Structures S1 Your Profession

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LESSON NOTES

Must-Know Spanish Sentence

Structures S1 #1Talking About Your Profession

CONTENTS

2 Spanish2 English2 Vocabulary3 Sample Sentences3 Vocabulary Phrase Usage4 Grammar

# 1COPYRIGHT © 2019 INNOVATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #1 - TALKING ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION 2

SPANISH

1. Yo soy abogada.

2. Yo soy médico.

3. Yo soy maestro.

4. Diana es dentista.

5. Yo no soy abogado.

6. ¿Tú eres doctor?

ENGLISH

1. I'm a lawyer.

2. I am a physician.

3. I am a teacher.

4. Diana is a dentist.

5. I am not a lawyer.

6. Are you a physician?

VOCABULARY

Spanish English Class Gender


ingeniero civil, ingeniera civil civil engineer phrase masculine, feminine

psicólogo, psicóloga psychologist noun masculine, feminine

estilista hairstylist nounmasculine and

feminine

arquitecto, arquitecta architect noun masculine, feminine

ingeniero, ingeniera engineer noun masculine, feminine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Tú eres ingeniera civil.

“You are a civil engineer.”

Nosotros somos psicólogos.

“We are psychologists.”

Ellos son estilistas

“They are hairstylists.”

Elegir el estilista adecuado es una decisión importante para la gente con una imagen pública relevante.

"To choose the right hairstylist is an important decision for people with a strong public presence. "

Él es arquitecto.

“He is an architect.”

Yo soy ingeniera ambiental.

“I’m an environmental engineer.”

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Related Words and Phrases

Using the pattern you just learned, use the following information to substitute the third element:


Yo + soy + profesión.

"I" + "am" + profession.

1. Yo soy abogada. "I am a lawyer."

Replace "profession" with: Word Class Gender

ingeniero, ingeniera "engineer" nounmasculine, feminine

arquitecto, arquitecta "architect" noun

masculine, feminine

estilista "hairstylist" nounmasculine and feminine

ingeniero civil, ingeniera civil "civil engineer" phrase

masculine, feminine

psicólogo, psicóloga "psychologist" nounmasculine, feminine

For example:

1. Yo soy ingeniera ambiental. "I'm an environmental engineer."

2. Él es arquitecto. "He is an architect."

3. Ellos son estilistas. "They are hairstylists."

4. Tú eres ingeniera civil. "You are a civil engineer."

5. Nosotros somos psicólogos. "We are psychologists."

GRAMMAR


The Focus of This Lesson is Talking About Your Profession

Use the following pattern to let others know what you do for a living.

Yo + soy + profesión.

"I" + "am" + profession.

1. Yo soy abogada. "I am a lawyer."

In Spanish the pronoun can be omitted if it is obvious to whom you are referring to. But if you want to emphasize, you can include the pronoun at the beginning of the sentence. Then comes the verb "to be," conjugated according to the pronoun. At the end comes the profession, which is a noun inflected as you would do with adjectives in Spanish, it is modified by the gender and number of the subject. Note that in Spanish the article "a/an" is not included before the profession.

1. The Verb "to be"

The verb ser means "to be." It must be distinguished from the verb estar, which also means "to be." But ser refers to permanent kinds of being, like being from somewhere, being of a certain occupation, race or ethnicity, among others. The verb ser is a verb of existence. So, the verb ser expresses being, while estar expresses being in a certain state or location.

The verb ser is called an 'irregular' verb. This means that it does not follow the normal paradigms for second conjugation verbs. To see this, you can compare it with regular verbs like correr (to run) or comer (to eat). However, because the verb ser is used so often, it's not that hard to memorize. Here is a conjugation chart in the Present Tense of the Indicative Mood:

Ser - "to be"

Yo soy "I am"

Tú eres "You are" *informal register

Usted es "You are" *formal register

Él/Ella es "He/She/It is"


Nosotros somos "We are"

Ustedes son "You (all) are"

Ellos/Ellas son "They are"

For example:

1. Yo soy de europa. "I am from Europe."

2. Tú eres nervioso. "You are nervous."

3. Él es médico. "He is a doctor."

4. Ella es profesora. "She is a teacher."

5. Es interesante. "It is interesting."

2. Talking about professions in Spanish (gender, number, etc.)

To talk about your profession in Spanish, you use the verb "to be," ser, followed by the profession. Professions in Spanish are nouns, but need to be inflected just like an adjective. You need to make sure it agrees with the subject's gender and number.

In Spanish, while talking about professions we're going to consider two aspects:

1. Number: singular or plural. The number is shown in the ending of the word. We call this the "inflection." The plural form can be identified by a letter "s" at the end of the word.

2. Gender: masculine or feminine. The nouns for professions are generally either masculine or feminine, but a few are neutral. In general the professions that refer to a female person end with a letter "a" and if they refer to a male person end with a letter "o."

Example 1: maestro "teacher"

Singular:


1. Masculine: maestr + o = maestro

2. Feminine: maestr + a = maestra

Plural:

1. Masculine: maestr + os = maestros

2. Feminine: maestr + as = maestras

Example 2: escritor "writer"

Singular:

1. Masculine: escritor

2. Feminine: escritor + a = escritora

Plural:

1. Masculine: escritor + es = escritores

2. Feminine: escritor + as = escritoras

Example 3: fotógrafo "photographer"

Singular:

1. Masculine: fotógraf + o = fotógrafo

2. Feminine: fotógraf + a = fotógrafa

Plural:

1. Masculine: fotógraf + os = fotógrafos

2. Feminine: fotógraf + as = fotógrafas


Example 4: neutral professions

1. estilista "hairstylist"

2. policía "policeman"

3. psiquiatra "psychiatrist"

4. astronauta "astronaut"

5. guía de turistas "tour guide"

So, we would say, Ella es estilista. meaning "She is a hairstylist." and Él es estilista. meaning "He is a hairstylist."

Once you learn to recognize the gender and number of the subject, inflecting the nouns of professions is pretty easy, since all we need to do is make sure that they "agree" with each other.

Also, we should mention the issue of "mixed genders." For example, if we have a masculine and feminine noun or pronoun as subjects of the sentence, as in:

1. Ella y él son abogados. "She and he are lawyers."

Since él is masculine and ella is feminine, the masculine form of the adjective abogados is used. This is because as a grammatical rule the masculine nouns or pronouns 'dominate' over the feminine in a group of mixed-gender nouns/pronouns. Therefore, the masculine -o- ending.

As a last point, note that nouns of professions used in a sentence in Spanish don't need an article, after the verb ser "to be," like their English counterparts.

1. Él es maestro. "He is a teacher"


The only exception is when the noun is modified by an adjective. In that case we use the article.

1. Él es un excelente maestro. "He is an excellent teacher."

Review

So remember to talk about your profession, just say "I," plus the verb "to be," plus profession. And be aware of the speaker's gender.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #2Expressing What You Want

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #2 - EXPRESSING WHAT YOU WANT 2

SPANISH

1. Yo quiero un café de olla.

2. Yo quiero una piñata.

3. Yo quiero dos hamburguesas.

4. Luis quiere un refresco.

5. Yo no quiero un perro.

6. ¿Quieres una dona?

ENGLISH

1. I want a clay pot coffee.

2. I want a piñata.

3. I want two hamburgers.

4. Luis wants a soda.

5. I don't want a dog.

6. Do you want a donut?

VOCABULARY


vacaciones holidays noun, plural feminine


postre dessert noun masculine

un helado an ice cream phrase masculine

té verde green tea noun masculine

un auto a car phrase masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Tú quieres vacaciones.

“You want holidays.”

De postre, tráigame una tarta de Santiago, por favor.

"For dessert, bring me a Santiago cake please."

Nosotros queremos tres postres.

“We want three desserts.”

Si comes postre todos los días te pondrás gordo.

"If you eat dessert every day you are going to get fat!"

El postre está muy bueno.

"The dessert is very good."

Él quiere un helado de chocolate.

“He wants a chocolate ice cream.”

Yo quiero un té verde.

“I want a green tea.”

Ellos quieren un auto nuevo.

“They want a new car.”





Yo + quiero + frase sustantiva.

"I" + "want" + noun phrase.

1. Yo quiero un café de olla. "I want a clay pot coffee."

Replace "noun phrase" with: Word Class Gender

té verde "green tea" phrase masculine

un helado "an ice cream" phrase masculine

vacaciones "holidays" noun, plural feminine

un auto "a car" phrase masculine

postre "dessert" noun masculine

For example:

1. Yo quiero un té verde. "I want a green tea."

2. Él quiere un helado de chocolate. "He wants a chocolate ice cream."

3. Tú quieres vacaciones. "You want holidays."

4. Ellos quieren un auto nuevo. "They want a new car."

5. Nosotros queremos tres postres. "We want three desserts."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Expressing What You Want


Use the following pattern to let others know what you want.

1. Yo quiero un café de olla. "I want a clay pot coffee."

In Spanish, the pronoun can be omitted if it is obvious to whom you are referring. But if you want to emphasize, you can include the pronoun at the beginning of the sentence. Then comes the verb "to want", conjugated according to the pronoun. At the end comes the noun phrase expressing what it is that you want. The noun phrase is modified by the gender and number of the noun.

1. The Verb "to want"

We can translate the verb querer in Spanish as "to want" or "to love," depending on the context.

1. Lo quiero de todas maneras. "I want it anyway."

2. Ya no me quiere. "She doesn't love me anymore."

The verb querer is often followed directly by an infinitive, in which case it means "to want to do something."

For example:

1. Los niños quieren comer. "The kids want to eat."

Conjugation Chart—Present Indicative

Yo quiero "I want"

Tú quieres "You want"

Él / Ella quiere "He / She wants"

Usted quiere "You want" *formal register


Nosotros queremos "We want"

Ustedes quieren "You want" *Plural

Ellos / Ellas quieren "They want"

Note that the verb querer conjugated in the present indicative is an irregular verb. The stem changes from e to ie in some of its conjugation forms.

When speaking in the past tense, use querer in the imperfect to talk about states of wanting or desire.

For example:

1. Cuando llegué a casa, solo quería dormir. "When I arrived home, I only wanted to sleep."

Conjugation Chart—Imperfect Indicative

Yo quería "I wanted"

Tú querías "You wanted"

Él / Ella quería "He / She wanted"

Usted quería "You wanted" *formal register

Nosotros queríamos "We wanted"

Ustedes querían "You wanted" *Plural

Ellos / Ellas querían "They wanted"

Note that the verb querer conjugated in the imperfect indicative is a regular verb. The stem quer remains unchanged, and the regular endings for -er verbs are added in each conjugation form.

2. Nouns

What's a Noun? A noun is a category of words used to describe a person, place, thing, or


idea. This description is applicable for both English and Spanish languages; however, the difference is that, in Spanish, all nouns have either the masculine or feminine gender. The ending of a noun can help us know whether it is masculine or feminine.

The general rule is that if a noun ends with an -a, it's feminine. For example: la manzana - "the apple," la casa - "the house." Nouns that end with an -o are generally masculine, like el perro - "the dog," el libro - "the book."

However, the rules we will learn are not absolute. There are exceptions.

Masculine Nouns

Let's begin with the masculine nouns. Nouns ending in -o will be generally masculine (but not always), as in the following examples:

1. el oso "the bear"

2. el armario "the wardrobe"

3. el brazo "the arm"

Here is one exception: 1. la radio - "the radio," which is a feminine noun.

Also, we find words ending in -ama, -ema, and -oma tend to be masculine. Below are some examples:

1. el anagrama "the anagram"

2. el dilema "the dilemma"

3. el diploma "the diploma"

Again, here is one exception: 1. la cama - "the bed," which is a feminine noun.

Words ending in -aje are also typically masculine:


1. el equipaje "the luggage"

2. el carruaje "the carriage"

Also the next group of nouns are masculine:

Numbers: el uno ("one"); el siete ("seven"); el catorce ("fourteen")

Days of the week: el martes ("Tuesday"); el viernes ("Friday")

Compass points: el norte ("north"); el sur ("south"); el este ("east"); el oeste ("west")

Feminine Nouns

Almost all nouns ending in -a are feminine, except the nouns ending in -ma (as we saw earlier), some words ending in -eta, and the noun mapa, which are masculine.

Here are several examples:

1. la cama "the bed"

2. la motocicleta "the motorcycle"

3. la columna "the column"

4. la oreja "the ear"

Nouns ending in -ad, -ie, -ción, -sión, -ad, and -umbre are generally feminine nouns, as in the following examples:

1. la amistad "the friendship"

2. la canción "the song"


3. la costumbre "the costume"

4. la serie "the drama"

It's important to remember what gender a noun is, because often it influences other parts of a sentence. Adjectives in particular change their spelling according to the gender of the nouns they modify. It goes a bit like this: "A notebook," un cuaderno, is masculine. So to say "a red notebook," you'd say, un cuaderno rojo. "An apple," una manzana, is feminine. So "a red apple," is una manzana roja, with rojo changing to roja spelled with an -a.

Number

Now that we have seen the basic rules for gender, let's have a look at the number. This part is a bit easier, but again no rules are absolute. Only by practicing will we master this concept. Gender has no meaning for English nouns, but when we use a noun in the plural form, it works the same in Spanish as in English. Let's see some rules to form the plural in Spanish nouns.

There are two basic rules (remember, they are not absolute rules):

1. The first one is that when a noun finishes in a vowel, we add -s to form the plural noun, for example: coche "car" > coches "cars," teléfono "phone" > teléfonos "phones"

2. If the noun ends in a consonant, we add -es to form the plural noun, for example: camión "truck" > camiones "trucks," papel "paper" > papeles "papers"

Note that the article that accompanies the noun has to agree in gender and in number with the noun, so we have four articles: el, la, los, and las.

Review

So remember that to express what you want, say "I", plus verb 'to want", plus a noun phrase. Be aware of the number and gender of the noun phrase.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #3Using Adjectives to Describe

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #3 - USING ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE 2

SPANISH

1. Ese dulce es picante.

2. Los tacos son deliciosos.

3. Esta clase es interesante.

4. Aquellos libros son nuevos.

5. Este restaurante no es bueno.

6. ¿La película es larga?

