DAY ONE:

A noun is a word used to denote a person, place, thing, or idea.

Person: John, girl, dentist

Place: garden, university, Venezuela

Thing: book, car, tomato

Idea: liberty, despair, intelligence

In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine.

Masculine Feminine

el chico la chica

boy girl

el jardín la universidad

garden university

el libro la revista

book magazine

el miedo la libertad

fear liberty

The idea that nouns have gender seems perfectly natural when the noun stands for a living creature.

This is because in English, living creatures often have different names, depending upon whether they are

male or female.

Masculine Feminine

man woman

tiger tigress

aviator aviatrix

The following Spanish nouns all denote living creatures.

el gato………………….male cat

la gata………………….female cat

el perro…………………male dog

la perra…………………female dog

el chico………………….boy

la chica…………………..girl

el abuelo………………..grandfather

la abuela………………..grandmother

How are all of these masculine nouns alike?

el gato

el perro

el chico

el abuelo

Hint: look at both the beginning and the ending of each line.

How are all of these feminine nouns alike?

la gata

la perra

la chica

la abuela

Hint: look at both the beginning and the ending of each line.

“El” and “la” both mean “the.”

el chico (the boy)

la chica (the girl)

el perro (the male dog)

la gata (the female cat)

Note: These two words (el, la) are called “definite articles.” You will learn more about them in a later

lesson.

What do you notice about the last letter of these nouns?

Masculine Feminine

gato gata

perro perra

chico chica

abuelo abuela

Nouns that end in -o are usually masculine. Nouns that end in -a are usually feminine. Notice the

word usually! There are exceptions to these two rules and you will soon be learning them.

One cannot predict the gender of a noun that stands for a non-living thing. Try to predict whether the

Spanish words for the following things are masculine or feminine:

Masculine or feminine?

book

house

money

window

One cannot predict the gender of a noun, except in the case of living creatures. Do not try to analyze the

nature of the object, looking for some inherent masculinity or femininity. It won’t work!

Take a guess. Do you think the Spanish word for “dress” is masculine or feminine? You might expect it to

be feminine, since a dress is an article of clothing worn by females.

Actually, the word for “dress” is a masculine word:

el vestido

Take another guess. Do you think the Spanish word for “necktie” is masculine or feminine? You might

expect it to be masculine, since a necktie is an article of clothing worn by males.

Actually, the word for “necktie” is a feminine word:

la corbata

When you learn a new noun, you should also learn its definite article (el, la). There are several reasons

for this:

Because you cannot predict the gender of most nouns.

Because not every noun that ends in -o is masculine, and not every noun that ends in -a is

feminine.

Because many nouns end in letters other than o or a.

Because the definite article (el, la) is your clue as to whether a noun is masculine or feminine.

Why do you care whether a noun is masculine or feminine?

Good question! As you shall see in upcoming lessons, Spanish places a great deal more emphasis on

gender than does English.

Homework

Find the correct answer.

Which word is masculine?

la casa

la mesa

el libro

la ventana

Which word is feminine?

el cuaderno

el abuelo

la maestra

el chico

Which word is masculine?

la mañana

la palabra

el diccionario

la tarea

Choose between masculine or feminine.

el libro

is a masculine word

is a feminine word

el escritorio

is a masculine word

is a feminine word

la mesa

is a masculine word

is a feminine word

DAY TWO:

Plural Form of Nouns

If a noun ends in a vowel, make it plural by adding -s.

libro: libros…………………………………(libro + s)

pluma: plumas……………………………(pluma + s)

chico: chicos……………………………….(chico + s)

señora: señoras………………………….(señora + s)

The definite articles (el, la) also change in the plural form. They become “los” and “las.” The definite

articles will be covered in depth in the next lesson.

el libro: los libros

la pluma: las plumas

el chico: los chicos

la señora: las señoras

If a noun ends in a consonant, make it plural by adding -es.

el borrador: los borradores

(borrador + es)

la universidad: las universidades

(universidad + es)

el profesor: los profesores

(profesor + es)

la ciudad: las ciudades

(ciudad + es)

If a noun ends in -ión, add -es and drop the written accent.

el avión: los aviones

la conversación: las conversaciones

la sección: las secciones

la televisión: las televisiones

Note: You may wonder why “avión” isn’t feminine. Notice that it doesn’t qualify for our rule which says

that all nouns ending in -ción and sión are feminine.

