1. Spanish 4 Grammar
Concepts
Heli Martin

2. Table of Contents
1. El Presente 17. Present Subjunctive
2. Irregular yo form 18. Impersonal Expressions
3. Irregulars 19. Subjunctive in Noun clauses
4. Ser 20. Subjunctive in Adjective
clauses
5. Estar
21. Commands
6. Ser y estar con adjectivos
22. Object Pronouns
7. Gustar
23. Prepositional Pronouns
8. Verbs like gustar
24. Possessive adjectives +
9. Nouns/articles/adjectives pronouns
10. Preterite v Imperfect 25. Demonstrative adjectives +
11. Preterite y trigger words pronouns
12. Preterite Conjugation 26. Reflexive Verbs
13. Preterite Irregulars 27. Por y Para
14. Imperfect y trigger words 28. To become- hacerse,
15. Imperfect conjugation ponerse, volverse, llegar a
16. Imperfect Irregulars ser

3. El Presente
• Used to express actions or situations
that are happening in the present
• Used to express habitual actions or
actions that will take place in the near
future
• Regular –ar, -er, -ir
• -ar: o, as, a, amos, áis, an
• -er: o, es, e, emos, éis, en
• -ir: o, es, e, imos, ís, en

4. Irregular yo form
• Irregular yo forms: many –er and –ir verbs have irregualr yo forms in
the present tense.
• Verbs ending in –ger or –gir change to –jo
coger, colegir (e:i), dirigir, escoger, recoger…
ex: Coger – changes to cojo in yo form
• Verbs ending in –guir change the gu to g in the yo form
conseguir,distinguir, extinguir, seguir…
ex: Conseguir (e:i) – changes to consigo in yo form
• Verbs ending in –cer or –cir change the c to z in yo form
coercer, convencer, ejercer, esparicir, mecer, remecer, vencer, zurcir,
conducir, producir, concocer, palcer, crecer, aparacer
exceptions are hacer and decir
• Verbs that end in –uir add y before o, e, and a
atribuir, concluir, construir, distruir, exclurir, destruir, incluir
ex: atribuir – atribuyo, atribuyes, atribuye, atribuimos, atribuís,
atribuyen

5. Irregulars
• Irregular in present tense or combine a stem change with an irregular yo
form or spell change
• Stem changes: e-ie, o-ue, e-i
• e-ie: acertar, advertir, negar, atravesar, entender, comenzar, defendir,
pensar…
ex: cerrar- cierro, cierras, cierra, cerramos, cerráis, cierran
• o-ue:almorzar, rogar , dormir, volver, sonar, soler, poder, morir,
encontrar…
ex: contar- cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis, cuentan
• e-i: competir, concebir, despedir, medir, servir, repetir, vestir…
ex: pedir- pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden
• *Notice that there is no stem change in the Vosotros or Nosotros form*
• Ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van
• Dar: doy, das, damos, dais, dan
• Tener: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen
• Venir: vengo, vienes, viene, venimos, venís, vienen

6. Ser
Description, Origin,
Characteristics, Time, Occupation,
Relationship, Possession, Event,
Date

7. Ser
• Means to be
• Used to express an essential equality
soy somos
eres sois
es son

8. Health
Estar
Emotions
Location
Present Condition
Present
Participles.
Rules:
•-ar to –ando
•-er and –ir to –
iendo or -yendo

9. Estar
estoy estamos
estás estáis
está están
• Means to be
• Used to express
condition

10. Ser y estar con adjectivos
• Ser is used with adjectives to describe inherent, expected qualities.
• Estar is used to describe temporary or variable qualities, or a change in
appearance or condition.
• Some adjectives change their meaning when used with either "ser" or "estar".
• Examples :
Listo : means clever when used with ser
means ready when used estar
Malo: means bad when used with ser
means ill when used with estar
Rico: means rich when used with ser
means tasty when used with estar
Vivo: means lively when used with ser
means alive when used with estar
Bueno: means good when used with ser
means well when used with estar
Moreno: means dark haired when used with ser
means suntanned when used with estar
Aburrido: means boring when used with ser
means bored when used with estar
Seguro: means safe when used with ser
means sure, certain when used with estar

11. Gustar
• Means to like or to be pleasing
• Me gusta el libro - I like the book
• Me gustan los libros – I like the books
• When the noun that you like is plural use
–an
• Pronouns – me, te, le, nos, os, les
• A mi me gusta, a ti te gusta, etc.

