I. The structures expressing the hypothesis in the present

We can express the hypothesis by using verbal structures such as:

* PUEDE QUE + Subjunctive
* ES POSIBLE QUE + Subjunctive
* PUEDE SER QUE + Subjunctive
* A LO MEJOR + INDICATIVE

These phrases can be translated into Englishas “Maybe…” or “It’s possible that…”

Example :

• – Es posible que este enfermo ==> It is possible that he is sick.
• – Puede que no me haya escuchado ==> It is possible that he did not listen to me.
• – Puede ser que tu padre haya salido un rato ==> It is possible that your father went out for a while.
• – A lo mejor está cansado ==> Maybe he is tired.

II. Locutions and adverbs

The hypothesis can also be expressed with an adverb or a phrase such as: Acaso, quizá(s), or tal vez.
CAUTION: If the adverb is placed before the verb, the latter is conjugated in the subjunctive. If it is placed after the verb, the indicative is used.

Example :

– Quizás tenga vergüenza ==> Perhaps he is ashamed.
==> Quizás is placed before the verb, the subjunctive is used

– Tiene quizás vergüenza ==> Perhaps he is ashamed.
==> Quizás is placed after the verb, the indicative is used

III. The hypothesis with “si”

In Spanish, we can also express the hypothesis (and the condition) using a subordinate introduced by “si”.

BE CAREFUL to respect the concordance of the tenses:

==> If the structure SI + present tense is used in the subordinate, the verb in the main sentence will be in the present or future tense.

• Si viene, le recibiremos ==> If he comes, we will receive him.

==> If the structure SI + imperfect indicative is used in the subordinate, the verb of the main sentence will be in the present conditional.

• Si pensaba en mi futuro, me sentía optimista ==> If I thought about the future, I felt optimistic.

==> If we use SI + past perfect, the verb of the main text will be in the past conditional.

• Si hubiera venido, le habríamos recibido ==> If he had come, we would have received him.

IV. Use of the future tense to express the hypothesis

It is possible to express the hypothesis using the future tense.

Examples :

• Maria ha sido recibida en la mejor escuela de arte, estará contenta ==> Maria has been accepted in the best art school, she must be happy. (Hypothesis in the present tense)
  Nos llegaron todavía, ¿ Que habrá sucedido? ==> They haven’t arrived yet, what could have happened? (Hypothesis in the present tense)
  Está cansado hoy, habrá tenido un fin de semana agitado ==> He is tired today, he must have had a hectic weekend. (Hypothesis in the past)
  No vino a la cita, estará ocupado con otra cosa ==> He did not come to the appointment, he must have been busy with something else. (Hypothesis in the past tense).

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I. Conjugation of GUSTAR

In Spanish, we express our tastes with the verb GUSTAR. This verb is translated as “to like” or “to please”.

The verb GUSTAR has a particular conjugation. Indeed, the subject is post-posed to the verb, i.e. it is placed after the latter. 

Example:

Me gustan las frutas ==> The subject is placed after the verb.

If the subject is plural, then the verb will be plural. So we get only 2 different conjugations of the verb gustar :

1. The 3rd person singular : GUSTA
2. The 3rd person plural: GUSTAN

II. Use of the complement pronoun

Given the particular shape of GUSTAR, WE DO NOT SAY: Yo gusto, Tu gustas, El gusta…

The complement pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) is used and varies according to the person who likes the subject:

(A mi) Me gusta/gustan ==> I like
(A ti) Te gusta/gustan ==> You like
(A el/elle/usted) Le gusta/gustan ==> He likes
(A nosotros) Nos gusta/gustan ==> We like
(A Vosotros) Os gusta/gustan ==> You like
(A ellos/ellas/ustedes) Les gusta/gustan ==> They like

* Which Gustar conjugation to use?

A. The subject that follows the verb gustar is in the SINGULAR or it is a verb in the infinitive ==> we use the conjugation GUSTA

Examples :

Te gusta el azúcar ==> You like sugar.
Les gusta dormir ==> They like to sleep.

B. The subject that follows the verb gustar is in the PLURAL ==> We use the conjugation GUSTAN

Examples :

– Le gustan les películas románticas ==> He likes romantic movies.
– Nos gustan las hamburguesas ==> We like hamburgers.

