Beginning Spanish Grammar

Alphabet Dipthongs Syllable Stress Accents Greetings & Goodbyes Numbers Telling Time Days and Months Definite Article Gender of Nouns Plural Nouns Indefinite Article Definite Article "lo"Subject Pronouns Prepositional Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Courteous Phrases Question Words, Negatives and Affirmatives Descriptive Adjectives Possessive Adjectives Quantity Adjectives Uses of Ser and Estar Present Indicative Formation Present Indicative Formation Present Indicative Stem-changing Verbs Present Indicative Stem-changing Verbs Expressions about time used in the present tense The Verb Haber Used to Express Existence Impersonal Statements Verbs Saber and Conocer The Infinitive Imperative or Command Form Demonstrative Adjectives Demonstrative PronounsAlphabet

Spanish Alphabets

The Spanish alphabet is very similar to the English alphabet, but there are some differences. There are vowels and consonants, but in Spanish there are 3 consonants that don’t exist in English: ch, ll, rr.Unlike in English, Spanish letters are almost always pronounced the same. In English for example, the first “o” in “doctor” is pronounced differently than the second. In Spanish, the first “o” in “doctor” pronounced the same as the second.

Letters	Name	Conditions for Pronunciation	Pronunciation in English	Example
A	ah		father	amigo (friend)
B	b		boy	bella (beautiful)
C	se	·s before e and i·k (all other contexts)	·city·clay	·ciudad (city)·cabeza (head)
Ch	che		chain	chico (boy)
D	de		dog	domingo (Sunday)
E	eh	soft e	met	elefante (elephant)
F	efe		fox	fin (end)
G	ge	·g at beginning of word·harsh h before e and i·gw (all other contexts)	·great·hiccup (from back of the throat)·agua	·gato (cat)·gigante (gigantic)·agua (water)
H	hache	not pronounced	hour	hora (hour)
I	ee	hard e	meet	idea (idea)
J	jota	h	hose (from back of the throat)	jamón (ham)
K	ka		bark	kilo (kilogram)
L	ele		look	libro (book)
LL	elle	y	yarn	lluvia (rain)
M	eme		maple	mano (hand)
N	ene		north	uno (one)
Ñ	eñe	ny	canyon	señor (mister)
O	o		open	ojos (eyes)
P	pe		paper	pelo (hair)
Q	ku		quit	queso (cheese)
R	ere		radio	pero (but)
RR	erre	trilled r	Rolling r not pronounced in English	perro (dog)
S	ese		sit	sol (sun)
T	te		tomato	tres (three)
U	u		super	uno (one)
V	ve	There is no differencebetween V and Bbe	victory	vida (life)
W	doble u or doble ve		welcome	Web (web)
X	equis	ks	extra	examen (exam)
Y	ye or igriega	·Long e when alone·y (all other contexts)	· Betty · yellow	·Y(and)·Ya (already)
Z	zeta	sin Latin Americathin Spain	sit	zapato (shoe)

Additional Vocabulary:

