces
walnut	la nuez	las nueces

4. Nouns ending in -es and -is do NOT change in the plural.

Word	Singular	Plural
Monday	el lunes	los lunes
crisis	la crisis	las crisis

5. Compound nouns have the same form in the singular and plural forms.

Word	Singular	Plural
can opener	el abrelatas	los abrelatas
bottle opener	el sacacorchos	los sacacorchos

Pronombres/ Pronouns

1. Pronombres personales/ Personal pronouns

2. Diferencias con el inglés/ Differences with English

3. Posesivo/ Possessive

4. Demostrativo/ Demonstrative

PRONOMBRES PERSONALES/ Personal pronouns

Personal pronouns can be used as subjects of a sentence. They replace a noun.

Singular	Plural
yo/ I	nosotros (mas.), nosotras (fem.)/ we
tú (informal), usted (formal)/ you	vosotros (mas.),vosotras (fem.), ustedes/ you
él/ he, ella/ she	ellos, ellas/ they

Tú is the singular informal form of you. It is used to address family members, children, and friends.

Ud. is the abbreviation of usted and is the singular formal form of you. It is preferable to use Ud. in all other instances.

Vosotros is the familiar plural form of you that is only used in Spain. In all other Latin American countries, ustedes is used. NOTE: That ustedes is used for both informal and polite plural.

Nosotros, vosotros, ellos are used to refer to a male group or a group of mixed gender. However, nosotras, vosotras and ellas refer to only a group of females.

DIFERENCIAS CON EL INGLÉS/ Differences with English

1. In Spanish, verb endings indicate the subject. Therefore, subject pronouns are often omitted.

EXAMPLES:

• Abrimos a las ocho./ We open at eight.

• Cierran primero./ They close first.

2. In order to emphasize the subject, a pronoun is used. When used, it precedes the verb.

EXAMPLE:

• Yo soy el mejor./ I am the best.

3. A pronoun is used in order to avoid confusion when verb forms present ambiguity.

yo/ I Ud./ you él/ he ella/ she

hacía ejercicios./ was or were exercising.

4. Pronouns are always used when there are 2 verbs and 2 subjects.

EXAMPLE:

• Yo soy feliz, y él no lo es./ I am happy, but he is not.

5. The pronoun it is rarely used.

EXAMPLES:

• Es posible alcanzar esa meta./ It is possible to reach that goal.

• Está lloviendo./ It's raining.

6. In a question, subject pronouns can precede or follow the verb.

¿Ud. es el presidente?	Are you the president?
¿Es Ud. el presidente?

7. Unlike English, personal pronouns are used in the following constructions:

• Como ella, él, ellos, ellas/ like her, him, them

• Entre tú y yo/ between you and me

• Excepto ella, él, ellos, ellas / except her, him, them

• Incluso/ incluyendo ella, él, ellos, ellas / including her, him, them

• Según ella, él, ellos, ellas / according to her, him, them

Article

1. Artículo definido/ Definite article: rules when to use it.

2. Artículo definido/ Definite article: rules when NOT to use it.

3. Contracciones/ Contractions

4. El artículo neutro/ The neuter article

5. Artículo indefinido/ Indefinite article: rules when to use it.

6. Artículo indefinido/ Indefinite article: rules when NOT to use it.

ARTÍCULO DEFINIDO/ Definite Article

In Spanish, there are 4 forms that are equivalent to the English definite article the. They agree in number and gender with the noun they modify.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	el	los
Feminine	la	las

EXAMPLES:

• el banco/the bank

• los bancos/ the banks

• la casa/ the house

• las casas/ the houses

Rules when to use the definite article:

1.The definite article is used when the noun is determined.

EXAMPLES:

• Hay una casa en el bosque. La casa es blanca./ There is a house in the forest. The house is white.

2. The definite article is used also with nouns that refer to the totality, abstract sense, essence, or general idea.

EXAMPLES:

• La libertad es esencial./ Liberty is essential.

• El amor es inmortal./ Love is immortal.

3. The definite article is used with the meals of the day and with the time.

EXAMPLES:

• Yo compro la cena./ I buy the dinner.

• Son las dos./ It's 2 o'clock.

