When not accompanied by a definite article, Spanish nouns are often preceded by an indefinite article.

The indefinite article is used to refer to a non-specific object, place or person.

The 4 forms of indefinite article that exist in Spanish are: un, una, unos and unas.

How can I avoid making a mistake? You just need to know these few essential rules.

Gender of nouns and indefinite articles

To know which indefinite article will be used, it is essential to start by finding out the gender of the words. To do this, you will have to learn them by heart!

• un mar, un diente, una mañana, una cama…

Check the lesson about genders of nouns

Know how to use the indefinite singular article

Un : the masculine singular article

To know if a word is masculine, it is possible to rely on the ending of the word.

If the word ends with an “o”, “or” or “aje”, it is probably masculine. In this case, the indefinite article to be used before this noun will be “un”:

• Quiero un perro negro = I want a black dog
• Voy a elegir un color para mi casa = I will choose a color for my house

Be carfeul! There are some exceptions related to word endings. Indeed, some words ending with “o” are feminine, like mano, radio or moto. Words ending in “or” are also feminine: flor, labor, etc.

Una : the feminine singular article

There is a wider variety of endings for feminine words.

Although most end with the sound “a”, others end in “z”, “ción”, “sión”, “umbre”, “triz”, “cis”, “tad” and “dad”.

In all these cases, the indefinite article to choose if the noun does not designate something specific is “una”:

• Estoy haciendo una mesa = I am making a table
• España es una nación fuerte = Spain is a strong nation
• Tiene una cicatriz en la cara = He has a scar on his face
• El mundo vive una crisis económica = The world is in an economic crisis

Exceptions for endings also exist in the feminine. For example, the words corazón, día, planeta or mapa are masculine.

Omission of the indefinite singular article

The indefinite article can be omitted before a manner complement and before the words “tal”, “igual”, “cierto”, “tanto”, “otro” and “medio” :

• Hoy lo veo de otra forma = Today I see it in a different way (manner complement)
• Me habló con cierta alegría = He spoke to me with a certain joy
• Nunca había visto tal edificio = I had never seen such a building
• Voy a comprar medio kilo de pomelo = I’m going to buy half a kilo of grapefruit

Use the indefinite plural article

The Spanish plural indefinite article is mostly used to express a small indeterminate quantity, a pair or an approximation. As in English, it is not necessary to put it.

• Hay perros en la calle = There are dogs in the street
• Voy a leer libros en la bilblioteca = I go to the library to read books
• Tengo soluciones para tus problemas = I have solutions for your problems
• Compré manzanas en el mercado = I bought apples at the market

Unos : the masculine plural article

In Spanish, the plural indefinite article agrees with the gender of the noun. For a masculine plural noun, it is appropriate to use “unos”. The masculine takes precedence over the feminine.

Examples :

• Compré unos zapatos en el mercado = I bought some pairs of shoes at the market
• Voy a la biblioteca para leer unos libros = I go to the library to read some books
• Veo unos perros en la calle = There are some dogs in the street

Unas : the feminine plural article

The indefinite article “unas” is used for feminine plural nouns:

• Compré unas ropas nuevas = I bought some new clothes
• Voy a visitar unas casas = I’m going to visit some houses
• Necesitamos unas herramientas para trabajar = We need some tools to work with

👉 Practice! Check the exercise about Indefinite Articles

👉 Next lesson: The neutral article: lo

👉 Previous lesson: Definite articles

_

©Spanishfornoobs.com

In Spanish, nouns don’t like to be alone. They are always accompanied by an article that agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it refers.

The definite article is used when referring to a particular object, place or person. There are 4 main forms of the definite article: el, la, los and las.

How do you know which one to use? Here’s everything you need to know to avoid using the wrong definite article in your Spanish sentences.

Gender of Spanish words

Before using an article, make sure you know the gender of the word in Spanish.

Among the main differences between the two languages are:

• el coche (masculine) = the car (feminine)
• el mar (masculine) = the sea (feminine)
• el mapa (masculine) = the map (feminine)
• la nariz (feminine) = the nose (masculine)
• la sal (feminine) = the salt (masculine)
• la leche (feminine) = the milk (masculine)

Use of definite articles

El : the masculine singular article

All words ending with the “o” sound are masculine, with very few exceptions.

