Masculine nouns

1.Most of the masculine nouns end in -o.

EXAMPLES:

· el libr o / book

· el sombrer o / hat

EXCEPTIONS: Some nouns that end in a are masculine.

EXAMPLES:

· la man o / hand

· la fot o / photo

2. Colors, numbers, and days of the week are masculine.

EXAMPLES:

· el verde/ green

· el rojo/ red

· el uno/ one

· el cien/ hundred

· el lunes/ Monday

· el martes/ Tuesday

3. The following are nouns that refer to males, regardless of the ending:

· el hombre/ man

· el profesor/ male professor

· el juez/ male judge

· el policía/ male police officer

· el doctor/ male doctor

4. Compound nouns are always masculine and plural.

EXAMPLES:

· el abrelatas/ can opener

· el sacacorchos/ bottle opener

NUMBER

Number identifies words as singular or plural. To make a noun, plural follow the rules below:

1. Add -s to a noun ending in a vowel, as in huevo / egg and uva / grape.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	el huev o	los huevo s
Feminine	la uv a	las uva s

2. Add -es to a noun ending in a consonant.

Word	Singular	Plural
cereal	el cereal	los cereal es
examen	el examen	los exámen es

NOTE: At times, it is necessary to add or drop a written accent when a word is made plural because the stress of their singular form is maintained in their plural form.

Word	Singular	Plural
water melon	el mel ón	los mel on es
exam	el e xa men	los e xá men es

3. For the nouns that end in -z, change the z to ces.

Word	Singular	Plural
rice	el arro z	los arro ces
walnut	la nue z	las nue ces

4. Nouns ending in -es and -is do NOT change in the plural.

Word	Singular	Plural
Monday	el lun es	los lun es
crisis	la cris is	las cris is

5. Compound nouns have the same form in the singular and plural forms.

Word	Singular	Plural
can opener	el abrelat as	los abrelat as
bottle opener	el sacacorch os	los sacacorch os

Pronombres/ Pronouns

1. Pronombres personales/ Personal pronouns

2. Diferencias con el inglés/ Differences with English

3. Posesivo/ Possessive

4. Demostrativo/ Demonstrative

PRONOMBRES PERSONALES / Personal pronouns

Personal pronouns can be used as subjects of a sentence. They replace a noun.

Singular	Plural
yo/ I	nosotros (mas.), nosotras (fem.)/ we
tú (informal), usted (formal)/ you	vosotros (mas.) ,vosotras (fem.), ustedes/ you
él/ he, ella/ she	ellos, ellas/ they

Tú is the singular informal form of you. It is used to address family members, children, and friends.

Ud. is the abbreviation of usted and is the singular formal form of you. It is preferable to use Ud. in all other instances.

Vosotros is the familiar plural form of you that is only used in Spain. In all other Latin American countries, ustedes is used. NOTE: That ustedes is used for both informal and polite plural.

Nosotros, vosotros, ellos are used to refer to a male group or a group of mixed gender. However, nosotras, vosotras and ellas refer to only a group of females.

DIFERENCIAS CON EL INGLÉS/ Differences with English

1. In Spanish, verb endings indicate the subject. Therefore, subject pronouns are often omitted.

EXAMPLES:

· Abrimos a las ocho./ We open at eight.

· Cierran primero./ They close first.

2. In order to emphasize the subject, a pronoun is used. When used, it precedes the verb.

EXAMPLE:

· Yo soy el mejor./ I am the best.

3. A pronoun is used in order to avoid confusion when verb forms present ambiguity.

yo/ I Ud./ you él/ he ella/ she

hacía ejercicios./ was or were exercising.

4. Pronouns are always used when there are 2 verbs and 2 subjects.

EXAMPLE:

· Yo soy feliz, y él no lo es./ I am happy, but he is not.

5. The pronoun it is rarely used.

EXAMPLES:

· Es posible alcanzar esa meta./ It is possible to reach that goal.

· Está lloviendo./ It's raining.

6. In a question, subject pronouns can precede or follow the verb.

¿Ud. es el presidente?	Are you the president?
¿Es Ud. el presidente?