Vocabulary – Spanish	Vocabulary – English
Spanish	English Translation
A
América	America
Amigo	Friend
Amable	Nice
Aire	Air
Mamá	Mom
Pan	Bread
Caro	Expensive
Arroz	Rice
Avión	Airplane
Ardilla	Chipmonk
E
España	Spain
Pedro	Peter
Especial	Special
Té	Tea
Elefante	Elephant
Escalera	Stair
Equipo	Team
I
Inglés – English	English
Idea – Idea	Idea
Ir – To go	To go
Día – Day	Day
Cita – Date/meeting	Date/meeting
Iglesia – Church	Church
Inteligente – Smart	Smart
O
Ojos	Eyes
Oreja	Ear
Opinión	Opinion
Ocho	Eight
Cinco	Five
Caro	Expensive
Oso	Bear
Oveja	Sheep
U
Unión	Union
Uno	One
Cuba	Cuba
Unir	To unite
Último	Last
Uña	Nail (finger nail)
Uva	Grape
Universidad	University
Y
Treinta y dos	Thirty two
Consonantes/alfabeto:
B
Bella	Beautiful
Biblioteca	Library
Blanco	White/blank
Bicicleta	Bicycle
Barco	Boat
Bailar	To dance
Banano	Banana
Boca	Mouth
C
Cabeza	Head
Casa	House
Color	Color
Clase	Class
Cruz	Cross
Cristal	Crystal
Claro	Clear
Carro	Car
Caballo	Horse
Cuchara	Spoon
Cuchillo	Knife
CH
Chico – Boy/small	Boy/small
Muchacha – Girl	Girl
Dichoso – Happy/Fortunate	Happy/Fortunate
Chistoso – Funny	Funny
Hacha – Axe	Axe
Champiñones – Mushrooms	Mushrooms
D
Domingo	Sunday
Dios	God
Dólar	Dollar
Día	Day
Droga	Drug
Falda	Skirt
Donde	Where
Delfín	Dolphin
Dinero	Money
F
Fotografía	Photograph
Fin	End
Flor	Flower
Falso	FALSE
Famoso	Famous
Café	Café/Coffee
Foca	Seal
G
General	General
Gente	People
Género	Kind/type
Generoso	Generous
Gigante	Gigantic
Imaginar	Imagine
Gitano	Gypsy
Gigantesco	Gigantic
Gato	Cat
Gas	Gas
Abrigo	Coat
Algo	Something
Gusano	Caterpillar/Worm
Gustar	To like
Guerra	War
Guerrilla	Guerrilla (Warfare)/
Guitarra	Guitar
Guión	Hyphen
Águila	Eagle
Vergüenza	Shame
Antigüedad	Antiquity
Cigüeña	Stork/Winch/Ostrich
Lingüista	Linguist
Pingüino	Penguin
Guatemala	Guatemala
Agua	Water
Guapo	Handsome
Aguacate	Avocado
Antiguo	Old/Antique
H
(Es muda, no se pronuncia)	(it’s silent, it is not pronounced)
Hombre	Man
Hablar	To speak
Hormiga	Ant
Helado	Ice Cream
Hombro	Shoulder
Hambre	Hungry
J
Jamón	Ham
Viaje	Trip
Mujer	Woman
Joven	Young
Juventud	Youth
Rojo	Red
Jabón	Soap
Jirafa	Girafe
Jueves	Thursday
K
Kilómetro	Kilometer
Kilo	Kilogram
Koala	Koala bear
L
Libro	Book
Labios	Lips
Lavar	To Wash
Lunes	Monday
Luna	Moon
Lápiz	Pencil
Lechuga	Lettuce
LL
Llamar	To call
Taller	Workshop
Lluvia	Rain
Caballo	Horse
Llegar	To arrive
Llave	Key
Calle	Street
M
Mano	Hand
Mamá	Mom
Camino	Path
Mono	Monkey
Manzana	Apple
Miel	Honey
N
No	No
Uno	One
Norte	North
Noche	Night
Nada	Nothing
Nieve	Snow
Nido	Nest
Navaja	Pocket knife
Ñ
(sólo se utiliza en medio de las palabras)
Año	Year
Señor	Mister
Mañana	Tomorrow
Señorita	Miss
Cigüeña	Ostrich
P
Pan	Bread
Papá	Dad
Puente	Bridge
Palacio	Palace
Perro	Dog
Pies	Feet
Pelo	Hair
Papaya	Papaya
Piña	Pineapple
Piel	Skin
Pepino	Cucumber
Q
Parque	Park
Qué	What
Queso	Cheese
Quetzal	Quetzal (native bird to Guatemala)
Porque	Because
Aquí	Here
Quiero	I want
Quien	Who
Química	Chemical/Chemistry
R
Rosa	Rose
Región	Region
Alrededor	Around
Honrado	Honest
Enrique	Richard
(RR) Perro	Dog
Correr	Run
Cerrar	To close
Guitarra	Guitar
Pero	But
Profesora	Professor/Teacher
Estudiar	To study
Comprender	To understand
Rana	Frog
Ratón	Mouse
S
Suéter	Sweater
Isla	Island
Historia	History
Estudiante	Student
Escuela	School
Sombrero	Hat
Sol	Sun
Sacerdote	Priest
Silencio	Silence
T
Tener	To have
Tres	Three
Tren	Train
Tiempo	Time
Tomar	To take
Tortuga	Tortoise
Tiburón	Shark
Tenedor	Fork
V
Víbora	Viper
Vida	Life
Victoria	Victory
Venado	Deer
Vaca	Cow
Vaso	Glass
X
Examen	Exam
Existir	Exist
Exótico	Exotic
Éxito	Success
Extranjero	Foreigner
Explorar	To explore
Explicar	To explain
Extraño	Strange
Xilófono	Xylophone
Y
Yo	I
Ya	Already
Mayo	may
Desayuno	Breakfast
Vaya	Go (subjunctive)
Playa	Beach
Hoy	Today
Hay	There are/is
Soy	I am
Voy	I go
Estoy	I am
Ley	The law
Rey	The king
Sal y pimienta	Salt and pepper
¿Y te vas?	And you go?
Y	And
Yoyo	Yo yo
Z
Zorro	Fox
Lápiz	Pencil
Zapato	Shoe
Paz	Peace
Zanahoria	Carrot

Dipthongs

Diphthongs occur when two vowels are side-by-side and pronounced together and the vowels do not have an accent mark (the accent breaks the diphthong).