12. Verbs Like Gustar
• These verbs follow the same conjugation as gustar with doler having an “e” stem changer.
Aburrir- to bore
Importar- tp be important to
Caer bien/mal- to (not) suit
Interesar- to be interesting to
Digustar- to hate soemthing
Parecer- to appear to be
Encantar- to love
Quedar- to be left over, remain
Volver loco- to be crazy about
Faltar- to lack
Doler- to hurt
Fascinar- to fascinate
Molestar- to bother
Sorprender- to surprise
Hacer falta- to miss
• The construction a + [prepositional pronoun] or a + [noun] can be used to emphasize who is
pleased, bothered, etc.
• Faltar and quedar express what someone lacks or has left. Quedar is also used to talk about how
clothing fits or looks on someone
Examples: Te falta pelo.
Nos gustan los libros.

13. Nouns
• In Spanish, nouns ending in –o, -or, -I, -s, and –ma are usually masculine.
• Nouns ending in –a, -ora, -ión, -d, and –z are usually feminine.
• Most nouns form the plural by adding –s to nouns ending in a vowel and –
es to nouns ending in a constant.
• Nouns that end in –z change to –c before adding –es
el hombre los hombres a mujer las mujeres
la novia las novias el lápiz los lápices
• If noun is singular and it ends in a vowel that is stressed, the plural form
ends in –es. The plural form doesn’t change if the noun form ends in –s
which is unstressed.
el tabú los tabúes el lunes los lunes
el israelí los isrealíes la crisis las crisis

14. Articles
• Spanish definite and indefinite articles agree in gender and number with the nouns they
modify.
• Definite articles are:
Singular Plural
Masculine: el los
Feminine: la las
• Indefinite articles:
Singular Plural
Masculine: un unos
Feminine: una unas
• In Spanish, a definite article is always used with an abstract noun :
la belleza el amor
• An indefinite article is not used before nouns that indicate profession or place of origin
unless they are followed by an adjective.
Juan es profesor  Juan es un profesor excelente

15. Adjectives
• Spanish adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.
• Most adjectives ending in –e or a consonant have the same masculine and
feminine forms.
• Masculine singular usually end in –o, -e, -l
• Masculine plural usually end in –os, -es, -les
• Feminine singular usually end in –a, -e, -l
• Feminine plural usually end in –as, -es, les
• They usually follow the noun they modify
• If a single adjective modifies more than one noun, then you use the plural form
• If at least one of the nouns is masculine, use the masculine form.
• A few adjectives have shortened forms when they precede a masculine singular
noun: buenobuen, algunoalgun, primeroprimer, malomal,
nungunoningun, tercerotercer
• When the adjective follows the noun, the meaning is more literal, but if it
precedes the noun, the meaning is more figurative.

16. Preterite Imperfect
•To conjugate regular -ar verbs in the •To conjugate regular -ar verbs in the
preterite, simply drop the ending (-ar) imperfect, simply drop the ending (-ar)
and add one of the following: and add one of the following:
•é •aba
aste abas
ó aba
amos ábamos
asteis abais
aron aban
•The preterite is used for actions in the •The imperfect is used for actions in the
past that are seen as completed. Use of past that are not seen as completed.
the preterite tense implies that the past Use of the imperfect tense implies that
action had a definite beginning and the past action did not have a definite
definite end. beginning or a definite end.
The preterite tells us specifically
when an action took place.The
imperfect tells us in general
when an action took place.

