INTERMEDIATE SPANISH GRAMMAR

Preterite Tense Conjugation of Regular Verbs

In Spanish, when we talk about things that happened in the past, the verb endings change. Just as in the present tense, when we had different endings depending on the subject, we have different endings for each subject in the preterite also. To change the ending, you must drop the “ar”, “er” or “ir” and replace it with the new ending.
The Preterite Tense is used to express:

• What happened and was completed in the past.  For example, “I lived there for two years.”
• What happened a specific number of times in the past.  For example, “He ate there 3 times last week.”

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ar” ending.  These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ar”

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “er” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “er”,

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ir” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ir”

Preterite Tense Conjugation of Stem-Changing Verbs

When “regular verbs” are conjugated the ending changes and the front part (a.k.a. stem or root) doesn’t change. When “stem-changing verbs” are conjugated the stem changes. Most stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when conjugated, however, there are some verbs that don’t follow a consistent rule when they are conjugated, and these are called, “irregular verbs”. The verbs that change from “e” to “ie” and “o” to “ue” ending in “ar” and “er” are regular in the preterit tense as are the verbs ending in “cer”.

Fortunately, most stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when they are conjugated.

1.      Change the “o” to “u” in the stem but only for the subjects “Usted/él/ella” and “Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas”. The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. For example:

Here is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:

2.      Change the “e” to “i” in the stem but only for the subjects “Usted/él/ella” and “Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas”. The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. For example:

Here is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:

3.      For verbs that end in “car” change “c” to “qu” but only for the subject “yo”. The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. For example:

Here is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:

4.      For verbs that end in “gar” change the “g” to “gu” but only for the subject “yo”. The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. For example:

Here is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:

For verbs that end in “zar” change the “z” to “c” but only for the subject “yo”. The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. For example:

Here is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:

5.      For verbs that end in “uir” change the “i” to “y” but only for the subjects “Usted/él/ella” and “Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas”. The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. For example:

Here is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:

Preterite Tense Conjugation of Irregular Verbs

When “regular verbs” are conjugated the ending changes and the front part (a.k.a. stem or root) doesn’t change. When “stem-changing verbs” are conjugated the stem changes. Most stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when conjugated, however, there are some verbs that don’t follow a consistent rule when they are conjugated, and these are called, “irregular verbs”. The verbs that change from “e” to “ie” and “o” to “ue” ending in “ar” and “er” are regular in the preterit tense as are the verbs ending in “cer”.

Fortunately, there aren’t many irregular verbs. Unfortunately, some of the irregular verbs listed below are used frequently:

These Irregular Verbs change the “i” to “y” but only for the subjects “Usted/él/ella” and “Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas”. The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. There is an accent over the “i” for the subjects “Yo”, “Tú” and “Ustedes/ellos/ellas”. For example:

Expressions of the Preterite Tense

In Spanish there are various phrases signifying something that happened in the past such as that which happened last night, last week, last year, etc. The terms “always” and “never” apply to the present and the past tense because something can “always” or “never” happen in the past. (i.e. John always lied. Joan never lied.)

Direct Object Pronouns

Direct Object Pronouns – A direct object pronoun is used in place of person or thing that receives the action of the verb.

The direct object can be found by asking the questions:

• Who receives the action of the verb?
• What receives the action of the verb?

For example:

• John sees Jane
• Who receives the action of “sees”?
• Answer: Jane was seen, therefore, Jane is the direct object

The direct object pronoun can replace the direct object, for example:

• John sees her
• “her” is the direct object pronoun

Direct object pronouns in Spanish are:

Placement of Direct Object Pronouns

Direct object pronouns typically are placed before a conjugated verb. However, the following exceptions apply:

• If there is a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive, the pronoun can be placed before the conjugated verb or at the end of the infinitive. For example, La prefiero tener or Prefiero tenerla (I prefer to have it).
• The pronoun is attached to the end of a positve command or a gerund. For example, Ponloaquí (Put it here). Estoy poniéndolo aquí.
• The pronoun precedes a negative command or gerund. For example, No lo pongas aquí (Don’t put it here).

Notice that when the pronoun is attached at the end of the infinitive, or a gerund or a command form (in the affirmative), the pronoun forms one word with the verb. For example, prefiero tenerla / estoy poniéndolo / ponlo.

Common Reflexive Verbs

A reflexive verb is one where the same person does and receives the action, that is to say there are no outside forces. In English, this is similar to “myself” or “yourself”.