Diphthong	Pronounce both but…	Example (and translation)
au	emphasize the first vowel	pausa (pause)
ei	emphasize the first vowel	veinte (twenty)
ia	emphasize the second vowel	viaje (trip)
ie	emphasize the second vowel	viejo (old)
iu	emphasize the second vowel	ciudad (city)
ua	emphasize the second vowel	suave (smooth)
ue	emphasize the second vowel	fuego (fire)
ui	emphasize the second vowel	huida (escape)

Syllable Stress

There are three rules to syllable stress

Rules	Pronunciation
1. Accent mark	Stress the syllable with an accent mark
2. Words ending in a vowel, s, or n	Stress the next to last syllable for words ending in a vowel, s, or n.
3. Rules 1 & 2 do not apply	If rules 1 & 2 do not apply then stress the last syllable. Usually the “default” pronunciation, because most of words in Spanish end in a vowel or in s, therefore more words are stressed on the next to last syllable

Diphthongs occur when two vowels are side-by-side and pronounced together and the vowels do not have an accent mark (the accent breaks the diphthong).

Diphthong	Pronounce both but…	Example (and translation)
au	emphasize the first vowel	pausa (pause)
ei	emphasize the first vowel	veinte (twenty)
ia	emphasize the second vowel	viaje (trip)
ie	emphasize the second vowel	viejo (old)
iu	emphasize the second vowel	ciudad (city)
ua	emphasize the second vowel	suave (smooth)
ue	emphasize the second vowel	fuego (fire)
ui	emphasize the second vowel	huida (escape)

Accents

Accents are primarily used to indicate syllable stress. When accents are not indicating syllable stress, they are used to differentiate words that have the same spelling. For example,

Spanish	English
sí	yes
si	if
él	he
el	the
tú	you
tu	your
qué	what
que	that

Greetings & Goodbyes

Some common greetings and goodbyes are listed below.

Spanish	English
Buenos días, Señor.	Good morning, Sir.
Buenos días, Señorita.	Good morning, Miss.
Buenas tardes	Good afternoon
Buenas noches	Good evening/night
Hola	Hello
Adiós	Goodbye
Hasta luego	See you later/Until later
Hasta mañana	See you tomorrow/Until tomorrow
¿Como está usted?	How are you? (formal)
Bien gracias, ¿y usted?	I’m well, thank you, and you?
Bien gracias.	I’m well, thank you.

Numbers

The spelling of “uno” (one in English) will change depending on the gender of the noun it modifies. “Uno” is spelled “un” before a masculine noun and “una” before a feminine noun. For example, un chico (one boy) or una chica (one girl). See Lesson “Nouns & Articles (Sustantivos)” for more information about Nouns and gender.

“Mil” (1000) is never pluralized however “million” (1,000,000) is pluralized. For example, dos mil chicos (two thousand boys) or dos millones de chicos (two million boys).Numbers 16 to 29 are commonly written as one word or as two words connected by “y” (and). An accent is added to the one word spelling of 16, 22, 23 and 26. For example:

Number	Spelling: One word	Spelling: Two words and “y”
16	Dieciséis	Diez y seis
17	Diecisiete	Diez y siete
22	Veintidós	Veinte y dos
23	Veintitrés	Veinte y tres
26	Veintiséis	Veinte y seis
28	Veintiocho	Veinte y ocho

“Cien” is used for the number 100 and before all nouns. When plural an –os or –as is added depending on the gender of the noun. For example:

Number	English
Cien	100 or one hundred
Cien chicos	100 boys
Cien chicas	100 girls
Doscientos chicos	200 boys
Doscientas chicas	200 girls