17. El Pretérito y Trigger Words
It is a definite time in the past, and has a
beginning or an ending.
Trigger words that you could assume may
deal with this are:
Ayer
Anoche
El año pasado
La semana pasada
Ante ayer

18. ER
-í -imos
El -iste -isteí s
Pretérito -ió -ieron
IR
-í -imos
-iste -isteís
-ió -ieron

19. El Pretérito Irregulars
There are 3 main types of Irregular
Pretérito verbs we have learned about.
They are:
Car, Gar, y Zar
Cucaracha
Spock

20. Car, Gar, y Zar Irregulars
-qué -camos -gué -gamos -cé -zamos
-caste casteís -gaste -zaste -zasteís
-gasteís
-có -caron -gó -garon -zo -zaron

21. Spock Irregulars!
3 different groupings.
The words in each grouping are
conjugated the same way.
The groupings are:
1. IR y SER
2.DAR y VER
3.HACER

22. DAR- to give VER- to see
IR- to go SER- to
be I Imos
Fui Fuimos Iste Isteís
Fuiste Fuisteís Io Ieron
Fue Fueron
HACER…. TO MAKE
OR DO
Hice Hicimos
Hiciste Hicisteís
Hito Hicieron

23. Cucaracha Verbs
Endings for all are the same:

24. Andar- aduv
Estar- estuv Conducir-
Poder- pud conduj
Poner- pus Producir- produj
Querer- quis
Traducir- traduj
Saber- sup
Tener- tuv Decir- dij
Venir- vin Traer- traj
Cucaracha Verbs

25. Snake
• In the 3rd person, the stem change
occurs.
• The stem change is to opposite vowel
with the first vowel.
Dormi Dormimos
Dormiste Dormisteis
Durmio Durmierion

26. Snakeys
Follows same concept as SNAKE, but is
more specific.
In the 3rd person the stem change is the
vowel “I” to the vowel “y”.
Leer

27. Imperfect y Trigger Words
• The imperfect tense is used to refer to actions in the past that occurred repeatedly.
• They have no definite end or beginning
• Trigger words:
muchas veces
a menudo
mucho
a veces
cada día nunca
cada año por un rato
con frecuencia siempre
de vez en cuando tantas veces
en aquella época todas las semanas
frecuentemente todos los días
generalmente todo el tiempo
varias veces

28. Imperfect
- ar -er and –ir
aba ábamos ía íamos
abas abais ías íais
aba aban ía ían

29. Imperfect Irregulars

30. Present Subjunctive
• Wedding-
Wishing/wanting
Emotions
Doubt
Disbelief
Impersonal expressions
Negation
God/grief

31. Impersonal Expressions
Es bueno Es malo
que… que…
Es mejor
que…
Es urgente
que…
Es
importante
que… Es necesario
que…

32. The Subjunctive in Noun Clauses
• The subjunctive is used mainly in multiple clause sentences which express will, influence,
emotion, doubt, or denial.
• Irregular yo forms:
conocer  conozca seguir  siga
decir  diga tener  tenga
hacer  haga traer  traiga
oír  oiga venir  venga
poner  ponga ver  vea
• Verbs that have stem changes in the present subjunctive. Remember that only –ir verbs
undergo stem changes in the nosotros/as and vosotros/as forms.
pensar (e:ie) jugar (u:ue)
mostrar (o:ue) entender (e:ie)
resolver (o:ue) pedir (e:i)
sentir (e:ie) dormir (o:ue)
• A clause it a group of words that contains both a conjugated verb and a subject. In a
subordinate noun clause, a group of words function together as a noun.
• There are three types : verbs of will and influence, verbs of emotion, verbs of doubt or
denial

33. Verbs of will and influence
• Aconsejar- to advise • Pedir- to ask for; to request
• Importar- to be important; to matter • Preferir- to prefer
• Insistir (en)- to insist (on) • Prohibir- to prohibit
• Mandar- to order • Proponer- to propose
• Prohibir- to prohibit • Querer- to want, to wish
• Recomendar (e:ie)- to recommend • Es urgente- its urgent
• Rogar (o:ue)- to beg, to plead • Exigir- to demand
• Sugerir (e:ie)- to suggest • Gustar- to like
• Desear- to desire, to wish • Hacer- to make
• Es importante- its important • Necisitar- to need
• Es necesario- its necessary
The infinitive, not the subjunctive, is used with verbs and expressions of will
and influence if there is no change of subject in the sentence

