Spanish Grammar Notes
Pronunciation:
- The groupings “gui” and “gue” are pronounced in Spanish in a special way. The “u”
sound in both of these combinations is completely silent. The purpose of the “u” is to
make the “g” sound like the one goose.
- When a “g” is before an “e” or an”i” however, it sounds just like the “j”.
Verbs:
Verbs in the Present tense:
- Verbs are the words in a sentence that narrate the action; they tell what is going
on. Unlike English, the letters at the end of the verb in Spanish indicate who the
subject is.
- The In nitive of a verb is its simplest form, the starting place before it is conjugated
or changed to correspond to a speci c person. All Spanish in nitives end in the
letters -AR, -ER, or -IR.
- The present tense is used to describe the following:
1. Actions that are happening now
2. Report current conditions or traits
3. Describe customary events
4. Announce what may be happening in the immediate future
-AR endings -ER Endings -IR Endings
English Spanish Verb English Spanish Verb English Spanish Verb
Pronoun Ending Pronoun Ending Pronoun Ending
I -o I -o I -o
You (Familiar, -as You (Familiar, -es You (Familiar, -es
informal) informal) informal)
He/She/You -a He/She/You -e He/She/You -e
(formal) (formal) (formal)
We -amos We -emos We -imos
They/You all -an They/You all -en They/You all -en
- Since the verb ending indicates who the subject is, the subject pronoun is typically
omitted in Spanish. However, the subject pronoun is used for emphasis or
clari cation. In a statement in which the subject is mentioned, it is usually placed
before the verb; in a question, however, it will follow the verb.
fi fi fi fi
, Stem-Changing Verbs in the Present Tense:
- When certain verbs are conjugated, it is necessary to make changes in some of the
stems, that is, in the vowel found in the next to last syllable of the in nitive.
- These stem changes only occur in the singular forms and 3rd person plural. The
rst person plural does not have a stem-changing e ect.
Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense:
- Some verbs in Spanish have conjugations that can’t be predicted easily. Some have special
changes in the 1st person only; others have special changes in every form.
- Many common verbs in Spanish are irregular verbs. It is wise to study and learn these
irregular verbs.
The Verbs Ser and Estar:
- Both Ser and Estar are verbs that mean “To be”.
The uses of “Ser”:
1. To identify a de ning characteristic
2. To tell where someone or something is from; To indicate origin
3. To tell time or give a date
4. To indicate possession
5. To indicate profession, nationality, religion, or political a liation
6. To tell when or where an event is taking place.
7. To tell what something is made of
8. For mathematical calculations
The uses of “Estar”:
1. To express a condition, as opposed to a de ning characteristic
2. To identify location (though not of an event!)
3. To indicate a change from the norm or to emphasize the special state or nature
of something.
4. To talk about certain weather conditions
fi fi fi ff ffi fi
Pronunciation:
- The groupings “gui” and “gue” are pronounced in Spanish in a special way. The “u”
sound in both of these combinations is completely silent. The purpose of the “u” is to
make the “g” sound like the one goose.
- When a “g” is before an “e” or an”i” however, it sounds just like the “j”.
Verbs:
Verbs in the Present tense:
- Verbs are the words in a sentence that narrate the action; they tell what is going
on. Unlike English, the letters at the end of the verb in Spanish indicate who the
subject is.
- The In nitive of a verb is its simplest form, the starting place before it is conjugated
or changed to correspond to a speci c person. All Spanish in nitives end in the
letters -AR, -ER, or -IR.
- The present tense is used to describe the following:
1. Actions that are happening now
2. Report current conditions or traits
3. Describe customary events
4. Announce what may be happening in the immediate future
-AR endings -ER Endings -IR Endings
English Spanish Verb English Spanish Verb English Spanish Verb
Pronoun Ending Pronoun Ending Pronoun Ending
I -o I -o I -o
You (Familiar, -as You (Familiar, -es You (Familiar, -es
informal) informal) informal)
He/She/You -a He/She/You -e He/She/You -e
(formal) (formal) (formal)
We -amos We -emos We -imos
They/You all -an They/You all -en They/You all -en
- Since the verb ending indicates who the subject is, the subject pronoun is typically
omitted in Spanish. However, the subject pronoun is used for emphasis or
clari cation. In a statement in which the subject is mentioned, it is usually placed
before the verb; in a question, however, it will follow the verb.
fi fi fi fi
, Stem-Changing Verbs in the Present Tense:
- When certain verbs are conjugated, it is necessary to make changes in some of the
stems, that is, in the vowel found in the next to last syllable of the in nitive.
- These stem changes only occur in the singular forms and 3rd person plural. The
rst person plural does not have a stem-changing e ect.
Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense:
- Some verbs in Spanish have conjugations that can’t be predicted easily. Some have special
changes in the 1st person only; others have special changes in every form.
- Many common verbs in Spanish are irregular verbs. It is wise to study and learn these
irregular verbs.
The Verbs Ser and Estar:
- Both Ser and Estar are verbs that mean “To be”.
The uses of “Ser”:
1. To identify a de ning characteristic
2. To tell where someone or something is from; To indicate origin
3. To tell time or give a date
4. To indicate possession
5. To indicate profession, nationality, religion, or political a liation
6. To tell when or where an event is taking place.
7. To tell what something is made of
8. For mathematical calculations
The uses of “Estar”:
1. To express a condition, as opposed to a de ning characteristic
2. To identify location (though not of an event!)
3. To indicate a change from the norm or to emphasize the special state or nature
of something.
4. To talk about certain weather conditions
fi fi fi ff ffi fi