1.  Reflexive Pronouns– The following pronouns are used with reflexive verbs:

Reflexive pronouns:

• Typically precede verbs – For example, Meacuesto (I’m going to bed).
• Follow positive commands – For example, Acuéstate (Go to bed).
• Are used after “no” and before the reflexive verb in a negative setence. For example, Yo no me lavé esta mañana (I didn’t wash myself this morning).

2.  Reflexive Verbs – Reflexive verbs are usually identified with “se” at the end of the infinitive (e.g., bañarse). Conjugation of reflexive verbs does not change. The only difference is the use of the reflexive pronoun. For example,

• Yome levanto para salir (I get up to leave).
• Tú te levantas para salir (He gets up to leave).
• Él se levanta para salir (He gets up to leave).
• Nosotros nos levantamos para salir(We get up to leave).
• Ustedes se levantan para salir
• Ellos se levantan para salir(They get up to leave).

Uses of the Verbs Dar, Hacer, Poner, Echar, Tener and others

Some verbs, when united with other phrases, convert into expressions with a different meaning and use than the normal verb.

This lesson includes information on:

1. Acabar
2. Dar
3. Dejar
4. Echar
5. Haber
6. Hacer
7. Ponerse
8. Tener
9. Volver

1.  Acabar– “Acabar” translates in English as “to finish,” however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

2.  Dar– “Dar” translates in English as “to give,” however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

3.  Dejar– “Dejar” translates in English as “to leave something or somebody behind- (not for a person) however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

4.  Echar– “Echar” translates in English as “to throw,” however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

5.  Haber– “Haber” translates in English as “to have,” however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

6.  Hacer– “Hacer” translates in English as “to make” or “to do,” however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

7.  Ponerse– “Poner” translates in English as “to put,” however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

8.  Tener– “Tener” translates in English as “to have,” however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

9.  Volver– “Volver” translates in English as “to return,” however, it can have other meanings in Spanish usually when used with a preposition or as an idiomatic expression.

Ordinal Numbers

In Spanish and English we have ordinal and cardinal numbers. Cardinal numbers are those we use for counting (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) and are covered in Lesson 2. Ordinal numbers are those that we use to rank things, name streets, give a position to something, etc. (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.).

Ordinal numbers are the numbers we use to rank things, name streets, etc. (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.). The last letter of ordinal numbers will be an “o” or an “a” for masculine or feminine nouns, respectively. However, the “o” is dropped before masculine nouns for 1st & 3rd. Ordinal numbers are rarely used beyond 10. Note: the “o” is dropped for First (primer) and Third (Tercer) when it is followed by a masculine noun. For example:

Imperfect Tense Conjugation of Regular Verbs

In Spanish, there are two main ways to express actions in the past: the preterit and the imperfect.

The Imperfect Tense is used to describe:

• Actions repeated in the past (i.e., used to).  For example, “I used to study Spanish every morning.”
• Hours, dates, ages and names in the past.  For example, “It was 8 o’clock when he came home” and “He was 10 years old last year.”
• Description in the past.  For example, “She had brown eyes.”
• Events that don’t have a beginning or an end.  For example, “She studied Spanish in Guatemala.”
• A substitution for the past progressive. For example: I was reading when you called.

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ar” ending.  These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ar”,

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “er” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “er”,

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ir” ending. These same endings are used for all “regular verbs” that end in “ir”

Imperfect Irregular Verbs

There are some verbs that don’t follow the rules of conjugation. In the imperfect tense there are only three irregular verbs: ser, ir, and ver.

The first and third persons are identical so you should not drop the subject as easily as you do in the preterit, unless it is very clear who is the subject.

• “Ser” in the imperfect tense translates as “was” or “were” in English

• “Ir” in the imperfect tense translates as “went” in English

• “Ver” in the imperfect tense translates as “saw” in English

Expressions of the Imperfect Tense

In Spanish, the following expressions are typically used in the imperfect tense to express an incomplete past.

Difference Between Preterit and Imperfect Tenses

There are various differences between the uses of the preterit and the uses of the imperfect tenses and all uses are in the past.