If a noun ends in -z, add -es and change the z to c.

el lápiz: los lápices

la voz: las voces

el tapiz: los tapices

la actriz: las actrices

When the plural refers to two or more nouns of different genders, the masculine plural is used.

2 perros + 6 perras = 8 perros (not perras)

1 gato + 8 gatas = 9 gatos (not gatas)

A few nouns are “compound nouns,” that is, they are formed by combining two words into one.

(Example: abre + latas = abrelatas / open + cans = can opener)

These compound nouns are always masculine, and the plural is formed by changing the “el” to “los.”

el abrelatas

los abrelatas

el paraguas

los paraguas

Let’s review the rules for making nouns plural.

If a noun ends in a vowel, simply add -s.

If a noun ends in a consonant, simply add -es.

If a noun ends in a -z, change the z to c before adding -es.

If a noun ends in ión, drop the written accent before adding -es.

If the plural refers to a mixed group, use the masculine.

For compound nouns, change “el” to “los”.

Homework

Choose the correct plural form.

el lápiz

los lápices

los lápizes

la universidad

las universidads

las universidades

la conversación

las conversaciones

las conversaciónes

la habitación

las habitaciónes

las habitaciones

True or false?

If a noun ends in -o, make it plural by adding -s.

true

false

If a noun ends in -ión, make it plural by adding -es and dropping the written accent.

true

false

If a noun ends in -z, make it plural by changing the z to c, and adding -es.

true

false

DAY THREE:

SUBJECT PRONOUNS

A verb is an action word.

run

sit

eat

sink

swim

study

The main form of a verb is called the infinitive. In English, infinitives include the word “to.”

to run

to sit

to eat

to sink

to swim

to study

The infinitive is the pure form of a verb. The infinitive is like a lump of clay that can be molded to match

the subject of the sentence it is used in:

I speak

you speak

he/she speaks

we speak

you-all* speak

they speak

Note: The above forms are called conjugations of the infinitive “to speak.”

Regarding the form “you-all” — this usage is not considered to be standard English. In standard English,

the same word is used for both the singular you and the plural you. That is, each of the following is

correct:

You have a tail light out, ma’am.

You (kids) have soccer practice at four.

In the first sentence, “you” refers to the singular “ma’am.” In the second sentence, “you” refers to the

plural “kids.” To avoid confusion between you (singular) and you (plural), we will employ the non-

standard English usage “you-all” to indicate you (plural). This will be very beneficial to y’all, particularly

at the beginning of your studies.

The words “I” “you” “he” “she” “we” “you-all” and “they” are called subject pronouns. Spanish has

corresponding subject pronouns. Here’s a list of the English subject pronouns and their Spanish

equivalents:

Yo………………….I

Usted…………….you

Él…………………..he

Ella………………..she

Nosotros………..we

Ustedes…………..you-all

Ellos……………….they

Spanish subject pronouns are both similar to and different from their English counterparts. Let’s

examine some of the differences. Look more closely at the English word “you.”

You have just seen that this can be translated into Spanish as “usted.” But there is also a second way it

can be translated. There are two ways the English word “you” can be expressed in Spanish:

Usted…………….you

Tú…………………..you

Spanish has a formal and an informal form of the word “you.” “Usted” is more formal and is generally

used to express respect. “Tú” is more familiar and is used among friends, coworkers, relatives, or when

addressing a child.

Speaking to your boss: usted

Speaking to your daughter: tú

Speaking to your teacher: usted

Speaking to your friend: tú

usted = you formal

tú = you informal (familiar)

This same distinction with regard to degree of formality occurs in the plural form as well. When referring

to “you-all,” there are two choices in Spanish:

Ustedes………………you-all formal

Vosotros……………you-all familiar

Once again, the difference lies in the degree of formality conveyed by the speaker. However, the

vosotros form is used primarily in Spain. Throughout Latin America, “ustedes” is generally used in both

formal and informal situations to refer to “you-all.”

Speaking to a group of children

(in Spain): vosotros

Speaking to a group of children

(in Latin America): ustedes

Speaking to a group of strangers

(in Spain): ustedes

Speaking to a group of strangers

(in Latin America): ustedes

Note: usted can be abbreviated Ud. or Vd. ; ustedes can be abbreviated Uds. or Vds.