Vocabulary for Numbers

Vocabulary – Spanish	Vocabulary – English
Uno	1
Dos	2
Tres	3
Cuatro	4
Cinco	5
Seis	6
Siete	7
Ocho	8
Nueve	9
Diez	10
Once	11
Doce	12
Trece	13
Catorce	14
Quince	15
Dieciséis	16
Diecisiete	17
Dieciocho	18
Diecinueve	19
Veinte	20
Veintiuno	21
Veintidós	22
Veintitrés	23
Veinticuatro	24
Veinticinco	25
Veintiséis	26
Veintisiete	27
Veintiocho	28
Veintinueve	29
Treinta	30
Cuarenta	40
Cincuenta	50
Sesenta	60
Setenta	70
Ochenta	80
Noventa	90
Cien	100
Ciento uno	101
Ciento dos	102
Ciento tres	103
Ciento cuatro	104
Ciento cinco	105
Ciento seis	106
Ciento siete	107
Ciento ocho	108
Ciento nueve	109
Ciento diez	110
Doscientos	200
Trescientos	300
Cuatrocientos	400
Quinientos	500
Seiscientos	600
Setecientos	700
Ochocientos	800
Novecientos	900
Mil	1000
Mil uno	1001
Mil dos	1002
Mil tres	1003
Mil cuatro	1004
Mil cinco	1005
Mil seis	1006
Mil siete	1007
Mil ocho	1008
Mil nueve	1009
Mil diez	1010
Dos mil	2000
Tres mil	3000
Cuatro mil	4000
Cinco mil	5000
Seis mil	6000
Siete mil	7000
Ocho mil	8000
Nueve mil	9000
Diez mil	10000
Un millón	1000000

Telling Time

In Spanish, “es” or “son” (translated as “is”) is used to express time. “Es” is used for the singular times (1 o’clock) and “son” is used for plural times (2, 3, etc.). A couple of other rules are:

Mañana (morning), tarde (afternoon) and noche (night) are used instead of “a.m.” or “p.m.”
The word “o’clock” is not used in Spanish.
Note: But you can say “en punto” for very specific time. Ex: Es la una y quince, en punto.

For example,

Spanish	English
¿Qué hora es?	What time is it?
Es la una.	It is 1.
Son las tres.	It is 3.
Es la una y diez.	It is 1:10
Son las dos y cuarto.	It is 2:15 (quarter past).
Son las dos y media.	It is 2:30 (half past).
Es mediodía.	It is noon.
Es medianoche.	It is midnight.
Son las ocho de la mañana.	It is 8 in the morning.
Son las dos y media de la tarde	It is 2:30 in the afternoon.
Son las 8 de la noche	It is 8 at night.

Days and Months

Both the days and months in Spanish are masculine and not capitalized. Lunes (Monday) is typically the first day of the week in the Spanish calendar.

Spanish	English
Día	Day
lunes	Monday
martes	Tuesday
miércoles	Wednesday
jueves	Thursday
viernes	Friday
sábado	Saturday
domingo	Sunday

Mes	Month
enero	January
febrero	February
marzo	March
abril	April
mayo	May
junio	June
julio	July
agosto	August
septiembre	September
octubre	October
noviembre	November
diciembre	December

Definite Article

In English, the definite article “the” is used to modify any noun. In Spanish, the definite article changes when the noun is plural and depending on the gender. In English, nouns like telephone and apple are genderless. In Spanish, nouns are considered either masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns are preceded by el (singular) or los (plural). Feminine nouns are preceded by la (singular) or las (plural). For example:

Spanish	English
Singular / Plural	Singular / Plural
el teléfono /los teléfonos	the telephone / the telephones
la manzana / las manzanas	the apple / the apples

Definite articles are typically used:

To communicate an abstract concept. For example, “La verdad es necesaria para la justicia (The truth is necessary for justice).”
With a series of nouns. For example, “Mira la manzana, la naranja y el banano (Look at the apple, orange and banana).”
When telling the time of day, “Es la una (it is one o’clock).”
With the days of the week, (replacing “on” in English) except when following the verb “ser”. For example, “Tengo una lección el sabado (I have a lesson on Saturday).”
With the seasons. For example, “Voy a ir a Guatemala en el verano (I am going to Guatemalain the summer).”
With weights and measures(replacing “per” in English). For example, “El arroz cuesta 2 dólares lalibra (Rice costs $2 per pound).”
With the parts of the body or articles of clothinginstead of the possessive pronoun (i.e., yours/mine/his/etc.). For example, “Dejé los zapatos en el cuarto (I lefty my shoes in the room).”
Before a proper name when it is modified by an adjective. For example, “Mira el pequeño Ricardo (Look at little Richard).”
When speaking about (not speaking directly to) people with titles. For example, “Tengo que visitar la doctor (I have to visit the woman doctor).”
Before the names of languagesbut not after hablar, de or en. For example, “El español es fácil para enseñar (Spanish is easy to teach).”