4. It is also used with days of the week.

EXAMPLES:

• Te llamaré el lunes./I'll call you on Monday.

• Nos vemos el martes./ We'll see each other on Tuesday.

Exception to the above rule is with the verb ser/ to be; the article is NOT required.

EXAMPLES:

• Ayer fue sábado./ Yesterday was Saturday.

• Hoy es jueves./ Today is Thursday.

5. The definite article is used with names of body parts and pieces of clothing. In English, possessive adjectives are used instead.

EXAMPLES:

• Yo saco el brazo./ I take out my arm.

• Ella se lava la camisa./ She washes her shirt.

6. The definite article is used with the following titles that are followed by the name of the person:

Definite article used	Example
señor (Sr.)/ Mr.	El Sr. López es feliz./ Mr. Lopez is happy.
señora (Sra.)/ Mrs.	La Sra. de López saluda./ Mrs. Lopez greets.
señorita (Srta.)/ Miss	La Srta. Pérez come. / Miss Perez eats.
doctor (Dr.)/ Dr. (male)	El Dr. Roberto Lee es muy bueno./ Dr. Robert Lee is very good.
doctora (Dra.)/ Dr.(female)	La Dra. Ana Aguilar es mejor./ Dr. Ana Aguilar is better.

The following titles DO NOT require the definite article:

NO definite article used	Example
don (used with first name)/ Mr.	Me saluda don Juan./ Mr. Juan is greeting me.
doña (used with first name)/ Mrs.	Y doña Marina llora./ And Mrs. Marina cries.
San/ St.	Vamos a ver a San Pablo./ Let's go to see St. Paul.
Santo/ holy or St.	Ellos creen en Santo Domingo./ They believe in Saint Dominic.
Santa/ holy	Santa Madre Iglesia/ Holy Mother Church
fray/ Brother	Fray Luis es un luchador./ Brother Luis is a fighter.

NOTE: That NO articles are used when talking directly to the person.

EXAMPLE:

• Dr. Pereyra, dígame por favor./ Dr. Pereyra, tell me please.

7. The definite article is used with most names of oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, mountains.

EXAMPLES:

• Los Alpes están lejos./ The Alps are far away.

• El Atlántico es inmenso./ The Atlantic is immense.

• El Titicaca está en Bolivia./ The Titicaca is in Bolivia.

DO NOT use the definite article in the following situations:

1. The definite article is NOT used with nouns that express an undetermined amount.

EXAMPLES:

• El gerente tiene dinero./ The manager has money.

• Necesito pan y queso./ I need bread and cheese.

2. The definite article is NOT used with languages if they are followed immediately by the verb hablar and the prepositions de and en.

NO definite article used	Example
hablar/ to speak	Hablan coreano./ They speak Korean.
de/ of	Yo quiero hablar de inglés./ I want to talk about English (language).
en/ in	Ella habla en chino con su padre./ She speaks Chinese with her father.

However, if the languages go after the verbs aprender, estudiar, and escribir, the use of a definite article is optional.

Optional use of definite article	Example
aprender/to learn	Quiero aprender (el) español./ I want to learn Spanish.
estudiar/to study	Estudio (el) español./ I study Spanish.
escribir/ to write	Leo y escribo (el) inglés./ I read and write English.

NOTE: If there is an adverb after a verb, the article is required for the succeeding noun.

EXAMPLE:

• Hablan fluídamente el coreano./ They speak fluently Korean.

3. The definite article is NOT used with roman numbers that denote the numerical order of a pontiff or sovereign.

EXAMPLES:

• Juan Pablo II/ John Paul the second

• Victoria III/ Victoria the third

NOTE: It is incorrect to add an article before any person's name.

• Incorrect: la Juana or el Pedro

4. Most country names do NOT require an article, however, when the word República/ Republic is omitted, the article is required:

ARTICLE REQUIRED	NO ARTICLE REQUIRED
La Argentina	Nicaragua
El Brasil	Rusia
Los Estados Unidos (US)	España (Spain)
El Canadá	Indonesia
El Ecuador	Australia
El Japón	Inglaterra
La China	Chile
La India	Méjico (México can also be spelt with x)

NOTE: If a geographic name is modified by an adjective, an article is needed.