34. Verbs of Emotion
• Alegrarse (de)- to be happy • Esperar- to hope, to wish
• Es bueno que- it’s good • Gustar- to like; to be pleasing
• Es extraño- it’s strange • Sentir (e:ie)- to be sorry, to regret
• Es malo- it’s bad • Sorprender- to surprise
• Es mejor- it’s better • Temer- to be afraid, to fear
• Es ridículo- it’s ridiculous • Es triste- it’s sad
• Es terrible- it’s terrible • Ojalá (que)- I hope (that), I wish
• Es una lastima- it’s a shame (that)
• Molestar- to bother • Tener miedo (de)- to be afraid (of)
When the main clause expresses emotion like hope, fear, joy, pity, or
surprise, the verbs in the subordinate clause must be in the subjunctive if its
subject is different from that of the main clause

35. Expressions of doubt, disbelief,
and denial
• Dudar- to doubt
• Es poco seguro- its uncertain
• Negar (e:ie)- to deny
• No es possible- it’s not possible
• Es imposible- it’s impossible
• No es probable- it’s not probable
• Es improbable- it’s improbable
• Negar- to deny
• No es cierto- it’s not true, it’s not certain
• No creer- not to believe
• No es seguro- it’s not certain
• No es evidente- it’s not evident
• No es verdad- it’s not true • No estar seguro- not to be sure
When the main clause implies doubt, uncertainty, or denial the verb in the
subordinate clause must be in the subjunctive if its subject is different from
that of the main clause

36. The subjunctive in adjective clauses
• When the subordinate clause of a sentence refers to something that is
known to exist, the indicative is used.
• When the antecendent is uncertain or indefinite, the subjunctive is used.
Antecedent certain  indicative Antecedent uncertain  subjunctive
Necisito el libro que tiene informacion Necesito un libro que tenga informacion
sobre los prejuicios sociales sobre los prejuicios sociales.
I need the book that has information I need a book that has information
about social prejudices. about social prejudices.

37. Adjective Clauses
When the antecedent of an adjective clause is a negative pronoun
(nadie/ninguno) the subjunctive is used:
Antecedent certain  subjunctive Antecedent uncertain  subjunctive
Ella tiene tres parientes que viven Ella no tiene ningun pariente que vfiva
en Puerto Rico. en Madrid.
She has three relatives who live in She doesn’t have any relatives who
Puerto Rico. live in Madrid.

38. Adjective Clauses
• The personal a is not used with direct objects that represent hypothetical
questions:
subjunctive: Busco un abogado que sea honrado
indicative: Conozco a un abogado que es honrado
• The personal a is maintained before nadie and alguien, even when their
existence is uncertain:
subjunctive: No conozco a nadie que se queje tanto como mi suegra
indicative: Yo conozco a alguien que se queja aun mas
• The subjunctive is commonly used in questions with adjective clauses
when the speaker is trying to find out information about which he or she
is uncertain.
• If the person who responds knows the information, the indicative is used.

39. Commands
• Affirmative tú: simply drop the s
los irregulares- di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven
• Negative tú: put it in yo form and change to opposite vowel
and add an ‘s’
los irregulares- TVDISHES
• Affirmative Ud./Uds: put in yo form and change to opposite
vowel
los irregulares- TVDISHES
• Negative Ud./Uds: same as above
• DOP + IOP + ‘sé’ can attach to an affirmative
• DOP + IOP + ‘sé’ must go before the negative command

40. Indirect Commands
• The construction que + [verb] in the third person subjunctive
can be used to express indirect commands that correspond to
the English let someone do something.
• If the subject of the indirect command is expressed, it usually
follows the verb
• Example: Que pase el siguiente
Let the next person pass
• Pronouns are never attached to the conjugated verb when
using the subjunctive
• Example: Que se lo den los otros; Que no se lo den

41. Object Pronouns
• Direct object pronouns directly receive the action of the verb.
• Indirect object pronouns identify to whom or for whom an action is done.
• Indirect object pronouns:
me nos
te os
le les
• Direct object pronouns
me nos
te os
lo/la los/las
• They both precede the conjugated verb
• Indirect object example: Carla siempre me da boletas para el cine.
• Direct object example: Ella los consigue gratis.