7. Unlike English, personal pronouns are used in the following constructions:

· Como ella, él, ellos, ellas/ like her, him, them

· Entre tú y yo/ between you and me

· Excepto ella, él, ellos, ellas / except her, him, them

· Incluso/ incluyendo ella, él, ellos, ellas / including her, him, them

· Según ella, él, ellos, ellas / according to her, him, them

Article

1. Artículo definido/ Definite article: rules when to use it.

2. Artículo definido/ Definite article: rules when NOT to use it.

3. Contracciones/ Contractions

4. El artículo neutro/ The neuter article

5. Artículo indefinido/ Indefinite article: rules when to use it.

6. Artículo indefinido/ Indefinite article: rules when NOT to use it.

ARTÍCULO DEFINIDO/ Definite Article

In Spanish, there are 4 forms that are equivalent to the English definite article the. They agree in number and gender with the noun they modify.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	el	los
Feminine	la	las

EXAMPLES:

el banc o /the bank

los banc os / the banks

la cas a / the house

las cas as / the houses

Rules when to use the definite article:

1.The definite article is used when the noun is determined.

EXAMPLES:

Hay una casa en el bosque. La casa es blanca./ There is a house in the forest. The house is white.

2. The definite article is used also with nouns that refer to the totality, abstract sense, essence, or general idea.

EXAMPLES:

La libertad es esencial./ Liberty is essential.

El amor es inmortal./ Love is immortal.

3. The definite article is used with the meals of the day and with the time.

EXAMPLES:

Yo compro la cena./ I buy the dinner.

Son las dos./ It's 2 o'clock.

4. It is also used with days of the week.

EXAMPLES:

Te llamaré el lunes./I'll call you on Monday.

Nos vemos el martes./ We'll see each other on Tuesday.

Exception to the above rule is with the verb ser/ to be; the article is NOT required.

EXAMPLES:

Ayer fue sábado./ Yesterday was Saturday.

Hoy es jueves./ Today is Thursday.

5. The definite article is used with names of body parts and pieces of clothing. In English, possessive adjectives are used instead.

EXAMPLES:

Yo saco el brazo./ I take out my arm.

Ella se lava la camisa./ She washes her shirt.

6. The definite article is used with the following titles that are followed by the name of the person:

Definite article used	Example
señor (Sr.)/ Mr.	El Sr. López es feliz./ Mr. Lopez is happy.
señora (Sra.)/ Mrs.	La Sra. de López saluda./ Mrs. Lopez greets.
señorita (Srta.)/ Miss	La Srta. Pérez come. / Miss Perez eats.
doctor (Dr.)/ Dr. (male)	El Dr. Roberto Lee es muy bueno./ Dr. Robert Lee is very good.
doctora (Dra.)/ Dr.(female)	La Dra. Ana Aguilar es mejor./ Dr. Ana Aguilar is better.

The following titles DO NOT require the definite article:

NO definite article used	Example
don (used with first name) / Mr.	Me saluda don Juan./ Mr. Juan is greeting me.
doña (used with first name) / Mrs.	Y doña Marina llora./ And Mrs. Marina cries.
San/ St.	Vamos a ver a San Pablo./ Let's go to see St. Paul.
Santo/ holy or St.	Ellos creen en Santo Domingo./ They believe in Saint Dominic.
Santa/ holy	Santa Madre Iglesia/ Holy Mother Church
fray/ Brother	Fray Luis es un luchador./ Brother Luis is a fighter.

NOTE: That NO articles are used when talking directly to the person.

EXAMPLE:

Dr. Pereyra, dígame por favor./ Dr. Pereyra, tell me please.

7. The definite article is used with most names of oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, mountains.

EXAMPLES:

Los Alpes están lejos./ The Alps are far away.

El Atlántico es inmenso./ The Atlantic is immense.

El Titicaca está en Bolivia./ The Titicaca is in Bolivia.

DO NOT use the definite article in the following situations:

1. The definite article is NOT used with nouns that express an undetermined amount.

EXAMPLES:

El gerente tiene dinero./ The manager has money.

Necesito pan y queso./ I need bread and cheese.

2. The definite article is NOT used with languages if they are followed immediately by the verb hablar and the prepositions de and en.