ENGLISH

1. That candy is spicy.

2. Tacos are delicious.

3. This class is interesting.

4. Those books are new.

5. This restaurant isn't good.

6. Is the movie long?

VOCABULARY


los delfines the dolphins noun phrase masculine


esos juguetes those toys noun phrase masculine

esta casa this house noun phrase feminine

el soldado, la soldado the soldier noun phrase masculine, feminine

la guitarrista, el guitarrista the guitar player noun phrase feminine, masculine

cobarde coward adjective masculine, feminine

pequeño, pequeña small adjective masculine, feminine

aburrido, aburrida boring adjective masculine, feminine

ruidoso, ruidosa loud adjective masculine, feminine

amarillo, amarilla yellow adjective masculine, feminine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Los delfines son inteligentes.

“The dolphins are intelligent.”

Esos juguetes son divertidos.

“Those toys are fun.”

Esta casa es grande.

“This house is big.”

El soldado es valiente.

“The soldier is brave.”

La guitarrista es talentosa.

“The guitar player is talented.”



Using the pattern you just learned, use the following information to substitute the first element:


Sustantivo/frase sustantiva + verbo ser (presente del indicativo) + adjetivo Noun/noun phrase + verb "to be" (present indicative) + adjective

1. Ese dulce es picante. "That candy is spicy"

Replace "noun/noun phrase" with: Word Class Gender

el soldado, la soldado the soldier noun phrase

masculine, feminine

esos juguetes those toys noun phrase masculine

la guitarrista, el guitarrista the guitar player noun phrase

feminine, masculine

los delfines the dolphins noun phrase masculine

esta casa this house noun phrase feminine


Sustantivo/frase sustantiva + verbo ser (presente del indicativo) + adjetivo Noun/noun phrase + verb "to be" (present indicative) + adjective

Replace "adjective" with: Word Class Gender

cobarde coward adjectivemasculine, feminine

aburrido, aburrida boring adjectivemasculine, feminine

ruidoso, ruidosa loud adjectivemasculine, feminine

amarillo, amarilla yellow adjectivemasculine, feminine


pequeño, pequeñasmall adjective

masculine, feminine

For example:

1. El soldado es valiente. "The soldier is brave."

2. Esos juguetes son divertidos. "Those toys are fun."

3. La guitarrista es talentosa. "The guitar player is talented."

4. Los delfines son inteligentes. "The dolphins are intelligent."

5. Esta casa es grande. "This house is big."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Describing Something Using an Adjective

Use the following pattern to describe nouns using adjectives.

Sustantivo/frase sustantiva + verbo "ser" (presente del indicativo) + adjetivo

Noun/noun phrase + verb "to be" (present indicative) + adjective

1. Ese dulce es picante. "That candy is spicy"

In Spanish the subject—pronoun, noun, noun phrase, or proper noun—usually is the first element of a sentence followed by the verb. In this case we have the verb "to be" conjugated according to the noun and whether it is singular or plural.The adjective comes last and it is modified by the gender and number of the noun.


1. The Verb ser "to be"

The verb ser means "to be." It must be distinguished from the verb estar, which also means "to be." But ser refers to permanent kinds of being, like being from somewhere, being of a certain occupation, race or ethnicity, among others. The verb ser is a verb of existence. So, the verb ser expresses being, while estar expresses being in a certain state or location.

The verb ser is called an 'irregular' verb. This means that it does not follow the normal paradigms for second conjugation verbs. To see this, you can compare it with regular verbs like correr ("to run") or comer ("to eat"). However, because the verb ser is used so often, it's not that hard to memorize. Here is a conjugation chart in the Present Tense of the Indicative Mood:

Ser - "to be"

Yo soy "I am"

Tú eres "You are" *informal register

Usted es "You are" *formal register

Él/Ella es "He/She/It is"

Nosotros somos "We are"

Ustedes son "You (all) are"

Ellos/Ellas son "They are"

For example:

1. Yo soy de europa. "I am from Europe."

2. Tú eres nervioso. "You are nervous."

3. Él es médico. "He is a doctor."

4. Ella es profesora. "She is a teacher."


5. Es interesante. "It is interesting."

2. Predicate Adjectives—Describing an Adjective

An adjective is a word that describes the noun, or that distinguishes the noun from a group of similar objects. We can say that adjectives define the nouns, explaining their characteristics.

In Spanish, the adjectives are often located after the noun.

For example: pluma azul - (literally, "pen blue") "blue pen."

Another important characteristic of the Spanish adjectives is that most adjectives change form, depending whether the word they are describing is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

We have, for example:

Singular

1. el niño alto "the tall boy"

2. la niña alta "the tall girl"

Plural

1. los niños altos "the tall boys"

2. las niñas altas "the tall girls"

In many cases, the masculine form of the adjective will end with a letter o and the feminine form with a letter a, as you can see in the examples above. But keep in mind that is not a rule, and there are many exceptions, such as:

Singular


1. el niño popular "the popular boy"

2. la niña popular "the popular girl"

Note that in both cases, masculine and feminine, the adjective is spelled the same way.

In case of singular and plural adjectives, in most of the cases we just need to add s or es to the singular form, if the adjective is plural.

Singular

1. la pluma roja "the red pen"

Plural

1. las plumas rojas "the red pens.

3. Demonstrative Pronouns

A pronoun refers to a noun, which it takes the place of. With pronouns, we can refer to words that we mention previously in order to avoid redundancy. Demonstrative pronouns then will be very similar to "demonstrative adjectives," with the distinction that the pronouns will replace the word to which they refer, while the adjectives will modify this word.

What makes a demonstrative pronoun different from other pronouns is that it indicates the spatial relationship between the speaker, the person we are speaking to, and the thing we are referring to. For example, we can say, "this table," which is near us both, "that table," which is only near you but not me, or "that table over there," which is far from both of us.

Referring to Something Near the Speaker and the Person Being Spoken to

"this"

Masculine Singular: éste


Feminine Singular: ésta

Neuter Singular: esto

Masculine Plural: éstos

Feminine Plural: éstas

Referring to Something Near the Person Being Spoken to:

"that"

Masculine Singular: ése

Feminine Singular: ésa

Neuter Singular: eso

Masculine Plural: ésos

Feminine Plural: ésas

Referring to Something Distant from the Speaker and the Person Being Spoken to:

"That over there"

Masculine Singular: aquél

Feminine Singular: aquélla

Neuter Singular: aquello

Masculine Plural: aquéllos

Feminine Plural: aquéllas

For example:

1. No me gusta esta camisa, prefiero ésa. "I don't like this shirt. I prefer that one."

2. Aquéllos que dicen mucho hacen poco. "Those who talk a lot do very little."


3. Éste no es el momento de hacer bromas. "This is not the time to make jokes."

4. Me gusta esta playa, pero más me gusta aquélla que queda unas dos horas más hacia el sur. "I like this beach, but I like that one more that's about two more hours to the south."

Notice how demonstrative pronouns "demonstrate" the location of the thing being referred to in relation to the speaker and the person being spoken to.

Note that the previous orthographic rules said that masculine and feminine demonstrative pronouns should be written with accent marks, to distinguish them from identically spelled demonstrative adjectives. The exception is the neuter demonstrative pronouns (esto, eso, aquello) which have been always written without accent marks, as they do not have corresponding demonstrative adjectives.

Recently, the Spanish orthographic rules have been updated and writing a diacritic mark over the demonstrative pronouns is not necessary. However, since it is a recent change many native Spanish speakers still write the accent marks over the demonstrative pronouns. Also the accent marks over demonstrative pronouns can be found in language references and other types of written material that haven't been updated recently.

Review

So remember, to describe something using an adjective, start with the noun or noun phrase, plus the verb "to be," plus adjective. Be aware of the noun's gender and number.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #4Using Prepositions of Place

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #4 - USING PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE 2

SPANISH

1. El coche está en el estacionamiento.

2. La computadora está sobre la mesa.

3. Mi bolsa está en la cocina.

4. Tú perro está en mi patio.

5. Los niños no están afuera.

6. ¿Estás en la escuela?

ENGLISH

1. The car is in the parking lot.

2. The computer is on the table.

3. My bag is in the kitchen.

4. Your dog is in my backyard.

5. The children aren't outside.

6. Are you at school?

VOCABULARY


el cine the movie theater noun phrase masculine


sobre on, on top of preposition

al lado de beside, next to preposition

delante de in front of preposition

detrás de behind preposition

tus calcetines your socks noun phrase masculine

la basura the trash noun phrase feminine

la universidad the university noun phrase feminine

el centro comercial the mall noun phrase masculine

en in, on preposition

SAMPLE SENTENCES

El cine está al lado del banco.

“The movie theater is next to the bank.”

Tus calcetines están sobre tu cama.

“Your socks are on top of your bed.”

La basura está en una bolsa.

“The trash is in a bag.”

Ella está en la universidad.

“She is in the university.”

Nosotros estamos en el centro comercial.

“We are in the mall.”




Using the pattern you just learned, use the following information to substitute the first and fourth element:

Sustantivo/frase sustantiva + verbo estar (presente del indicativo) + preposición + sustantivo/frase sustantiva Noun/noun phrase + verb "to be" (present indicative) + preposition + noun/noun phrase

1. El coche está en el estacionamiento. "The car is in the parking lot"

Replace "noun/noun phrase" with: Word Class Gender

el cine "the movie theater" noun phrase masculine

el centro comercial "the mall" noun phrase masculine

la universidad "the university" noun phrase feminine

la basura "the trash" noun phrase feminine

tus calcetines "your socks" noun phrase masculine


Sustantivo/frase sustantiva + verbo estar (presente del indicativo) + preposición + sustantivo/frase sustantiva Noun/noun phrase + verb "to be" (present indicative) + preposition + noun/noun phrase

Replace "preposition" with: Word Class Gender

detrás de "behind of" preposition

delante de "in front of" preposition

al lado de "beside," "next to" preposition

sobre "on," "on top of" preposition

en "in, on" preposition


For example:

1. El cine está al lado del banco. "The movie theater is next to the bank."

2. Nosotros estamos en el centro comercial. "We are in the mall."

3. Ella está en la universidad. "She is in the university."

4. La basura está en una bolsa. "The trash is in a bag."

5. Tus calcetines están sobre tu cama. "Your socks are on top of your bed."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Giving the Location of Something

Use the following pattern to give the location of something.

Sustantivo/frase sustantiva + verbo "estar" (presente del indicativo) + preposición + sustantivo /frase sustantiva. Noun/noun phrase + verb "to be" (present indicative) + preposition + noun /noun phrase.

1. El coche está en el estacionamiento. The car is in the parking lot.

In Spanish the subject—pronoun, noun, noun phrase, or proper noun—usually is the first element of a sentence followed by the verb. In this case the verb "to be" in its present indicative form. It is followed by a preposition and a noun or noun phrase.

1. Verb estar "to be"

Estar is one of the two Spanish verbs that mean "to be." The other is ser (which was covered in the previous lesson). Note that estar is a verb whose infinitive ending is -ar.


We use the verb estar to express:

1. Temporary conditions, such as the way one feels

2. Characteristics, such as colors

3. Personality traits, such as punctuality

Of course, these categories do not encompass all of the uses of the verb, but they will be helpful as we learn how and in which contexts we use it.

Formation

In order to form the present tense of the indicative mood for the verb estar in the singular, you need to remove the -ar ending from the infinitive form (est - ar), and then add the personal endings for the present tense. Observe the following:

Singular Present Tense Indicative Mood of Estar ("to be")

Yo estoy "I am"

Tú estás "You are" *informal register

Usted está "You are" *formal register

Él/Ella está "He/She/It is"

Nosotros estamos "We are"

Ustedes están "You (all) are"

Ellos/Ellas están "They are"

* Remember that in Spanish the verb will be conjugated according to the personal pronoun.

For example:

1. Yo estoy contento. "I am pleased."

2. Tú estás bronceado. "You are tan." (informal)


3. Él está bien. "He is well."

4. Ella está amable. "She is nice." Meaning that "She is nice (right now)"

5. Usted está en Miami. "You are in Miami." (formal)

Related Expressions - estar

Because the verb estar is so integral to the Spanish language, you will find it popping up all over the place. For example, observe how bienestar refers to "wellbeing" and malestar refers to "discomfort." These are just two examples. Keep your eyes open for more. Also as we've said, estar is one of two verbs in the Spanish language that mean, "to be." The other is ser. It will well be worth your while to learn how to differentiate between these two verbs right from the start. If you do, you will save yourself a lot of time down the road.

Let's give an example to show you the difference:

1. Tú estás inteligente. (estar) vs. Tú eres inteligente. (ser) "You are intelligent." Meaning that "You are intelligent (right now)" vs. You ARE intelligent. (as a matter of fact)

2. Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place point to the location or position of something or someone in relation to something else. In Spanish, prepositions formed by more than one word are called a 'prepositional phrase'. Many of the Spanish prepositions of place are 'prepositional phrases'. Here is a chart of some of the most common prepositions of place made up of one word:

en inside, on top of

sobre over, on top of

entre between

por by


hacia towards, to

Here is a chart of prepositional phrases:

al lado de next to

alrededor de around the

cerca de near to, close to

debajo de under of

delante de in Front of

dentro de inside of

detrás de behind of

encima de on top of

enfrente de in front of

frente a in front of

fuera de outside of

lejos de far from

junto a next to

For example:

1. Las llaves están sobre la mesa. "The keys are on top of the table."

2. El jamón está entre el queso y el pan. "The ham is between the cheese and the bread."

3. La playa está lejos de mi casa. "The beach is far from my house."


4. Las escaleras están por la cocina. "The stairs are by the kitchen."

5. Yo estoy esperando en el restaurante. "I'm waiting in the restaurant."

Review

So remember that to give the location of something, just say a noun or noun phrase, plus the verb "to be," use a preposition, plus another noun or noun phrase.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #5Using the Present Continuous

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #5 - USING THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS 2

SPANISH

1. Yo estoy estudiando español.

2. Él está hablando por teléfono.

3. Ellos están comiendo nachos.

4. Ella está aprendiendo karate.

5. Ellos no están trabajando duro.

6. ¿Estás viendo una película?

ENGLISH

1. I'm studying Spanish.

2. He is talking on the phone.

3. They are eating nachos.

4. She is learning karate.

5. They are not working hard.

6. Are you watching a movie?

VOCABULARY

Spanish English Class

bostezando yawning verb (gerund)


escribiendo writting verb (gerund)

cantando singing verb (gerund)

caminando walking verb (gerund)

escuchando listening verb (gerund)

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Yo estoy bostezando sin parar.