EXAMPLE:

• El Chile prehistórico es importante./ The prehistoric Chile is important.

THE NEUTER ARTICLE LO

This neuter article is used to express a quality or an abstract idea.

EXAMPLES:

• Lo importante es que Juan es feliz./ The important thing is that Juan is happy.

• Lo bueno de vivir en Canadá es.../ The good thing to live in Canada is...

NOTE: That Lo + adjective or adverb + que is equivalent to the English expression how.

EXAMPLES:

• El presidente sabe lo difícil que es la situación económica./ The President knows how difficult the economic situation is.

• Entiendo lo malo que es fumar./ I understand how bad smoking is.

ARTÍCULO INDEFINIDO/ indefinite article

In Spanish, there are 4 forms of indefinite articles that are equivalent to a, an, and some.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	un	unos
Feminine	una	unas

EXAMPLES:

• Un hombre/ a man

• Unos cheques/ some checks

• Una puerta/ a door

• Unas ventanas/ some windows

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NOTE: Un is used instead of una, when the nouns are feminine and start with a- or ha- that are stressed in that syllable.

EXAMPLES:

un ala/ a wing	unas alas/ some wings
un hacha/ an axe	unas hachas/ some axes

Rules when to use the indefinite article:

1. The indefinite article is used when the noun is undetermined.

EXAMPLE:

• Mándeme un reporte./ Send me a report.

2. Unas and unos express an undetermined quantity. When they are used with nouns or numbers, they are equivalent to some or about in English.

EXAMPLES:

• Vendimos unos productos./ We sold some products.

• Comimos unas veinte manzanas./ We ate about 20 apples.

3. The indefinite article is used to indicate a quality that characterizes the modified noun.

In the following sentence, laziness is the main characteristic of this person.

EXAMPLE:

• Juan es un haragán./ Juan is lazy.

DO NOT use the indefinite article in the following situations:

1. The indefinite article is NOT used with the following words:

NO ARTICLE REQUIRED	EXAMPLE
tal/ such	Pedro no dijo tal cosa./ Pedro didn't say such a thing.
otro/another	Quiero cambiarla por otra billetera./ I want to exchange it for another wallet.
cien/ hundred	Deposito cien dólares./ I deposit a hundred dollars.
mil/ thousand	El cheque es por mil pesos./ The check is for a thousand pesos.
qué...!/ what...!	¡Qué niño!/ What a child!

2. The indefinite article is NOT used when stating the profession, nationality, political affiliation,or religion of a person.

However, if the noun is being modified, the indefinite article is used.

QUALITY	NO ARTICLE REQUIRED	ARTICLE REQUIRED
profession	Soy doctor./ I am a doctor.	Soy un doctor especializado./ I am a specialized doctor.
nationality	Ella es francesa./ She is French.	Ella es una francesa típica./ She is a typical French.
political affiliation	Él es peronista./ He is a Peronist.	Él es un verdadero peronista./ He is a true Peronist.
religion	Ella es católica./ She is a catholic.	Ella es una católica dedicada./ She is a dedicated catholic.

Demonstrative

When a demonstrative adjective (DA) functions as a noun, it is called a demonstrative pronoun (DP).

DA and DP are used to indicate distance or proximity in space or in time.

1. Adjetivos demostrativos/ Demonstrative adjectives

2. Pronombres demostrativos/ Demonstrative pronouns

3. Formas neutras/ Neuter forms

ADJETIVOS DEMOSTRATIVOS/ Demonstrative adjectives (DA)

DA point out nouns, such as people, places, or things. DA are more specific than definite or indefinite articles.

Dem. Adjectives	Gender	Singular	Plural
this/ these	Masculine	este	estos
	Feminine	esta	estas
that/ those (nearby)	Masculine	ese	esos
	Feminine	esa	esas
that/ those (far away)	Masculine	aquel	aquellos
	Feminine	aquella	aquellas

EXAMPLES:

• El auto/ the car

• Un auto/ a car

• Este auto/ this car

NOTE: As shown in the above examples, DA agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, and DA precede the nouns.

ESTE and all its forms indicate proximity to the speaker.