NO definite article used	Example
hablar / to speak	Hablan coreano./ They speak Korean.
de/ of	Yo quiero hablar de inglés./ I want to talk about English (language).
en/ in	Ella habla en chino con su padre. / She speaks Chinese with her father.

However, if the languages go after the verbs aprender, estudiar, and escribir, the use of a definite article is optional.

Optional use of definite article	Example
aprender /to learn	Quiero aprender (el) español./ I want to learn Spanish.
estudiar /to study	Estudio (el) español./ I study Spanish.
escribir / to write	Leo y escribo (el) inglés./ I read and write English.

NOTE: If there is an adverb after a verb, the article is required for the succeeding noun.

EXAMPLE:

Hablan fluídamente el coreano./ They speak fluently Korean.

3. The definite article is NOT used with roman numbers that denote the numerical order of a pontiff or sovereign.

EXAMPLES:

Juan Pablo II / John Paul the second

Victoria III / Victoria the third

NOTE: It is incorrect to add an article before any person's name.

Incorrect: la Juana or el Pedro

4. Most country names do NOT require an article, however, when the word República/ Republic is omitted, the article is required:

ARTICLE REQUIRED	NO ARTICLE REQUIRED
La Argentina	Nicaragua
El Brasil	Rusia
Los Estados Unidos (US)	España (Spain)
El Canadá	Indonesia
El Ecuador	Australia
El Japón	Inglaterra
La China	Chile
La India	Méjico (México can also be spelt with x)

NOTE: If a geographic name is modified by an adjective, an article is needed.

EXAMPLE:

El Chile prehistórico es importante./ The prehistoric Chile is important.

THE NEUTER ARTICLE LO

This neuter article is used to express a quality or an abstract idea.

EXAMPLES:

Lo importante es que Juan es feliz./ The important thing is that Juan is happy.

Lo bueno de vivir en Canadá es.../ The good thing to live in Canada is...

NOTE: That Lo + adjective or adverb + que is equivalent to the English expression how.

EXAMPLES:

El presidente sabe lo difícil que es la situación económica./ The President knows how difficult the economic situation is.

Entiendo lo malo que es fumar./ I understand how bad smoking is.

ARTÍCULO INDEFINIDO/ indefinite article

In Spanish, there are 4 forms of indefinite articles that are equivalent to a, an, and some.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	un	unos
Feminine	una	unas

EXAMPLES:

Un hombr e / a man

Unos chequ es / some checks

Una puert a / a door

Unas ventan as / some windows

(Top of de page)

NOTE: Un is used instead of una, when the nouns are feminine and start with a- or ha- that are stressed in that syllable.

EXAMPLES:

un ala/ a wing	unas alas/ some wings
un hacha/ an axe	unas hachas/ some axes

Rules when to use the indefinite article:

1. The indefinite article is used when the noun is undetermined.

EXAMPLE:

Mándeme un reporte./ Send me a report.

2. Unas and unos express an undetermined quantity. When they are used with nouns or numbers, they are equivalent to some or about in English.

EXAMPLES:

Vendimos unos productos./ We sold some products.

Comimos unas veinte manzanas./ We ate about 20 apples.

3. The indefinite article is used to indicate a quality that characterizes the modified noun.

In the following sentence, laziness is the main characteristic of this person.

EXAMPLE:

Juan es un haragán./ Juan is lazy.

DO NOT use the indefinite article in the following situations:

1. The indefinite article is NOT used with the following words:

NO ARTICLE REQUIRED	EXAMPLE
tal/ such	Pedro no dijo tal cosa./ Pedro didn't say such a thing.
otro/ another	Quiero cambiarla por otra billetera./ I want to exchange it for another wallet.
cien/ hundred	Deposito cien dólares./ I deposit a hundred dollars.
mil/ thousand	El cheque es por mil pesos./ The check is for a thousand pesos.
qué...!/ what...!	¡ Qué niño!/ What a child!

2. The indefinite article is NOT used when stating the profession, nationality, political affiliation, or religion of a person.

However, if the noun is being modified, the indefinite article is used.

