Tag: Grammar

Spanish gender of nouns rules for beginners

👉 Gender of nouns rules in Spanish 

– Masculine and feminine nouns (with examples & exceptions) –

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Attention, this lesson is very important! The gender of Spanish nouns is either masculine or feminine.

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 sofĂĄ, el dĂ­a, 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, -Ăłn are feminine:

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

Here too there are exceptions, for example:

  • el lĂĄpiz, el ataĂșd, el camiĂłn, el corazĂłn
    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 anĂĄlisis – la anĂĄlisis, analysis ;
  • el tizne – la tizne, the dirt ;
  • el trĂ­pode – la trĂ­pode, the tripod ;
  • el apĂłstrofe – la apĂłstrofe, 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 mĂ©todo, 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 espĂĄrrago, 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

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Spanish word stress and accent marks rules

👉 Spanish word stress, accent marks rules & dipthongs

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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 tĂłnicas) 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: ĂĄ, Ă©, Ă­, Ăł, Ăș.

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 : Såbado (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 ==> Exåmenes.

There are only 3 exceptions in the Spanish language:

  • CarĂĄcter ==> Caracteres
  • RĂ©gimen ==> RegĂ­menes
  • EspĂ©cimen ==> EspecĂ­menes (In these situations, the accent changes syllable depending on whether the word is singular or plural).

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

Example :FĂĄcil ==> FĂĄcilmente, RĂĄpido ==> RĂĄpidamente, 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 / SĂłlo (only) ==> adverb
Este (this) ==> Demonstrative adjective / Éste (this one) ==> Demonstrative pronoun
Tu (your) ==> Possessive adjective / TĂș (you) ==> Personal pronoun
Aun (even) / AĂșn (again)

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

Example : Cómo, Quién, Qué, Cuåntos, 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 : antigĂŒedad (antiquity), agĂŒero (oracle), bilingĂŒe (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.

 

👉  Next lesson: Gender of nouns

👈 Previous lesson: Accent and punctuation rules

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Spanish accent marks & punctuation rules for beginners

👉 Spanish accent marks rules for beginners (and punctuation)

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1. ACCENTUATION

In Spanish, all words have an accented syllable. Every word with more than one syllable has a syllable that is distinguished from the others by a higher volume of sound.

While all words have an accented syllable, it does not always have the written accent, called Tilde.

When the accent is pronounced but not written, it is a prosodic accent (acento prosodico).

When the accent is written in addition to being pronounced, it is an orthographic accent (acento ortogrĂĄfico).

The Spanish accent is written like the French acute accent and can be found on the 5 vowels (ĂĄ,Ă©,Ă­,Ăł,Ăș) but never on a consonant.

The accentuation gives the Spanish language its rhythm and its singing side. To be understood, the correct use of accentuation is very important.

In fact, in some cases, if you change the stress from one syllable to another, the meaning of the word will also change.

Examples :

BebĂ© (a newborn) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> Bebe (verb ‘beber’ – to drink)
MĂ©dico (a doctor) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> Medico (verb ‘medicar’ – to medicate)
La ingle (the groin) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> Inglés (english)

It is noticeable that, although the spelling is similar, words can have a completely different meaning depending on the placement and use of the tonic accent.

There are three main rules for applying accentuation in Spanish.

* Rule 1: The word has a written accent

When the word has a written accent, the syllable with the accent is stressed.

Examples :

El método ==> The method
Una lĂĄgrima ==> A tear

If the word does not have a written accent, refer to one of the following two cases.

* 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:

– FrancĂ©s ==> Francesa
– PortuguĂ©s ==> Portuguesa
FĂĄcil ==> FĂĄciles
– Pared ==> Paredes

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

Examples:

– CarĂĄcter = Caracteres
RĂ©gimen = RegĂ­menes
– EspĂ©cimen = EspecĂ­menes

Notes:

* Words ending in -mente (tranquilamente, suavemente, fĂĄcilmente, rĂĄpidamente, 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 diacrĂ­tico) is used to distinguish monosyllabic words that are written in the same way but do not have the same meaning.