1.  When to use the Preterit Tense– The preterit tense is commonly used to express:

• An action that starts and ends in the past
• Actions that occur only one time
• Conclusions 

2.  When to use the Imperfect Tense– The imperfect is commonly used to express:

• Habits or customs in the past
• Describe people, animals, things, and with descriptive situations
• To tell age, dates, days, names and hours
• What had been happening – Usually expressed in Spanish,Hacía + time + que + imperfect.
• Temporary condition of being
• With nouns and the verb tener
• Actions in progress (imperfect) that are interrupted by another action (in the preterit)- Usually expressed in Spanish, Cuando + preterit + imperfect or vice versa
• To tell history or stories
• Intention of the actions – Usually expressed in Spanish, Ir + a + infinitive, Querer + infinitive.

Synonyms

Synonyms are words that are written differently but have the same meaning.

Antonyms

Antonyms are words that are written differently and have the opposite meaning.

Indirect Object Pronouns

The Indirect Object is the person who indirectly receives the action. The Indirect Object can be found with the question:

• To whom was the action of the verb indirectly made? For example:
  • John gave the book to Jane.
  • To whom was the action of the verb “gave” indirectly made?
  • Answer: Jane indirectly received the action of the “book” being “given”. Therefore, “Jane” is the Indirect Object.

• The Indirect Object Pronoun can replace the Indirect Object, for example:
  • John gave the book to her (John le dio el libro)
  • “to her” is the Indirect Object Pronoun (le)

• The Indirect Object Pronouns are:

• In Spanish, very often there is a repetition of the indirect object pronoun, it is called the “redundance” of the indirect object.  For example:
  • John le dio el libro a ella.

“A ella” is not necessary, it is called the “phrase of clarification”. The “le” is necessary.

Future Tense Formation of Regular Verbs

In Spanish as in English, we express events that are going to happen using a specific form of the verb. There are two ways of expressing the future. The more colloquial form using the verb “to go”, which is the equivalent to the English “going to…” (Ex: I am going to study = yo voy a estudiar) and with the less colloquial future tense, the equivalent to the English verbs preceded by “will” (Ex. I will study later). This lesson explains the latter.

The Future Tense is used to express:

• What will happen in the future. For example, “I will play soccer tomorrow.”
• What is uncertain or probable now. For example, “He is probably at the library.”

The future for regular verbs is formed with the infinitive + the ending.

Differently from other tenses, the endings for future are the same, regardless of the infinitive ending in –ar, -er or -ir.

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ar” ending.

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “er” ending.

Here is a conjugation example of a regular verb with an “ir” ending.

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Future Tense Formation of Irregular Verbs

There are 12 verbs that don’t follow the same conjugation rules in the future tense:

The Future Tense is used to express:

• What will happen in the future. For example, Pondré la mesa (I will set the table).
• What is uncertain or probable now. For example, Él sabrá la respuesta(He probably knows the answer).

Notice that the irregular verbs in the future coincide with some irregular verbs in the “yo” person in the present, mainly the ones ending in “go”, given in the first list, plus others such as:

• Decir  (digo) = diré
• Hacer (hago) = hare
• Saber (sé) = sabré

·         For the following verbs, replace the i or the e with d in the verb ending:

For example:

·         For the following verbs, leave out the vowel in the verb ending:

For example:

·         The last 2 verbs in the group of 12 are stem-changing verbs:

Expressions of the Future Tense

In Spanish as in English, we have expressions of the future tense. These expressions are used to give a sense or an idea of when something is going to happen in the future.  Tomorrow, next week, later and other similar words explain when something is going to happen. With these words, we use verbs in the future tense.

In the Spanish language it is very common, in the colloquial language, to use present tense even when you are thinking about future.

• Coloquial form: Mañana voy a tu casa.
• Literal or formal form: Mañana iré a tu casa.

Uses of the Grammatical Future Tense

There are various uses of the grammatical future tense in Spanish. The future tense expresses an action that is anticipated from the present moment. It also expresses a sense of command in the tú, usted, and ustedes forms. It expresses a probability in the present as well. Also, the formation ir a + infinitive exists to express the near future tense and the verb querer + infinitive is used to solicit something.