QUALITY	NO ARTICLE REQUIRED	ARTICLE REQUIRED
profession	Soy doctor./ I am a doctor.	Soy un doctor especializado. / I am a specialized doctor.
nationality	Ella es francesa./ She is French.	Ella es una francesa típica. / She is a typical French.
political affiliation	Él es peronista./ He is a Peronist.	Él es un verdadero peronista. / He is a true Peronist.
religion	Ella es católica./ She is a catholic.	Ella es una católica dedicada. / She is a dedicated catholic.

Demonstrative

When a demonstrative adjective (DA) functions as a noun, it is called a demonstrative pronoun (DP).

DA and DP are used to indicate distance or proximity in space or in time.

1. Adjetivos demostrativos/ Demonstrative adjectives

2. Pronombres demostrativos/ Demonstrative pronouns

3. Formas neutras/ Neuter forms

ADJETIVOS DEMOSTRATIVOS/ Demonstrative adjectives (DA)

DA point out nouns, such as people, places, or things. DA are more specific than definite or indefinite articles.

Dem. Adjectives	Gender	Singular	Plural
this/ these	Masculine	este	estos
Feminine	esta	estas
that/ those (nearby)	Masculine	ese	esos
Feminine	esa	esas
that/ those (far away)	Masculine	aquel	aquellos
Feminine	aquella	aquellas

EXAMPLES:

El auto/ the car

Un auto/ a car

Este auto/ this car

NOTE: As shown in the above examples, DA agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, and DA precede the nouns.

ESTE and all its forms indicate proximity to the speaker.

Este sobre está abierto./ This envelope is open.

ESE and all its forms indicate proximity to the listener.

Esa flor (que tú tienes) es linda./ That flower (that you are holding) is pretty.

AQUEL and all its forms indicate distance from both the speaker and the listener or far away from the speaker.

Aquel árbol (a dos cuadras) es verde./ That tree (two blocks away) is green.

PRONOMBRES DEMOSTRATIVOS / Demonstrative pronouns (DP)

DP replace a noun. They have the same form as DA, but they have written accents that distinguish them from DA.

Dem. Pronouns	Gender	Singular	Plural
this/ these	Masculine	éste	éstos
Feminine	ésta	éstas
that/ those (nearby)	Masculine	ése	ésos
Feminine	ésa	ésas
that/ those (far away)	Masculine	aquél	aquéllos
Feminine	aquélla	aquéllas

EXAMPLES:

Esta casa es vieja, pero ésa es moderna/ This house is old, but that one is modern.

Esos árboles son bajos pero éstos son altos/ Those trees are short, but these are tall.

ÉSTE and all its forms replace the latter noun in a sentence. Aquél and all its forms replace the former noun.

EXAMPLE:

Chivas es más añejo que J.Walker. Éste es de 4 años. Aquél es de 7 años./ Chivas has been aged longer than J.Walker. This is 4 years old. That is 7 years old. (Éste refers to J. Walker; Aquél refers to Chivas)

NOTE: DP also agree in gender and number.

FORMAS NEUTRAS/ Neuter forms

There are 3 neuter DP, ésto, éso and aquéllo. They are used to refer to abstract ideas, concepts, or situations, and unidentified or undetermined objects.

EXAMPLES:

Pregunta ésto al profesor./ Ask about this (matter) to the professor.

Éso es imposible./ That is impossible.

Aquéllo es mínimo. Ésto es mejor./ That is minimal. This is better.

Pronouns

1. Pronombres personales/ Personal pronouns

2. Diferencias con el inglés/ Differences with English

3. Posesivo/ Possessive

4. Demostrativo/ Demonstrative

PRONOMBRES PERSONALES / Personal pronouns

Personal pronouns can be used as subjects of a sentence. They replace a noun.

Singular	Plural
yo/ I	nosotros (mas.), nosotras (fem.)/ we
tú (informal), usted (formal)/ you	vosotros (mas.) ,vosotras (fem.), ustedes/ you
él/ he, ella/ she	ellos, ellas/ they

Tú is the singular informal form of you. It is used to address family members, children, and friends.

Ud. is the abbreviation of usted and is the singular formal form of you. It is preferable to use Ud. in all other instances.