In many ways, Spanish is more gender-specific than English. We find evidence of this in the subject

pronouns. First, look at the word “nosotros.” This means “we” in the sense of a group containing at least

one male. If the group contains only females, the word “nosotras” is used. So, in Spanish, there are two

ways to say “we”:

Nosotros………………………….we (masculine or mixed group)

Nosotras…………………………we (feminine)

This same idea applies to the English word “they”:

Ellos……………………………….they (masculine or mixed group)

Ellas……………………………….they (feminine)

This same idea also applies to the “vosotros” form:

Vosotros………………………….you-all familiar (masculine or mixed group)

Vosotras…………………………you-all familiar (feminine)

Note: These forms are used primarily in Spain, not Latin America.

Finally, don’t get confused over the difference between talking to a group or talking about a group.

Consider the following statement, which could have been made by your Spanish teacher, while standing

before the class:

“You-all need to study your Spanish. Those students in the other class don’t need to study Spanish. They

are studying French. You-all can practice Spanish in Spain. They can practice French in France.”

The teacher is talking to the Spanish students and about the French students.

Talking to a group, use “you-all”:

ustedes

vosotros

vosotras

Talking about a group, use “they”:

ellos

ellas

Here’s the complete list of Spanish subject pronouns:

Singular

yo – I

tú – you (familiar)

él – he

ella – she

usted – you (formal)

Plural

Nosotros………….we (masculine or mixed gender)

Nosotras…………..we (feminine)

Vosotros…………..you-all (familiar, Spain, masculine or mixed gender)

Vosotras………….you-all (familiar, Spain, feminine)

Ellos………………..they (masculine or mixed gender)

Ellas………………..they (feminine)

Ustedes…………you-all (formal in Spain, formal and familiar in Latin America)

Homework

Choose the best translation.

you (familiar)

yo

tú

él

ella

he

yo

tú

él

ella

you (formal)

usted

ustedes

vosotros

nosotros

they feminine

nosotras

ustedes

vosotras

ellas

Again, choose the correct translation.

I speak

yo hablo

tú hablas

you (formal) speak

tú hablas

usted habla

you-all (a group of children, in Spain) speak

ustedes hablan

vosotros habláis

you-all (a group of children, in Latin America) speak

ustedes hablan

vosotros habláis

Choose the correct subject pronoun.

To talk to your teacher, use .

To talk to a young boy, use

DAY FOUR:

REGULAR VERBS: PART I

All Spanish verbs are either “regular” or “irregular.” In this lesson we will look at three completely

regular verbs:

hablar (to speak)

comer (to eat)

vivir (to live)

Notice the last two letters of each verb.

hablar (to speak)

comer (to eat)

vivir (to live)

There are three categories of verbs:

-ar verbs (like hablar)

-er verbs (like comer)

-ir verbs (like vivir)

All three categories are infinitives. You will recall from a previous lesson that infinitives are the base

form of the verb, equivalent in English to: to speak, to eat, to live, etc. In Spanish, all infinitives end in -

ar, -er, or -ir.

-ar verb

hablar (to speak)

-er verb

comer (to eat)

-ir verb

vivir (to live)

Remember what it means to conjugate a verb:

to speak

I speak

you speak

he speaks

she speaks

we speak

you-all speak

they speak

In this lesson, you will learn to conjugate our model verbs for I, you (formal), we, and you-all (formal).

hablar – to speak

yo hablo……………………………….I speak

usted habla…………………………..you speak

nosotros/as hablamos…………..we speak

ustedes hablan……………………..you-all speak

comer – to eat

yo como………………………………..I eat

usted come…………………………..you eat

nosotros/as comemos……………we eat

ustedes comen……………………..you-all eat

vivir – to live

yo vivo…………………………………I live

usted vive…………………………..you live

nosotros/as vivimos…………..we live

ustedes viven……………………..you-all live

Look for a pattern in the yo form.

yo hablo

yo como

yo vivo

If the subject is I (yo), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -o.

yo hablo (hablar – ar + o = hablo)

yo como (comer – er + o = como)

yo vivo (vivir – ir + o = vivo)

Look for a pattern in the usted form.

usted habla

usted come

usted vive

If the subject is you formal (usted) drop the ending and add either -a or -e. If the verb is an -ar verb, add

-a. If it is an -er or -ir verb, add -e.

usted habla (hablar – ar + a = habla)

usted come (comer – er + e = come)

usted vive (vivir – ir + e = vive)

Look for a pattern in the nosotros/as form.

nosotros/as hablamos

nosotros/as comemos

nosotros/as vivimos

If the subject is we (nosotros/as), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -amos, -emos, or -imos.

Notice that the ending of the infinitive determines which is used: -ar verbs add -amos, -er verbs add -

emos, -ir verbs add -imos.

nosotros/as hablamos

(hablar – ar + amos = hablamos)

nosotros/as comemos

(comer – er + emos = comemos)

nosotros/as vivimos

(vivir – ir + imos = vivimos)

Look for a pattern in the ustedes form.

ustedes hablan

ustedes comen

ustedes viven

If the subject is you-all (ustedes), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -an or -en. If the verb is an -

ar verb, add -an. If it is an -er or an -ir verb, add -en.

ustedes hablan

(hablar – ar + an = hablan)

ustedes comen

(comer – er + en = comen)

ustedes viven

(vivir – ir + en = viven)

Present tense (indicative) in Spanish means three things.

1. Yo hablo inglés:

I speak English.

I do speak English.

I am speaking English.

2. Yo como pan:

I eat bread.

I do eat bread.

I am eating bread.

3. Yo vivo en Buenos Aires:

I live in Buenos Aires.

I do live in Buenos Aires.

I am living in Buenos Aires.

It is vital that you continue with your collection of verb flashcards. This will be your key to success in

mastering the Spanish verbs. Continue by creating 4 additional cards, writing the words in bold on one

side and the conjugations on the other side:

Homework

Classify the following verb.

vivir

-ar verb

-er verb

-ir verb

Choose the correct translation.

nosotros tomamos

you-all drink

we drink

usted cree

I believe

you believe

Again, choose the correct translation.

you-all talk

I drink

Write the correct ending.

nosotros/as habl

(hablar)

ustedes habl

(hablar)

yo com

(comer)

usted com

(comer)

nosotros/as viv

(vivir)

DAY FIVE:

SPANISH ADJECTIVES: PART I

Adjectives are frequently descriptive. That is, most often adjectives are used to describe a noun, or

distinguish the noun from a group of similar objects. For example, an adjective might describe the color

of an object.

the red pen

the blue pen

In Spanish, most adjectives change form, depending upon whether the word they modify is masculine or

feminine. Notice the difference between “the tall boy” and “the tall girl.”

el chico alto

la chica alta

Adjectives also change form depending upon whether the word they modify is singular or plural. Notice

the difference between “the tall boy” and “the tall boys” ; “the tall girl” and “the tall girls.”

el chico alto

los chicos altos

la chica alta

las chicas altas

Many common adjectives end in -o. These adjectives have four forms. The following words all mean

“tall”:

alto

alta

altos

altas

The correct form of the adjective depends upon the noun it modifies. Is the noun masculine or

feminine? Singular or plural?

libro rojo………………………….red book

pluma roja………………………red pen

libros rojos……………………..red books

plumas rojas………………….red pens

Notice how the endings of the nouns and these adjectives are similar.

libro rojo

pluma roja

libros rojos

plumas rojas

Adjectives that end in -e also change form for singular or plural. To form the plural, simply add -s.

la chica inteligente

las chicas inteligentes

Adjectives that end in -e do not, however, change form for masculine or feminine.

la chica inteligente

el chico inteligente

las chicas inteligentes

los chicos inteligentes

Similarly, most adjectives that end in a consonant do change form for singular or plural, but do

not change for masculine or feminine. To form the plural, add -es.

la chica popular

el chico popular

las chicas populares

los chicos populares

Let’s review.

Adjectives that end in -o have four forms: alto, alta, altos, altas

Adjectives that end in -e have two forms: inteligente, inteligentes

Most adjectives that end in a consonant have two forms: popular, populares (form plural by

adding -es)

Homework

Choose the correct form of the adjective.

alto. La chica _____ está en la casa.

alto

alta

altos

altas

poco. Hay _____ chicos en la clase.

poco

poca

pocos

pocas

mucho. Hay _____ chicas en la clase.

mucho

muchos

mucha

muchas

negro. Ella tiene pelo _____.

negro

negra

negros

negras

rubio. él tiene pelo _____.

rubio

rubia

rubios

rubias

Choose the correct translation.

six smart boys (inteligente)

seis muchachos inteligente

seis muchachos inteligentes

one pleasant boy (agradable)

un chico agradablo

un chico agradable

an enormous house (enorme)

una casa enorme

unas casas enormes

Again, choose the correct translation.

That young boy is my cousin. (joven)

Those young boys are my nephews. (joven)