“I’m yawning non-stop.”

Tu estás escribiendo un poema.

“You are writing a poem.”

Ella está cantando en el karaoke.

“She is singing at karaoke.”

Él está caminando por la calle.

“He is walking down the street.”

Nosotros estamos escuchando el radio.

“We are listening to the radio.”

María José y Armando están escuchando música.

"Maria Jose and Armando are listening to music."




Pronombre + verbo estar (presente del indicativo) + verbo (gerundio) + complemento. Pronoun + verb "to be" (present indicative) + verb (gerund) + complement.

1. Yo estoy estudiando español. "I'm studying Spanish. "


Replace "verb (gerund)" with: Word Class

caminando "walking" verb (gerund)

cantando "singing" verb (gerund)

escribiendo "writting" verb (gerund)

escuchando "listening" verb (gerund)

bostezando "yawning" verb (gerund)

For example:

1. Él está caminando por la calle. "He is walking down the street."

2. Ella está cantando en el karaoke. "She is singing at the karaoke."

3. Tu estás escribiendo un poema. "You are writing a poem."

4. Nosotros estamos escuchando el radio. "We are listening to the radio."

5. Yo estoy bostezando sin parar. "I'm yawning non-stop."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Letting Others Know What Someone Is Doing

Use the following pattern to let others know what someone is doing.

Pronombre + verbo "estar" (presente del indicativo) + verbo (gerundio) + complemento. Pronoun + verb "to be" (present indicative) + verb (gerund) + complement.


1. Yo estoy estudiando español. "I'm studying Spanish."

Using the pronoun will emphasize the subject for the sentence, but it can be omitted if the subject has already been established or the context makes it obvious of who or what you are talking about. You use the verb "to be" in the present indicative directly followed by a gerund to express that the action is happening in the present. The complement can be anything that gives more details of what someone is doing—noun, noun phrase, adjective, adverb, etc.

1. Present Continuous

The Present Continuous or Present Progressive is used to talk about what the subject is doing now. To make the present progressive, we can use different verbs (other than the verb estar - "to be") such as: venir "to come," ir "to go," andar "to walk." But in this lesson we will focus on the pattern using the verb estar.

The structure is:

Subject + present simple of the verb estar + gerund

Subject/PronounVerb estar (simple present)

Gerund of the verb estudiar

Yo estoy estudiando

Tú estás estudiando

Usted está estudiando

É/Ella está estudiando

Nosotros estamos estudiando

Ustedes están estudiando

Ellos/Ellas están estudiando

Now we will see how to form the gerund. El gerundio ("the gerund") functions as an adverb and we use it to express simultaneous or continuous action. Note that this construction


takes the -ando ending after the stem of regular -ar verbs, and the -iendo ending after the stem of regular -er and -ir verbs.

*To find the stem of a verb simply remove the infinitive ending (i.e., buscar, busc-, buscando).

However, we must make sure that we do not confuse the usage of the present + gerund with the present absolute. We know that we use the present absolute to express permanence, origin, and most importantly here, generalization and habitual actions. Let's compare the two verbal constructions to get a clearer picture of this.

Singular

PronounAbsolute Present/"English"

Present Continuous/"English"

Yo busco / "I look for"estoy buscando / "I am looking for"

Tú buscas / "you look for"estás buscando / "you are looking for"

Él busca / "he looks for"está buscando / "he is looking for"

Ella busca / "she looks for"está buscando / "she is looking for"

Usted busca / "you look for"está buscando / "you are looking for"

Plural

PronounAbsolute Present / "English"

Present Continuous / "English"

Nosotros buscamos / "we look for"estamos buscando / "we are looking for"

Ustedes buscan / "you all look for"están buscando / "you are looking for"


Ellos buscan / "they look for"están buscando / "they are looking for"

Ellas buscan / "they look for"están buscando / "they are looking for"

For example:

1. Absolute: La señora busca el periódico. "The lady looks for the newspaper." Gerund: La señora está buscando el periódico. "The lady is looking for the newspaper."

2. Absolute: Busco un departamento. "I look for an apartment." Gerund: Estoy buscando un departamento. "I'm looking for an apartment."

What we notice by comparing and contrasting the absolute present with the present continuous constructions is that the latter is impersonal and expresses the duration of the verbal action. The present in general describes the action of the verb as simultaneous to the moment of speech. What the present + gerund construction does is stretch out the action of the verb so that this same action lasts for the duration of whatever is said about it.

Review

So remember, to let others know what someone is doing, first give the pronoun, plus the verb "to be" in present indicative, followed by a gerund, plus a complement.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #6Talking About the Past

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #6 - TALKING ABOUT THE PAST 2

SPANISH

1. Yo fui a la playa el domingo.

2. Tú trabajaste hasta tarde.

3. Nosotros creamos un robot.

4. Él hizo su tarea.

5. Yo no manejé el auto.

6. ¿Ella se fue de vacaciones?

ENGLISH

1. I went to the beach on Sunday.

2. You worked late.

3. We created a robot.

4. He did his homework.

5. I didn't drive the car.

6. Did she go on vacations?

VOCABULARY


ellos they pronoun masculine


ella she pronoun

ustedes you (plural) pronoun

usted you (formal) pronoun

nosotros, nosotras we pronoun

fue(you) went *formal

register conjugated verb

sabía (she) knew conjugated verb

vieron (you all) saw conjugated verb

dijeron (they) said conjugated verb

buscamos (we) looked for conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Ellos dijeron una mentira.

“They said a lie.”

Ella sabía todas las respuestas del examen.

“She knew all the answers of the exam.”

Ella es guapísima.

"She's really good-looking."

Ustedes vieron el anuncio nuevo.

“You saw the new ad.”

Usted fue al teatro.

“You went to the theater.”

Nosotros limpiaremos el apartamento.

“We will clean the apartment.”


Nosotros buscamos al perro que se perdió.

“We looked for the dog that got lost.”

Nosotros estamos felices de recibirte.

"We are happy to have you over."




Pronombre + verbo (pretérito del indicativo) + complemento Pronoun + verb (preterite) + complement

1. Yo fui a la playa el domingo. "I went to the beach on Sunday."

Replace "pronoun" with: Word Class Gender

Usted You (formal) pronoun

Ustedes You (plural) pronoun

Ellos They pronoun masculine

Nosotros We pronoun masculine

Ella She pronoun feminine

Using the pattern you just learned, use the following information to substitute the second element:



Replace "verb (preterite)" with: Word Class

fue (you) went *formal register conjugated verb

vieron (you all) saw conjugated verb

dijeron (they) said conjugated verb

buscamos (we) looked for conjugated verb

sabía (she) knew conjugated verb

For example:

1. Usted fue al teatro. "You went to the theater."

2. Ustedes vieron el anuncio nuevo. "You saw the new ad."

3. Ellos dijeron una mentira. "They said a lie."

4. Nosotros buscamos al perro que se perdió. "We looked for the dog that got lost."

5. Ella sabía todas las respuestas del examen. "She knew all the answers of the exam."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Talking About Something In The Past

Use the following pattern to talk about actions in the past.



1. Yo fui a la playa el domingo. "I went to the beach on Sunday."

First use a pronoun, which can be replaced by a proper noun or any other subject, then follow it with a verb in its preterite form. Make sure to conjugate the verb according to the subject. The complement can be anything that gives more details of what someone or something has done in the past—noun, noun phrase, adjective, adverb.

1. Preterite Tense

The Spanish preterite tense would be similar to the simple past in English.

The preterite tense is used in Spanish to describe actions that:

1. were completed in the past

2. were part of a series of events

3. went on for a certain amount of time

For example:

1. Ellos compraron un auto nuevo. "They bought a new car."

2. Fui al cine, después comí mi cena en casa. "I went to the movies, after that I ate my dinner at home."

3. Ella vivió por 2 años en Perú. "She lived in Peru for two years."

Preterite of Regular Verbs

Regular -AR verbs.

Take of the -ar ending, what is left of the verb is called the stem. To the stem we can add the endings as follow:

For example: hablar "to speak." Stem: habl


Preterite - Endings Spanish English

- é Yo hablé I spoke

- aste *informal Tú hablaste You spoke

- ó *formal Usted habló You spoke

- ó Él/Ella habló He/She/It spoke

- amos Nosotros hablamos We spoke

- aron Ustedes hablaron You all spoke

- aron Ellos hablaron They spoke

Regular -ER and -IR verbs.

Take off the -er or -ir ending; what is left of the verb is called the stem. To the stem we can add the endings as follow:

Example 1: comer "to eat." Stem: com

Example 2: vivir "to live." Stem: viv

Preterite - Endings Spanish Ex 1 English

- í Yo comí I ate

- iste *informal Tú comiste You ate

- ió *formal Usted comió You ate

- ió Él/Ella comió He/She/It ate

- imos Nosotros comimos We ate

- ieron Ustedes comieron You all ate

- ieron Ellos comieron They ate


Preterite - Endings Spanish Ex 2 English

- í Yo viví I lived

- iste *informal Tú viviste You lived

- ió *formal Usted vivió You lived

- ió Él/Ella vivió He/She/It lived

- imos Nosotros vivimos We lived

- ieron Ustedes vivieron You all lived

- ieron Ellos vivieron They lived

Other regular verbs where you can use the endings from the charts above, include: cantar "to sing," continuar "to continue,"encontrar "to meet," esquiar "to ski," jugar "to play," pensar "to think," preguntar "to ask," trabajar "to work," aprender "to learn," correr "to run," esconder "to hide," prometer "to promise," vender "to sell," abrir "to open," confundir "to confuse,"describir "to describe," and recibir "to receive."

Preterite of Irregular Verbs

In Spanish many verbs have irregular conjugations in the Preterite. Here we have some of the most common:

Verb Yo Tú Usted Él/EllaNosotros

Ustedes Ellos

dar"to give"

di diste dio dio dimos dieron dieron

decir"to say" dije dijiste dijo dijo dijimos dijeron dijeron

estar"to be" estuve estuviste estuvo estuvo

estuvimos

estuvieron

estuvieron


hacer"to do/make"

hice hiciste hizo hizo hicimos hicieron hicieron

ir"to go" fui fuiste fue fue fuimos fueron fueron

querer"to want"

quise quisite quiso quisoquisimos

quisieron

quisieron

ser"to be" fui fuiste fue fue fuimos fueron fueron

tener"to have"

tuve tuviste tuvo tuvo tuvimos tuvieron tuvieron

Note that the preterite conjugation for the verbs ir and ser are the same.

Other irregular verbs are: andar "to walk," conducir "to drive," poder "to be able to," poner "to put," saber "to know," traer "to bring," venir "to come," and ver "to see."

For example:

Preterite of Regular Verbs

1. Yo canté en la reunión. "I sang in the meeting."

2. Ustedes corrieron al jardín. "You all ran to the garden."

3. Ellos abrieron la puerta. "They opened the door."

Preterite of Irregular Verbs

1. Él tuvo fiebre anoche. "He had fever last night."


2. Nosotras dijimos la historia completa. "We said the whole story."

3. Ellos fueron a la playa. "They went to the beach."

Note: The "stem" of the verb is the part of the word that does not change in which suffixes (endings) can be attached in order to conjugate that verb into the adequate person and time form.

Note that to form a question in Spanish, we do not use the verb "did," since there is no equivalent in this language. We simply use the past tense of the verb and give the voice intonation to make it a question.

2. Adverbs of time—Past

Adverbs in Spanish are invariable, that is, they do not show number or gender. Their function is to modify the meaning of verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Adverbs are important because they locate the verbal action, in this case temporally. That is, adverbs of time modify the verbal action in such a way that the temporal aspect of the action gains dimension. For example, if we say:

1. A Martín le gusta nadar. "Martin likes to swim."

*We know nothing about when Martin likes to swim. We simply express the pleasure he takes as a fact without any temporal aspect.

However, if we add an adverb, we can modify the action of "liking." As in:

1. A Martín le gusta nadar en la mañana. "Martin likes swimming in the morning."

The following adverbs can be used to talk about the past.

Adverbs


1. anteayer "the day before yesterday"

2. antes "before"

3. ayer "yesterday"

4. cuando "when"

5. después "after"

Adverbial Locutions

Adverbial locutions are phrasal expressions that use adverbs. The following can be used to talk about the past.

1. al anochecer "at nightfall"

2. de día "in the day"

3. de la noche a la mañana "overnight"

4. de la tarde "in the afternoon"

5. de la mañana "in the morning"

6. de noche "at night"

For example:


1. Fui a tu casa al anochecer. "I went to your house at nightfall."

2. Ganó una fortuna de la noche a la mañana. "He won a fortune overnight."

Review

So remember, to talk about something in the past, first give a pronoun, plus a verb in its preterite form, and add a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #7Talking About the Future

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #7 - TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE 2

SPANISH

1. Yo haré la tarea el fin de semana.

2. Ella dormirá la siesta.

3. Él llamará mañana.

4. Él pagará la cena en mi cumpleaños.

5. Tú no irás al viaje.

6. ¿Volaremos sobre el mar?

ENGLISH

1. I will do homework on the weekend.

2. She will take a nap

3. He will call tomorrow.

4. He will pay for dinner on my birthday.

5. You will not go on the trip.

6. Will we fly over the sea?

VOCABULARY


nosotras we pronoun feminine


ellas they pronoun feminine

yo I pronoun

nosotros, nosotras we pronoun

hablaré (I) will talk conjugated verb

compraremos (We) will buy conjugated verb

pensarás (You) will think conjugated verb

tomarán (They) will drink conjugated verb

limpiaremos (We) will clean conjugated verb

tú you (informal) pronoun

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Nosotras compraremos los vestidos para la boda.

“We will buy the dresses for the wedding.”

Ellas tomarán café.

“They will drink coffee.”

Yo hablaré en mi graduación.

“I will speak at my graduation.”

Nosotros limpiaremos el apartamento.

“We will clean the apartment.”

Nosotros buscamos al perro que se perdió.

“We looked for the dog that got lost.”

Nosotros estamos felices de recibirte.

"We are happy to have you over."

Tú pensarás en como disculparte.

“You will think about how to apologize.”





Pronombre + verbo (futuro del indicativo) + complemento. Pronoun + verb (future indicative) + complement.