Exception:The definite article “el” precedes feminine nouns that begin with an “a” when the stress is on the first syllable. This is done to avoid placing “la” before words like “agua” creating “la agua”, which is difficult to pronounce. However, when the stress is not on the first syllable the definite article “la” is used: For example:

Spanish	English
Singular / Plural	Singular / Plural
el agua / las aguas	the water / the waters
la amiga / las amigas	the female friend / the female friends

Gender of Nouns

Most nouns that end in “o”are considered masculine and those that end in “a” are considered feminine. For example:

Spanish	English
Masculino	Masculine
elteléfono	telephone
ellibro	book
Femenino	Feminine
lamanzana	apple
lamaestra	female tutor

Here are the most common exceptions where a masculine word ends in “a” and a feminine word ends in “o”.

Spanish	English
Masculino	Masculine
el clima	climate
el día	day
el idioma	language
el mapa	map
el problema	problem
el programa	program
el sistema	system
el tema	thema
Feminino	Feminine
la foto (fotografía)	photo (photograph)
la mano	hand
la moto (motocicleta)	motorcycle
la clase	class

Nouns ending in –dad, –tad,-tud, –ción, and –umbre are always feminine, including their plural forms. Here are few examples: la composición, las composiciones

Spanish	English
Feminino	Feminine
la ciudad	city
la universidad	university
la acción	action
la meditación	meditation
la revolución	revolution

Nouns that end in -dor and -sor are typically masculine and can be converted to feminine by adding an “a” at the end.

Spanish	English
el trabajador	male worker
la trabajadora	female worker

The nouns for persons and animals will end in “o” if the are masculine and in “a” if they are feminine.

Spanish	English
el chico	boy
la chica	girl
el gato	mail cat
la gata	female cat

Some nouns and those that end in -ista, -ante, or -ente do not change for masculine or femine. The gender of these nouns is indicated by the definite article preceding it. For example,

Spanish	English
el joven	boy
la joven	girl
el estudiante	boy student
la estudiante	girl student

Plural Nouns

There are only 4 rules for making nouns plural:

1. If the noun ends in a vowel add “s”

Spanish	English
el chico / los chicos	boy / boys
el gato / los gatos	cat / cats

2. If the noun ends in a consonant ad “es”

Spanish	English
el trabajador / los trabajadores	worker / workers
la ciudad / las ciudades	city /cities

3. If the noun ends in an “s” do not change the word

Spanish	English
el lunes / los lunes	Monday / Mondays

4. If the noun ends in a “z” change the “z” to a “c” and ad “es”

Spanish	English
el lápiz / los lápices	pencil / pencils
la voz / las voces	voice / voices

Indefinite Article

The Spanish indefinite article “un” or “una” translates to “a” or “one” with singular nouns. “Unos” and “unas” translates to “some” with plural nouns. For example:

Spanish	English
Singular / Plural	Singular / Plural
unteléfono / unos teléfonos	a telephone / some telephones
unaciudad / unas ciudades	a city / some cities

Just like the definite article, the indefinite article “un” precedes feminine nouns that begin with an “a” when the stress is on the first syllable. This is done to avoid placing “una” before words like “agua” creating “una agua”, which is difficult to pronounce. However, when the stress is not on the first syllable the indefinite article “una” is used. For example:

Spanish	English
Singular / Plural	Singular / Plural
unagua / unas aguas	a water / some waters
unaamiga / unas amigas	a female friend / some female friends

Indefinite articles are used with a series of nouns. For example, “Mira una manzana, una naranja y un banano (Look at an apple, an orange and a banana).”In Spanish, indefinite articles are often omitted where you might use them in English. Indefinite articles are not used:

· Before an unmodified noun after a form of the verb “ser”(to be). For example,

Modifed	Unmodified
Ella va a ser una buena maestra (She will be a good tutor).	Ella va a ser maestra (She will be a tutor).

· When the noun is not of a specific nature and typically following the verbs: tener (to have), necesitar (to need), buscar (to look for). For example, “Voy a necesitar trabajo (I will need a job)”

· With otro (another), medio (half), cien (100), mil (1000), con (with), sin (without). For example,

Spanish	English
Quiero otro chocolate.	I want another chocolate.
Quiero medio chocolate.	I want half a chocolate.
Quiero cien chocolates.	I want a hundred chocolates.
Quiero mil chocolates.	I want a thousand chocolates.
Quiero chocolate con copa de leche.	I want chocolate with a cup of milk.
Quiero chocolate sin copa de leche.	I want chocolate without a cup of milk.

Definite Article "lo"

Definite Article “lo”

“Lo” is used prior to an adjective that is acting like a noun. It roughly translates to an indefinite “thing” or “part”. For example, “Lo bueno es que el viaje ha terminado (The good thing is that the trip has ended).”

Subject Pronouns

Similar to English, subject pronouns replace a name for a person.

Singular		Plural
Spanish	English	Spanish	English
Yo	I	Nosotros, Nosotras	We (male), We (female)
Tú	You (informal)
Usted	You (formal)	Ustedes	You (formal/informal)
Él	He	Ellos	They (male/collective)
Ella	She	Ellas	They (female)

When speaking Spanish, verb endings indicate the subject so the subject pronoun is not typically spoken but only used for clarification. For example,

Spanish	English
Yollevo el libro	I carry the book
Llevo el libro	I carry the book
Túllevas el libro	You carry the book
Llevas el libro	You carry the book

Prepositional Pronouns

Prepositional pronouns follow prepositions. Examples of prepositions in Spanish (English): ante (before), con (with), desde (since,from), hasta (until), para (for), sin (without).

Singular		Plural
Spanish	English	Spanish	English
Mí	Me	Nosotros	Us
Ti	You (informal)
Usted	You (formal)	Ustedes	You (formal/informal)
Él	Him	Ellos	Them (male/collective)
Ella	Her	Ellas	Them (female)

For example,

Spanish	English
El libro es para mí.	The book is for me.
El libro es para ti.	The book is for you (informal).

When the prepostion con (with) is followed by mí, or ti a compound word is formed ending in “go”. For example, conmigo (with me), contigo (with you). With him (él) and her (ella) use consigo (with himself, herself). Consigo is reflexive which will be covered in more detail in Beginning Spanish II.Possessive Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used to express to whom things pertain. Which possessive pronoun is used is dependent on the gender of the noun and if it is singular or plural.

Possessive Adjective		Possessive Pronoun
Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	English
Mi	Mis	El míoLa mía	Los míosLas mías	Mine
Tu	Tus	El tuyoLa tuya	Los tuyosLas tuyas	Yours (informal)
Su	Sus	El suyoLa suya	Los suyosLas suyas	His, theirs, yours (male formal)Hers, theirs, yours (female formal)
Nuestro	Nuestros	El nuestroLa nuestra	Los nuestrosLas nuestras	Ours

A possessive pronoun is used so we don’t have to repeat the object possessed. For example,

Possessive Adjective	Possessive Pronoun
Maria tiene mi libro. (Maria has my book.)	Maria tiene el mío. (Maria has mine.)

Courteous Phrases

Courteous phrases exist in both English and Spanish. Instead of saying, “Can I have some bread?” in English we say, “May I have some bread?” to sound more polite. The same concept applies to Spanish. Instead of saying, “Tráigamelo”, which sounds like a command, one says, “Podrías traerme…?” (Would you bring me…?). Some commands, depending on the inflection of the voice, can sound like commands or polite sentences. (Please sit down. Go ahead. Wait a moment.) The following are polite sentences used in Spanish.

Vocabulary – Spanish	Vocabulary – English
Podría ayudarme?	Could you help me?
¿Puedes pasarme el pan?	Could you pass me the bread?
¿Podría decirme qué hora es?	Could you tell me what time it is?
¿Puedes decirme dónde hay un buen restaurante?	Can you tell me where there is a good restaurant?
Disculpeme.	Excuse me.
Perdón.	Pardon.
¿Dígame?	Tell me?
¿Podría decirme dónde está…?	Could you tell me where….?
Quisiera ir a….	I would like to go to…?
¿Podría llevarme a….?	Would you take me to….?
¿Dónde podría alquilar…?	Where could I rent…?
Quisiera…	I would like…
¿Podría usar el teléfono?	May I use the telephone?
¿Puedo dejar mi equipaje aquí?	May I leave my luggage here?
Quisiera enviar…	I would like to send…
¿Podría llamar a….?	May I call…?
¿Es posible cambiar dinero?	Is it possible to exchange money?
¿Qué puedo hacer por las noches?	What can I do at night?
¿Podría darme…?	Could you give me…?
¿Puedo ver el menú?	May I see the menu?
Necesito un vaso con agua.	I need a glass of water.
La comida estuvo muy rica.	The food is very tastey.
Estoy satisfecho.	I am satisfied.
¿Podría traerme la cuenta?	Could you bring me the check?
Siéntese, por favor.	Sit down please.
Pase adelante.	Go ahead./Come on in.
¿Podría decirme cuánto es?	Could you tell me how much it is?
¿Podría decirme cuánto cuesta?	Could you tell me how much it costs?
Espere un momento.	Wait a moment

Question Words, Negatives and Affirmatives

In Spanish, as in English, we use question words to signify the type of information we are looking for. For example, when we say, “Where is the store?” we want to know the location or existence of the store. The same applies in Spanish. The question words ask for specific information to help us find what we want. We also use negative and positive words to answer some types of questions. “Who is here?” “Nobody is here.” “Someone is here.” We use different words to differentiate between two things: “You can choose either bread or salad” or “You can neither watch TV nor talk to your friends.”

Vocabulary – Spanish	Vocabulary – English
Dónde	Where
Cómo	How
Qué	What
Quién	Who
Cuanto/a	How much
Cuantos/as	How many
Por qué	Why
Por cuanto	For how much
Con quién	With whom
A quién	To whom
Paraquién	For whom
De quién	Whose
Cuál	Which
Cuáles	Which
De qué	Of what
¿Dónde?	Where?
¿A dónde?	To where?
¿Para dónde?	To where?
¿De dónde?	From where?
¿Por qué?	Why?
¿Para qué?	For what reason?
¿De qué?	Of what?
¿Cuándo?	When?
¿Para cuándo?	For when?
¿Qué?	What?
¿Cómo?	How?
¿Quién?	Who?
¿Quiénes?	Who?
¿A quién?	To whom?
¿Para quién?	For whom?
¿Con quién?	With whom?
¿De quién?	From whom?
¿Por quién?	For whom?
¿Cuál?	Which?
¿Cuáles?	Which ones?
¿Cuánto/a/as/os?	How many?
Algo	Something
Nada	Nothing
Alguien	Someone
Nadie	Nobody
Alguno	Some
Ninguno	None
Siempre	Always
Alguna vez	Ever
Algunas veces	Sometimes
Algún día	Someday
Nunca	Never
O…O	either, or
Ni…ni	neither, nor
También	also, too
Tampoco	Neither

Descriptive Adjectives

In Spanish, as in English, we use adjectives to describe things. Instead of saying, “He is a boy,” we can give the boy more life and more character by saying, “He is a tall boy.” The adjective “tall” helps to describe the noun “boy”. The same is done in Spanish.

GenderIn Spanish, the spelling of adjectives usually change depending if the noun is feminine or masculine. Most adjectives end in “o” for masculine nouns and “a” for feminine nouns. For example, “El chico es alto,” (The boy is tall) and “La chica es alta” (The girls is tall). However, there are some exceptions:

Adjectives that end in “dor” are masculine and “dora” are feminine
Adjectives that end in “e” are both masculine and feminine

Singular/PluralThe 4 rules for making adjectives plural are the same for making nouns plural:

If the adjective ends in a vowel add “s”.
If the adjective ends in a consonant ad “es”
If the adjective ends in an “s” do not change the word
If the adjective ends in a “z” change the “z” to a “c” and ad “es”

PlacementGenerally, adjectives follow the noun. For example, “La maestra inteligente (The intelligent tutor).” There are a few exceptions to this rule,

“Buen”is used before a noun and “bueno” is used after a noun and they both translate to “good”. This same rule applies to “mal” and “malo” which means “bad”.

“Gran”is used before a noun which means “great” but “grande” is used after a noun which means “big”. For example,

Spanish	English
El gran trabajador / el trabajador grande	The great worker / the big worker

Some adjectives change meaning if used before or after a noun:

Spanish	English
El pobre trabajadorEl trabajadorpobre	The pitiful workerThe poor worker
El único trabajadorEl trabajador único	The only workerThe unique worker
El viejo trabajadorEl trabajador viejo	The long-time workerThe old worker

Possessive Adjectives

The following adjectives are used to describe the person who possesses the object:

Spanish	English
Mi	My
Tu	Your
Su	His / her /their
Nuestro / nuestra	Our

However, the possessive adjective is made plural only if the object is plural. The possessive adjective is not made plural if the number of possessors is plural.

Spanish	English
Su libro es viejoSuslibros son viejo	His book is oldHisbooks are old
Sulibro es viejoSuslibros son viejo	Theirbook is oldTheirbooks are old

Quantity Adjectives

Some adjectives describe quantity or how much. These adjectives are used almost always before the noun. Here is a list of common quantity adjectives (notice the masculine singular spelling of algún and ningún):

Español	Inglés
Poco / pocosPoca / pocas	Not many or not much
Mucho / muchosMucha / muchas	Many or very much
Algún / algunosAlguna / algunas	Some
Ningún / ningunosNinguna / ningunas	None

Uses of Ser and Estar

In Spanish, there are two main verbs that express “to be”: ser and estar. Each verb has specific uses within the language and the uses cannot be interchanged. The spelling of ser and estar changes depending on the subject.

Ser	Estar	English
Yo soy	Yo estoy	I am
Tú eres	Tú estás	you are
Él/ella/usted es	Él/ella/usted está	He/she is
Ellos/ellas/ustedes son	Ellos/ellas/ustedes están	They are
Nosotros somos	Nosotros estamos	We are

1. SerSer is used to express the inherent nature of a person or thing. Here are some rules:

To be + adjectiveexpresses essential characteristics of people or things (i.e., physical descriptions).

Spanish	English
La estudiante es bonita.	The student is pretty.
El profesor es viejo.	The professor is old.

To be + of/fromexpresses possession, origin, or material. “Of/from” are translated to “de” in Spanish.

Spanish	English
Las pinturas son de Maria.	The paintings are Maria’s.
George es deGuatemala.	George is from Guatemala.
La mesa es de madera.	The table is wood.

To be + forexpresses destination or the expiration date. “For” is translated to “por” or “para” in Spanish.

Spanish	English
La tarea es para mañana.	The homework is for tomorrow.

To be + noun or pronounexpresses identity between the subject and the noun or pronoun, profession.

Spanish	English
Ella es una maestra.	She is a tutor.
Esun perro.	It is a dog.

To be + the existence of temporary activities or events.

Spanish	English
La reunión es en el café.	The meeting is at the cafe.

To be + the day, the date, the time, and seasons.

Spanish	English
Hoy es lunes.	Today is Monday.
Sonlas once y media.	It is 11:30.

2. EstarEstar is used to express the temporary nature of a person or thing. Here are some rules:

To be + adjectiveexpresses changing conditions and appearance of people or things.

Spanish	English
Las maestras están enfermas.	The tutors are sick.
La estudiante está bonita.	The student is pretty right now.

To be + expresses the location of people or things.

Spanish	English
Mi hermano está en la escuela.	My brother is in school.
Elavión está en Guatemala.	The plane is in the Guatemala.

To be + adverb expresses the temporary quality or state of an emotion or activity.

Spanish	English
Estábien	Everything is well.

Estar + para + infinitive is equivalent to “to be about to”.

Spanish	English
Estoypara salir.	I am about to go out.
En este momento está para llover.	In this moment it is about to rain.

Present Indicative Formation

In Spanish, the spelling of verbs will change depending on the tense, subject and quantity. This process of changing the spelling is called “conjugation”. The unconjugated form of the verb is called “infinitive.” Most infinitives end in “ar”, “er” and “ir” and can be conjugated by only changing the ending.

Present Indicative Formation

In Spanish, the spelling of verbs will change depending on the tense, subject and quantity. This process of changing the spelling is called “conjugation”. The unconjugated form of the verb is called “infinitive.” Most infinitives end in “ar”, “er” and “ir” and can be conjugated by only changing the ending.

Present Tense Conjugation of Regular Verbs

The Present Tense is used to express:

What is happening now. For example, “I live here.”
What happens regularly. For example, “I eat at home.”
What will happen in the near future. For example, “I am eating lunch soon.”

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ar” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ar”,

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Hablar (to speak)
Yo	hablo	I speak
Tú	hablas	You speak
Usted/él/ella	habla	You (formal)/He/She speaks
Nosotros	hablamos	We speak
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	hablan	You (plural) speak/They speak

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “er” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “er”,

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Comer (to eat)
Yo	como	I eat
Tú	comes	You eat
Usted/él/ella	come	You (formal)/He/She eats
Nosotros	comemos	We eat
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	comen	You (plural) speak/They eat

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ir” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ir”

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Vivir (to live)
Yo	vivo	I live
Tú	vives	You live
Usted/él/ella	vive	You (formal)/He/She lives
Nosotros	vivimos	We live
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	viven	You (plural) speak/They live

Present Indicative Stem-changing Verbs

When “regular verbs” are conjugated the ending changes and the front part (a.k.a. stem or root) doesn’t change. When “stem-changing verbs” are conjugated the stem changes. Most stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when conjugated, however, there are some verbs that don’t follow a consistent rule when they are conjugated, and these are called, “irregular verbs”.

Fortunately, most stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when they are conjugated.1. Change the “e” to “ie” in the stem. However, the subject “nosotros” is conjugated as a regular verb. For example:

Spanish	Spanish	English
Subject	Infinitive: Pensar	To Think
Yo	pienso	I think
Tú	piensas	You think
Usted/él/ella	piensa	You (formal)/He/She thinks
Nosotros	pensamos	We think
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas	piensan	You (plural)/They think