Words ending in “or”, except “flor”, are also masculine. “El” is the definite article to be used before a masculine singular noun:

• The black cat = El gato negro
• El rey de España =  The king of Spain

Be careful! The article “el” is also used before some feminine words in the singular for phonetic reasons.

Indeed, when a feminine word begins with the sound “a”, whether it is spelled “a” or “ha”, the article “el” must be used. This exception avoids a repetition of the “a” sound.

Examples :

• El agua está fría = The water is cold
• El hacha afilada = The axe is sharp

There are a few exceptions : la abuela, la avispa, etc.

La = the feminine singular article

All feminine words ending in “a” are feminine in Spanish.

There are a few well-known exceptions such as “el problema” or “el idioma”.

Nouns ending in “z”, “ción”, “sión”, “tad” and “dad” are generally feminine. The definite article to be used before a feminine singular word is “la”:

• La silla de madera = The wooden chair
• La madre de mi amigo = My friend’s mother
• La fidelidad es una cualidad importante = Loyalty is an important quality
• No encuentro la solución = I can’t find the solution

Los = the masculine plural article

The article “los” is used before all Spanish masculine nouns when they are in the plural:

• Me gustan los animales = I love animals
• Los padres de mis amigos = My friends’ parents

In Spanish, the masculine gender prevails when pluralizing. However, the use of “los” has an even more global meaning.

Examples :

• Los niños juegan en el parque = Children are playing in the park
• Los hermanos de mi amigo son mayores que el = My friend’s brothers and sisters are older than him

Las = the feminine plural article

In Spanish, feminine nouns have their own definite article: las.

Even feminine nouns that take the masculine article “el” in the singular for phonetic reasons, find the feminine article when they become plural.

• Las aguas son profundas = The waters are deep
• Me gustan las canciones de amor = I like love songs

Contraction and omission of the definite article

The masculine definite article “el” contracts when used after “a” or “de”:

• A + el = AL : Voy al ciné = I go to the cinema
• De + el = Del : Vengo del mar = I come from the sea

It is sometimes necessary to omit the definite article:

• Before the names of countries : El año próximo, visitaremos Francia = Next year, we will visit France
• Before the words casa, caza, pesca, misa, palacio, when used as a complement of place : Voy a casa = I’m going home
• Before the names of school subjects : Estudio inglés = I am learning English
• In some expressions to know : Tengo tiempo = I have time

👉 Practice – Exercise on definite articles

👉 Next lesson: Indefinite articles

👉 Previous lesson: Countable and uncountable nouns

_

©Spanishfornoobs.com

Countable nouns

Countable nouns can be used in singular or plural form. Many everyday objects are countable:

• una manzana, dos manzanas, varias manzanas, pocas manzanas
  one apple, two apples, several apples, few apples ;
• un teléfono, tres teléfonos, muchos teléfonos, el teléfono
  one phone, three phones, many phones, the phone.

In a sentence, they are always preceded by a definite or indefinite article, a number, a demonstrative or quantity adjective.

• Las manzanas caen de los árboles.
  Apples fall from trees.
• Los pájaros huyen volando por culpa de la gata.
  The birds fly away because of the cat.
• Unos pájaros huyen volando por culpa de esa gata.
  Some birds fly away because of the cat.
• Un árbol se cayó encima de la casa.
  A tree fell on the house.
• Varios árboles se cayeron encima de esta casa.
  Several trees fell on this house.

Uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are usually used in the singular. They designate ideas, abstract notions or substances. If they follow a verb in a sentence and are its direct complement, they are usually not preceded by an article.

• Tengo sed, dame agua.
  I am thirsty, give me water.
• La vida requiere paciencia y coraje.
  Life requires patience and courage.
• Queda vino en la botella.
  There is still wine in the bottle.

They can be preceded by a demonstrative or quantity adjective that brings precision.

• Tengo mucha sed, dame de esta agua.
  I am very thirsty, give me this water.
• La vida requiere bastante paciencia y abnegación.
  Life requires a lot of patience and self-sacrifice.
• Queda poco vino en la botella.
  There is not much wine left in the bottle.

When they are the subject of a sentence, uncountable verbs are preceded by a definite article in the absence of a more precise qualification. This is particularly the case with very common verbs of appreciation like gustar, encantar.

• Me gusta la música. I like music.
• Me encanta la sopa. I love soup.
• No me disgusta el café. I don’t mind coffee.

When they are the object of certain verbs like apreciar, odiar, ignorar, often with the expression of an appreciation, the uncountable ones are preceded by a definite article for lack of more precise qualification.

• Aprecio el valor de los combatientes. I appreciate the courage of the fighters.
• Odia la sopa. He hates soup.
• Ignoramos el miedo. We ignore fear.
• Buscamos la virtud. We seek virtue.

Some uncountable nouns are only used in the plural.

• Tengo agujetas.
  I have aches and pains.
• Lo que le conté hizo añicos su mundo.
  What I told him reduced his world to rubble.
• ¡No me hagas cosquillas!.
  Don’t tickle me!
• El camión lleva comestibles.
  The truck is carrying foodstuffs.
• Dicen que estás en serios apuros.
  They say you are in serious trouble.
• La gente siente muchos celos.
  People are very jealous.

The expression of the presence or absence of an uncountable quantity is very simple.

• Hay agua en el rio. There is water in the river.
• No hay agua en el rio. There is no water in the river.

Expression of countable and uncountable quantity

Todo, la mitad are used exclusively with uncountable nouns:

• la mitad del agua,  half of the water ;
• toda la harina,  all the flour.

Entero, medio are used exclusively with countable nouns:

• la media botella, half of the bottle;
• el pueblo entero, the whole village.

Poco, mucho, varios are used indifferently with countable or uncountable nouns:

• poca gente, few people;
• pocos cuartos libres, few free rooms;
• muchos celos, a lot of jealousy;
• muchos escombros, a lot of waste ;
• varios comestibles, several foodstuffs;
• varias botellas, several bottles.

Countable use of an uncountable noun

An uncountable noun can, in some cases, be used in a countable and quantifiable way. In this case, a quantity adjective is often used.

• Navega entre dos aguas.
  He navigates between two waters.
• ¡Dos cafés con leche y tres cervezas por favor!
  Two coffees with milk and three beers please!
• Esta playa tiene una arena preciosa.
  This beach has beautiful sand.

Uncountable use of a countable noun

A countable noun can, in some cases, be used in an uncountable way, without article.

• Me gusta la pasta con tomate.
  I like pasta with tomato (meaning tomato sauce).

Although there are many similarities with English, it is clear that many common constructions and expressions are unique to Spanish.

👉 Next lesson: Definite articles

👉 Previous lesson: Compound nouns & words

_

©Spanishfornoobs.com

A compound noun is a word formed from at least two other words. They are very common in the Spanish language. They allow you to create new nouns to express an idea while using words that already exist.

In many ways, the formation of compound nouns in Spanish is similar to that of English. However, it’s best to know the specifics of this type of word to make sure you’re using them correctly.

Characteristics of compound nouns in Spanish

In Spanish, compound nouns are always written as one word (without hyphens). The vast majority are in the masculine form, even if one of the nouns that form it is feminine.

If this compound noun refers to a person or an occupation, it will have the same masculine and feminine form.

• Un paraguas = An umbrella
• El bienestar = Wellness
• Un guardaespaldas / Una guardaespaldas = A bodyguard

Formation of compound nouns

To form a compound noun in Spanish, it is possible to assemble different types of words. However, the majority of compound words are created by combining a verb and a common noun to designate a specific object.

Verb + common noun

In order to create this type of compound word, all you have to do is combine a third person singular verb in the present indicative with a common noun written in the plural. This is why compound words always end with an “s”, even when they are in the singular. This kind of compound word is often used to designate an object that has a specific use or a profession.

• Guardar (keep/protect) + barro (mud) = Un guardabarros (a mudguard)
• Parar (Stop) + rayo (lightning) = Un pararrayos (a lightning rod)
• Romper (Break) + cabeza (head) = Un rombecabezas (a puzzle)

However, there are some exceptions of compound nouns that do not end with an “s”.

• Parar (Stop) + sol (sun) = Un parasol (an umbrella)
• Pasar (Pass) + tiempo (time) = Un pasatiempo (a hobby)

Adjective + noun

Some compound nouns are composed of an adjective and a noun. The adjective can be placed before the noun or after it. It agrees with the noun with which it forms the compound word.

Example :

• Cara (face) + dura (hard) = Caradura (stubborn)
• Alta (high) + voz (voice) = Altavoz (speaker)

Other forms

Many other kinds of words can be used to form a compound noun: adverbs, suffixes, prefixes, etc.

• Prefix + noun : Anti + terrorista (terrorist) = Antiterrorista (anti-terrorist)
• Adverb + noun : Mal (bad) + humor (mood) = Malhumor (bad mood)
• Adjective + adjective : Mal (mal) + educado (educated) = Maleducado (rude, unmannerly)
• Noun + noun : Medio (middle) + día (day) = Mediodía (noon)

List of compound nouns in Spanish

It is impossible to make an exhaustive list of Spanish compound nouns. The most common of them are the following:

• Un abrelatas = A can opener
• Los anteojos = A pair of glasses
• Un ciempiés = A centipede
• Un cumpleaños = A birthday 
• Un guardarropas = A closet
• Un lavacoches = A car wash
• Un lavaplatos = A dishwasher
• Un limpiaparabrisas = A windshield wiper
• Un matafuegos = A fire extinguisher
• El mediodía = Noon
• La medianoche = Midnight
• Un paracaídas = A parachute
• Un parachoques = A bumper
• Un paraguas = An umbrella
• Un pararrayos = A lightning rod
• Un parasol = A parasol
• Un pasatiempo = A hobby
• Un rascacielos = A skyscraper
• Un rompecabezas = A puzzle
• Un salvavidas = A life jacket
• Una telaraña = A spider’s web

👉 Practice! Exercise on Compound Nouns

👉 Next lesson: Countable and uncountable nouns

👉 Previous lesson: Plural of nouns

_

©Spanishfornoobs.com

Gender according to the ending

Endings in -o and -a

As a general rule, words ending in -o are masculine, those ending in -a are feminine:

• un proyecto, a project ;
• una prueba, a proof.

For many animate beings, a simple change in the ending -o or -a changes the gender:

• el hermano, el abuelo, el gato, el perro
  the brother, the grandfather, the cat, the dog ;
• la hermana, la abuela, la gata, la perra
  the sister, the grandmother, the cat, the dog.

There are many exceptions to this simple rule. The following words end in -a, but are masculine:

• el clima, el sofá, el día, el problema, el mapa
  the climate, the sofa, the day, the problem, the map.

Conversely, the following words end in -o, but are feminine:

• la mano, la foto, la radio
  the hand, the photo, the radio.

Nouns in -ista are always masculine:

• el recepcionista, el comunista, el turista
  the receptionist, the communist, the tourist.

Other terminations

As a general rule, the endings -n, -or, -ar, -er, -aje, -te, -y, -che, -l, -ambre are masculine:

• el origen, el motor, el malestar, el taller, el aprendizaje, el aguacate, el rey, el coche, el papel, el hambre, el calambre
  the origin, the engine, the discomfort, the workshop, the learning, the lawyer, the king, the car, the paper, the hunger, the cramp.

There are many exceptions, for example:

• la orden, la imagen, la flor, la noche, la piel, la miel
  the order, the image, the flower, the photo, the night, the skin, the honey.

As a general rule, the endings -ia, -ie, -d, -z, -eza, -is, -umbre, -ón are feminine:

• la paciencia, la serie, la seriedad, la escasez, la limpieza, la crisis, la certidumbre, la razón
  patience, series, gravity, rarity, cleanliness, crisis, certainty, reason.

Here too there are exceptions, for example:

• el lápiz, el ataúd, el camión, el corazón
  the pencil, the coffin, the truck, the heart.

Words that are both masculine and feminine

The following words may be used in either the masculine or feminine form while retaining their meaning:

• el análisis – la análisis, analysis ;
• el tizne – la tizne, the dirt ;
• el trípode – la trípode, the tripod ;
• el apóstrofe – la apóstrofe, the apostrophe ;
• el margen – la margen, the margin ;
• el mimbre – la mimbre, the wicker ;
• el sauna – la sauna, the sauna;
• el vodka – la vodka, the vodka.

The following words can be used in the masculine or feminine form, but their meaning changes with gender:

• el linde – la linde, the border – the edge;
• el corte – la corte, the cut – the court;
• el frente – la frente, the front (military) – the front (of the face);
• el capital – la capital, the capital (money) – the capital (city);
• el editorial – la editorial, the editorial – the publisher.

To conclude, some examples of nouns

Only an effort of memory coupled with practice can completely avoid gender errors.

• el origen, el método, el color, el hambre, el minuto, el segundo, el diente, el planeta, el error, el estudio, el video, el permiso, el olor, el peluche, el fin, el espárrago, el equipo
  the origin, the method, the color, the hunger, the minute, the second, the tooth, the planet, the mistake, the video, the permission, the smell, the lint, the end, the asparagus, the team.
• la orden, la miel, la leche, la sal, la mañana, la duda, la sangre, la cama, la serpiente
  order, honey, milk, salt, morning, doubt, blood, bed, serpent.

👉 Practice online! Exercise about genders of nouns

👉 Next lesson: Plural of nouns

👉 Previous lesson: Dipthongs, accents and word stress

_

©Spanishfornoobs.com

In Spanish, every word with more than one syllable has a syllable whose vowel is pronounced with more intensity.

This is the tonic accent. This indicates a syllable to be stressed when pronouncing the word. A word is thus composed of tonic syllables (silabas tónicas) and atonic syllables (silabas atonas).

Example : mun-do (world), ve-ra-no (summer), i-ma-gen (picture)

The tonic accent is not always written but when it is, it is always placed on a vowel: á, é, í, ó, ú.

I. The oral accent

The prosodic accent, also called phonetic accent, is an accent that is not written but pronounced.

* For words ending in a vowel, N or S, the tonic accent is on the penultimate syllable of the word.

This is called palabras llanas or palabras graves.

Example : FRANCESA (French), LUNES (Monday) ==> The syllables are pronounced more strongly in –CE (in Francesa) and –LU (in Lunes).

* For words ending in a consonant or Y, the tonic accent is on the last syllable of the word. We speak of palabras agudas.

Example: LIBERTAD (Freedom), ANIMAL (Animal) ==> The syllables -TAD (from Libertad) and -MAL (from Animal) are pronounced more strongly.

* Words with irregular tonal stress (i.e., those that do not meet both of the above rules) carry a written accent; thus marking the syllable that must be stressed.

Example : Sábado (Saturday), Doméstico (Domestic), Acción (action), café (coffee), etc.

CAUTION: When the number of syllables in a word is changed, for example from singular to plural, the written accent may appear or disappear.

But it always remains on the same syllable.

Example: Francés ==> Francesa, Portugués ==> Portuguesa, Examen ==> Exámenes.

There are only 3 exceptions in the Spanish language:

• Carácter ==> Caracteres
• Régimen ==> Regímenes
• Espécimen ==> Especímenes (In these situations, the accent changes syllable depending on whether the word is singular or plural).

* Adverbs formed with the suffix -mente (fácilmente, desgraciadamente, etc.) have a particularity. They keep the written accent of the adjective and have two accented syllables:

Example :Fácil ==> Fácilmente, Rápido ==> Rápidamente, Claro ==> Claramente

II. The written accent

The grammatical accent is always on the normally stressed syllable. It distinguishes two words with similar pronunciation BUT different grammatical function. To put it simply, these are words that change their meaning if they have an accent.

In short, the grammatical accent is used to distinguish homonyms.

Example :
– Solo (Alone) ==> adjective / Sólo (only) ==> adverb
– Este (this) ==> Demonstrative adjective / Éste (this one) ==> Demonstrative pronoun
– Tu (your) ==> Possessive adjective / Tú (you) ==> Personal pronoun
– Aun (even) / Aún (again)

N.B : the emphasis is always on interrogative and exclamatory words.

Example : Cómo, Quién, Qué, Cuántos, etc.

III. The umlaut and the tilde

* The umlautis rarely used in Spanish. It is placed on the vowel -u; between the letter G and the vowels E or I.

Example : antigüedad (antiquity), agüero (oracle), bilingüe (bilingual)

* The tilde is the “little wave” present on the letter Ñ, its pronunciation is ny/ni (as in the words canyon, onion etc)

IV. Diphthongs

A syllable formed by two vowels that are pronounced at the same time is called a diphthong.

When the syllable is located at the end of the word, the rule of “palabras llanas” is followed: the tonic syllable will be on the penultimate syllable.

Example : Notario (Notary), Serie (Series), Serio (Serious) ==> The diphthongs are located at the end of the word and keep the tonic accent on the penultimate syllable.

On the other hand, if the tonic syllable is itself a diphthong, then the stress varies according to the nature of the vowels that make up the diphthong.

The strong vowels are: a, e and o while the weak vowels are: u and i.

The following combinations of vowels are obtained:

* STRONG + WEAK = tonic accent on the first vowel

Example : Reina (Queen), Causa (Cause) ==> Here, the emphasis is on the -e of reina and the -a of causa.

*WEAK +STRONG = tonic accent on the second vowel

Example : Piojo (Lice), Suegra (Mother-in-law) ==> Here the emphasis is on the -o of piojo and the -e of suegra.

* WEAK + WEAK = tonic accent on the second vowel

Example : Ruina (Ruin), Vuida (Widow) ==> Here, the emphasis is on the -i in both cases

* STRONG +STRONG = Two strong vowels never form a diphthong, each one represents a distinct syllable, and we then refer to the general rule of accentuation.

Example :

– Cacao ==> Caca/o ==> The accent is on the -a of the penultimate syllable.
– Poema ==> Poe/ma ==> The accent is on the -e on the penultimate syllable.

_

©Spanishfornoobs.com

* Rule 2: the word ends with a vowel or the letters N or S

In this case, the accent is placed on the second last syllable of the word.

Examples :

– La crisis==> The crisis
– Una Patata ==> A potato
– Hola ==> Hello
– Un hombre ==> A man
– El agua ==> The water

* Rule 3: the word ends with a consonant or the letter Y

In this case, the last syllable of the word is stressed.

Examples:

– El reloj==> The watch
– La pared ==> The wall
– El color ==> The color
– La juventud==> The youth

Generalities and special cases

* Generally the accent of a noun, pronoun or adjective is always on the same syllable, whether it is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

Examples:

– Francés ==> Francesa
– Portugués ==> Portuguesa
– Fácil ==> Fáciles
– Pared ==> Paredes

However, there are exceptions where this rule does not apply:

Examples:

– Carácter = Caracteres
– Régimen = Regímenes
– Espécimen = Especímenes

Notes:

* Words ending in -mente (tranquilamente, suavemente, fácilmente, rápidamente, etc.) have 2 tonic syllables.

Here, the tonic syllable of the adjective is kept and the second tonic syllable is added to the ending -mente.

* The diacritical accent: the diacritical accent (acento diacrítico) is used to distinguish monosyllabic words that are written in the same way but do not have the same meaning.

Examples:

– Té (Tea) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> Te (pronoun)
– De (preposition) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> Dé (verb Dar)
– Se (personnal pronoun) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> Sé (verb Saber)

2. PUNCTUATION MARKS

– El punto ==> dot
– La coma ==> comma
– Punto y coma ==> semicolon
– Los dos puntos ==> colon
– Las comillas ==> quotation marks
– El signo de interrogación ==> question mark
– El signo de exclamación ==> exclamation mark
– Las parentésis ==> parentheses
– El guión ==> dash/hyphen

_

©Spanishfornoobs.com

Here are the 27 letters of the Spanish alphabet and their pronunciation:

A ==> [a]
B ==> [be]
C ==> [ce]
D ==> [de]
E ==> [e]
F ==> [efe]
G ==> [ge]
H ==> [hache]
I ==> [i]
J ==> [jota]
K ==> [ka]
L ==> [ele]
M ==> [eme]
N ==> [ene]
Ñ ==> [eñe]
O ==> [o]
P ==> [pe]
Q ==> [cu]
R ==> [ere]
S ==> [ese]
T ==> [te]
U ==>[u]
V ==> [uve]
W ==> [uve doble]
X ==> [equis]
Y ==> [i griega]
Z ==> [zeta]

Before the 2010 reform of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, there were even 29! Since then, the letters CH and LL (formerly considered as such) are no longer included.

I. Combinations of letters

The consonant combinations –RH, –PH, or –TH that can be found in English do not exist in Spanish. They are replaced by the letters F, R, or T.

Example : Rhetoric ==> Retórica, Photon ==> Fotón, Thorax ==> Tórax

II. The doubling of consonants

The only consonants that can be doubled in Spanish are those contained in the name CAROLINA, that is to say the letters C, R, L, and N.

The other consonants NEVER double.

Example : perruno (canin), llamar (appeler), innovador (inovateur), accidente (accident).

III. Acronyms

When pluralized, the letters that make up the Spanish acronyms are doubled.

Example :

* United States ==> U.S.A (acronym in English) ==> Estados-Unidos ==> EE.UU (acronym in Spanish)

* Olympic Games ==> O.G. (acronym in English) ==> Juegos Olympicos ==> JJ.OO (acronym in Spanish).

IV. Punctuation

The Spanish and English punctuation rules are identical, with the exception of the question mark and exclamation mark. In fact, in Spanish, the double punctuation rule is applied.

Thus, for a question or an exclamation, the Spanish sentence – in addition to the period – BEGINS with a question mark or an inverted exclamation mark (also called a tumble mark).

Example :

Do you speak Italian? ==> ¿Hablas italiano?
It is very late! ==> ¡ Es muy tarde !

There are three ways to express “there is” in Spanish: “Hay“, “Está” or “Hace“. Let’s see in which contexts we use the different forms.

Use of « Hay »

« Hay » est la forme impersonnelle du verbe « haber ». On l’emploie pour traduire « il y a » lorsque l’on veut désigner l’existence de quelque chose ou de quelqu’un.

Singular affirmative form

When referring to a generalization, the noun is placed directly after “hay“.

Hay + singular noun :

• Hay gente mala en el mundo. (There are bad people in the world.)

When referring to something specific, an article, pronoun or determiner is used before the noun.

Hay + indefinite article un/una + singular noun :

• Hay un perro en el jardin. (There is a dog in the garden.)

Hay + indefinite pronoun otro/otra + singular noun :

• Hay otro camino para ir a casa. (There is another way to go to the house.)

Hay + determiner algun/alguno/alguna + singular noun :

• Hay alguna semejanza entre tu y yo. (There is a similarity between you and me.)

“Hay” is the impersonal form of the verb “haber”. It is used to translate “there is” when one wants to designate the existence of something or someone.

Negative singular form

Here again, if we are talking about something general, we place the noun directly after « No hay ».

No hay + singular noun :

• No hay mal que por bien no venga. (To every misfortune, something good.)

As for the affirmative form, to evoke something specific, an article, adjective or pronoun is used before the noun.

No hay + indefinite adjective un/una + singular noun :

• No hay un lugar màs alto en esta ciudad. (There is no higher place in this town.)

No hay + indefinite adjective ningun/ninguno/ninguna + singular noun :

• No hay ningún problema. (There are no problems.)

No hay + indefinite adjective otra/otro :

• No hay otra opción. (There is no other option.)

No hay + por qué/de qué + infinitive verb:

• No hay por qué enfadarse. (There is nothing to get angry about.)
• No hay de qué preocuparse. (There is nothing to worry about.)

No hay + nadie / quien :

• No hay nadie màs. (There is no one else.)
• No hay quien pueda reemplazarme. (There is no one to replace me.)

Affirmative plural form

The rule is the same as for the singular, to evoke a generalization we place the noun directly after “Hay“.

Hay + plural noun :

• Hay estrellas en el cielo. (There are stars in the sky.)

On the other hand, to designate something specific, an article, pronoun or adjective is placed after “Hay“.

Hay + indefinite article unos/unas + plural noun :

• Hay unas cosas que no te he dicho aun. (There are things I haven’t told you yet.).

Hay + indefinite pronoun otros/otras + plural noun :

• Hay otras galaxias. (There are other galaxies.)

Hay + determiner algunos/algunas + plural noun :

• Hay algunos gases que contribuyen al fenómeno del efecto invernadero. (There are certain gases that contribute to the phenomenon of global warming.)

Negative plural form

No hay + plural noun :

• No hay motivos para estar triste. (There is no reason to be sad.)

No hay + indefinite pronoun otros/otras + plural noun:

• No hay otras formas de resolver este problema. (There is no other way to solve this problem.)

Interrogative form

Que hay + Circumstantial Complement of Place:

• Que hay en esta caja ? (What’s in this box?)

Que hay + para/que + infinitive verb :

• Que hay para comer hoy? (What is there to eat today?)
• Que hay que ver en Paris? (What is there to see in Paris?)

Hay to express a quantity

• Hay 20 alumnos en esta clase. (There are 20 students in this class.)
• Hay 2 porcientos de alcohol en esta bebida. (There is 2% alcohol in this drink.)

Hay to talk about the weather

• Hoy hay nieve. (Today there is snow.)

Use of « Está »

Está is used to translate “there is” when you want to locate an object or someone in space.

Singular form

Está + Direct Object Complement.

• En esta calle, està la panadería de la que te hablé. (In this street, there is the bakery I told you about.)

Plural form

Están + Direct Object Complement

• En este museo, estàn las obras màs famosas de Picasso. (In this museum, there are Picasso’s most famous works.)

👉 Next lesson: Apocope / Apocopation

👈 Previous lesson: To have: Tener vs Haber

_

 ©Spanishfornoobs.com