Examples:

– TĂ© (Tea) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> Te (pronoun)
– De
(preposition) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> DĂ© (verb Dar)
– Se (personnal pronoun) IS DIFFERENT FROM ==> SĂ© (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 interrogaciĂłn ==> question mark
El signo de exclamaciĂłn ==> exclamation mark
– Las parentĂ©sis ==> parentheses
El guiĂłn ==> dash/hyphen

👉 Next lesson: Dipthongs, accents and word stress

👈 Previous lesson: Alphabet and spelling rules

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Spanish alphabet and spelling rules for beginners

👉 Spanish spelling rules & alphabet: what you should know

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While the English alphabet is composed of 26 letters, the Spanish alphabet has a 27th letter: the letter ñ (eñe).

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 ==> RetĂłrica, Photon ==> FotĂłn, Thorax ==> TĂłrax

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? ==> ÂżHablas italiano?
It is very late! ==> ÂĄ Es muy tarde !

👉 Next lesson: Accent and punctuation rules

👈 Previous lesson: Apocope / Apocopation

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Apocopation / Apocope in Spanish (Shortened words)

👉 What is apocopation (apocope) in Spanish?

– Definition with many examples –

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In Spanish, the “apocope” (or apocopation) refers to the loss of the last vowel or syllable of certain words. It occurs when the word is placed before a noun, adjective or adverb.

Generally, the apocope is intended to facilitate the pronunciation of the sentence. There are several cases of apocope in Spanish.

When do we find apocopes?

Uno, alguno and ninguno

Uno, alguno and ninguno lose the final “o” before a masculine singular noun:

  • UNO becomes UN
  • ALGUNO becomes ALGÚN
  • NINGUNO becomes NINGÚN

Example : Julio es un niño inquieto. AlgĂșn dĂ­a se irĂĄ sin ningĂșn motivo.

Cualquiera

Cualquiera loses the final “a” before a feminine or masculine singular noun and before “otro” or “otra”.

  • CUALQUIERA becomes CUALQUIER

Examples : Ven cualquier día. Iré cualquier otro día.

Ciento

Ciento loses the final syllable “-to” before a number that it multiplies and before a feminine or masculine noun. Apocope also occurs when the noun is implied. Note that there is no apocope when ciento is combined with a number to form another number.

  • CIENTO becomes CIEN

Examples : Hoy me regalaron el libro “Cien años de soledad”. Somos mĂĄs de cien. La mujer mĂĄs pequeña del mundo mide ciento veinte centĂ­metros.

Bueno, malo, primero, tercero, postrero

Bueno, malo, primero, tercero and postrero lose the final “o” before a masculine singular noun.

  • BUENO becomes BUEN
  • MALO becomes MAL
  • PRIMERO becomes PRIMER
  • TERCERO becomes TERCER
  • POSTRERO becomes POSTRERO

Examples : Diego vive en el primer piso. Juan es su tercer hijo. Carlos es un mal mĂșsico. Este es un buen postre.

Tanto and cuanto

Cuanto and tanto lose the final syllable “-to” before an adjective or adverb (except for mĂĄs, menos, mejor and peor)

  • TANTO becomes TAN
  • CUANTO becomes CUÁN

Examples : Cuanto mĂĄs ganes, mĂĄs impuestos pagas. No sabes cuĂĄn feliz me pone tu llegada.

Santo

Santo loses the final syllable “-to” before the proper name of a saint (except those beginning with “Do-” and “To-“).

  • SANTO becomes SAN

Examples : El año pasado estuvimos en Santo Domingo. Es devota de San Juan.

Grande

Grande loses the final syllable “-de” before a feminine or masculine singular noun. Be careful, depending on its place in the sentence, “grande” can change its meaning.

As a general rule it refers to the importance of a thing when it is placed before the noun and to the size when it follows the noun.

  • GRANDE becomes GRAN

Example : Organizaremos una gran fiesta.