C. Interrogative sentences

In the same way as above, depending on whether the subject attached to GUSTAR is singular or plural, the conjugation GUSTA or GUSTAN is used

Examples:

• – ¿ Que te gusta ? ==> What do you like?
• – ¿ Que le gusta ? ==> What does he like?
• – ¿ Te gustan los aviones ? ==> Do you like airplanes? (Planes = plural, use of GUSTAN)
• – ¿ Te gusta el baile ? ==> Do you like dancing? (Baile = singular, use of GUSTA)

III. Verbs similar to Gustar to express your taste

There are other verbs that work in the same way as Gustar. This is the case of :

• ENCANTAR ==> Me encante, te encanta, le encanta…
• APETECER ==> Me apetece, te apetece, le apetece…
• INTERESAR ==> Me interesa, te interesa, le interesa…
• DISGUSTAR ==> Me disgusta, te disgusta, le disgusta…

These verbs are used with the following structure:

indirect object pronoun + VERB (3rd person singular or plural) + VERB or NOUN

Examples:

• Me encanta volar ==> I love to fly.
• Te disgusta pelear==> You don’t like to fight.

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1. Verbs

* QUERER QUE + SUBJUNCTIVE

• El quiere que cambiemos en el nombre del progreso ==> He wants us to change for the sake of progress.

* DESEAR QUE + SUBJUNCTIVE

• Deseas que te amen ==> You want them to love you.

* TENER GANAS DE QUE + SUBJUNCTIVE

• La mama tiene ganas de que su bebe duerma en otro cuarto ==> The mother wants her baby to sleep in another room.

2. Locutions

* OJALÀ + SUBJUNCTIVE

• Ojalá que me toque la lotería ==> I hope I win the lottery.

* CON TAL (DE) QUE + SUBJUNCTIVE

• Te perdonaré con tal de que no vuelvas a hacerlo ==> I will forgive you as long as you don’t do it again.

II. Expressing regret

1. Verbs

* LAMENTAR 

• Lamento la tragedia ocurrida en el país ==> I deplore/regret the tragedy that has struck the country.

* SENTIR 

• Siento mucho la muerte de tu madre ==> I regret very much the death of your mother.

N.B : To express regret, these verbs are often constructed with a noun. However, they can also be used with an infinitive verb, when the subjects of the main and the subordinate are the same – see example 1).
OR with the structure QUE + SUBJUNCTIVE, when the subject of the main and the subordinate are different (see example 2).

Example 1 :Lamento no poder ver esta punta de la isla ==> I regret not being able to see this point of the island.

Here, the subjects (the one who regrets and the one who cannot see the tip of the island) are identical. So we keep the verb Poder in the infinitive.

Example 2 : Lamento que se vea usted obligado a permanecer aquí ==> I regret that you have to stay here.

Here, the subject of the main (Yo – lamento) and the subject of the subordinate (Usted) are different. The verb Verse is conjugated in the subjunctive.

2. Locutions

* OJALÀ + SUBJUNCTIVE PAST PERFECT

• Ojalá hubiera estado con vosotros ==> If only he had been with you.

* QUÉ LASTIMA QUE + SUBJUNCTIVE

• Que lastima que no puedas venir al restaurante ==> What a shame you can’t come to the restaurant.

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When you want to emphasize or draw attention to a word or a group of words in a sentence, you use the emphatic turn.

The verb SER is conjugated according to the time and the subject to which it is attached.

Examples :

• Erastu quien ganaste la semana pasada ==> You won last week.
• Soyyo quien mando aquí ==> I’m in charge here.
• Erestu quien mandas aquí ==> You’re in charge here.

WARNING: the agreement of the tense is not an absolute rule. Indeed, when the relative is in the future or
past tense, the PRESENT tense can be used.

Examples :

• Soy yo quien te cuidaré ==> I will take care of you.

Here, the verb SER is conjugated in the present tense while the relative is in the future tense.

• Es Maria quien te lo ha dicho ==> Maria told you.

Here, the verb SER is conjugated in the present tense while the relative is in the past tense.

II. Choice of relative pronoun

* If the antecedent is a man, the relative pronoun can be: EL QUE or QUIEN

• Fue George Lucas el que produjo Star Wars ==> It was George Lucas who produced Star Wars.

* If the antecedent is a woman, the relative pronoun can be LA QUE or QUIEN

• Es la profesora quien me dio la mejor calificación ==> It was the teacher who gave me the best mark.

* If the antecedent is a group of men, the relative pronoun can be: LOS QUIEN or QUIENES

• Son ellos quienes ganaron el partido ==> They are the ones who won the match.

* If the antecedent is a group of women, the relative pronoun can be : LAS QUIEN or QUIENES

• No son siempre las mujeres las quien cocinan ==> It is not always the women who cook.

* If the antecedent is an object, we use EL QUE, LA QUE, LAS QUE, or LOS QUE depending on whether the object is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. For an object we never use QUIEN or QUIENES

• Son esos zapatos los que me gustan ==> I like these shoes.