This lesson includes information on:

1. Future Action
2. Command
3. Probability in the Present
4. Near Future Condition
5. Solicitation

1.  Future Action

The future tense expresses an action or event that will take place in the future.  For example:

2.  Command

The future tense can be used to express a command for the future in the tú, usted and ustedes forms.  For example:

3.  Probability in the Present

The future tense can be used to express probability in the present, or the question “…wonder if….  For example:

4.  The Use of the Colloquial     Ir + a + infinitive

Sometimes called the Near Future Condition, this form expresses something that is going to happen soon,

The Ir + a + infinitive expresses a suggestion when used in the “we” form:

5.  Solicitation

The future tense can be used to express solicitation when the verb querer is followed by an infinitive in the following form:

Querer + infinitive

For example:

Comparative Adjectives

In Spanish as in English, we use comparatives to express comparisons of superiority, equality, and inferiority.  The comparisons of equality have their own formula.

a)      To express more… than…, one uses the following forms:

• When using an adjective, adverb or noun in a comparison, one uses the form:

Verb + más + adjective, adverb, noun + que

• When comparing two things directly, one uses the form:

Verb + más + que

• When using numbers, one uses the form:

Verb + más + de + number, quantity

*This form is only valid for affirmative sentences.

• When comparing two clauses, one uses the form:

Verb + más + adjective, adverb, noun + de lo (la,los,las) que

b)      To express less… than…, one uses the following forms:

• When using an adjective, adverb or noun in a comparison, one uses the form:

Verb + menos + adjective, adverb, noun + que

• When comparing two things directly, one uses the form:

Verb + menos + que

• When using numbers, one uses the form:

Verb + menos + de + number, quantity

*This form is only valid in affirmative sentences.

• When comparing two clauses, one uses the form:

Verb + menos + adjective, adverb, noun + de lo (la,los,las) que

c)      To express equality, one uses the following forms:

• When expressing equality regarding people and things, one uses the form:

Verb + tan + adjective, adverb, noun + como

• When expressing equality regarding quantity, one uses the form:

Verb + tanto + adjective, adverb, noun + como

*When using tanto… como…, tanto is a modifier and must agree in gender and singular/plural with the noun.  For example, if there are as many cars as, the statement would be written: Hay tantos coches como….

d)      There are some irregular comparisons.

• With bueno (good) and bien(well) one uses mejor.  With malo (bad) and mal (bad) one uses peor.

• With joven(young) and pequeño(small) one uses menor.  With Viejo (old) and grande(large) one uses mayor.

• Alto(high) and bajo(low)use different words for each level of comparison.

Superlative Adjectives

In Spanish as in English, we use superlatives to express the highest degree of comparisons.

a)      The superlatives that form the adjectives only add a definite article.  For example, valiente is the adjective, más valiente is the comparative, and el más valiente is the superlative.

• To express the most, one uses the form:

El (la) más+ adjective + (de)

*The superlative in relation to the other elements of the same type uses the superlative form followed by the preposition de.

• To express the least, one uses the form:

El (la) menos+ adjective + (de)

b)      The superlatives that form the adverbs do not use the article.  For example, claramente is the adverb, más claramente is the comparative, and más claramente is the superlative.

• To express the most using an adverb, one uses the form:

Más+ adverb

• To express the least using an adverb, one uses the form:

Menos+ adverb

c)      The independent superlative can use:

muy, sumamente, extraordinariamente, extremadamente+ adjective or adverb

d)      The adjective + ísimo (a, os, as) is another independent superlative. The adverb + ísimo is used as an independent superlative.

Adjective/adverb + ísimo (a,os,as)

Some adjectives change their spelling when ísimo is added to the end.  The following is a list of those adjectives:

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of place describe where things or people are or where events happen.

The following is a list of adverbs of place:

Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of time express when events happen.

The following is a list of adverbs of time:

Adverbs of Method (Manner)

Adverbs of manner express how something is done.

The following is a list of adverbs of Method (Manner):

Adverbs of Quantity

Adverbs of quantity express how much there is of something.

The following is a list of adverbs of quantity:

Adverb Formation with the Ending “mente”

This changes the adjective to an adverb and changes the meaning.  Written accents on adjectives are also written on adverbs.

Feminine, singular adjective + -mente

For example:

Adverb Formation with the Preposition con

The adverbs with the preposition “con” (with) are formed with “con” (with) + a noun.

Con+ noun

For example:

Uses of Adverbs

Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adverbs and adjectives.  They never change form regardless of gender or number of the verb, adverb or adjective they modify.

a)      When you can answer the question how with an adverb, it modifies a verb.

For example:

b)      When you are expressing the intensity degree of an adjective or adverb (really hot, extremely intelligent, etc.), the adverb is modifying an adjective or adverb.

For example: