Category: Spanish Grammar

The Imperative in Spanish (Affirmative Form)

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👉 Spanish Imperative (Affirmative Form)

– Spanish Grammar Basics for Beginners –

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The imperative is used to express an order, an advice or a suggestion. Therefore, as in English, the 2nd person singular “tú” and the 2nd person plural “vosotros” are mainly used.

Examples :

  • (tú) Haz tus tareas. (Do your homework).
  • (vosotros) Preparad la comida. (Prepare some food).

We can also use the 1st person plural “nosotros” in some cases.

Example :

  • (nosotros) ¡Vayamos a bailar! (Let’s dance!)

In Spanish, the third person singular “usted” is used when addressing one person politely and the third person plural “ustedes” when addressing several people.

The use of “usted” and “ustedes” is very common in South American countries.

Examples :

  • (usted) Tomese un asiento. (Sit down.)
  • (ustedes) !Chicos, vengan conmigo! (Boys, come with me!)

Formation of the affirmative imperative for regular verbs

Regular verbs in AR :

For regular verbs in -AR, with “tú” we write the verb conjugated in the third person of the present indicative, that is to say that the verbs end in “a“.

With “Usted“, “ustedes” and “nosotros” we write the verb conjugated in the present subjunctive, that is to say, putting an “e” instead of the “a“: -e / -emos.

There is a special case of “Vosotros” which is proper to the imperative. The 2nd person plural is conjugated using “ad“.

Examples :

BAILAR (dance)

(tù) baila
(usted) baile
(nosotros) bailemos
(vosotros) bailad
(ustedes) bailen

  • Baila conmigo. (Dance with me.)
  • Bailemos al ritmo de la canción. (Let’s dance to the rhythm of the song).

Regular verbs in -ER :

For the regular verbs in -ER, again with “tú” we write the verb conjugated in the third person of the present indicative, that is, the verbs end in “e”.

With “Usted“, “ustedes” and “nosotros” we write the verb conjugated in the present subjunctive, that is to say, putting an “a” in place of the “e“: -a /-amos.

For “vosotros” we conjugate the verb using “ed“.

Example :

COMER (eat)

(tú) come
(usted) coma
(nosotros) comamos
(vosotros) comed
(ustedes) coman

  • Come tu sopa. (Eat your soup)
  • ¡Comamos al restaurante! (Let’s eat at the restaurant!)

Regular verbs in -IR

For regular verbs in -IR, as for verbs in -AR and -ER, with “tú” we write the verb conjugated in the third person of the present indicative, i.e. the verbs end in “e“.

With “usted“, “ustedes” and “nosotros” we write the verb conjugated in the present subjunctive, i.e. putting an “a” instead of the “e“: -a / -amos.

In the case of “vosotros” we conjugate the verb using “id“.

Example :

ABRIR (open)

(tú) abre
(usted) abra
(nosotros) abramos
(vosotros) abrid
(ustedes) abran

  • Abre la puerta. (Open the door.)
  • Abrid su libro de inglés a la página 10. (Open your English book to page 10).

Formation of the affirmative imperative for irregular verbs

Spanish has its share of irregular verbs. We will mention the main ones. Note that “usted“, “nosotros” and “ustedes” are conjugated as in the present subjunctive and that “vosotros” is never irregular.

HACER (Do)

(tú) haz
(usted) haga
(nosotros) hagamos
(vosotros) haced
(ustedes) hagan

  • Haz lo que te digo. (Do as I say).
  • ¡Hagamos la fiesta! (Let’s have a party!)

PONER (put)

(tú) pon
(usted) ponga
(nosotros) pongamos
(vosotros) poned
(ustedes) pongan

  • Poned la mesa. (Set the table).
  • Pon tu ropa sucia en el baño. (Put your dirty laundry in the bathroom).

SER (be)

(tú) sé
(usted) sea
(nosotros) seamos
(vosotros) sed
(ustedes) sean

  • Sé valiente.(Be brave).
  • Seamos humildes. (Let’s be humble).

IR (Go)

(tú) ve
(usted) vaya
(nosotros) vayamos
(vosotros) id
(ustedes) vayan

  • Ahora vayamos al grano. (Now let’s get back to the point).

TENER (Hold)

(tú) ten
(usted) tenga
(nosotros) tengamos
(vosotros) tenid
(ustedes) tengan

  • Ten cuidado. (Be careful.)
  • Por favor, tenga en cuenta que necesitamos 5 días hábiles para hacer su vestido. (Please note that it takes us 5 business days to make your dress.)

VENIR (Come)

(tú) Ven
(usted) Venga
(nosotros) Vengamos
(vosotros) Venid
(ustedes) Vengan

  • Ven aquí. (Come here.)
  • Vengan conmigo por favor. (Please come with me).

SALIR (go out)

(tú) Sal
(usted) Salga
(nosotros) Salgamos
(vosotros) Salid
(ustedes) Salgan

  • Sal conmigo esta noche. (Go out with me tonight).
  • ¡Salgan de mi casa! (Get out of my house).

DECIR (Tell)

(tú) Di
(usted) Diga
(nosotros) Digamos
(vosotros) Decid
(ustedes) Digan

  • Dime la verdad. (Tell me the truth).
  • Digamos solo que tenemos amigos en común. (Let’s just say we have friends in common).

Pronominal verbs in the imperative

For the pronominal verbs conjugated in the imperative in Spanish, they are linked to a reflexive pronoun. The conjugation rule is the same as for regular verbs except for “vosotros” where the “d” is removed.

Let’s see some examples:

Regular pronominal verbs

ESFORZARSE (make an effort)

(tú) Esfuérzate
(usted) Esfuércese
(nosotros) Esforcémonos
(vosotros) Esforzaos
(ustedes) Esfuércense

  • Esfuércese por tener una diete equilibrada. (Try to eat a balanced diet).
  • Esforzaos en ser màs responsables. (Do everything you can to be more responsible).

VOLVERSE (turn around/go back)

(tú) Vuélvete
(usted) Vuelváse
(nosotros) volvamonos
(vosotros) volveos
(ustedes) vuélvanse

  • Vuélvete a dormir. (Go back to sleep).
  • Vuélvanse hacia acá por favor. (Please turn to me).

ABRIRSE (Open)

(tú) ábrete
(usted) ábrase
(nosotros) abrámonos
(vosotros) abríos
(ustedes) ábranse

  • Ábrete sésamo. (Open Sesame)
  • Ábranse a Dios. (Open yourselves to God).

Irregular pronominal verbs

IRSE (leave/go)

(tú) vete
(usted) vayáse
(nosotros) vayámonos
(vosotros) idos
(ustedes) váyanse

  • ¡Vayámonos! (Let’s go!)
  • Váyanse de mi casa. (Get out of my house)
  • Vete a comprar pan. (Go buy some bread)

PONERSE (to put on/become)

(tú) ponte
(usted) pongase
(nosotros) pongámonos
(vosotros) pongaos
(ustedes) poneos

  • Ponte esa falda. (Put on this skirt).
  • Poneos tapones si hay demasiado ruido. (Put earplugs in if it’s too loud.)
  • Ponte guapa esta noche.(Make yourself beautiful tonight.)
  • Vamos, ponte serio. (Come on, be serious.)

👉 Practice now! Imperative in Spanish (Affirmative Form) – Exercice

👉 Next lesson: Imperative (negative form)

👉 Previous lesson: Verbs like Gustar

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Qualifying Adjectives in Spanish

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👉 Spanish Qualifying Adjectives

– Spanish Grammar Basics for Beginners –

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What is a qualifying adjective?

In both English and Spanish, adjectives indicate the properties of a noun.

They define how something or someone is. They describe several types of characteristics:

  • a quality (for example: una ciudad gris / a grey city; una playa privada / a private beach) ;
  • a local reference (for example: una isla mediterránea / a Mediterranean island);
  • a temporal reference (for example: un evento veraniego / a summer event);
  • a relationship (for example: la política marítima / the maritime policy).

Qualifying adjectives (“adjetivos calificativos” in Spanish) indicate the physical characteristics (size, color, etc.) and mental states (mood, personality, etc.) of a person or object.

Where to place the qualifying adjective in the Spanish sentence?

In the Spanish sentence the qualifying adjective is usually placed after the noun that it completes. When they are placed before the noun they can have a different meaning.

Adjectives placed before the noun

Placed before the noun, qualifying adjectives can be used to emphasize a quality. This order allows to express a personal and therefore subjective opinion. This order is generally used in literary texts.

  • Example : La bonita flor que adorna la mesa. The pretty flower that decorates the table.

Some qualifying adjectives change their meaning when placed before the noun.

Examples :

  • Mi amiga es una mujer grande. My friend is a tall woman.
  • Aquella reina fue una gran mujer. This queen was a great lady. 

Numeral adjectives

As a general rule, numeral adjectives are placed before the noun. They are sometimes found after the noun. When they are placed after the noun their meaning does not change.

Examples :

  • Ayer leí el primer capítulo del libro. Yesterday I read the first chapter of the book.
  • El capítulo primero trata de la Reconquista. The first chapter is about the Reconquest.

How do qualifying adjectives agree in Spanish?

In Spanish, qualifying adjectives agree in gender (feminine or masculine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they qualify.

Gender agreement

When an adjective qualifies a feminine noun, it agrees in the feminine.

Regular adjectives

Adjectives that end in “-o” in the masculine, change to “-a” when qualifying a feminine noun.

Examples :

  • Un libro blanco. A white book.
  • Una casa blanca. A white house.

Qualifying adjectives ending in a consonant

Adjectives ending with a consonant are invariable in gender. This means that they are written in the same way whatever the gender of the noun they qualify.

Examples :

  • Un chico inteligente. An intelligent boy.
  • Una chica inteligente. An intelligent girl.
Exceptions

Qualifying adjectives ending in “-or”, “-ol”, “-ón”, “-án”, “-ín” and “-és” (except for “cortés”) have a final “-a” added when they qualify a feminine noun.

Examples :

  • Jean es un nombre francés. Jean is a French name.
  • Josefina lee poesía española. Josefina reads Spanish poetry.
  • Martina no fue cortés contigo. Martina was not courteous to you.

Adjectives that end in « -e »

Qualifying adjectives ending in “-e” are invariable in gender.

Examples :

  • Un traje verde. A green suit.
  • Una chaqueta verde. A green jacket.

Agreement in number

When an adjective qualifies a noun in the plural it takes the plural mark.

Regular qualifying adjectives

In the feminine and masculine, the plural of qualifying adjectives is formed with the ending “-s”.

Examples :

  • Carlos cocina postres muy ricos. Carlos cooks very good desserts.
  • Juan escribe cartas románticas. Juan writes romantic letters.

Adjectives that end in a consonant, “- í” or “-ú”

When a qualifying adjective ends with a consonant, “- í” or “-ú”, add “-es” at the end of the word.

Examples :

  • Me gusta el vino francés. → Me gustan los vinos franceses. I like French wine. → I like French wines.
  • Me encanta la música hindú. → Me encantan las músicas hindúes. I love Hindu music. → I love Hindu musics.

Adjectives that end in “-z”

For qualifying adjectives that end in “-z”, the plural is constructed as “-ces”.

Example :

  • Juan es un niño feliz. → Juan y Roberto son niños felices. Juan est un enfant heureux. → Juan et Roberto sont des enfants heureux.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Adverbs of affirmation, negation and doubt

👉 Previous lesson: Possessive adjectives

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Spanish Possessive Adjectives

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👉 Possessive adjectives in Spanish

– Spanish Grammar Basics for Beginners –

 

When to use possessive adjectives?

Possessive adjectives are used to designate the relationship between the possessor and the object possessed.

How do possessive adjectives agree?

In Spanish possessive adjectives agree in gender (feminine or masculine), number (singular or plural) and person (depending on the relationship between the speaker, the possessed object and its owner) with the noun that follows.

Examples :

  • Nuestras tortas son deliciosas. Our pies are delicious.
  • Nuestros hijos son muy altos. Our children are very tall.

Where do possessive adjectives go in the sentence?

Possessive adjectives are placed before the noun. They can be separated from the object they refer to by a qualifying adjective.

Examples :

  • Te regalo mi vaso. I offer you my glass.
  • Te regalo mi gran vaso. I’m giving you my big glass.

What are the possessive adjectives in Spanish?

In the following table we have listed the different possessive adjectives in the Spanish language.

Masculine Feminine
Singular Mi Mi
Tu Tu
Su Su
Nuestro Nuestra
Vuestro Vuestra
Su Su
Plural Mis Mis
Tus Tus
Sus Sus
Nuestros Nuestras
Vuestros Vuestras
Sus Sus

Which possessive adjectives should be used in the case of polite and informal forms of address?

Note that English uses the same pronouns (you) and possessive adjectives (your, yours) for formal and informal forms of address.

In the example “Your father is Australian” we cannot know if the speaker is addressing one person, several people or several people.

On the other hand, this distinction is possible in Spanish thanks to the possessive adjectives “su”/”sus”. Su”/”sus” correspond to the third person singular and plural (in English “his”, “her”, “their”) as well as to “vous” (in English “your”, “yours”).

  • If the speaker is polite to one or more people, the possessive adjectives “su”/”sus” are used.
  • If the speaker wants to use the informal speech with several people, he will use the possessive adjectives “vuestro”/”vuestros” (male) or “vuestra”/”vuestras” (female).

Examples :

  • Su padre es Francés. Your father is French. -> formal address
  • Vuestro padre es Francés. Your father is French. -> informal address for several people

Is it necessary to put an accent (tilde) on “mi”?

Be careful not to confuse the possessive adjective “mi” (“my”) and the personal pronoun “mí” (“me”). Only the personal pronoun “mí” has an accent (tilde). This is what allows us not to confuse it with the possessive adjective.

Example :

  • A mí me encanta mi chaqueta. I love my jacket.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Qualifying adjectives

👉 Previous lesson: Demonstrative adjectives

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Spanish Demonstrative Adjectives (Este, Ese, Aquel…)

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👉 Demonstrative Adjectives in Spanish

– Spanish Grammar Basics for Beginners –

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What is a demonstrative adjective?

Demonstrative adjectives are used to designate things or people. In Spanish, demonstrative adjectives are placed before the noun they designate. They agree in number and gender with the designated object.

Examples :

  • Mi tío compró esta casa. My uncle bought this house.
  • ¿Me podrías pasar esos libros por favor? Could you please give me these books?
  • Aquellas chicas juegan football. These girls play soccer.

How are demonstrative adjectives classified in Spanish

In English there is only one type of demonstrative adjective (this/that/that/those), whereas in Spanish there are several.

In Spanish they vary according to the degree of distance in time and space between the person speaking (the speaker) and the things he/she is talking about (the designated object). They can therefore be associated with adverbs of place.

Demonstrative adjectives can be classified into three categories:

  • the speaker is close to the objects he/she is talking about;
  • the speaker is relatively close to the objects he/she is talking about;
  • the speaker is far from the objects he or she is talking about.

The three categories of demonstrative adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives close to the speaker

The demonstrative adjectives of the first category are used to designate an object close in time and/or space to the speaker.

The referent adverb of place is “aquí”/”acá” (here, very close).

As a rule, these adjectives are used in sentences constructed in the present tense.

Singular Plural
Masculine Este  Estos 
Feminine Esta  Estas 
Neutral Esto 

Examples :

  • Este perro es muy tierno. (This dog is very cute).
  • Estas hojas no son mías. (These leaves are not mine).

Demonstrative adjectives slightly distant from the speaker

The demonstrative adjectives of the second category are used to designate an object relatively close to the speaker.

They take us slightly away from the speaker but bring us closer to the interlocutor.

The referent adverb of place is “ahí” (there, not very far).

Singular Plural
Masculine Ese  Esos 
Féminine Esa  Esas 
Neutral Eso 

Examples :

  • Me encantan esos vestidos. I love these dresses.
  • Esas joyas son preciosas. These jewels are beautiful.

Placed after the noun the demonstrative adjective “ese” can induce a pejorative notion.

  • ¡Odio el libro ese! I hate this book!

Demonstrative adjectives far from the speaker

The demonstrative adjectives of the third category are used to designate an object or a person distant from the speaker in space and/or time.

The referent adverb of place is “allí”/”allá” (there, far away).

Singular Plural
Masculine Aquel  Aquellos 
Feminine Aquella  Aquellas 
Neutral Aquello  Aquellos 

Examples :

  • Aquella noche celebramos su titulación. That night we celebrated his graduation.
  • Aquellos niños son muy inquietos. These children are very restless.