• Este sobre está abierto./ This envelope is open.

ESE and all its forms indicate proximity to the listener.

• Esa flor (que tú tienes) es linda./ That flower (that you are holding) is pretty.

AQUEL and all its forms indicate distance from both the speaker and the listener or far away from the speaker.

• Aquel árbol (a dos cuadras) es verde./ That tree (two blocks away) is green.

PRONOMBRES DEMOSTRATIVOS/ Demonstrative pronouns (DP)

DP replace a noun. They have the same form as DA, but they have written accents that distinguish them from DA.

Dem. Pronouns	Gender	Singular	Plural
this/ these	Masculine	éste	éstos
	Feminine	ésta	éstas
that/ those (nearby)	Masculine	ése	ésos
	Feminine	ésa	ésas
that/ those (far away)	Masculine	aquél	aquéllos
	Feminine	aquélla	aquéllas

EXAMPLES:

• Esta casa es vieja, pero ésa es moderna/ This house is old, but that one is modern.

• Esos árboles son bajos pero éstos son altos/ Those trees are short, but these are tall.

ÉSTE and all its forms replace the latter noun in a sentence. Aquél and all its forms replace the former noun.

EXAMPLE:

• Chivas es más añejo que J.Walker. Éste es de 4 años. Aquél es de 7 años./ Chivas has been aged longer than J.Walker. This is 4 years old. That is 7 years old. (Éste refers to J. Walker; Aquél refers to Chivas)

NOTE: DP also agree in gender and number.

FORMAS NEUTRAS/ Neuter forms

There are 3 neuter DP, ésto, éso and aquéllo. They are used to refer to abstract ideas, concepts, or situations, and unidentified or undetermined objects.

EXAMPLES:

• Pregunta ésto al profesor./ Ask about this (matter) to the professor.

• Éso es imposible./ That is impossible.

• Aquéllo es mínimo. Ésto es mejor./ That is minimal. This is better.

Pronouns

1. Pronombres personales/ Personal pronouns

2. Diferencias con el inglés/ Differences with English

3. Posesivo/ Possessive

4. Demostrativo/ Demonstrative

PRONOMBRES PERSONALES/ Personal pronouns

Personal pronouns can be used as subjects of a sentence. They replace a noun.

Singular	Plural
yo/ I	nosotros (mas.), nosotras (fem.)/ we
tú (informal), usted (formal)/ you	vosotros (mas.),vosotras (fem.), ustedes/ you
él/ he, ella/ she	ellos, ellas/ they

Tú is the singular informal form of you. It is used to address family members, children, and friends.

Ud. is the abbreviation of usted and is the singular formal form of you. It is preferable to use Ud. in all other instances.

Vosotros is the familiar plural form of you that is only used in Spain. In all other Latin American countries, ustedes is used. NOTE: That ustedes is used for both informal and polite plural.

Nosotros, vosotros, ellos are used to refer to a male group or a group of mixed gender. However, nosotras, vosotras and ellas refer to only a group of females.

DIFERENCIAS CON EL INGLÉS/ Differences with English

1. In Spanish, verb endings indicate the subject. Therefore, subject pronouns are often omitted.

EXAMPLES:

• Abrimos a las ocho./ We open at eight.

• Cierran primero./ They close first.

2. In order to emphasize the subject, a pronoun is used. When used, it precedes the verb.

EXAMPLE:

• Yo soy el mejor./ I am the best.

3. A pronoun is used in order to avoid confusion when verb forms present ambiguity.

yo/ I Ud./ you él/ he ella/ she

hacía ejercicios./ was or were exercising.

4. Pronouns are always used when there are 2 verbs and 2 subjects.

EXAMPLE:

• Yo soy feliz, y él no lo es./ I am happy, but he is not.

5. The pronoun it is rarely used.

EXAMPLES:

• Es posible alcanzar esa meta./ It is possible to reach that goal.

• Está lloviendo./ It's raining.

6. In a question, subject pronouns can precede or follow the verb.

¿Ud. es el presidente?	Are you the president?
¿Es Ud. el presidente?