1. Yo haré la tarea el fin de semana. "I will do homework on weekend."

Replace "pronoun" with: Word Class Gender

Yo I pronoun

Tú You pronoun

Ellas They pronoun feminine

Nosotros We pronoun masculine

Nosotras We pronoun feminine



Replace "verb (future indicative) with": Word Class

hablaré (I) will talk conjugated verb

pensarás (You) will think conjugated verb

tomarán (They) will drink conjugated verb

limpiaremos (We) will clean conjugated verb


compraremos (We) will buy conjugated verb

For example:

1. Yo hablaré en mi graduación. "I will speak at my graduation."

2. Tú pensarás en como disculparte. "You will think about how to apologize."

3. Ellas tomarán café. "They will drink coffee."

4. Nosotros limpiaremos el apartamento. "We will clean the apartment."

5. Nosotras compraremos los vestidos para la boda. "We will buy the dresses for the wedding."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Describing Something In The Future

Use the following pattern to talk about the future.


1. Yo haré la tarea el fin de semana. "I will do homework on the weekend."

First use a pronoun, which can be replaced by a proper noun or any other subject. It is followed by the verb in the future indicative form. At last, you can add any details about what someone or something will do in the future - noun, noun phrase, adjective, adverb, etc.

1. Future Tense


In Spanish, just as in English, the future tense of a verb is used to talk about something that will happen or will be true in the future.

To conjugate a verb in the future tense in Spanish, it is necessary to change the ending.

Regular Verbs

We use the same endings in the three different kinds of regular verbs: -ar, -er, -ir

We will add the following endings to the infinitive form of the verb:

Future - Endings

hablar "to speak"

comer "to eat"

vivir "to live" English

- é Yo hablaré comeré viviréI will speak/eat/live

- ás *informal

Tú hablarás comerás vivirás

You will speak/eat/live

- á *formal Usted hablará comerá vivirá


- á Él /Ella hablará comerá vivirá

He/She/It will speak/eat/live

- emos Nosotros hablaremos comeremos viviremos

We will speak/eat/live

- án Ustedes hablarán comerán vivirán

You all will speak/eat/live

- án Ellos hablarán comerán vivirán

They will speak/eat/live

Irregular Verbs


The following verbs do not use their infinitives as the stem for the future tense in Spanish, these verbs are some of the most common but there are many more irregular verbs in the future.

Verb Stem Yo Tú Usted Él/EllaNosotros

Ustedes Ellos

decir"to say"

dir- diré dirás dirá dirádiremos

dirán dirán

haber"to have"

habr- habré habrás habrá habráhabremos

habrán habrán

hacer"to do/make"

har- haré harás hará haráharemos

harán harán

poder"to be able to"

podr- podré podrás podrá podrápodremos

podrán podrán

poner"to put"

pondr- pondrépondrás

pondrá pondrápondremos

pondrán

pondrán

querer"to want"

querr- querréquerrás

querrá querráquerremos

querrán

querrán

saber"to know"

sabr- sabré sabrás sabrá sabrásabremos

sabrán sabrán

salir"to leave"

saldr- saldré saldrás saldrá saldrásaldremos

saldrán

saldrán


tener"to have"

tendr- tendrétendrás

tendrá tendrátendremos

tendrán

tendrán

venir"to come"

vendr- vendrévendrás

vendrá vendrávendremos

vendrán

vendrán

For example:

1. Yo hablaré con mi maestra. "I will speak to my teacher."

2. Ellos harán la tarea esta noche. "They will do the homework tonight."

3. Nosotras pondremos una señal en la esquina. "We will put a signal in the corner."

4. Tú querrás más helado. "You will want more ice cream."

2. Adverbs of Time—Future

Adverbs in Spanish are invariable, that is, they do not show number or gender. Their function is to modify the meaning of verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

The following adverbs can be used to talk about the future.

Adverbs

1. cuando "when"

2. después "after"

3. entonces "then"


4. jamás "never"

5. luego "soon"

6. mañana "tomorrow"

7. pronto "soon"

8. tarde "late"

9. temprano "early"

10. todavía "still, yet"

Adverbial Locutions

Adverbial locutions are phrasal expressions that use adverbs. The following can be used to talk about the future.

1. de ahora en adelante "from now on"

2. al anochecer "at nightfall"

3. de día "in the day"

4. de la noche a la mañana "overnight"

5. de la tarde "in the afternoon"


6. de la mañana "in the morning"

7. de noche "at night"

8. en fin "at last"

9. pasado mañana "the day after tomorrow"

For example:

1. Hablaremos en inglés de ahora en adelante. "We will speak in English from now on."

2. Iré a verte pasado mañana. "I will go to see you the day after tomorrow."

Review

So remember, to describe something in the future, first give a pronoun, plus a verb in its future indicative form, and add a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #8Making Negative Commands

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #8 - MAKING NEGATIVE COMMANDS 2

SPANISH

1. No estaciones tu carro aquí.

2. No toquen nada.

3. No corras en el pasillo.

4. ¡No me digas eso!

5. No rompas algo.

6. ¿No puedo fumar aquí?

ENGLISH

1. Don't park your car here.

2. Don't touch anything.

3. Don't run in the hallway.

4. Don't tell me that!

5. Don't break something.

6. Can't I smoke here?

VOCABULARY


duerman (you all) sleep conjugated verb


grites (you) yell conjugated verb

corran (you all) run conjugated verb

hagas (you) do, make conjugated verb

apague(you) turn off *formal

register conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

No duerman durante la película.

“Don’t sleep during the movie.”

No grites como loco.

“Don’t yell like a crazy person.”

No corran en los pasillos.

“Don’t run in the hallways.”

No hagas tanto ruido.

“Don’t make so much noise.”

No apague la luz cuando salga.

“Don’t turn off the light when you go out.”




No + verbo (presente del subjuntivo) + complemento. "Don't" + verb (present subjunctive) + complement.

1. No estaciones tu carro aquí. "Don't park your car here. "

Replace "verb (present subjunctive)" for: Word Class


duerman (you all) sleep conjugated verb

grites (you) yell conjugated verb

corran (you all) run conjugated verb

hagas (you) do, make conjugated verb

apague(you) turn off *formal register conjugated verb

For example:

1. No duerman durante la película. "Don't sleep during the movie."

2. No grites como loco. "Don't yell like a crazy person."

3. No corran en los pasillos. "Don't run in the hallways."

4. No hagas tanto ruido. "Don't make so much noise."

5. No apague la luz cuando salga. "Don't turn off the light when you go out."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Requesting Someone To Refrain From Doing Something

Use the following pattern to request someone to not do something.

No + verbo (presente del subjuntivo) + complemento. "Don't" + verb (present subjunctive) + complement.

1. No estaciones tu carro aquí. "Don't park your car here."


A pronoun will not be necessary as the verb conjugation will demonstrate to whom you are talking. First, you start with the word "don't" to request someone to refrain from doing the verb that follows it. After the verb, add more details of what they shouldn't do or why.

1. Negative Commands

In Spanish, the use of commands (directive and prohibitive) is very common. Speakers use commands as a very direct way to tell someone to do (or not to do) something.

For example, if I say "I want you to do it," this is a statement of desire; but if I say "do it," now we have a command. Moreover, this kind of command is a directive. I could also use the negative "don't do it" to prohibit someone from carrying out a certain action.

In this lesson, we are reviewing how to form prohibitive commands (e.g., "don't do it," "don't eat it," etc.)

Keep in mind that we are reviewing the grammatical category of the command, which we also call the imperative. Spanish-speaking people may or may not interpret these grammatical commands as bossiness, depending on the speaker's tone or register. There are grammatical forms for both familiar and formal commands. Of course, the degree of politeness always depends on the context, as we'll see below, but in general, we use commands to direct or prohibit the actions of the listener.

Formation

For all prohibitive commands, use the corresponding present subjunctive form, preceded by no ("not," "don't"). Direct and indirect object pronouns will immediately precede the conjugated verb, just as in declarative sentences.

For example:

1. ¡No me llames nunca más! "Don't ever call me again!"

2. No te preocupes. Va a estar bien. "Don't worry. It's going to be okay."

3. No seas tacaño, dale una buena propina. "Don't be stingy: give him a good tip."

4. No me malinterpreten, señores. "Don't misinterpret me, gentlemen."


5. Señora, no saque conclusiones precipitadas. "Ma'am, don't jump to conclusions."

Note:

As you can see, it's very important to learn the forms of the present subjunctive in order to form negative commands. Also, we should mention that when we form commands (directive or prohibitive), we are using el modo imperativo ("the imperative mood"). We may also refer to this form in Spanish as a mandato. You will find that commands are much more common in Spanish than they are in English, and it may take a little while to get used to hearing and making them without feeling of bossiness that we associate with giving commands in English.

2. Formal Negative Commands

For grammatical imperatives in the formal register (i.e., usted, ustedes), use the corresponding subjunctive form. This is true of both directive and prohibitive commands.

There is a formula for deducing the imperative form:

1. Find the yo form of the present indicative.

For example:

1. comer ("to eat") > como ("I eat")

2. escribir ("to write") > escribo ("I write")

3. decir ("to say," "to tell") > digo ("I say," I tell")

2. For -ar verbs, use the -e / -en suffixes; for -ir and -er verbs, use the -a / -an suffixes.

For example:

1. comer ("to eat") > como ("I eat") > ¡Coma! ("Eat!") or ¡Coman! (plural)

2. escribir ("to write") > escribo ("I write") > ¡Escriba! ("Write! ") or ¡Escriban! (plural)

3. decir ("to say," "to tell") > digo ("I say," "I tell") > ¡Diga! ("Say," "Tell!") or ¡Digan! (plural)


4. trabajar ("to work") > trabajo ("I work") > ¡Trabaje! (Work!) or ¡Trabajen! (plural)

More examples:

1. No coma aquí. "Don't eat here."

2. No escriban en las paredes. "Don't write on the walls"

3. No digan mentiras. "Don't tell lies."

4. Trabaje en silencio. "Work quietly."

Review

So remember, to request someone to refrain from doing something, first use the word "don't," plus a verb in its present subjunctive, and add a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #9Asking for Information About

Something

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #9 - ASKING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SOMETHING 2

SPANISH

1. ¿Qué quieres para tu cumpleaños?

2. ¿Qué compro para cenar?

3. ¿Qué haces los domingos?

4. ¿Qué harás mañana?

5. ¿Qué quiere hacer él?

6. ¿Qué ordeno para ti?

ENGLISH

1. What do you want for your birthday?

2. What do I buy to eat for dinner?

3. What do you do on Sundays?

4. What will you do tomorrow?

5. What does he want to do?

6. What do I order for you?

VOCABULARY


haremos (we) will do conjugated verb


quieren (they) want conjugated verb

verán (they or you all) will watch conjugated verb

comiste (you) ate conjugated verb

es (it) is conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

¿Cómo haremos el proyecto?

“How will we do the project?”

¿Qué haremos hoy?

"What will we do today?"

¿Qué quieren aprender?

"What do you want to learn?"

¿Qué verán en el cine?

"What movie will you watch in the movie theatre?"

¿Qué comiste al medio día?

"What did you eat at noon?"

¿Qué es la sorpresa?

"What is the surprise?"




¿Qué + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? "What" + verb (conjugated) + complement?

1. ¿Qué quieres para tu cumpleaños? "What do you want for your birthday?"

Replace "verb (conjugated)" with: Word Class



quieren (they) want conjugated verb

verán (they or you all) will watch conjugated verb

comiste (you) ate conjugated verb

es (it) is conjugated verb

For example:

1. ¿Qué haremos hoy? "What will we do today?"

2. ¿Qué quieren aprender? "What do you want to learn?"

3. ¿Qué verán en el cine? "What movie will you watch in the movie theater?"

4. ¿Qué comiste al medio día? "What did you eat at noon?"

5. ¿Qué es la sorpresa? "What is the surprise?"

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Asking For Information About Something

Use the following pattern to ask for information about something.

¿Qué + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? What + verb (conjugated) + complement?

1. ¿Qué quieres para tu cumpleaños? "What do you want for your birthday?"


Start with the word "what," followed by a verb conjugated in the past, present or future, which demonstrates to whom you are referring to. Pay attention to the conjugation as it will show to whom you are referring to and not to whom you are talking to. In the end you can add more details about the information you want, it can be another verb, adverb, noun, etc.

Alternative Pattern Using the Adverb qué - "what"

¿Qué + [sustantivo] + verbo (conjugado) + complemento?

"What" + [noun] + verb (conjugated) + complement?

1. ¿Qué café ordeno para ti? "What coffee do I order for you?"

With this second pattern, placing a noun before the conjugated verb, you can ask for information about a specific thing.

More examples:

1. ¿Qué animales tienes como mascotas? "What animals do you have as pets?"

2. ¿Qué helado quieres? "What ice cream do you want?"

Note:

Be careful as the word qué - "what" can only be used to ask about things, to talk about people and places a different question word would be used.

1. The Interrogative Adverb "What"

In Spanish, all interrogative adverbs are written with accents on the stressed syllable. This differentiates them from corresponding relative pronouns, which are identical in spelling but written without accent marks. Interrogative adverbs are always at the beginning of the question.

The adverb "what"—qué demonstrates that a "thing" is unknown and because it is followed by a verb, the "thing" is related to the action stated by that verb.

For example:


1. ¿Qué quieres tú? "What do you want?"

(Qué ("what") is an interrogative pronoun with an accent mark. It refers to an undefined thing; the thing is in question.)

1. Eso es lo que quiero. "That is what I want."

(Que ("what") is a relative pronoun; the thing is defined by the relative clause that was before it (i.e., "that"). In other words, the speaker knows what it's talking about.)

2. Questions: Construction

Interrogative pronouns function as variables in a question; they take the place of the noun or phrase that we are inquiring about. In English, we often refer to interrogative pronouns as the "wh-" words:

1. "Who?"

2. "What?"

3. "Which?"

4. "When?"

5. "Where?"

6. "Why?"

7. "How?"

8. "How much?"

9. "How many?"

For now we will only discuss the interrogative word "what" - qué

qué


("what")

This is the all-purpose question word; the answer may be an object, idea, concept, organization, or anything not human.

As we have mentioned before qué can be followed by a verb (asking about something in general) or a noun (asking about something in specific).

For example:

1. ¿Qué quieres? "What do you want?"

2. ¿Qué libro quieres? "What book do you want?"

Review

So remember, to ask for information about something, first start with the word "what," followed by a conjugated verb, and a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #10Asking About Time

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #10 - ASKING ABOUT TIME 2

SPANISH

1. ¿Cuándo sale el próximo autobús?

2. ¿Cuándo llega la pizza?

3. ¿Cuándo empezará el concierto?

4. ¿Cuándo aprendiste a tocar la guitarra?

5. ¿Cuándo tendrán tiempo libre?

6. ¿Cuándo fueron de viaje?

ENGLISH

1. When does the next bus depart?

2. When does the pizza arrive?

3. When will the concert start?

4. When did you learn to play the guitar?

5. When will you have free time?

6. When did they go on a trip?

VOCABULARY


fuiste (you) went conjugated verb


quiere (he, she, it) wants conjugated verb

tienen (you all) have conjugated verb

perdiste (you) lost conjugated verb

llegará (he, she, it) will arrive conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

¿Cuándo fuiste al doctor?

“When did you go to the doctor?”

¿Quién quiere ir afuera?

“Who wants to go outside?”

¿Cuándo quiere el profesor la tarea?

“When does the professor want the homework?”

¿Cuándo tienen que mudarse?

“When do you have to move out?”

¿Cuándo perdiste tu celular?

“When did you lose your cellphone?”

¿Cuándo llegará mi orden?

“When will my order arrive?”




¿Cuándo + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? "When" + verb (conjugated) + complement?

1. ¿Cuándo sale el próximo autobús? "When does the next bus depart?"



fuiste (you) went conjugated verb


tienen (you all) have conjugated verb

perdiste (you) lost conjugated verb

llegará (he, she, it) will arrive conjugated verb

For example:

1. ¿Cuándo fuiste al doctor? "When did you go to the doctor?"

2. ¿Cuándo quiere el profesor la tarea? "When does the professor want the homework?"

3. ¿Cuándo tienen que mudarse? "When do you have to move out?"

4. ¿Cuándo perdiste tu celular? "When did you lose your cellphone?"

5. ¿Cuándo llegará mi orden? "When will my order arrive?"

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Asking About Time

Use the following pattern to ask about time.

¿Cuándo + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? "When" + verb (conjugated) + complement?


1. ¿Cuándo sale el próximo autobús? "When does the next bus depart?"

Start with the question word "when," followed by a conjugated verb that demonstrates who or what will do the action, and add more details in the end to complement the question.

1. Interrogative Adverb "When"


If the adverb "when"—cuándo is at the beginning of a question, it demonstrates that an "action" will or has taken place, but the time is unknown.

For example:

1. ¿Cuándo vienes a verme? "When are you coming to see me?"

2. Cuando tenga tiempo. "When I have time."


Interrogative pronouns function as variables in question; they take the place of the noun or phrase that we are inquiring about. In English, we often refer to interrogative pronouns as the "wh-" words:

1. "Who?"

2. "What?"

3. "Which?"

4. "When?"

5. "Where?"


6. "Why?"

7. "How?"

8. "How much?"

9. "How many?"

In this lesson we only talked about the interrogative word "when," cuándo.

cuándo ("when")

We use this question word when the answer is a moment in time.

For example:

1. ¿Cuándo pasó eso? "When did that happen?"

2. ¿Cuándo vas a cambiarte a tu casa nueva? "When will you move into your new house?"

Review

So remember, to ask when will an action take place, start with the word "when," followed by a conjugated verb, and end with a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #11Asking About Location or

Position

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #11 - ASKING ABOUT LOCATION OR POSITION 2

SPANISH

1. ¿Dónde está la estación del metro?

2. ¿Dónde compraste tu bolsa?

3. ¿Dónde será la fiesta?

4. ¿Dónde terminará la carrera?

5. ¿Dónde fue mi mamá?

6. ¿Dónde quieres comer?

ENGLISH

1. Where is the subway station?

2. Where did you buy your bag?

3. Where will the party take place?

4. Where will the race end?

5. Where did my mom go?

6. Where do you want to eat?

VOCABULARY


vives (you) live conjugated verb


pusiste (you) put conjugated verb

estaban (you all) were conjugated verb

estudiaremos (we) will study conjugated verb

vas (you) go conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

¿Dónde vives?

“Where do you live?”

¿Dónde pusiste el control de la tele?

“Where did you put the TV remote control?”

¿Dónde estaban anoche?

“Where were you last night?”

¿Dónde estudiaremos para los finales?

“Where will we study for finals?”

¿Dónde vas a cortarte el cabello?

“Where do you go to cut your hair?”




¿Dónde + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? "Where" + verb (conjugated) + complement?

1. ¿Dónde está la estación del metro? "Where is the subway station?"



vives (you) live conjugated verb

pusiste (you) put conjugated verb

estaban (you all) were conjugated verb

estudiaremos (we) will study conjugated verb

vas (you) go conjugated verb

For example:

1. ¿Dónde vives? "Where do you live?"

2. ¿Dónde pusiste el control de la tele? "Where did you put the TV remote control?"

3. ¿Dónde estaban anoche? "Where were you last night?"

4. ¿Dónde estudiaremos para los finales? "Where will we study for finals?"

5. ¿Dónde vas a cortarte el cabello? "Where do you go to cut your hair?"

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Asking About Location or Position

Use the following pattern to ask about location or position.

¿Dónde + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? "Where" + verb (conjugated) + complement?


1. ¿Dónde está la estación del metro? "Where is the subway station?"

The word "where" is at the beginning of the question followed by a conjugated verb, either in present, past, or future. In the end, you can add more details about the information you want, it could be another verb, adverb, noun, etc.

1. Interrogative Adverb "Where"


The adverb "where" - dónde demonstrates location or position of an action.

For example:

1. ¿Dónde pusiste las llaves? "Where did you put the keys?"

2. Donde van, en el gancho junto a la puerta. "Where they belong, in the hook next to the door."


Interrogative pronouns function as variables in questions; they take the place of the noun or phrase that we are inquiring about. In English, we often refer to interrogative pronouns as the "wh-" words:

1. "Who?"

2. "What?"

3. "Which?"

4. "When?"

5. "Where?"


6. "Why?"

7. "How?"

8. "How much?"

9. "How many?"

In this lesson we will only talk about the interrogative word "where" - dónde

dónde ("where")

We use this question word when the answer to the question is referring to a place.

For example:

1. ¿Dónde compras tu ropa? "Where do you buy your cloth?"

2. ¿Dónde está la tienda? "Where is the store?"

Note that it is also common to use the phrases—a dónde (literally, "to where") or en dónde (literally, "in where") to formulate questions about location or place.

For example:

1. ¿A dónde vas? "Where are you going?"

2. ¿En dónde está mi bolsa? "Where is my purse?"

As you can see, all three expressions (dónde, a dónde, en dónde) are naturally translated as "where." If you are not sure which one to choose, remember that the adverb dónde by itself can always be used to ask about place or location. In some cases, it is more natural to use either a dónde (when talking about a dynamic process, ex. going to somewhere), or en dónde (when talking about a specific place), but omitting the preposition at the beginning wouldn't be incorrect.


Review

So remember, to ask about location or position, start with the word "where," followed by a conjugated verb, and add a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #12Asking About a Person

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #12 - ASKING ABOUT A PERSON 2

SPANISH

1. ¿Quién vendrá a la fiesta?

2. ¿Quién hizo esto?

3. ¿Quién será elegido?

4. ¿Quién se comió el pastel?

5. ¿Quién no vendrá a la clase?

6. ¿Quién quiere ayudarme a limpiar la cochera?

ENGLISH

1. Who will come to the party?

2. Who did this?

3. Who will be chosen?

4. Who ate the cake?

5. Who won't come to the class?

6. Who wants to help me clean the garage?

VOCABULARY


cocinará (he, she, it) will cook conjugated verb


hizo (he, she, it) did conjugated verb

escogerá (he, she, it) will choose conjugated verb

vio (he, she, it) saw conjugated verb


SAMPLE SENTENCES

¿Quién cocinará la cena?

“Who will cook dinner?”

¿Quién no hizo la tarea?

“Who didn’t do the homework?”

¿Quién escogerá a donde vamos de viaje?

“Who will choose where we will go for our trip?”

¿Quién vio la película nueva?

"Who saw the new movie?"

¿Quién quiere ir afuera?

“Who wants to go outside?”

¿Cuándo quiere el profesor la tarea?

“When does the professor want the homework?”




¿Quién + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? "Who" + verb (conjugated) + complement?


1. ¿Quién vendrá a la fiesta? "Who will come to the party?"

Replace "verb conjugated" with: Word Class Gender

quiere (he, she, it) wants verb conjugated verb

cocinará (he, she, it) will cook verb conjugated verb

hizo (he, she, it) did verb conjugated verb

escogerá(he, she, it) will choose verb conjugated verb

vio (he, she, it) saw verb conjugated verb

For example:

1. ¿Quién quiere ir afuera? "Who wants to go outside?"

2. ¿Quién cocinará la cena? "Who will cook dinner?"

3. ¿Quién no hizo la tarea? "Who didn't do the homework?"

4. ¿Quién escogerá a donde vamos de viaje? "Who will choose where we will go for our trip?"

5. ¿Quién vio la película nueva? "Who saw the new movie?"

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Asking About a Person

Use the following pattern to ask about a person.


¿Quién + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? "Who" + verb (conjugated) + complement?

1. ¿Quién vendrá a la fiesta? "Who will come to the party?"

The word "who" is at the beginning of the question, followed by a conjugated verb that will express the tense of the action and number of the subject. At the end you can add more information that will complement the action, such as a noun, adverb, or noun phrase.

1. The Interrogative Adverb "who"

In Spanish, all interrogative adverbs are written with accents on the stressed syllable. This differentiates them from corresponding relative pronouns, which are identical in spelling but written without accent marks. Interrogative adverbs are at the beginning of the question.

The adverb "who," quién, is used when the answer is a person. The plural form is quiénes meaning "who."

For example:

1. ¿Quién es tu amigo? "Who is your friend?"

2. ¿Quiénes son ellos? "Who are they?"


Interrogative pronouns function as variables in questions; they take the place of the noun or phrase that we are inquiring about. In English, we often refer to interrogative pronouns as the "wh-" words:

1. "Who?"

2. "What?"

3. "Which?"


4. "When?"

5. "Where?"

6. "Why?"

7. "How?"

8. "How much?"

9. "How many?"

For now we will only discuss the interrogative word "who," quién.

quién, quiénes ("who")

We use this question word when we don't know who does the action. We are expecting the answer to be a person, not a thing or an animal.

For example:

1. ¿Quién tiene mis llaves? "Who has my keys?"

2. ¿Quién pinta estos retratos? "Who paints these portraits?"

Review

So remember, to ask about a person first, start with the word "who," followed by a conjugated verb, and end with a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #13Asking for a Reason

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #13 - ASKING FOR A REASON 2

SPANISH

1. ¿Por qué llegas siempre tarde?

2. ¿Por qué tengo que ir?

3. ¿Por qué corres todas las mañanas?

4. ¿Por qué cerraron la escuela?

5. ¿Por qué no vienes con nosotros?

6. ¿Por qué sabes tanto?

ENGLISH

1. Why are you always late?

2. Why do I have to go?

3. Why do you run every morning?

4. Why did they close the school?

5. Why don't you come with us?

6. Why do you know so much?

VOCABULARY


quieres (you) want conjugated verb


tomas (you) drink, take conjugated verb

contestaste (you) replied, answered conjugated verb

vamos (we) go conjugated verb

vinieron (they) came conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

¿Por qué quieres ese pastel?

“Why do you want that cake?”

¿Por qué tomas medicina?

“Why do you take medicine?”

¿Por qué no contestaste tu celular?

“Why didn’t you answer your cellphone?”

¿Por qué no vamos a algún lado?

“Why don’t we go somewhere?”

¿Por qué vinieron si no estaban invitados?

“Why did they come if they weren’t invited?”




¿Por qué + verbo (conjugado) + complemento?

"Why + verb (conjugated) + complement?"

1. ¿Por qué llegas siempre tarde? "Why are you always late?"


Replace "verb (conjugated)" for: Word Class

quieres (you) want conjugated verb

tomas (you) drink, take conjugated verb

contestaste (you) replied, answered conjugated verb

vamos (we) go conjugated verb

vinieron (they) came conjugated verb

For Example:

1. ¿Por qué quieres ese pastel? "Why do you want that cake?"

2. ¿Por qué tomas medicina? "Why do you take medicine?"

3. ¿Por qué no contestaste tu celular? "Why didn't you answer your cellphone?"

4. ¿Por qué no vamos a algún lado? "Why don't we go somewhere?"

5. ¿Por qué vinieron si no estaban invitados? "Why did they come if they weren't invited?"

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Asking For A Reason

Use the following pattern to ask for a reason.

¿Por qué + verbo (conjugado) + complemento?

"Why + verb (conjugated) + complement?"


1. ¿Por qué llegas siempre tarde? "Why are you always late?"

Start with the word por qué ("why"), followed by the conjugated verb of that which you want an explanation. At the end, you can add more information that will complement the action, such as a noun, adverb, or noun phrase.

1. Interrogative Adverb "Why"

In Spanish, all interrogative adverbs are written with accents on the stressed syllable. This differentiates them from corresponding relative pronouns, which are identical in spelling but written without accent marks. As interrogative adverbs, they are always at the beginning of the question. If they are placed anywhere else they become pronouns.

The adverb "why" (por qué) is used when asking for the reason of an action. Please note that it is a compound word when written as a question, por qué ("why"), but when used as an answer or in a statement it is a single word, porque—"because."

For example:

1. ¿Por qué no has venido? "Why haven't you come?"

2. Porque he estado muy ocupado. "Because I've been very busy."


Interrogative pronouns function as variables in questions—they take the place of the noun or phrase that we are inquiring about. In English, we often refer to interrogative pronouns as the "wh-" words:

1. "Who?"

2. "What?"

3. "Which?"

4. "When?"


5. "Where?"

6. "Why?"

7. "How?"

8. "How much?" "How many?"

In this lesson we will discuss about the interrogative word "why"—por qué.

Por qué ("why")

We use this question word when the answer to the question is an explanation (a reason).

Example Sentences

1. ¿Por qué pasó eso? "Why did that happen?"

2. ¿Por qué te vas a cambiar? "Why are you going to move?"

After asking a question using the pronoun por qué, you can expect a complex answer. So pay attention to catch the keywords to understand the core of the explanation given to you.