* In a circumstantial of time, we use CUANDO

• Fue en este momento cuando entendí que no la volvería a ver ==> It was at that moment that I realized I wasn’t going to see her again.

* In a circumstantial of place, we use DONDE

• Es aquí donde nos vimos por primera vez ==> It was here that we saw each other for the first time.

* In a circumstantial of manner, we use COMO

• Fue así como aprendí ==> That’s how I learned.

III. Special cases

* In a causal circumstance, we use POR LO QUE or POR LA QUE

• Es por el Coronavirus por lo que no podía salir de casa ==> It was because of the Coronavirus that I couldn’t leave my house.

* In a circumstantial of purpose, we use PARA LO QUE or PARA LA QUE

• Ha sido para el para lo que hice todo ese trabajo ==> It is for him that I did all this work.

HOWEVER, in these last two cases, the turn of phrase seems weird! That’s why it’s customary to lighten the wording. So we say instead:

==> Es por el Coronavirus que no podía salir de casa.
==> Ha sido para el que hice todo ese trabajo.

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1. Adjectives of quantity

In Spanish, adjectives agree with the noun they qualify.

List of adjectives used to express quantity (singular / plural) :

MASCULINE : Mucho / Muchos
FEMININE : Mucha / Muchas

MASCULINE : Poco / Pocos
FEMININE : Poca / Pocas

MASCULINE : Demasiado / Demasiados
FEMININE : Demasiada / Demasiadas

MASCULINE : Bastante / Bastante
FEMININE : Bastante / Bastantes

Examples :

– We ate very little sugar ==> Comimos poco azúcar.
– There is too much cream in this cake ==> Hay demasiada nata en este pastel.
– There are too many people in this town ==> Hay demasiado gente en esta cuidad.
– There is enough to drink for everyone ==> Hay bastante bebidas para todos.

2. Adverbs

Adverbs, unlike adjectives, are always invariable.

List of the most commonly used adverbs to express quantity:

Mucho ==> Many
Poco ==> A little
Bastante ==> Enough
Demasiado / Harto ==> Too much
Muy ==> Very much
Más ==> More
Menos ==> Less
Tan… como ==> If, too
Tanto ==> As much
Algo ==> A little
Apenas ==> Barely
Medio ==> Half
Nada ==> Not at all, nothing
Cuan, Cuanto ==> How much

Examples :

– El tema de la película te interesa mucho ==> The theme of the film interests me a lot.
– Hemos visto poco sol esos últimos días ==> We haven’t seen much sunshine in the last few days.
– Él juega bastante bien al tenis ==> He plays tennis quite well.
– Estoy demasiado cansado para hacer deporte ==> I’m too tired to play sports
– Es una pintura muy interesante ==> This painting is very interesting.
– Mi vecina es más agradable que mi vecino ==> My (female) neighbor is nicer than my (male) neighbor.
– Compré menos frutas que la última vez ==> I bought less fruit than last time.
– La prevención es tan importante como la represión ==> Prevention is as important as punishment.
– No quiero tanto azúcar en elcafé ==> I don’t want so much sugar in the coffee.
– Juan sabe algo de francés ==> Juan speaks a little French.
– Hace apenas una semana fui a Francia ==> I’ve only been in France for a week.
– Compré media piña en el supermercado ==> I bought half a pineapple at the supermarket.
– No hay nada que ver ==> There is nothing to see
– No sabes cuan alto es ==> You don’t know how big it is

3. Adverbial phrases

An adverbial phrase is a sequence of words that is equivalent to an adverb. Like the latter, it is invariable.

The most common locutions to express quantity are :

Cada vez más ==> More and more
Cada vez menos ==> Less and less
Cuando más / A lo sumo ==> At most
Cuando menos / A lo menos ==> At the very least
Más o menos ==> More or less
Poco a poco ==> Little by little
Poquito a poquito ==> Little by little
Al por mayor ==> Roughly
Al por menor ==> In detail

Examples :

– El calor se siente cada vez más ==> The heat is felt more and more
– El jefe nos pidió un resumen al por mayor de la situación actual ==> The boss asked us for an outline of the current situation.
– Estoy más o menos atento ==> I am more or less attentive
– A lo sumo me puede hacer un descuento de diez euros ==> He can give me a discount of 10 euros maximum

4. Particular turns of phrase

* When Medio precedes an adjective or a past participle, it remains invariable in Spanish.

• Esta chica es medio loca ==> This girl is half crazy.

* When Más or Menos are followed by a numeral that expresses quantity, the preposition “de” is used.