Vosotros is the familiar plural form of you that is only used in Spain. In all other Latin American countries, ustedes is used. NOTE: That ustedes is used for both informal and polite plural.

Nosotros, vosotros, ellos are used to refer to a male group or a group of mixed gender. However, nosotras, vosotras and ellas refer to only a group of females.

DIFERENCIAS CON EL INGLÉS/ Differences with English

1. In Spanish, verb endings indicate the subject. Therefore, subject pronouns are often omitted.

EXAMPLES:

Abrimos a las ocho./ We open at eight.

Cierran primero./ They close first.

2. In order to emphasize the subject, a pronoun is used. When used, it precedes the verb.

EXAMPLE:

Yo soy el mejor./ I am the best.

3. A pronoun is used in order to avoid confusion when verb forms present ambiguity.

yo/ I Ud./ you él/ he ella/ she

hacía ejercicios./ was or were exercising.

4. Pronouns are always used when there are 2 verbs and 2 subjects.

EXAMPLE:

Yo soy feliz, y él no lo es./ I am happy, but he is not.

5. The pronoun it is rarely used.

EXAMPLES:

Es posible alcanzar esa meta./ It is possible to reach that goal.

Está lloviendo./ It's raining.

6. In a question, subject pronouns can precede or follow the verb.

¿Ud. es el presidente?	Are you the president?
¿Es Ud. el presidente?

7. Unlike English, personal pronouns are used in the following constructions:

Como ella, él, ellos, ellas/ like her, him, them

Entre tú y yo/ between you and me

Excepto ella, él, ellos, ellas / except her, him, them

Incluso/ incluyendo ella, él, ellos, ellas / including her, him, them

Según ella, él, ellos, ellas / according to her, him, them

Adjectives

AUDIO: Click on an underlined word for audio; to hear the word again, click on the PLAY button of the audio player to maximize the use of your computer's resources. More info.

Adjectives are words that describe a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives that are attributes or nationality generally follow a noun.

EXAMPLES

lección fácil / easy lesson
cieloazul /blue sky
comida china / Chinese food

EXCEPTIONS are possessive, demonstrative, or numerical adjectives. As in English, they precede the noun.

EXAMPLES

micasa/ my house
eselibro/ that book
sietesillas/ seven chairs

FORMS OF ADJECTIVES (Agreement)

1. Most adjectives change form, depending upon whether the noun they modify is masculine or feminine and singular or plural. For words that end in o, a, and e, their endings are the following:

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	-o	-os
Feminine	-a	-as
Masc. or Fem.	- e	- es

2. In Spanish, adjectives must correspond in number and gender to the article and noun they modify. In English, adjectives do NOT change.

EXAMPLES

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	el gato blanco/ the white cat	los gatos blancos/ the white cats
Feminine	la gata blanca/ the white cat	las gatas blancas/ the white cats
Masculine	el hombre inteligente/ the intelligent man	los hombres inteligentes/ the intelligent men
Feminine	la mujer inteligente/ the intelligent woman	lasmujeresinteligentes/ the intelligent women

3. Generally, words that end in a consonant, -es is added to form their plural; however, the ending, -es, remains constant despite of the gender of the noun they modify.

EXAMPLES

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	El libro azul/ The blue book	Los libros azules/ The blue books
Feminine	La caja azul/ The blue box	Las cajas azules/ The blue boxes

NOTE: That adjectives are made plural by adding -s, -es; however, when words end in z, it changes to -ces.

EXAMPLES

el hombr e cap az /thecapableman

los hombr es capa ces /thecapablemen.

Present Tense

A verb expresses an action or indicates a state or condition.

An infinitive is the form of a verb that shows no subject or number, such as compr ar / to buy, vend er / to sell, recib ir / to receive.

Verbs consist of a stem, such as compr in comprar, vend in vender, recib in recibir, and an ending, such as - ar, -er, -ir. Stems of regular verbs do not change, but stems of irregular verbs sometimes do change.

Clasificación de los verbos / Classification of verbs

In Spanish, verbs are classified according to the endings of their infinitive.

1. First conjugation: verbs ending in -ar

2. Second conjugation: verbs ending in -er

3. Third conjugation: verbs ending in -ir

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30