Recientemente

Recientemente loses the syllables “-temente” before a past participle.

  • RECIENTEMENTE becomes RECIÉN

Example : Recién terminó tu tarea de castellano.

The traps of apocope

Some apocopated forms take an accent. In writing, they are mandatory.

The accented apocopated forms :

  • AlgĂșn
  • NingĂșn
  • CuĂĄn
  • ReciĂ©n

Click here to do the exercise about the Apocope

👉 Next lesson: Alphabet and spelling rules

👈 Previous lesson: Hay vs Está

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Hay vs EstĂĄ: When to use them?

👉 What is the difference between ‘Hay’ and ‘EstĂĄ’?

– Easy Spanish grammar lesson with examples –

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Spanish Grammar Course: How to translate ‘there is’ into Spanish (with Hay, EstĂĄ and Hace)

There are three ways to express “there is” in Spanish: “Hay“, “EstĂĄ” 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 dĂ©signer 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 mĂ s alto en esta ciudad. (There is no higher place in this town.)

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

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

No hay + indefinite adjective otra/otro :

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

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

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

No hay + nadie / quien :

  • No hay nadie mĂ s. (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 fenĂłmeno 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 « Estå »

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

Singular form

EstĂĄ + Direct Object Complement.

  • En esta calle, estĂ  la panaderĂ­a de la que te hablĂ©. (In this street, there is the bakery I told you about.)

Plural form

EstĂĄn + Direct Object Complement

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

👉 Next lesson: Apocope / Apocopation

👈 Previous lesson: To have: Tener vs Haber

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Tener vs Haber in Spanish (for beginners)

👉 How to know when to use Tener or Haber? What’s the difference between them?

– Easy Spanish grammar lesson with examples –

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The verb “to have” is translated in two ways in Spanish: haber and tener. In order to master Spanish, it is essential to understand the nuances between these two verbs.

1 – HABER

In Spanish, we use the verb haber to express:

Compound tenses

Haber is used to form all compound tenses (past compound, past perfect, future past, past tense) of the indicative, subjunctive and gerund. And this is true for all verbs.

In Spanish, the auxiliary “to be” does not exist. Spanish speakers only use the auxiliary “to have“. The past participle always remains invariable regardless of gender and number.

  • He venido → I came.
  • Helena ha regresado → Helena has returned.
  • Se han marchado → They left.
  • Mi hermana ha comprado cerezas → My sister bought some cherries.
  • Los coches que he visto por la calle → The cars I saw on the street.
  • A las ocho Manuel habrĂ  preparado la cena → At 8:00 pm, Manuel will have prepared dinner.

In Spanish, we never separate auxiliary and past participle.

  • Hemos comido demasiado → We ate too much.
  • Esta tarde el niño se ha divertido tanto → This afternoon, the child had a great time.

The expression ‘There’

Like in English, this impersonal form is only conjugated in the 3rd person singular. In the present tense, ‘There is‘ is not translated by “Habe” but “Hay“.

  • Hay un ĂĄrbol en mi jardĂ­n → There is a tree in my garden.
  • Hay dos camas en esta habitaciĂłn → There are two beds in this room.
  • Hubo tres manzanas en mi cesto → There were three apples in my basket.
  • HabrĂĄ centenares de huĂ©spedes en la fiesta → There will be hundreds of guests at the party.

The expression ‘Have to’

In Spanish, ‘Have to’ is translated with Hay que. This locution is always followed by an infinitive.

  • Hay que darse prisa para no llegar tarde : You have to hurry so you don’t arrive late.
  • HabrĂĄ que resolver este problema cuanto antes : We will have to solve this problem as soon as possible.
  • HabĂ­a que actuar mĂĄs rĂĄpido : We had to react more quickly.
  • Hubo que llamar a la policĂ­a : We had to call the police.
  • HabrĂ­a que reparar la lavadora : We have to fix the washing machine. (= The washing machine should be repaired).