7. Unlike English, personal pronouns are used in the following constructions:

• Como ella, él, ellos, ellas/ like her, him, them

• Entre tú y yo/ between you and me

• Excepto ella, él, ellos, ellas / except her, him, them

• Incluso/ incluyendo ella, él, ellos, ellas / including her, him, them

• Según ella, él, ellos, ellas / according to her, him, them

Adjectives

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Adjectives are words that describe a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives that are attributes or nationality generally follow a noun.

EXAMPLES

lección fácil / easy lesson
cielo azul / blue sky
comida china / Chinese food

EXCEPTIONS are possessive, demonstrative, or numerical adjectives. As in English, they precede the noun.

EXAMPLES

mi casa/ my house
ese libro/ that book
siete sillas/ seven chairs

FORMS OF ADJECTIVES (Agreement)

1. Most adjectives change form, depending upon whether the noun they modify is masculine or feminine and singular or plural. For words that end in o, a, and e, their endings are the following:

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	-o	-os
Feminine	-a	-as
Masc. or Fem.	-e	-es

2. In Spanish, adjectives must correspond in number and gender to the article and noun they modify. In English, adjectives do NOT change.

EXAMPLES

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	el gato blanco/ the white cat	los gatos blancos/ the white cats
Feminine	la gata blanca/ the white cat	las gatas blancas/ the white cats
Masculine	el hombre inteligente/ the intelligent man	los hombres inteligentes/ the intelligent men
Feminine	la mujer inteligente/ the intelligent woman	las mujeres inteligentes/ the intelligent women

3. Generally, words that end in a consonant, -es is added to form their plural; however, the ending, -es, remains constant despite of the gender of the noun they modify.

EXAMPLES

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	El libro azul/ The blue book	Los libros azules/ The blue books
Feminine	La caja azul/ The blue box	Las cajas azules/ The blue boxes

NOTE: That adjectives are made plural by adding -s, -es; however, when words end in z, it changes to -ces.

EXAMPLES

el hombre capaz/ the capable man

los hombres capaces/ the capable men.

Present Tense

A verb expresses an action or indicates a state or condition.

An infinitive is the form of a verb that shows no subject or number, such as comprar/ to buy, vender/ to sell, recibir/ to receive.

Verbs consist of a stem, such as compr in comprar, vend in vender, recib in recibir , and an ending, such as -ar, -er, -ir. Stems of regular verbs do not change, but stems of irregular verbs sometimes do change.

Clasificación de los verbos/ Classification of verbs

In Spanish, verbs are classified according to the endings of their infinitive.

1. First conjugation: verbs ending in -ar

2. Second conjugation: verbs ending in -er

3. Third conjugation: verbs ending in -ir

Unlike English, each subject has a distinct verb ending.

FIRST CONJUGATION:

Comprar/ to buy

yo compro/ I buy tú compras/ you buy él, ella, usted compra/ he, she, you (formal) buy(s) nosotros compramos/ we buy vosotros compráis/ you buy ellos, ustedes compran/ they, you buy

SECOND AND THIRD CONJUGATIONS:

The endings for the second and third groups are identical except for the nosotros and vosotros.

Vender/ to sell	Recibir/ to receive
yo vendo tú vendes él vende nos.vendemos vos. vendéis ellos venden	yo recibo tú recibes él recibe nos. recibimos vos. recibís ellos reciben

NOTE: In the above examples, to conjugate a verb, the ending of the infinitive (-ar, -er, -ir) is removed and an appropriate ending is added.

Use the present tense in the following situations:

The Spanish present tense is equivalent to following 4 forms in English:

Yo firmo el contracto.

I sign the contract. I do sign the contract. I am signing the contract. I will sign the contract. (in the immediate future)

1. It is used to indicate what is happening now.

EXAMPLE:

• Yo como ahora./ I am eating right now.

2. The present tense is also used to express an action that will take place in the immediate future:

EXAMPLE:

• Firmo el contracto mañana./ I will sign the contract tomorrow.

3. It is also used to make a request or ask for instructions:

EXAMPLES:

• ¿Quieren cenar conmigo? Will you have dinner with me?

• ¿Escribo el cheque?/ Shall I write the check?