• No quiere menos de veinte dólares ==> he doesn’t want less than twenty dollars.

* The expression “CAN’T STAND” ==> To translate this expression, the following structure is used:  Ya no + verb + más + noun

• Ya no suporto más el calor ==> I can’t stand the heat anymore.

* “NO MORE” in elliptical sentences : here, “No more…” translates into “No más…” or “Nada de…”

• No more lies! ==> ¡ No más mentiras ! // No racism! ==> ¡ Nada de racismo !

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1. SOLER + INFINITIVE

A. Structure

To express habit in English, we use the expression: USED TO + infinitive
For example: “I am used to eating” or “we are used to walking”.

In Spanish, there is a verb that can express the whole expression “Have the habit of”. It is the verb SOLER.

We use the structure: SOLER + INFINITVE

Be careful, Soler is a diphthong verb.
In the present tense, it is conjugated as follows:

– Yo Suelo
– Tu Sueles
– Él/Ella/ Usted Suele
– Nosotros Solemos
– Vosotros Soléis
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes Suelen

Examples:

– I’m used to sleeping a lot ==> Suelo dormir mucho tiempo.
– You used to run every week ==> Sueles correr cada semana.
– He is used to going to work on his motorcycle ==> Suele ir a trabajar en moto.
– You are used to going on vacation to Italy ==> Soléis ir de vacaciones en Italia.
– We are used to eating with our family ==> Solemos comer en familia.

B. Adding ‘lo’ (Check the full lesson)

To express the habit with pronominal verbs (lavarse, dormirse, levantarse, cuidarse, etc.), we conjugate the verb SOLER and we place, at the end of the pronominal verb, the reflexive pronoun corresponding to the person. It is therefore necessary to use and know the reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se).

Example with the verb LAVARSE (to wash oneself):

– Suelo lavarme
– Sueles lavarte
– Suele lavarse
– Solemos lavarnos
– Soléis lavaros
– Suelen lavarse

Note that it is not obligatory to use the enclose with pronominal verbs. In this case, we simply place the reflexive pronoun before the verb soler: yo me suelo lavar, tu te sueles lavar, el se suele lavar,etc.

2. OTHER TURNS OF PHRASE

There are other ways of expressing habit, without using the verb soler:

* Estar acostumbrado a + infinitif ==> Being used to…
* Acostumbrar a + infinitif ==> To be used to…

Examples:

– Estoy acostumbrado a levantarme temprano ==> I am used to getting up early.
– Yo acostumbro a levantarme temprano ==> I am used to getting up early.

* Tener por costumbre + infinitif ==> Have the habit of + infinitive 
* Tener por hábito + infinitif ==> To be used to + infinitive

Examples:

– Tengo por costumbre caminar cada día ==> I have the habit of walking every day.
– Tengo por hábito desayunar cuando me levante ==> I usually eat breakfast when I get up.

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In Spanish, we can express our agreement or disagreement through multiple formulas:

*(NO) ESTAR CONFORME… ==> (Do not) Agree…

Estoy conforme con mi calificación ==> I agree with my grade.
No estas conforme con ese presupuesto ==> You don’t agree with this estimate.

*(NO) ESTAR DE ACUERDO CON… ==> (Do not) agree

La chica esta de acuerda con su papa ==> The daughter agrees with her father.
No están de acuerdos contigo ==> They don’t agree with you.

*(NO) COMPARTIR EL PUNTO DE VISTA/LA OPINION… ==> (Do not) share the view/opinion

Compartís el mismo punto de vista en esta polémica ==> You share the same point of view in this controversy.
No comparto tu opinión sobre la situación política del país ==> I don’t share your point of view on the political situation in the country.

*(NO) COINCIDIR SOBRE… ==> (Do not) agree with…

Coicides conmigo sobre esta cuestión ==> You agree with me on this.
No coincidimos sobre el horario de la cita ==> We disagree about the time of the meeting.

* (NO) DAR RAZON A… ==> (Do not) agree with…

Damos la razón al periodista que escribió ese artículo puesto que es experto en este tema ==> We agree with the journalist who wrote this article because he is an expert in the field.
No doy la razón a su argumento por que no es basado en hecho científicos ==> I don’t agree with his argument because it is not based on scientific facts.

* (NO) OPONERSE A… ==> (Do not) oppose…

Me opongo a la actitud agresiva de mi amiga ==> I object to my friend’s aggressive attitude.
No se opone a la injusticia de la situación ==> He does not object to the unfairness of the situation.