Review

So remember, to ask for a reason, start with the word "why," followed by a conjugated verb, and end with a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #14Asking About Manner

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #14 - ASKING ABOUT MANNER 2

SPANISH

1. ¿Cómo estuvo la película?

2. ¿Cómo conseguiste todo lo que necesitabas?

3. ¿Cómo llegaste tan temprano?

4. ¿Cómo bajaste de peso?

5. ¿Cómo estuvo la fiesta?

6. ¿Cómo sabían eso?

ENGLISH

1. How was the movie?

2. How did you get everything you needed?

3. How did you arrive so early?

4. How did you lose weight?

5. How was the party?

6. How did they know that?

VOCABULARY


consiguieron (you all, they) got, obtained conjugated verb


saben (they) know conjugated verb

preparas (you) prepare conjugated verb


tomó (he, she, it) took conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

¿Cómo consiguieron permiso?

“How did they get permission?”

¿Cómo saben tanto los científicos sobre los dinosaurios?

“How do scientists know so much about dinosaurs?”

¿Cómo preparas esta receta?

“How do you prepare this recipe?”

¿Cómo haremos el proyecto?

“How will we do the project?”

¿Qué haremos hoy?

"What will we do today?"

¿Cómo tomó la noticia?

“How did she take the news?




¿Cómo + verbo (conjugado) + complemento?

"How + verb (conjugated) + complement?"

1. ¿Cómo estuvo la película? "How was the movie?"


Replace "verb (conjugated)" for: Word Class

tomó (he, she, it) took conjugated verb


consiguieron (you all, they) got, obtained conjugated verb

saben (they) know conjugated verb

preparas (you) prepare conjugated verb

For example:

1. ¿Cómo tomó la noticia? "How did she take the news?"

2. ¿Cómo haremos el proyecto? "How will we do the project?"

3. ¿Cómo consiguieron permiso? "How did they get permission?"

4. ¿Cómo saben tanto los científicos sobre los dinosaurios? "How do scientists know so much about dinosaurs?"

5. ¿Cómo preparas esta receta? "How do you prepare this recipe?"

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Asking About Manner

Use the following pattern to ask about manner

¿Cómo + verbo (conjugado) + complemento? "How + verb (conjugated) + complement?"


1. ¿Cómo estuvo la película? "How was the movie?"

Start with the word "how," followed by the conjugated verb describing the action of that which you want to know more about. At the end, you can add more information that will complement the action, such as a noun, adverb, or noun phrase.

1. Interrogative Adverb "How"

In Spanish, all interrogative adverbs are written with accents on the stressed syllable. This differentiates them from corresponding relative pronouns, which are identical in spelling but written without accent marks. As interrogative adverbs, they always are at the beginning of the question. If they are placed anywhere else, they become pronouns.

The adverb "how" (cómo) is used when asking about manner. When it's not used in a question, como written without an accent mark, it's used in a demonstrating manner meaning—"as" "like."

For example:

1. ¿Cómo están tus papás? "How are your folks?"

2. Como siempre, muy bien. "Like always, they are well."


Interrogative pronouns function as variables in questions—they take the place of the noun or phrase that we are inquiring about. In English, we often refer to interrogative pronouns as the "wh-" words:

1. "Who?"

2. "What?"

3. "Which?"

4. "When?"


5. "Where?"

6. "Why?"

7. "How?"

8. "How much?" "How many?"

In this lesson we will discuss about the interrogative word "how"—cómo.

Cómo ("How")

We use this question word when the answer to the question is a manner, meaning a way in which a thing is done or happens. It is very useful to ask for instructions about how to do something. As in—¿Cómo haces esto?—"How do you do this?"

Example Sentences:

1. ¿Cómo sabes eso? "How do you know that?"

2. ¿Cómo te diste cuenta? "How did you find out?"

Review

So remember, to ask about manner, begin with the word "how," followed by a conjugated verb, and end with a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #15Requesting Permission

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #15 - REQUESTING PERMISSION 2

SPANISH

1. ¿Puedo ver su identificación?

2. ¿Puedo salir hoy?

3. ¿Puedo comer el último pedazo de pizza?

4. ¿Puedo poner mis cosas aquí?

5. ¿Puedo escoger una canción?

6. ¿Puedo manejar?

ENGLISH

1. May I see your identification card?

2. May I go out today?

3. May I eat the last slice of pizza?

4. May I put my things here?

5. May I pick a song?

6. May I drive?

VOCABULARY


usar to use verb


comprar to buy verb

probar to try, to taste verb

ir to go verb

tomar to take, to drink verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

¿Puedo usar la computadora cuando termines?

“May I use the computer after you are done using it?”

Julia usa zapatos de tacón alto.

"Julia uses high heels."

El programador está usando el ordenador.

"The programmer is using the computer."

¿Puedo comprar un celular nuevo?

“May I buy a new cellphone?”

Siempre compro mucha despensa cuando tengo hambre.

"I always buy too many groceries when I am hungry."

Él quiere comprar un carro veloz.

"He wants to buy a fast car."

A mi mamá le encanta comprar zapatos.

"My mother likes to buy shoes."

¿Puedo probar tu comida?

“May I taste your cooking?”

¿Te gustaría ir a nadar?

“Would you like to go swim?”

¿Puedo ir contigo?

“May I go with you?”


¿Quién irá a la playa el próximo fin de semana?

"Who is going to the beach next weekend?"

Ellos van a la playa.

"They are going to the beach."

¿Puedo tomar un descanso?

“May I take a break?”

Cuando yo estoy mareado tengo que tomar Coca Cola.

"When I am dizzy, I have to drink Coca-Cola."

Debemos tomar el siguiente taxi.

"We should take the next taxi."




¿Puedo + verbo (infinitivo) + complemento? "May I + verb (infinitive) + complement?"

1. ¿Puedo ver su identificación? "May I see your identification card?"

Replace "verb (infinitive)" for: Word Class

ir to go verb

probar to try, to taste verb

usar to use verb


tomar to take, to drink verb

comprar to buy verb

For example:

1. ¿Puedo ir contigo? "May I go with you?"

2. ¿Puedo probar tu comida? "May I taste your cooking?"

3. ¿Puedo usar la computadora cuando termines? "May I use the computer after you are done using it?"

4. ¿Puedo tomar un descanso? "May I take a break?"

5. ¿Puedo comprar un celular nuevo? "May I buy a new cellphone?"

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Requesting Permission

Use the following pattern to request permission

¿Puedo + verbo (infinitivo) + complemento? "May I + verb (infinitive) + complement?"

1. ¿Puedo ver su identificación? "May I see your identification card?"

Use the verb puedo—"may I" to ask for permission. The verb conjugation shows that the speaker is the one requesting permission. It is followed by a verb always in infinitive form. At the end you can add more details about what you want to do, such as an adverb, noun, or phrase.


1. Verb poder - "can/to be able to"

The verb poder is a modal verb—it adds meaning to an action verb, expressing possibility and ability. In sentences, poder is followed directly by an action verb in the infinitive form.

Here are the conjugations of the verb poder for the singular of the present indicative:

Formation

Singular

1. yo puedo "I am able / I can"

2. tú puedes "you are able / you can" (informal)

3. él puede "he is able / he can"

4. ella puede "she is able / she can"

5. usted puede "you are able / you can" (formal)

Example Sentences

1. Puedo hablar español. "I can speak Spanish."

2. Puedes trabajar rápido. "You can work fast."

3. Ella puede comer mariscos. "She can eat shellfish."

4. Él puede ir. "He is able to go."

Note: In the first, second, and third persons of the singular, the verb poder has a 'stem


change'. It's stem is pod-. When it's conjugated, the stem changes to pued-. This is a pattern that should be remembered. This pattern also applied to other verbs, like mover, where the stem mov- changes to muev-. Ultimately, learning these subtleties early on in your Spanish studies will save you time in the future.

Plural

1. nosotros podemos "we are able / we can"

2. ustedes pueden "you all are able / you all can" (formal)

3. ellos pueden "they are able / they can" (masculine)

4. ellas pueden "they are able / they can" (feminine)

Example Sentences:

1. Nosotros podemos entender. "We can understand. / We are able to understand."

2. Ustedes pueden ir también. "You all can go, too. / You all are able to go, too."

3. Alicia y María pueden hablar alemán. "Alicia and Maria can speak German. / Alicia and Maria are able to speak German."

Note: As we've said, poder is an auxiliary-modal verb. This is also sometimes called a "helping" verb, because it "helps" the main verb express the meaning completely. That being said, we often pair the verb poder with other verbs, and when it is done with great frequency, these almost become 'set phrases'. One of these happens when we pair poder with ser. For example, we often translate puede ser, which literally means "it can be," as "maybe," "it's possible," or "perhaps."

2. Formal requests, podría - "Could I...?"

The modal verb poder means "can," or "to be able." It is usually followed directly by an infinitive in Spanish, and when we use it in the present tense, we often translate the


resulting phrase with the English modal "can."

For Example:

1. Ella puede enseñarte a cantar. "She is able to teach you how to sing. / She can teach you to sing."

When conjugated in the conditional tense, we most often translate poder as "could." This verb form can be used to request for permission too, and in Spanish is used to formulate more polite requests.

For Example:

1. ¿Podría decirme en dónde está el baño? "Could you tell me where the bathroom is?"

Formation

Spanish "English"

1. podría "I could"

2. podrías "you could"

3. podría "he could," "she could," "it could"; "you could" (formal)

4. podríamos "we could"

5. podrían "they could"; "you all could"

Example Sentences

1. ¿Podrías limpiar la casa? "Could you clean the house?"


2. ¿Podría esperarme hasta las cinco para comer? "Could you wait for me until five o'clock to eat?"

3. ¿Podrías pasarle el salero a tu hermana? "Could you pass the salt shaker to your sister?"

Review

So remember, to request permission, begin with the word puedo ("may I"), add a verb in infinitive form, plus a complement for more details.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #16Describing Emotions

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #16 - DESCRIBING EMOTIONS 2

SPANISH

1. Tú estás aburrido.

2. Él está cansado.

3. Yo estoy contenta.

4. Ella está enamorada.

5. Nosotros no estamos agobiados.

6. ¿Estás enojado?

ENGLISH

1. You are bored.

2. He is tired.

3. I'm happy.

4. She is in love.

5. We are not overwhelmed.

6. Are you angry?

VOCABULARY


inquieto, inquieta restless adjective masculine, feminine


emocionado, emocionada excited adjective masculine, feminine

nervioso, nerviosa nervous adjective masculine, feminine

hambriento, hambrienta hungry adjective masculine, feminine

asustado, asustada scared adjective masculine, feminine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Él está inquieto.

“He is restless.”

Estoy emocionada por la noticia.

“I’m excited about the news.”

Ella está nerviosa cuando canta.

“She is nervous when she sings.”

Estamos hambrientos.

“We are hungry.”

Ellos están asustados por ver una película de terror.

“They are scared from watching a horror movie.”




Pronombre + verbo "estar" (presente del indicativo) + adjetivo. "Pronoun + verb "to be" (present indicative) + adjective."

1. Tú estás aburrido. "You are bored."


Replace "adjective" for: Word Class Gender

inquieto, inquieta restless adjectivemasculine, feminine

emocionado, emocionada excited adjective

masculine, feminine

nervioso, nerviosa nervous adjectivemasculine, feminine

hambriento, hambrienta hungry adjective

masculine, feminine

asustado, asustada scared adjectivemasculine, feminine

For example:

1. 1. Él está inquieto. "He is restless."

2. Estoy emocionada por la noticia. "I'm excited about the news."

3. Ella está nerviosa cuando canta. "She is nervous when she sings."

4. Estamos hambrientos. "We are hungry."

5. Ellos están asustados por ver una película de terror. "They are scared from watching a horror movie."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Describing Someone's Emotions or Feelings

Use the following pattern to describe someone's emotions or feelings


Pronombre + verbo "estar" (presente del indicativo) + adjetivo. "Pronoun + verb "to be" (present indicative) + adjective."

1. Tú estás aburrido. "You are bored."

The pronoun can be omitted if it is obvious who the subject is. Conjugate the verb "to be" in the present indicative form according to the pronoun, and follow it with an adjective to demonstrate an emotion or feeling.

1. Verb "To be"

The verbs ser and estar both mean "to be" in Spanish. It is essential to be able to distinguish their uses from each other. One way to do so is to consider the adjective through which these verbs express their meanings. As we have seen, and will continue to see, the same adjective can take on different meanings when either ser or estar is used. When referring to people, the verb ser often expresses personality traits, while "estar" expresses temporary characteristics.

Formation

One Basic Word Order for ser and estar:

[Subject] + [Verb] + [Adjective]

1. Carlos está tranquilo. "Carlos is relaxed."

2. Carlos es tranquilo. "Carlos is laid-back."

When the verb estar is used, it expresses an impermanent quality or characteristic. In 1), it tells us that Carlos is not usually tranquilo, but right now he is. He is temporarily relaxed, but this says nothing about his personality. He may be a high-stressed person, but this sentence tells us that "right now" he's relaxed.

When the verb ser is used, it expresses an intrinsic, natural or permanent quality. In 2), it tells us about Carlos' tranquilo personality trait. Now, in this case, we are told that is a laid-back person. It would be odd to find him worrying about something.

More Examples:


1. Yo estoy feliz. "I am happy."

2. Yo soy feliz. "I am happy-go-lucky."

3. Alejandro está malo. "Alejandro is sick."

4. Alejandro es malo. "Alejandro is bad." (a bad person)

Notes

Notice how in the two sentence paradigms above, the meaning of the adjective changes, when the verb ser or estar changes. This should give you a better idea of the kinds of being to which each verb refers.

In the first pair, feliz means "happy", when it is talking about a feeling, but it means "happy-go-lucky", when it is talking about a personality trait. In the second pair, "malo" means "sick," as in a "bad condition", but it means "bad," as in "a bad person" when it is talking about a permanent quality.

Let's see one more example:

1. Martín no es malo, pero está mal lo que dijo. "Martin is not bad, but what he said is wrong."

Again, the verb ser (here in the form es) expresses the personality trait, and estar (here in the form está) expresses the temporary characteristic.