An obligation

The locution Haber de + infinitive also expresses obligation. However, the use of this formula is less frequent.

  • Han de estudiar para aprobar el examen → They must study to pass the exam.

2 – TENER

In Spanish, we use the verb tener to express:

Possession

  • Tengo un perro → I have a dog.
  • Tienen tres bicibletas → They have three bikes.
  • Tuve mucha suerte → I was very lucky.

The age

  • Esta mujer tiene 40 años → This woman is 40 years old.

The sensation

  • Tenemos frĂ­o → We are cold.
  • TenĂ­ais calor → You were hot.

Feelings

  • Tuvimos miedo → We were scared.

Obligation

“Must” is translated by the locution “tener que”, always followed by an infinitive. The verb “deber” is also used. However, “tener que” is the most commonly used formula.

  • Tengo que llamar a mi padre → I must call my father.
  • TenĂ­a que decirte la verdad → He had to tell you the truth.
  • Los niños tendrĂ­an que acostarse temprano → The kids should go to bed early.

Insistence and dissatisfaction

The locution “tener + past participle” expresses insistence, exasperation and even discontent.

  • Te tengo dicho que hagas tus deberes → I’m telling you to do your homework.

An accomplished fact

The expression “tener + past participle” expresses the accomplishment of a fact. In this case, the past participle agrees in gender and number.

  • Pablo ya tenĂ­a planchadas sus camisetas → Pablo had already ironed his shirts.
  • A las once, tendremos limpiada nuestra habitaciĂłn → At eleven o’clock, our room will be cleaned.

Practice – Tener vs Haber

👉 Next lesson: Hay vs Está

👈 Previous lesson: To be: Ser vs Estar

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How to make negative sentences in spanish for beginners (Negation)

👉 How to make negative sentences in Spanish? (Negation and negative words)

– Easy Spanish grammar lesson with examples –

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Negative sentences (las oraciones negativas) are most often formed by placing the adverb “no” before the verb.

Basic structure: Subject + « no » + verb + Direct Object Complement + Indirect Object Complement :

  • Alejandro come una manzana (Alejandro is eating an apple)
  • Negation → Alejandro no come una manzana (Alejandro does not eat an apple)
  • Maya sabe leer y escribir (Maya can read and write)
  • Negation → Maya no sabe leer y escribir (Maya can’t read and write)
  • Isabella y Javier trabajan todos los dĂ­as en el mismo restaurante (Isabella and Javier work in the same restaurant every day)
  • Negation → Isabella y Javier no trabajan todos los dĂ­as en el mismo restaurante (Isabella and Javier do not work every day in the same restaurant)
  • Mateo pone un chaleco a su hijo para que no tenga frĂ­o (Mateo puts a vest on his son so he doesn’t get cold)
  • Negation → Mateo no pone un chaleco a su hijo (Mateo does not put a vest on his son)
  • A Liliana le gusta hacer bicicleta (Liliana likes to ride her bike)
  • Negation → A Liliana no le gusta hacer bicicleta (Liliana does not like to ride a bike)

⚠ The order of the words in the sentence is changed when the object complement is replaced by a pronoun.

New structure: Subject + « no » + pronoun Indirect Object Complement+ pronoun Direct Object Complement + verb

  • Elena da frutas a su hija (Elena gives fruit to her daughter)

If we modify this sentence so that the object complement is replaced by a pronoun, it gives :

  • Elena le da frutas (Elena gives her fruit)

And the negation is therefore :

  • Elena no le da frutas (Elena doesn’t give her fruit)

Same reasoning in the plural:

  • MarĂ­a no da frutas a sus hijas (MarĂ­a does not give fruit to her daughters)
  • Negation → MarĂ­a no les da frutas (MarĂ­a doesn’t give them fruit)

⚠ If the Indirect Object Complement pronoun« le » or « les » is immediately followed by « la », « lo », « los » or « las », it’s replaced by « se » :

  • Paola no les da frutas (Paola does not give them fruit) → « Paola no « les – los » da frutas » which we replace by « Paola no se los da frutas » (Paola does not give them fruit)

How to make a double negation in Spanish?