II. Expressing your opinion

The following structures and verbs are used to express an opinion, and thus, in a more relative way, agreement or disagreement.

– CREER + QUE
– PENSAR + QUE
– TENER LA IMPRESION + QUE
– PARECER + QUE
– ESTAR CONVENCIDO DE + QUE

WARNING: all these structures are followed by the subjunctive.

Examples:

– No me parece que el español sea más difícil que otra lengua ==> I don’t feel that Spanish is more complicated than any other language.

– Tengo la impresión que este sacando conclusiones apresuradas ==> I feel like you are jumping to conclusions.

– No pienso que compartamos las mismas ideas que ellos ==> I don’t think we share the same ideas as they do.

– Creo que te equivoques en tu análisis ==> I think you are wrong in your analysis.

III. General vocabulary

Yo también ==> Me too
Vale ==> Agree / OK
! Por supuesto ! ==> Of course!
Sin (ninguna) duda ==> Without (any) doubt
Sin (ningún) problema ==> Without (any) problem
! Desde luego ! ==> Of course!
Claro ==> Of course
Seguro que si / cierto que si ==> Yes, certainly
Yo tampoco ==> Me neither
! Ni hablar ! ==> No way!
En cambio ==> On the other hand
Sin embargo ==> However
Al contrario ==> On the contrary
A pesar de todo ==> Despite everything
Es discutible ==> It is debatable
Pienso que te equivocas ==> I think you are wrong
Formular un juicio distinto ==> To formulate a different judgment
Es verdad que … ==> It is true that…

👉 Next lesson: Expressing obligation

👉 Previous lesson: Auxiliary verbs (Haber, Ser, Estar)

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First of all, the article is a word that precedes a noun in a sentence. Its function is to add meaning to the noun.

In Spanish, there are several types of articles, including neutral articles. A neutral article is an article that has neither gender nor number.

Specifically, “lo” is a neuter article that can be used in many ways for different meanings.

Why is the neutral article “lo” used?

The article “lo” is mainly used to transform other words, especially adjectives and adverbs, into nouns.

It is used, more specifically, to express abstract ideas or objects that are not defined with certainty.

• Lo malo es que no podemos ir allá. (The bad thing is that we can’t go there).
• Lo interesante es que no trabajas mucho pero tienes mucho dinero. (La chose intéressante, c’est que tu ne travailles pas beaucoup mais tu as beaucoup d’argent.)

Be careful, however: do not confuse the neuter article “lo” with the third person singular pronoun “lo” which is always accompanied by a verb.

The different functions of the neutral article “lo”

We have seen that the article “lo” is not accompanied by a verb; it is always part of a nominal phrase.

On the other hand, it is never accompanied by a noun. When the article is associated with a verb, it will have a function of direct object complement (DOC). In this case, ” lo ” can be associated with :

A qualifying adjective :

• Lo importante es que todo pasa muy bien. (The important thing is that everything goes well)

A relative adjective:

• Quiero vivir solo, lo cual da miedo a mis padres. (I want to live alone, which scares my parents)

A possessive determiner:

• Lo tio es mejor. (Yours is better)

A numerical ordinal determiner:

• Lo primero es hacer la tarea primordial antes las otras. (The first thing is to do the primary task before the others)

A prepositional phrase:

• A mi me gusta lo de siempre. (I like the usual)

A past participle:

• Podemos pensar en lo reflexionado. (We can think about what we have thought about)

The use of the article “lo”

The article is used in different forms. Each form has a specific function and meaning.

First, there is the form “lo + adjective” which allows for the generalization of concepts and is equivalent to things and parts:

• Lo pequeño. (The small thing)

Secondly, we also find the form “lo + de + substantive” which refers, in this case, to a subject/theme:

• Ahora, he entendido lo del curso. (Now I have understood the subject/theme of the course)

This form can also refer to a house:

• He pasado todo el fin de semana en lo de mi amigo. (I spent the whole weekend at my friend’s house)

Secondly, the form “lo + más + adjective” or “lo + mejor/peor/único/principal” also exists and has an absolute superlative value:

• Lo peor es cambiar de actitud únicamente para plaer a la gente. (The worst thing is to change your attitude just to please the people)

Finally, “de + lo + más + adjective/adverb” is also used. This form intensifies the meaning of the sentence. In other words, this form can be associated with “muy + adjective/adverb”:

• Mi trabajo es de lo más duro. (My work is very hard)

Finally, the neutral article “lo” is used in different ways and the meaning changes depending on the form of its use.

👉 Practice! 

👉 Next lesson: Auxiliary verbs (Haber, Ser, Estar)

👉 Previous lesson: Indefinite articles