2. Predicate adjectives - Expressing emotions

In Lesson #3 we explained in depth Spanish Adjectives-how they can change form to be masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

Once you learn to recognize the gender and number of nouns, using adjectives is pretty easy since all we need to do is make sure that they "agree" with each other. This is really just another way of saying that we need to conserve the concordancia ("agreement, concordance"). Unfortunately, the system is not perfect in this regard, and there are plenty


of exceptions. For example, adjectives such as verde ("green") and sonriente ("smiley") end in -e in the singular and -es in the plural. So, we use one of these two forms despite the gender of the noun it's modifying. Therefore, we would say los niños sonrientes ("the smiley boys") as well as las niñas sonrientes ("the smiley girls").

In this lesson we will focus on adjectives that describe emotions or feelings. Below is a table with some common adjectives:

AdjectiveSingular Masculine

Singular Feminine

Plural Masculine

Plural Feminine

aburrido "bored" aburrido aburrida aburridos aburridas

agitado "shaken" agitado agitada agitados agitadas

celoso "jealous" celoso celosa celosos celosas

confundido "confused" confundido confundida confundidos confundidas

deprimido "depressed" deprimido deprimida deprimidos deprimidas

despierto "awake" despierto despierta despiertos despiertas

dormido "asleep" dormido dormida dormidos dormidas

enamorado "in love" enamorado enamorada enamorados enamoradas

enfermo "sick" enfermo enferma enfermos enfermas

loco "crazy" loco loca locos locas

Example Sentences


1. Estoy celoso de tu carro nuevo. "I'm jealous that you have a new car."

2. Él está deprimido desde que perdió su trabajo. "He has been depressed ever since he lost his job."

3. Estamos enfermos del estómago. "We have upset stomachs."

Review

So remember, to describe someone's emotions or feelings, start with a pronoun, add the verb "to be," plus an adjective.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #17Giving Advice

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #17 - GIVING ADVICE 2

SPANISH

1. Deberías practicar más seguido.

2. Deberías aprender un idioma nuevo.

3. Deberías ir a correr conmigo.

4. Deberías aceptar la invitación.

5. No deberías de ir.

6. ¿No deberías de estar cuidando al bebé?

ENGLISH

1. You should practice more often.

2. You should learn a new language.

3. You should go running with me.

4. You should accept the invitation.

5. You shouldn't go.

6. Shouldn't you be taking care of the baby?

VOCABULARY


arreglar to fix verb


buscar to search, to seek verb

trabajar to work verb

decir to say, to tell verb

estudiar to study verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Deberías arreglar la gotera.

“You should fix the leak.”

Deberías buscar ayuda profesional.

“You should seek professional help.”

Deberías trabajar más horas este mes.

“You should work more hours this month.”

Hay que saber cuando trabajar y cuando celebrar.

"One must know when to work and when to celebrate."

Deberías decir la verdad.

“You should say the truth.”

Puedo decir lo que estaba pasando, por tu sonrisa.

"I could tell what was happening from your grin."

Él dijo que esperaría por nosotros.

"He said that he would wait for us."

El profesor dirá la respuesta.

"The professor will say the answer."

Deberías estudiar más antes de un examen.

“You should study more before an exam.”

Yo siempre estudio muy duro en la escuela.

"I always study hard at school."


Él estudió francés, y luego viajó al oeste de África.

"He studied French, and then traveled to western Africa."

¿Estudias o trabajas?

"Do you work or study?"




Deberías + verbo (infinitivo) + complemento. "You should + verb (infinitive) + complement."

1. Deberías practicar más seguido. "You should practice more often."


decir to say, to tell verb

trabajar to work verb

buscar to search, to seek verb

estudiar to study verb

arreglar to fix verb

For example:

1. Deberías decir la verdad. "You should say the truth."


2. Deberías trabajar más horas este mes. "You should work more hours this month."

3. Deberías buscar ayuda profesional. "You should seek professional help."

4. Deberías estudiar más antes de un examen. "You should study more before an exam."

5. Deberías arreglar la gotera. "You should fix the leak."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Giving Advice

Use the following pattern to give advice to a person

Deberías + verbo (infinitivo) + complemento. "You should + verb (infinitive) + complement."

1. Deberías practicar más seguido. "You should practice more often."

Start with the verb deberías ("you should"), which is a verb conjugated in the conditional form second person singular. Then, add a verb in its infinitive form followed by more details—noun, adverb, or phrase.

1. Auxiliary Verbs - "Must, Should"

The verb deber, in its infinitive form, means "to owe."

For Example:

1. Ella me debe tres dólares. "She owes me three dollars."


However, we often use the verb deber as a modal verb—it adds meaning to an action verb, expressing obligation and necessity. In sentences, deber is followed directly by an action verb in the infinitive form. In this case, we often use it in the present tense to mean "must" or "ought to", or in the conditional tense to mean "should."

Formation

Present tense (used with the verb comer to illustrate modality):

Spanish "English"

1. debo comer "I must eat"

2. debes comer "you (familiar) must eat"

3. debe comer "he, she, it must eat"; "you (formal) must eat"

4. debemos "we must eat"

5. deben "they must eat"; "you all must eat"

Conditional tense (used with comer to illustrate modality)

Spanish "English"

1. debería comer "I should eat"

2. deberías comer "you (familiar) should eat"

3. debería comer "he, she, it should eat"; "you (formal) should eat"


4. deberíamos "we should eat"

5. deberían "they should eat"; "you all should eat"

Example Sentences

1. Deberías llevarte un paraguas, que esta tarde va a llover. "You should bring along an umbrella since it's going to rain this afternoon."

2. Debe decirme la verdad. "She ought to tell me the truth."

3. Deberíamos salir antes de que llegue la gente. "We leave before people show up."

Review

So remember, to give advice, start with the verb deberías, add a verb in its infinitive form and end with a complement.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #18Discussing Experience

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #18 - DISCUSSING EXPERIENCE 2

SPANISH

1. Yo he viajado a Sudamérica.

2. Yo he comido platillos exóticos.

3. Yo he escrito un libro.

4. Yo he aprendido otro idioma.

5. Yo no he trabajado nunca.

6. ¿Has visto a mi mamá?

ENGLISH

1. I have traveled to South America.

2. I have eaten exotic food.

3. I have written a book.

4. I have learned a new language.

5. I have never worked.

6. Have you seen my mom?

VOCABULARY


bailado danced conjugated verb


ido gone conjugated verb

vivido lived conjugated verb

abierto opened conjugated verb

freído fried conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Yo he bailado salsa.

“I have danced salsa.”

Yo he ido a Inglaterra.

“I have gone to England.”

Yo he vivido en otro país.

“I have lived in another country.”

Yo he abierto una cuenta nueva.

“I have opened a new account.”

Yo he freído el pollo.

“I have fried the chicken.”




Yo + he + verbo (participio) + complemento. "I + have + verb (participle) + complement."

1. Yo he viajado a Sudamérica. "I have traveled to South America."

Replace "verb (participle)" for: Word Class


bailado danced conjugated verb

ido gone conjugated verb

vivido lived conjugated verb

abierto opened conjugated verb

freído fried conjugated verb

For example:

1. Yo he bailado salsa. "I have danced salsa."

2. Yo he ido a Inglaterra. "I have gone to England."

3. Yo he vivido en otro país. "I have lived in another country."

4. Yo he abierto una cuenta nueva. "I have opened a new account."

5. Yo he freído el pollo. "I have fried the chicken."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Discussing Experience

Use the following pattern to discuss experience

Yo + he + verbo (participio) + complemento. "I + have + verb (participle) + complement."

1. Yo he viajado a Sudamérica. "I have traveled to South America."


Start with the phrase Yo he ("I have"), followed by a participle which is a verb in a form that can be used as an adjective. Add more details in the end that will complement the action, such as a noun, or a phrase.

1. Present perfect

The pretérito perfecto or "present perfect tense" expresses an action in the past that is relevant to the present.

To form the pretérito perfecto, we use the present tense of the auxiliary verb haber and the past participle of a second verb.

In Spanish, we form the participles of regular verbs by adding the ending:

-ido (for -ir and -er verbs) -ado (for -ar verbs)

Formation

Infinitive: contar

Past Participle: contado

Singular Spanish "English"

1. yo he contado "I have counted"

2. tú has contado "you have counted"

3. él ha contado "he has counted"

4. ella ha contado "she has counted"

5. usted ha contado "you have counted" - formal

Plural Spanish


"English"

1. nosotros hemos contado "we have counted"

2. ellos han contado "they have counted" - masculine

3. ellas han contado "they have counted" - feminine

4. ustedes han contado "you all have counted"

Infinitive: correr

Past Participle: corrido


1. yo he corrido "I have run"

2. tú has corrido "you have run"

3. él ha corrido "he has run"

4. ella ha corrido "she has run"

5. usted ha corrido "you have run" - formal

Plural Spanish "English"

1. nosotros hemos corrido "we have run"


2. ellos han corrido "they have run" - masculine

3. ellas han corrido "they have run" - feminine

4. ustedes han corrido "you all have run"

Infinitive: dormir

Past Participle: dormido


1. yo he dormido "I have slept"

2. tú has dormido "you have slept"

3. él ha dormido "he has slept"

4. ella ha dormido "she has slept"

5. usted ha dormido "you have slept" - formal


1. nosotros hemos dormido "we have slept"

2. ellos han dormido "they have slept" - masculine


3. ellas han dormido "they have slept" - feminine

4. ustedes han dormido "you all have slept"

Example Sentences

1. Han dormido casi todo el día. "They have slept almost all day."

2. He corrido desde mi casa hasta la tuya. "I have run from my house to yours."

3. ¿Les has contado lo que pasó? "Have you told them about what happened?"

Note that there are some irregular past participles. We have listed these below.

Irregular past participles:

Spanish Verb ("English Translation") / Past Participle

1. abrir ("to open") / abierto

2. absolver ("to absolve") / absuelto

3. cubrir ("to cover") / cubierto

4. decir ("to say," "to tell") / dicho

5. escribir ("to write") / escrito


6. freír ("to fry") / frito, freído

7. hacer ("to make," "to do") / hecho

8. imprimir ("to print") / impreso

9. morir ("to die") / muerto

10. poner ("to put") / puesto

11. resolver ("to resolve") / resuelto

12. romper ("to break") / roto

13. satisfacer ("to satisfy") / satisfecho

14. ver ("to see") / visto

15. volver ("to return") / vuelto

Let's see an example, conjugating the pretérito perfecto with irregular past participles:

Spanish Singular "English"

1. yo he abierto "I have opened"

2. tú has abierto "you have opened"


3. él ha abierto "he has opened"

4. ella ha abierto "she has opened"

5. usted ha abierto "you have opened" (formal)


1. nosotros hemos abierto "we have opened"

2. ellos han abierto "they have opened" - masculine

3. ellas han abierto "they have opened" - feminine

4. ustedes han abierto "you all have opened"

Example Sentences:

1. ¿Cuántas veces te he dicho...? "How many times have I told you...?"

2. Ya se ha puesto la mesa. "The table has already been set."

3. Han ido al cine. "They have gone to the movies."

4. ¿Has visto el periódico? "Have you seen the newspaper?"

5. Hemos escrito una carta. "We have written a letter."


Notes

You'll notice that the irregularity of some participles is related to the stem change that they experience in other tenses. For example, consider the verb poner, which in the preterit absolute has the -o to -u stem change.

For Example:

1. yo puse "I put"

Its participle shows an -o to -ue stem change.

For Example:

1. puesto "put"

Something similar happens with volver, which experiences an -o to -ue stem change in the present.

For Example:

1. yo vuelvo "I return"

In its participle, it has the same stem change.

For Example:

1. vuelto "returned"

2. Question formation: "Have you ever...?"

The Spanish equivalent of the question "Have you ever__?", when you want to know if someone has an experience, is ¿Alguna vez has__? (singular) and ¿Alguna vez han__? (plural).

Let's break down the sentence with the literal translation of each word:


"Have" - haber

"You" - tú and ustedes

"Ever" - alguna vez

Unlike in English, it sounds more natural if you start the question with alguna vez—"ever". It is not necessary to say the pronoun tú or ustedes as it will be inferred from the conjugation of the word haber.

1. ¿Alguna vez han jugado este videojuego? "Have you ever played this videogame?" (plural)

2. ¿Alguna vez has montado a caballo? "Have you ever ridden a horse?" (singular)

Review

So remember, to discuss an experience, start with Yo he, followed by a participle and end with a complement.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #19Making Commands

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #19 - MAKING COMMANDS 2

SPANISH

1. Tienes que terminar la tarea.

2. Tienes que lavar los platos.

3. Tienes que comer frutas y verduras.

4. Tienes que decir la verdad.

5. No tienes que venir mañana.

6. ¿Tienes que pagar cada mes?

ENGLISH

1. You have to finish the homework.

2. You have to wash the dishes.

3. You have to eat fruits and vegetables.

4. You have to say the truth.

5. You don't have to come tomorrow.

6. Do you have to pay every month?

VOCABULARY


agarrar to grab, to hold onto verb


mezclar to mix verb

regalarto give away, to give as a

present verb

valorar to value, to appreciate verb

apartar to set aside, to reserve verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Tienes que agarrar la cuerda con fuerza.

“You have to firmly hold onto the rope.”

Tienes que mezclar amarillo y azul para obtener verde.

“You have to mix yellow and blue to get green.”

Si mezclas los archivos, tendremos que empezar de nuevo desde el principio.

"If you mix the files we have to start again from the beginning."

Por favor, ayúdame y mezcla estos ingredientes mientras yo cocino esto.

"Please help me and mix these ingredients while I cook this."

Tienes que regalar tus juguetes viejos.

"You have to give away all your old toys."

Tienes que valorar todo lo que hago por ti.

“You have to value everything I do for you.”

Tienes que apartar asientos en el cine.

“You have to reserve seats for the movie theater.”





Tienes que + verbo (infinitivo) + complemento. "You have to + verb (infinitive) + complement."

1. Tienes que terminar la tarea. "You have to finish the homework."


valorar to value, to appreciate verb

regalarto give away, to give as a present verb

agarrar to grab, to hold onto verb

apartar to set aside, to reserve verb

mezclar to mix verb

For example:

1. Tienes que valorar todo lo que hago por ti. "You have to value everything I do for you."

2. Tienes que regalar tus juguetes viejos. You have to give away all your old toys."

3. Tienes que agarrar la cuerda con fuerza. "You have to firmly hold onto the rope."

4. Tienes que apartar asientos en el cine. "You have to reserve seats for the movie theater."

5. Tienes que mezclar amarillo y azul para obtener verde. "You have to mix yellow and blue to get green."

GRAMMAR


The Focus of This Lesson is Describing Something That Needs To Be Done

Use the following pattern to describe something that needs to be done

Tienes que + verbo (infinitivo) + complemento. "You have to + verb (infinitive) + complement."

