This document provides a table of contents and overview of various Spanish grammar topics including:
- Nationalities and how to say someone is from a specific country
- Stem-changing verbs and how their stems change in conjugation
- How the conjunction "para" is used to express purpose or reason
- Key details about adjectives agreements, direct/indirect object pronouns, and the differences between ser and estar
- Formation of superlative adjectives, verbs like gustar, and affirmative/negative words
- Uses of pero versus sino and reflexive verbs
- Conjugation of tú commands, adverbs, modal verbs, present progressive and preterite tense verbs
2. Table of Contents
3. Nacionalidades 12. Verbs Like Gustar
4. Stem-Changing Verbs 13.Affirmative NgativeWords
5. Para 14. Pero v. Sino
6. Adjectives 15. DOP/IOP/SE
7. Object Pronoun Placement 16. Reflexive Verbs
8. Direct Object Pronouns 17. Tú Commands
9.Indirect Object Pronouns 18. Los adverbios-mente
10.Ser vs. Estar 19. Deber= other modal verbs
11. – ísimo 20. Past progressive verbs
21. Preterite=Past Tense
3. Nacionalidades
Mexicano= Mexican
Guatemalteco=Guatemalan
Hondureño=Honduran
Salvadoreño= El Salvodoran
Nicaragüense= Nicaraguan
Costarricense= Costa Rican
Panameño= Panamanian
Cubano= Cuban
Dominicano= Dominican
Puertoriqueño= Puerto Rican
Estadounidense= American
Italiano= Italian
Norteamericano= North American
Venezolano= Venezuelan
Colombiano= Colombian
Ecuatoriano= Ecadorean
Peruano= Peruvian
Paraguayo=Paraguayan
Boliviano= Bolivian
Chileno=Chilean
Argentino= Argentinian
Uruguayo= Uruguayan
Español= Spanish
Guineano= Guinean
Canadiense= Canadian
Francés= French
Ingles= English
4. Stem Changing Verbs
Poder o to ue
Puedo Podemos
Puedes Podéis
Puede Pueden
Almorzar o to ue
Almuerzo Almorzamos
Almuerzas Almorzáis
Almuerza Almuerzan
Repetir e to i
Repito Repetimos
Repites Repetís
Repite Repiten
Pensar e to ie
Pienso Pensamos
Piensas Pensáis
Piensa Piensan
Jugar u to ue
Juego Jugamos
Juegas Jugáis
Juega Juegan
5. Para
Para is used in Spanish to express for or in
order to
In Spanish, para is used very frequently in
many certain instances
Example: Yo voy al supermercado para mi
mama.
6. Adjectives in spanish follow a gender
They always have to agree with the correct gender of the noun
Furthermore, they also have to agree whether the noun is plural
or singular
Example: Los libros es muy muy largos. La chica es bonita.
To make plural:
End in vowel, add “s”
End in consonant, add “es”
End in z, add “ces”
7. Object Pronoun Placement
The placement of an object pronoun is the same for both indirect
and direct objects.
If the pronoun accompanies a conjugated verb, it is placed before
the verb.
Example: Rose le compra las ropas.
However, if there is an infinitive followed by a conjugated verb,
then the object pronoun can come before the conjugated verb, or
it can be attached to the end of the infinitive.
Example: Rosa quiere comprarle una olla a su padre.
The pronoun can also be attached to an affirmative tu command,
and it can be attached to a progressive tense verb
Remember to add an accent when adding a syllable.
8. Direct Object Pronouns
Direct Object Pronouns
Me Nos
Te Os
Lo/La Los/Las
• Remember Direct Objects answer who or what is receiving the action.
• Use a direct object pronoun to emphasize who or what is receiving the
verb. Make sure that the pronoun correlates with the antecedent.
• Example: Yo compro la. Yo compro la comida.
9. Indirect Object Pronuons
Indirect object pronouns follow the same rules as direct object
pronouns, but the pronouns are slightly different.
Me Nos
Te Os
Le Les
However, indirect objects can be combined with direct objects
in sentences.
Example: Yo quisiera compraselo para mi mama.
Notice how the indirect object changes to say when combined
with the pronoun lo.
10. Ser v. Estar
Ser Estar
Ser is used to show: nationality, profession,
characteristics of people nad things,
generalizations, possesion, what something is
made of, time/date, and where/when of an
event
It identifies people and things
It uses de for possesion
De+El=Del
Soy Somos
Eres Sois
Es Son
• Estar is used to show: location, health,
physical states and conditions,
emotional status, weather expressions,
and progressive tenses
• Esatr+ adj. is used to describe how
people fell
Estoy Estamos
Estas Estáis
Esta Están
11. - ísimo is used to express extremes with most adjectives
To make the adjective you drop the final vowel and add the ending –
ísimo
Adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun
When the last consonant of the adjective is c change the ending to qu
when using – ísimo. Ex: rico/ riquísimo
When the ending is g change it to gu. Ex: largo/ larguísimo
When the ending is z change it to c. Ex: feliz/ felicísimo
12. Verbs like Gustar
Verbs like gustar only change ending in (a/an) Ex: Gusta/Gustan
To change the noun, you put the proper indirect object pronoun
before the verb me, te, le, nos, os, les
These verbs can be used with infinitives as well
Some verbs like gustar: aburrir=to bore, encontrar=to love,
faltar=to lack, fascinar=to fascinate, importar=to be important,
interesar=to interest, molestar=to bother, quedar=to fit
Ex: A mi me fascina irme a cenar.