The importance of conjugation with demonstrative adjectives

In Spanish, conjugation can be used to reinforce the notion of spatial and temporal distance of demonstrative adjectives.

Indeed, the past and future tenses support the notion of distance. In the sentence “Aquella noche celebramos su titulación”, the speaker understands that the action took place several weeks, months or years ago.

The near future tense allows the speaker to note a relatively close distance. By using it with demonstrative adjectives of the second category, the speaker marks a slight temporal distance.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Possessive adjectives

👉 Previous lesson: Indefinite adjectives (Alguno, Ninguno, Cada, Mismo…)

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Spanish Indefinite Adjectives

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👉 Spanish Indefinite Adjectives

– Spanish Grammar Basics for Beginners –

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Indefinite adjectives (determinantes indefinidos) are always placed directly before the noun they determine.
Indefinites are used as adjectives, pronouns or even adverbs. They express quantitative, qualitative, collective or distributive values.

I. Quantitative indefinite adjectives

* ALGUNO (Some)

Alguno cannot be used in a negative sentence after “sin” (without)

Like adjectives, ALGUNO agrees in gender and number with the noun it determines (except in the masculine singular): alguna (feminine singular), algunas (feminine plural), algunos (masculine plural).

Alguno s’apocope devant un nom masculin singulier, c’est-à-dire qu’il perd le –o final, devenant algún.

Alguno loses the final -o in front of a masculine singular noun, becoming algún.

Examples :

– Hace algún tiempo que ya no hace deporte ==> He hasn’t played sports for a while.
– He conocido algunas mujeres ==> I met some women.
– Algunos chicos me hablaron ==> A few men talked to me.

N.B : In a negative sentence, when ALGUN is placed after the noun, it is translated as “no”.

Example : No siente felicidad alguna ==> He feels no joy.

* NINGUNO (None)

This adjective is often used in a negative sentence after “sin” (without).

NINGUNO agrees in gender and number with the noun it determines (except in the masculine singular): ninguna (feminine singular), ningunas (feminine plural), ningunos (masculine plural).

Ninguno is apocopied before a masculine singular noun, before ningún.

Example :

– No hay ninguna solución ==> There is no solution.
– Ningún problema ==> No problem.
– Ninguno quiere frutas por aquí ==> No one wants fruit around here.

N.B: When NINGUNO is placed before the verb of a negative sentence, the negation “no” disappears:

– Ningún chico quiere seducirla ==> No boy wants to seduce her.

* CADA (Every)

CADA is an invariable indefinite adjective.

Used in structures like CADA UNO/CADA UNA, it can be translated as “Every(one)“.

Examples :

– Cada uno quiere estar en paz ==> Everyone wants to be at peace.
– Cada día, conduzco mis hijos a la escuela ==> Every day I take my children to school.

* TODO (All)

TODO agrees in gender and number with the noun it determines, it cannot be used with a numeral.

Example :

– Caminamos todo el día ==> We walked all day.
– Fueron contratados los dos ==> They were both hired.

(Note the absence of “todos” in the Spanish version, due to the presence of the numeral “dos”)

* DEMASIADO – BASTANTE – MUCHO & POCO

In Spanish, these words are adjectives or pronouns. Therefore, they agree in gender and number with the noun to which they are attached:

Poco/Poca/Pocos/Pocas ==> A little of…
Mucho/Mucha/Muchos/Muchas ==> A lot of…
Bastante / Bastantes ==> Enough…
Demasiado / Demasiada / Demasiados / Demasiadas ==> Too many…

Example :

– Hoy, hay poca gente en la calle ==> There are few people in the street today.
– He comido mucho chocolate ==> I ate a lot of chocolate.
– Tengo bastante dinero para cómprame un coche ==> I have enough money to buy a car.
– Hay demasiado ruido en este bar ==> There is too much noise in this bar.

II. Qualitative indefinite adjectives

* CUALQUIERA (Any)

Cualquiera agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it is attached and is apocopied in front of a masculine singular noun.

When used as a noun, cualquiera can be translated as “everyone”, “anyone” or “anybody”.

On the other hand, if it is placed before the noun (masculine or feminine), it changes to cualquier.

Example :

– Cualquier sitio me conviene ==> Any place is good for me.
– Cualquiera puede tener éxito trabajando duro ==> Anyone can be successful if they work hard.
– No es mujer cualquiera ==> It’s not just any woman.

* OTRO (Another)

The adjective OTRO has the specificity of always being used without an indefinite article.

It also agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it is attached.

Example :

– Quiero otra taza de café ==> I want another cup of coffee.
– Voy a tener otro pero ==> I’m going to get another dog.

* MISMO (Same/Himself-Herself)

MISMO agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it is attached.

This indefinite can be translated as “same” but also as the pronouns “himself”, “herself”, “themselves”.

Example :

– Nos entrevistamos con el comandante mismo ==> We had an interview with the commander himself (in person).
– Tienen los mismos pantalones ==> They have the same pants.
– Lo hizo el mismo ==> He made them himself.

* TAL – SEMEJANTE – IGUAL

These adjectives are never preceded by an indefinite article.

They are respectively translated as “such”, “similar” and “equal/identical”.

If followed by a proper noun or a first name, “Tal” can be translated by “a certain” or by the locution “in question”.

Example :

– Tal día como hoy empecé a trabajar ==> I started working on a day like this.
– El tal Juan se cree muy listo ==> The Juan in question thinks he is very intelligent.
– Su voz es semejante a la de su padre ==> His voice is similar to his father’s.
– Estos autos son aparentemente iguales ==> These cars are apparently identical.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Demonstrative adjectives

👉 Previous lesson: Reported speech

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Spanish Reported Speech

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👉 How to use reported / indirect speech in Spanish?

– Spanish Grammar Basics for Beginners –

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The indirect style is used to report someone’s words. As in English, we use a verb followed by a subordinate clause to introduce the person’s speech.

Construction of a sentence in indirect style

(Subject) + Verb + subordinate clause

Examples :

  • Mis amigas dicen que soy muy buena persona. (My friends say I am a good person).
  • Elena dice que lo siente mucho. (Elena says she is very sorry.)

Depending on the context, we will use either declarative verbs or verbs of opinion, wish, order, or prohibition.

Use of a declarative verb

If the verb used to introduce the speech is a declarative verb, we will use the indicative in the subordinate clause.

The most common declarative verbs in Spanish are : decir, contar, afirmar, explicar, declarar, exclamar.

Use of the verb “decir” in indirect style

Present tense:

– When the speech is reported in the present tense and the action is taking place as we speak:

Declarative verb (present tense) + subordinate proposition verb (present tense)

Example :

  • Pablo: “El gato está en el jardín”. (The cat is in the garden.)
  • Pablo dice dice el gato está en el jardín. (Pablo says the cat is in the garden.)

– When reporting speech in the present tense for an action that took place before the moment of speaking:

Declarative verb (present tense) + subordinate proposition verb (past simple/present perfect)

Example:

  • Miguel : “Mi hermano vino a casa esta mañana.”
  • Miguel dice que su hermano ha venido/vino a casa esta mañana.

Past tense

– When the speech is reported later and the action was taking place at the time the person was making the speech:

Declarative verb (past simple) + subordinate proposition verb (imperfect)

Example :

  • Pablo dijo que el gato estaba en el jardín. (Pablo said that the cat was in the garden.)

– When the speech is reported later and the action took place before the person was saying the speech:

Declarative verb (past simple) + subordinate proposition verb (more than perfect)

Example :

  • Miguel dijo que su hermano había venido a casa por la mañana.

Conditional:

In the case where the speech is reported later and the words were stated in the future tense:

Declarative verb (simple past tense) + subordinate proposition verb (conditional)

Example :

  • Pablo : « El gato estará en el jardín.” (The cat will be in the garden.)
  • Pablo dijo que el gato estaría en el jardín. (Pablo says that the cat will be in the garden.)

Use of the verb “declarar” in indirect style

Examples :

The suspect: “I have nothing to declare. “

  • El sospechoso declara que no tiene nada que esconder. (The suspect declares that he has nothing to hide.)
  • El sospechoso declaró que no tenía nada que esconder. (The suspect said he had nothing to hide).

Use of a verb expressing a command, prayer or advice

If the verb used to introduce the speech is a verb of order, prayer, advice or prohibition, the subjunctive should be used in the subordinate clause.

Verbs expressing a command

The most common verbs to express an order in Spanish are: pedir and ordenar.

Use of the verb “pedir” in indirect style

Present tense:

Ordering verb (present tense) + subordinate proposition verb (present subjunctive)

Examples :

  • Maria: “Dame una respuesta esta tarde.” (Give me an answer this afternoon.)
  • Maria me pide que le dé una respuesta esta tarde. (Maria asks me to give her an answer this afternoon.)

Past tense:

Order verb (past tense) + subordinate proposition verb (imperfect subjunctive).

Remember that the imperfect subjunctive (pretérito imperfecto) is conjugated in 2 different forms in Spanish.

Example :

  • Maria me pidió que le diera/diese una respuesta esta tarde. (Maria asked me to give her an answer in the afternoon).

Use of the verb “ordenar” in indirect style

Examples :

  • Miguel : “Ayudame a limpiar.” (Help me clean up).
  • Miguel me ordona que le ayude a limpiar. (Miguel orders me to help him clean.)
  • Miguel me ordonó que le ayudará/ayudase a limpiar. (Miguel ordered me to help him clean up.)

Verbs expressing prayer

The most common verbs in Spanish to express a prayer are rogar y suplicar.

Use of “suplicar” in indirect style

Examples :

  • Juan : « Por favor hermano, no me pegues. » (Please my brother, don’t hit me).
  • Juan suplica su hermano que no le pegue. (Juan begs his brother not to hit him).
  • Juan suplicó su hermano que no le pegara/pegase. (Juan begged his brother not to hit him).

Use of the verb “rogar” in indirect style

Examples :

  • El conductor : “Por favor que vuelvan inmediatamente a sus asientos. (Please return to your seats immediately.)
  • El conductor les ruega que vuelvan inmediatamente a sus asientos. (The driver asks them to return to their seats immediately.)
  • El conductor les rogó que volvieran/volviesen inmediatamente a sus asientos. (The driver asked them to return to their seats immediately.)

Verbs expressing advice

The most common verbs in Spanish to express advice are aconsejar and sugerir.

Use of the verb “aconsejar” in indirect style

Examples :

  • Angel : « Deberías hacer más deporte. » (You should do more sports).
  • Angel me aconseja que haga más deporte. (Angel advises me to do more sports).
  • Angel me aconsejó que hiciera/hiciese más deporte. (Angel advised me to do more sports.)

Use of the verb “sugerir” in indirect style

Examples :

  • Lucia : « Tendrías que tomar este camino porque es más corto.»
  • Lucia me sugiere que tome este camino porque es más corto.
  • Lucia me sugirió que tomara/tomase este camino porque era más corto.

Verb expressing a prohibition.

The verb used in Spanish to express an interdiction is “prohibir“.

Use of the verb “prohibir” in indirect style

Example :

  • Diego: « No le hables. » (Don’t talk to him.)
  • Diego me prohíbe que le hable. (Diego forbids me to talk to him.)
  • Diego me prohíbio que le hablara/hablase. (Diego forbids me to talk to him.)

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Indefinite adjectives (Alguno, Ninguno, Cada, Mismo…)

👉 Previous lesson: Superlative adjectives

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Expressing hypothesis in Spanish

Posted on by in Spanish Grammar

👉 How to make hypothesis in Spanish?

– Useful phrases and expressions –

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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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How to use ‘Gustar’ in Spanish

Posted on by in Spanish Grammar

👉 How to use the Spanish verb ‘Gustar’? What kind of verb is it?

– Spanish Grammar Basics for Beginners –

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Expressing tastes in Spanish (with gustar)

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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Expressing wishes and regrets in Spanish

Posted on by in Spanish Grammar

👉 How to express wishes and regrets in Spanish?

– Useful phrases and expressions –

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I. Expressing wishes


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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Emphatic form in Spanish grammar (expressing insistancy)

Posted on by in Spanish Grammar

👉 How to express insistancy in Spanish with the emphatic form?

– Useful phrases and expressions –

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I. THE EMPHATIC TURN OF PHRASE

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

In Spanish, we ALWAYS use the verb SER for emphatic phrases: 

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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