It is possible to emphasize the negation of a sentence by adding words like “never”, “nothing”, etc. In Spanish, the following structure should be used:

« no » + verb + words with a negative value :

  • Juan no sabe tampoco cantar (Juan can’t sing either)
  • Salma no quiere comer nĂ­ frutas nĂ­ verduras (Salma does not want to eat fruits or vegetables)
  • Alicia no lleva nunca botas (Alicia never wears boots)
  • Lorenzo no encuentra a nadie en el parque (Lorenzo does not meet anyone in the park)

In some cases, it is possible to use certain negative words directly before the verb without using “no”:

  • Emiliano no sabe tampoco cantar → Emiliano tampoco sabe cantar (RaĂșl can’t sing either)
  • Alicia no lleva nunca botas → Alicia nunca lleva botas (Alicia never wears boots)

– Have you finished studying this lesson? Practice! –

👉 Next lesson: To be: Ser vs Estar

👈 Previous lesson: Interrogative sentences

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Asking questions in Spanish for beginners

👉 How to ask questions in Spanish? What are the Spanish interrogative words?

– Spanish grammar lesson with examples –

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In Spanish, the interrogative sentence is characterized by the use of double punctuation. In addition to the final question mark, a reversed question mark is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Spanish grammar has the particularity that it does not have a structure to indicate to the reader that it is a question or an exclamation, hence the use of the double punctuation.

Not doing so is a spelling mistake!

Examples :

– You like sports ==> Do you like sports?

In English, the sentence structure is modified into an interrogative form.

Te gusta el deporte==> Âż Te gusta el deporte ?

In Spanish, the sentence structure is not changed. The use of question marks at the beginning and end of the sentence therefore helps to clarify the meaning.

In addition, by placing an inverted question mark at the beginning of a sentence, the reader can adjust his or her tone as the sentence progresses.

There are two ways to ask questions in Spanish.

1. Closed or dichotomous questions

* If the answer to the question can be yes or no, simply add question marks at the beginning and end of the sentence, raising the intonation of the voice at the end of the question.

* The interrogative sentence is constructed in the same way as the affirmative sentence (subject-verb-complement)

Here, the presence of the double punctuation indicates that it is a question.

Examples :

– Te gusta cantar ==> Âż Te gusta cantar ? (Do you like to sing?)

– Puedo escucharte ==> Âż Puedo escucharte ? (Can I listen to you?)

– Vas a un concierto ==> Âż Vas a un concierto ? (Are you going to a concert?)

2. Open questions and interrogative words

If you want to ask a question whose answer is not limited to yes or no, you must use an interrogative word: who, what, how…

Here is a list of the most commonly used interrogative words:

Por qué : Why
– CuĂĄndo : When
– DĂłnde : Where
– CĂłmo : How
Qué: What 
CuĂĄl:What / Which
Quién: Who
CuĂĄnto: How much (before a singular masculine noun)
– CuĂĄntos/CuĂĄntas :How much / How many (before a plural masculine / feminine noun)
CuĂĄles:What / Which ones (Before a plural noun)

Examples :

– Âż Por quĂ© quieres aprender español ? ==> Why do you want to learn Spanish?
– Âż CuĂĄndo abre el gimnasio ? ==> When does the sports club open?
– Âż DĂłnde es la estaciĂłn de policĂ­a ? ==> Where is the police station?
– Âż CĂłmo se dice
 en español ? ==> How do you say… in Spanish?
– Âż QuĂ© dĂ­a es ? ==> What day is it?
– Âż CuĂĄl es tu nĂșmero ? ==> What is your number?
– Âż QuiĂ©n es esta chica ? ==> Who is this girl?
– Âż CuĂĄnto vale una entrada al cine ? ==> How much does a movie ticket cost?

– Âż CuĂĄntos paĂ­ses hay en el mundo ? ==> How many countries are there in the world?
– Âż CuĂĄles son los actores de esa pelicula ? ==> Who are the actors in this movie?

Exercise on interrogative sentences

👉 Next lesson: Negative sentences

👈 Previous lesson: Exclamatory sentences

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Exclamation phrases in spanish for beginners

👉 What are exclamatory sentences in Spanish? How to make them?

– SPANISH GRAMMAR LESSON WITH EXAMPLES –

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The exclamatory sentence, like the interrogative sentence, is characterized by the use of double punctuation. It allows the reader to adapt his tone for reading.

To build an exclamatory sentence, we place, in addition to the final exclamation mark, an inverted exclamation mark at the beginning of the sentence.

An exclamatory sentence can be constructed in the same way as a simple affirmative sentence, adding the double punctuation.

Examples :

– You are tall. ==> Eres alto. ==> ÂĄ Eres alto !
– The car is very nice. ==> El coche es muy bonito. ==> ÂĄ El coche es muy bonito !
– He is a fantastic player. ==> Es un jugador fantĂĄstico. ==> ÂĄ Es un jugador fantĂĄstico !

1. Exclamatory words

Exclamatory words, like interrogative words, ALWAYS have an ACCENT.

Qué : ¥ Qué lindo día ! ==> What a beautiful day!
Quién : ¥ Quién sabe ! ==> Who knows!
DĂłnde : ÂĄ DĂłnde se metiĂł ! ==> What did he get himself into!
CuĂĄndo : ÂĄ CuĂĄndo quiere ! ==> Whenever he wants!
CĂłmo : ÂĄ CĂłmo comes ! ==> You eat so much!
CuĂĄnto / CuĂĄnta : ÂĄ CuĂĄnta gente ! ==> So many people!
CuĂĄntos / CuĂĄntas : ÂĄ CuĂĄntos collares tienes ! ==> All those necklaces you have!
OjalĂ  : ÂĄ OjalĂ  Pudiera ! ==> If only he could!

2. The construction of the exclamatory sentence

A. WITHOUT VERB:

It’s possible to construct an exclamatory sentence WITHOUT a VERB.

Examples :

¥ Qué guapo ! ==> How beautiful he is!
ÂĄ QuĂ© tarde ! ==> How late it is! / It’s so late!

B. WITH A VERB:

When you build an exclamatory sentence with a verb, you have to make an inversion of the subject. That is to say that you place the subject after the verb.

Examples:

– ÂĄ QuĂ© guapa es esta chica ! ==> How beautiful this girl is!

– ÂĄ QuĂ© divertido es este chiste ! ==> How funny is this joke!

– ÂĄ QuĂ© ruidosos son estos alumnos ! ==> How loud these students are!

3. Other forms

QUÉ + ADJECTIVE OR ADVERB

¥ Qué pequeño eres ! ==> How small you are!

QUÉ + NOUN

¥ Qué linda mujer ! ==> What a beautiful woman!

QUÉ + NOUN + TAN/MAS + ADJECTIVE

¥ Qué películas tan interesantes ! ==> What interesting films! 

LO + ADJECTIVE + QUÉ – the adjective changes with the noun it qualifies.

¥ Lo feliz que es ! ==> How happy he is! 

CÓMO + VERB

¥ Cómo han bajado los precios ! ==> How the prices have gone down! 

CUÁNTO + VERB

¥ Cuånto bebes ! ==> You drink so much! 

– CUÁNTO + NOUN (“CuĂĄnto” agrees in gender and number)

¥ Cuåntos parajos hay ! ==> How many parajos there are! 

QUÉ + SUBSTANTIVE + MAS/TAN + ADJECTIVE

¥ Qué niña tan preciosa ! ==> What a beautiful child! 

– OJALÁ + VERB (conjugated to the SUBJUNCTIVE) expresses a wish

¥ Ojalå venga rapido ! ==> I hope he comes soon! 

Exercise on exclamatory sentences

👉 Next lesson: Interrogative sentences

👈 Previous lesson: Affirmative sentences

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