42. Object Pronoun Placement
• When the verb is an infinitive construction, object
pronouns may either be attached to the infinitive or
placed before the conjugated verb.
• Lo is also used to refer to an abstract thing or idea
that has no gender.
• When the verb is in the progressive, object pronouns
may either be attached to the present participle or
placed before the conjugated verb.

43. Double Object Pronouns
• The indirect object prounoun precedes the direct object pronoun when
they are used together in a sentence
Me mandaron los boletos por correo 
Me los mandaron por correo
• Le and les change to se when they are used with lo, la, los, or las
Le damos las revistas a Ricardo 
Se las damos
• When object pronouns are attached to infinitives, participles, or
commands, a written accent is often required to maintain proper word
stress:
Infinitive: cantármela
Present Participle: escribiéndole
Command: acompáñeme

44. Prepositional Pronouns
mí me myself
ti you, yourself
Ud. you, yourself
él him, it
ella her, it
nosotros/as us, ourselves
vosotros/as you, yourselves
Uds. you, yourselves
ellos them
ellas them
sí themselves

45. Prepositional Pronouns
• Prepositional pronouns function as the objects of
prepositions. Except for mí, ti, and sí, they are identical to
their corresponding subject pronouns.
• A + [prepositional pronoun] is often used for clarity or
emphasis.
• The pronoun sí (himself, herself, itself, themselves) is the
prepositional pronoun used to refer back to the same third
person subject.
• When mí, ti, and sí are used with con, they become conmigo,
contigo, and consigo.
• These prepositions are used with tú and yo instead of mí and
ti: entre, excepto, incluso, menos, salvo, según

46. Possessive Adjectives + Pronouns
• Used to express ownership or possession
• Spanish has two types of possessive adjectives: the short/unstressed
forms and the long/stressed forms.
• Both of the forms agree in number and gender with the object owned and
not with the owner.
Short/Unstressed Long/Stressed
Mi(s) My Mío(s)/a(s) My; (of) mine
Tu(s) Your Tuyo(s)/a(s) Your; (of) yours
Su(s) Your; his; hers; its Suyo(s)/a(s) Your; (of yours); (of)
his; (of) hers; (of) its
Nuestro(s)/a(s) Our Nuestro(s)/a(s) Our; (of) ours
Vuestro(s)/a(s) Your Vuestro(s)/a(s) Your; (of) yours
Su(s) Your; their Suyo(s)/a(s) Your; (of) yours; (of)
theirs

47. Possessive Adjectives + Pronouns
• Short possessive adjectives precede the nouns they
modify:
En mi opinión… Nuestras revistas…
• Stressed possessive adjectives follow the nouns they
modify and are used for emphasis
mi amgio  el amigo mío
tus amigas  las amigas tuyas
• Because su(s) and suyo(s)/a(s) have multiple
meanings, the construction [article] + [noun] + de +
[subject pronoun] is used to clarify the meaning.
• Possessive pronouns have the same forms as
stressed possessive adjectives and are preceded by a
definite article.
No tengo mi papel  Me prestas el tuyo

48. Demonstrative Adjectives + Pronouns
• Specify to which noun a speaker is referring to.
• They precede the nouns that they modify and agree in number
and gender.
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
Este Esta Estos Estas This; these
Ese Esa Esos Esas That; those
Aquel Aquella Aquellos Aquellass That; those
(over there)

49. Demonstrative Adjectives + Pronouns
• There are three sets of demonstrative adjectives.
este : used to point out nouns that are close.
ese : used to modify nouns that are not close.
aquel : refer to nouns that are far away.
• Demonstrative pronouns are identical to demonstrative
adjectives except they carry an accent mark on the
stressed vowel.
• Esto, eso, and aquello are neuter pronouns that refer to
unspecified things, ideas, or situations.
• They do not vary in gender or number.
• They do not carry an accent mark.

50. Reflexive Verbs
• In a reflexive construction, the subject of the verb both performs and
recieves the action.
• To get or become is frequently expressed by the Spanish verb
ponerse + [adjective]
• In the plural, reflexive verbs can express reciprocal actions done to
one another
• The reflexive pronoun precedes the direct object pronoun.
• Reflexive verbs always use reflexive pronouns:
Ex: lavarse – to wash (oneself)
Yo me Nosotros/as nos lavamos
lavo
Tú te lavas Vosotros/as os laváis
Ud./Ella/Él se lava Uds./Ellos/Ellas se lavan

51. Reflexive Verbs
• Verbs used to describe daily routines and personal care:
acostarse- to go to bed afeitarse- to shave
cepillarse- to brush (one’s hair) despertarse- to wake up
dormirse- to go to sleep ducharse- to take a shower
lavarse- to wash oneself levantarse- to get up
ponerse- to put on (clothing) vestirse- to get dressed
• Many verbs change meaning when they are used with a refelxive pronoun
aburrir- to bore aburrirse- to be bored
acordar- to agree acordarse(de)- to remember
comer- to eat comerse- to eat up
ir- to go irse(de)- to go away (from)
paracer- to seem paracerse- to resemble, to look like
• Some spanish verbs and expressions are always relexive; many are followed by a, de, & en
acercarse (a)- to approach; fijarse (en)- to take notice of; arrepentirse (de)- to repent (of);
morirse (de)- to die (of); atreverse (de)- to dare (to); olvidarse (de)- to forget (about);
convertirse (en)- to become; preocuparse (por)- to worry (about); darse cuenta (de)- to
realize; quejarse (de)- to complain about; enterarse (de)- to find out (about); sorprenderse
(de)- to be surprised (about)

52. Por y Para
Uses of Para Uses of Por
Destination Motion or a general location
(toward, in the direction of) (along, through, around by)
Deadline or a specific time in future Duration of an action
(by, for) (for, during, in)
Purpose or goal + [infinitive] Reason or motive for an action
(in order to) (because of, on account/behalf of)
Recipient Object of a search
(for) (for, in search of)
Comparison with others or opinion Means by which
(for, considering) (by, by way, by means of)
Employment Exchange or substitution
(for) (for, in exchange for)
Unit of measure
(per, by)
Agent (passive voice)
(by)

53. Por y Para
Expressions with para:
No estar para bromas: to be in no mood for jokes
No ser para tanto: to not be so important
Para colmo: to top it all off
Para que sepas: just so you know
Para siempre: forever
Expressions with por:
Por allí/aquí: around there/here Por lo tanto: therefore
Por casualidad: by chance/accident Por lo visto: apparently
Por ejemplo: for example Por mas/mucho que: no matter how much
Por eso: therefore, for that reason Por otro lado/parte: on the other hand
Por fin: finally Por primera vez: for the first time
Por lo general: in general Por si acaso: just in case
Por lo menos: at least Por supuesto: of course

54. To become- hacerse, ponerse, volverse, llegar a ser
• There are several different Spanish equivalents for the English verb “to become”
• Ponerse is followed by an adjective and express a change in mental, emotional, or
physical state that does not last long:
Me puse enfermo en Caracas I got sick in Caracas.
Heli se pone roja cuando habla Heli turns red when she talks
• Volverse is followed by an adjective and indicates a sudden, profound, change in mental
or emotional state:
Se ha vuelto loco He went crazy
Ella se ha vuelto insorportable She has become unbearable
• Hacerse is followed by a noun or adjective and indicate a change brought about by
effort:
Mi hermana se ha hecho abogado My sister has become a lawyer
Mi abuelo se hizo rico My grandfather became wealthy
• Llegar a ser may also be followed by a noun or adjective and it indicates a change that
has occurred over time and does not imply effort:
La novela que escribió el ano pasado ha llegado a ser un superventas.
The novel that he wrote last year has become a best seller.

55. To become
• There are often reflexive verb equivalents for ponerse
+ [adjective]
• When used with object pronouns instead of reflexive
pronouns, such verbs convey that another person or
thing is imposing mental, emotional, or physical state
on some one else.
ponerse alegre  alegrarse
ponerse furioso/a  enfurecerse
ponerse deprimido/a  deprimirse
ponerse triste  entristecerse