4. This tense is used to indicate habitual actions:

EXAMPLES:

• Los Argentinos cenan alrededor de las 10 de la noche./ Argentines eat dinner around 10 P.M.

• Los españoles duermen una siesta después de almorzar./ Spanish people take a nap after lunch.

NOTE: Since the verb endings indicate who the subject is, the subject pronouns are frequently omitted; however, it is ALWAYS used when there are 2 subjects and 2 verbs.

EXAMPLES:

• Correct: Yo tomo, y ella come./ I drink, and she eats.

• Incorrect: Tomo y come./ I drink, and she eats.

Comparatives

Comparatives allow the comparison of equal and unequal degrees of qualities, attributes and characteristics.

There are 5 levels of comparison:

1. equality

2. inferiority

3. superiority

4. superlative

5. irregular

IGUALDAD/ EQUALITY

1. When comparing adjectives and adverbs, tan…como/ as...as is used. Tan never changes in the comparison or contrast of qualities.

EXAMPLES:

• La amortización es tan importante como los gastos./ The depreciation is as important as expenses.

• El porcentaje de interés es tan bajo como las ganancias./ The interest rate is as low as the profits.

2. When equating quantities or comparing nouns, tanto…como (as much as, as many as) is used. Tanto changes to tanta, tantas, tantos to agree with the noun's gender and number.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	tanto	tantos
Feminine	tanta	tantas

EXAMPLES:

• Esta compañía no tiene tanto dinero como su competición./ This company doesn't have as much money as its competition.

• Sin embargo sí tiene tantos autos como su competición./ However, it does have as many cars as its competition.

DESIGUALDAD/ INEQUALITY

In Spanish, the comparative of most adjectives, adverbs, and nouns is formed by using más… que/ more...than for superiority and menos…que/ less...than for inferiority.

NOTE: That the words más and menos do NOT change with gender or number.

EXAMPLES:

• La tasa de interés al consumidor es menos atractiva que la interbancaria./ The consumer's interest rate is less attractive than that of the interbank's.

• Tengo más interés en las finanzas que en la mercadotecnia./ I have more interest in finance than in marketing.

NOTE: De is used instead of que before an expression of quantity or amount.

EXAMPLES:

• Hay más de 3 competidores./ There are more than 3 competitors.

• Tengo menos de 30 minutos para terminar la lección./ I have less than 30 minutes to finish the lesson.

SUPERLATIVOS/ SUPERLATIVES

They express the highest or lowest degree of comparison when comparing two or more things.

There are 2 main ways to express a superlative idea. Its construction is similar to that of the comparative form:

1. Superlatives are formed by placing the definite article before the noun being compared, and note that the words más and menos do NOT change with gender or number. In these instances, the article determines the gender and the number of the subject.

Degree	Gender	Singular	Plural
Highest	Masculine	el más/ the most	los más/ the most
	Feminine	la más/ the most	las más/ the most
Lowest	Masculine	el menos/ the least	los menos/ the least
	Feminine	la menos/ the least	las menos/ the least

EXAMPLES:

• Este banco es el más grande del país./ This bank is the largest in the country.

• Estos bancos son los más grandes del país./ These banks are the largest in the country.

• La casa es la más grande en la cuadra./ The house is the largest in the block.

• Las casas son las más grandes en la cuadra./ The houses are the largest in the block.

• El vicepresidente es el menos pagado en la compañía./ The Vice President is the least paid in the company.

• Los vicepresidentes son los menos pagados./ The Vice Presidents are the least paid.

• La vicepresidenta es la menos pagada./ The Vice Presidente (female) is the least paid.

• Las vicepresidentas son las menos pagadas./ The Vice Presidents (female) are the least paid.

2. Superlatives are also formed by adding the suffix -ísimo (-a, -os, -as) to an adjective or an adverb.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	-ísimo	-ísimos
Feminine	-ísima	-ísimas

EXAMPLES:

• Juan es inteligentísimo./ Juan is extremely intelligent.

• Juan y Ana son inteligentísimos./ Juan and Ana are extremely intelligent.

• Ana es inteligentísima./ Ana is extremely intelligent.

• Ana y Rosa son inteligentísimas./ Ana and Rosa are extremely intelligent.