13. Affirmative and Negative Words
Affirmative Negative
Affirmative words must match the gender of
the noun they replace or modify.
Algo= something
Alguien= someone
Algún/Alguno(a)= some
Siempre= always
También= also
Example: ?Algo de tomar? (Something to
drink?)
A double negative is required in spanish when
a no precedes the verb.
However, if anegative word sucha as nunca
precedes the verb, a double negative is not
required.
Nada= nothing
Nadie= no one
Ningún/Ninguno= none/not any
Nunca= never
Tampoco= neither/either
Example: Por ahora, nada mas. (For now,
nothing more.)
14. Pero vs. Sino
Pero Sino
Pero is usually used to compare to
contrasting ideas
Pero adds on to the first statement
Ex: Estudiar no es divertido, pero es
necesario.
Sino is usually used in negative
sentences or to negate a topic
In English sino would mean “but
rather” or “on the contrary”
When used before a conjugated
verb, you have to put “sino que”
Ex: No voy al cine sino que ceno
con mis padres.
15. DOP/IOP/SE
DOP IOP
Direct objects receive the action
and can sometimes be paired
with the indirect object in
Spanish
In Spanish, most direct objects
are in the pronoun form.
Indirect objects also come in the
pronoun form most of the time,
but they almost always have an
antecedent placed at the end of
the sentence.
The indirect objects pronouns
are sometimes paired with the
DOP
Ex: Voy a comprarselo el regalo
para mi papa.
16. Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs describe actions that are done to oneself.
Reflexive verbs almost always include a reflexive pronoun to indicate the subject
Ex: Secarse= to dry oneself changes to me seco, te secas, se seca, nos secamos, or se secan
When using this pronoun, you have to take the reflexive verb and drop the se off the end
Then you properly conjugate it depending on the subject
Finally, you add the correct pronoun in front to properly indicate the subject of the sentence.
Reflexive Pronouns
Me Nos
Te Os
Se Se
Example: Me lavo en el baño en la cama.
17. Tú Commands
Affirmative tú commands Negative tú commands
Affirmative tú commands are verbs that direct
specific instructions to people
To form a tú command, put your verb in the tú
form of conjugation. Then drop the “s” and
then you have your command.
Ex: Comer goes to !Come!
Irregular tú commands follow a different set of
rules. Where the whole verb changes form.
Decir-di
Hacer-haz
Ir-ve
Poner-pon
Salir-sal
Ser-se
Tener-ten
Venir-ven
Negative tú commands are used when you
don’t want someone to do something
In Spanish, to form this command, you change
the verb into yo form, then you drop the “o”
and add the opposite vowel ending, and then
you add an “s”. Finally, add a “no” in front
Example: Hablar goes to Hablo then to Hable
then to No hables
Irregular negative commands also change form
Tener- No tengas
Venir- No vengas
Dar/Decir- No digas/No des
Ir- No voyas
Ser- No seas
Hacer- No hagas
Estar- No estés
Salir- No salgas
18. Los Adverbios- Mente
To change adjectives into adverbs, you have to use the mente
process
If the adjective ends in a consonant or an e simply add a –mente
to the end. If the adjective ends in an o, change the o to an a and
then add the mente.
Ex: Frecuente goes to Frecuentemente
Ex: Lento(a) goes to Lentamente
When you have two or more adverbs only put a mente on the last
adjective, but still change the others to a feminine form if it ends
in o
19. Deber and other Modal Verbs
A modal verb is used as a helping verb to the action verb.
The modal verb is conjugated, and the 2nd or action verb is left in
the infinitive form
Ex: Yo voy a comprar a comida para mi.
List of modal verbs:
Desear= to need, Poder= to be able to, Querer= to want, Ir= to go,
Solar= accustom to, Tener= to have, Deber= should/ought to,
Saber= to know
20. Present Progressive
To make a present progressive you put a conjugated estar before the action verb.
Then you add an –ando to the end of an –ar verb, an –iendo to the end of –ir verb,
and a –yendo to the end of an –ir/er verb
Example: Esper goes to Estoy esperando
When you have a pronoun place it before the conjugated estar or you attach to the
end of the present participle.
Irregular present progressives change form
Leer-Leyendo
Oír-Oyendo
Traer-Trayendo
Pedir-Pidiendo
Servir-Sirviendo
Decir- Diciendo
Dormir-Duermiendo
Venir-Viniendo
21. Preterite
These verbs are past tense
These verbs change ending simply based on whether their ir, er,
or ar ending verbs
-é
Hablé
-ar Verbs
-amos
Hablamos
-aste
Hablaste
-ó
Habló
-aron
Hablaron
-í
Comí
Escribí
-er/ir Verbs
-imos
Comimos
Escribimos
-iste
Comiste
Escribiste
-ió
Comió
Escribió
-ieron
Comieron
Escribieon