1. Tienes que terminar la tarea. "You have to finish the homework."

Start with the phrase Tienes que ("You have to")—the verb "have" is conjugated in the second person singular and the pronoun "you" is inferred in its conjugation. Then add a verb in its infinitive form. In the end, you can give details by adding a noun, an adverb or a phrase.

1. Expression "to have to"

In Spanish, we can express obligation either personally or impersonally. One way to express obligation is to use the verb tener ("to have"). Think of this formation along the same lines that we express obligation in English.

For Example:

1. 1. Tengo que estudiar "I have to study."

We can also express impersonal obligation with the verb haber, using it as a verb of existence in a periphrastic construction. When we say something such as hay que pagar ("one must pay"), we are expressing an impersonal obligation because we are not specifying the particular person who must pay.

Formation

PERSONAL OBLIGATION

tener + que + infinitivo del verbo to have + to + infinitive of verb

IMPERSONAL OBLIGATION

hay + que + infinitivo del verbo


one must + infinitive of verb

Example Sentences:

PERSONAL

1. Yo tengo que salir. "I have to go out."

2. Tú tienes que descansar. "You have to rest."

3. Él tiene que leer el libro. "He has to read the book."

4. Tenemos que comprar leche. "We have to buy milk."

5. Ellos tienen que practicar. "They have to practice."

6. Ustedes tienen que dormir. "You all have to sleep."

IMPERSONAL

1. Hay que tener paciencia. "One must have patience."

2. Hay que estudiar para graduarse. "One must study in order to graduate."

Notes

When talking about past obligation, we conjugate the verb tener ("to have") in the imperfect past tense. The structure is the same: Yo tengo que estudiar ("I have to study."), becomes Yo tenía que estudiar ("I had to study.").

Also, there is no direct way to translate impersonal expressions of obligation, since the verb haber usually means "there is" or "there are." Often, when we translate impersonal expressions of obligation from Spanish to English, they become personal.


2. Commands

Directive commands tell the listener to do something. We also call this the imperative or imperative mood. While giving commands in American English often seems unpleasantly direct, in Spanish, people do not necessarily perceive them that way. Directive commands are obviously useful in military situations, where a hierarchy is present. However, there are many everyday situations where directive commands are useful as well, such as giving directions, describing a recipe, or ordering at a restaurant.

This section covers direct commands only, where the speaker commands the listener to carry out an action. This section does not cover prohibitive commands, where the speaker commands the listener not to carry out an action-we form prohibitive commands differently, and they have a different syntax than directive commands.

Formation

For regular verbs, the directive command in the familiar register for the second person singular has the same form as the third person singular of the present indicative.

Infinitive "English" Command "English"

comer to eat Come. Eat.

cantar to sing Canta. Sing.

escribir to write Escribe. Write.

pensar to think Piensa. Think.

The following eight verbs have irregular directive commands in the familiar register; these forms must be memorized separately:

Infinitive "English" Command Example "English"

decir to say, to tell Di. Di la verdad. Tell the truth.

hacer to do, to make Haz.Haz lo que puedas.

Do what you can.

ir to go Ve. Ve a comer. Go eat.


ponerto put Pon. Pon música.

Turn on the music.

salir to leave Sal. Sal temprano. Leave early.

ser to be Se. Se fuerte. Be strong.

tener to have Ten. Ten fé. Have faith.

venir to come Ven. Ven aquí. Come here.

Example Sentences:

1. Se tú mismo. "Be yourself."

2. Camina despacio. "Walk slowly."

3. Recoge la basura. "Pick up the garbage."

4. Termina de comer. "Finish eating."

3. Polite commands

For grammatical imperatives in the formal register (i.e., usted, ustedes), use the corresponding subjunctive form. This is true of both directive and prohibitive commands. There is a formula for deducing the imperative form:

1. Find the yo form of the present indicative.

For Example:

1. comer ("to eat") → como ("I eat")

2. escribir ("to write") → escribo ("I write")

3. decir ("to say," "to tell") → digo ("I say," I tell")


2. For -ar verbs, use the -e /-en suffixes; for -ir and -er verbs, use the -a /-an suffixes.

For Example:

1. comer ("to eat") → como ("I eat") → ¡Coma! ("Eat!") or ¡Coman! (plural)

2. escribir ("to write") → escribo ("I write") → ¡Escriba! ("Write! ") or ¡Escriban! (plural)

3. caminar ("to walk") → camino ("I walk") → ¡Camine! ("Walk!") or ¡Caminen! (plural)

Example Sentences

1. Llámeme cuando haya terminado. "Call me when you're finished."

2. Tráigame una cerveza, por favor. "Please bring me a beer."

3. No me repita esas mentiras. "Don't repeat those lies to me."

4. Apúrense que lo van a perder todo. "Hurry up or you all are going to miss the whole thing."

Review

So remember, to tell someone what they need to do, start with the phrase Tienes que, add an infinitive verb, and end with a complement.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #20Explaining a Reason or Cause

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #20 - EXPLAINING A REASON OR CAUSE 2

SPANISH

1. Salgo temprano hoy porque es día festivo.

2. Estoy enojada porque no me escuchas.

3. El perro está gordo porque come todo el día.

4. Voy al dentista porque me duele la muela.

5. No compres eso porque está muy caro.

6. Estoy trabajando horas extra porque necesito dinero.

ENGLISH

1. I leave early today because it is a holiday.

2. I'm angry because you don't listen to me.

3. The dog is fat because it eats all day.

4. I'm going to the dentist because my tooth hurts.

5. Don't buy that because it's very expensive.

6. I'm working overtime because I need money.

VOCABULARY


estoy comiendo I’m eating phrase


tenemos mucho trabajo we have tons of work phrase

no encuentran algo they can’t find something phrase

no funciona mi auto my car doesn’t work phrase

tengo hambre I’m hungry phrase

ella aprende español she learns Spanish phrase

estamos tomando café We are drinking coffee phrase

están discutiendo They are arguing phrase

camino al trabajo I walk to work phrase

quiere ir a México she wants to go to Mexico phrase

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Estamos tomando café porque tenemos mucho trabajo.

“We are drinking coffee because we have tons of work.”

Están discutiendo porque no encuentran algo.

“They are arguing because they can’t find something.”

Camino al trabajo porque no funciona mi auto.

“I walk to work because my car doesn’t work.”

Estoy comiendo porque tengo hambre.

“I’m eating because I’m hungry.”

Ella aprende español porque quiere ir a México.

“She learns Spanish because she wants to go to Mexico.”





Cláusula A + porque + cláusula B. "Clause A + because + clause B."

Salgo temprano hoy porque es día festivo. "I leave early today because it is a holiday. "

Replace "Clause A" for: Word Class

estoy comiendo I'm eating phrase

camino al trabajo I walk to work phrase

están discutiendo they are arguing phrase

estamos tomando café we are drinking coffee phrase

ella aprende español she learns Spanish phrase



Replace "Clause B" for: Word Class

tengo hambre I'm hungry phrase

no funciona mi auto my car doesn't work phrase

no encuentran algo they can't find something phrase

tenemos mucho trabajo we have tons of work phrase

quiere ir a México she wants to go to Mexico phrase

For example:


1. Estoy comiendo porque tengo hambre. "I'm eating because I'm hungry."

2. Camino al trabajo porque no funciona mi auto. "I walk to work because my car doesn't work."

3. Están discutiendo porque no encuentran algo. "They are arguing because they can't find something."

4. Estamos tomando café porque tenemos mucho trabajo. "We are drinking coffee because we have tons of work."

5. Ella aprende español porque quiere ir a México. "She learns Spanish because she wants to go to Mexico."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Explaining the Cause or Reason for an Action or Condition

Use the following pattern to explain or give a reason for an action


1. Saldré temprano porque es día festivo. "I will leave early because it is a holiday. "

When explaining the cause or reason for something, first state the resulting action or condition (Clause A). Then comes the word porque ("because"), after which you add, Clause B, the reason why the action or condition in the first clause was reached. Note that both clauses contain conjugated verbs in the present tense.

1. Conjunction "Because"

A conjunction is a word that is a part of a sentence which connects two or more words or two or more sentences.

In Spanish, porque ("because") is the most common causal conjunction. As a causal


conjunction it introduces a sentence that expresses cause.

Example Sentences

1. Espérame un ratito porque tengo que ir al baño. "Wait for me for a little bit because I have to go to the bathroom."

2. No quieren un perro porque rompen muchas cosas. "They don't want a dog because they break a lot of things."

2. Clauses A and B (with verbs conjugated in the simple present or present continuous tense)

In order to explain the cause or reason for an action or condition, either Clause A or B can include verbs conjugated in the simple present or in the present continuous tense.

*Note that preterite tense can also be used in the Clause B, while talking about a reason.

For example:

1. Tengo sueño porque no dormí anoche. "I'm sleepy because I didn't sleep last night."

But in this lesson we will cover only present tense.

Example Sentences in Present Tense:

1. Tengo sueño porque no hay café. "I'm sleepy because there isn't any coffee."

2. Estoy viendo la televisión porque no te tengo nada que hacer. "I'm watching TV because I have nothing else to do."

3. No vamos al parque porque está lloviendo. "We are not going to the park because it's raining."

Present Tense Review

The Present Tense is used to talk about what is true at the moment, what happens regularly and what is happening now.


As in English, in Spanish we have 2 tenses used to talk about the present:

1. Present Simple, used to talk about:

1. things that are generally true.

2. things that are true at the moment.

3. things that happen at intervals or habits.

For example:

1. El verano es caluroso. "Summer is hot."

2. Yo vivo en Cuba. "I live in Cuba."

3. Los domingos voy al parque. "I go to the park on Sunday."

2. Present Continuous: used to talk about:

1. actions that are happening right now

2. actions that are happening at the time of writing.

For example:

1. Yo estoy viviendo en Cuba. "I am living in Cuba."

Formation

PRESENT SIMPLE

*Regular Verbs: in order to conjugate any regular verb in the present tense, substitute the stem of the verb using the endings in the following charts.

-AR verbs. Stem + Ending


Example, Infinitive: hablar "to speak" habl + Ending

Present Simple- Endings Present Simple - Spanish Present Simple - English

- o Yo hablo I speak

- as *informal Tú hablas You speak

- a *formal Usted habla You speak

- a Él/Ella habla He/She/It speaks

- amos Nosotros hablamos We speak

- an Ustedes hablan You all speak

- an Ellos hablan They speak

-ER verbs. Stem + Ending

Example, Infinitive: comer "to eat" com + Ending


- o Yo como I eat

- es *informal Tú comes You eat

- e *formal Usted come You eat

- e Él/Ella come He/She/It eats

- emos Nosotros comemos We eat

- en Ustedes comen You all eat

- en Ellos comen They eat

-IR verbs. Stem + Ending

Example, Infinitive: vivir "to live" viv + Ending



- o Yo vivo I live

- es *informal Tú vives You live

- e *formal Usted vive You live

- e Él/Ella vive He/She/It lives

- imos Nosotros vivimos We live

- en Ustedes viven You all live

- en Ellos viven They live

*Irregular Verbs: these verbs do not follow patterns and the conjugations should be memorized and learned little by little with practice.

Here we have one common irregular verb example: ir ("to go")

Present Simple - Spanish Present Simple - English

Yo voy I go

Tú vas You go

Usted va You go

Él/Ella va He/She/It goes

Nosotros vamos We go

Ustedes van You all go

Ellos van They go

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The present continuous in Spanish is formed from the present tense of the verb estar ("to be") plus the gerund of the verb.


The gerund, is the form of the verb similar to -ing in English.

The basic rule to form gerunds in Spanish is:

-ar verbs: stem + -ando

trabajar "to work"

trabajando "working"

-er and -ir verbs: stem + -iendo

comer "to eat"

comiendo "eating"

vivir "to live"

viviendo "living"

Example Sentences:

Present simple

1. Mi nombre es Pablo. "My name is Pablo."

2. Tienen sueño. "They are sleepy."

3. Los lunes vas a la escuela. "You go to school on Monday."

Present continuous

1. Ella está viendo la televisión. "She is watching TV."

2. Los perros están jugando en el parque. "The dogs are playing in the park."

Review


So remember, to explain the cause or reason for an action or condition, first introduce the resulting condition in Clause A, add porque ("because") to connect it to the reason stated in Clause B.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #21Explaining a Result or Response

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #21 - EXPLAINING A RESULT OR RESPONSE 2

SPANISH

1. Tengo el día libre así que iré al cine.

2. Estoy enfermo así que me quedaré en casa.

3. Me duele el estómago así que no comeré.

4. Es tu cumpleaños así que prepararé un pastel.

5. No tengo su teléfono así que se lo pediré.

6. Tenemos un partido mañana así que entrenaré.

ENGLISH

1. I have the day off so I will go to the movies.

2. I'm sick so I will stay home.

3. My stomach hurts so I will not eat.

4. It's your birthday so I will bake a cake.

5. I don't have her phone number so I will ask her for it.

6. We have a match tomorrow so I will train.

VOCABULARY


tengo sueño I’m sleepy phrase


celebraremos esta noche We will celebrate tonight phrase

compraré otro colchón I will buy another mattress phrase

le preguntarán al policía They will ask the policeman phrase

iré a dormir I will go to sleep phrase

llegaron tarde They arrived late phrase

estamos orgullosos de ti We are proud of you phrase

tengo dolor de espalda I have a backache phrase

están perdidos They are lost phrase

no los dejarán pasar They won’t be allowed in phrase

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Estamos orgullosos de ti así que celebraremos esta noche.

“We are proud of you so we will celebrate tonight.”

Tengo dolor de espalda así que compraré otro colchón.

"I have a backache so I will buy another mattress."

Están perdidos así que le preguntarán al policía.

“They are lost so they will ask the policeman.”

Tengo sueño así que iré a dormir.

“I’m sleepy so I will go to sleep.”

Llegaron tarde así que no los dejarán pasar.

"They arrived late so they won’t be allowed in."





Cláusula A + así que + cláusula B. "Clause A + so + clause B."

1. Tengo el día libre así que iré al cine. "I have the day off so I will go to the movies."

Replace "Clause A" for: Word Class

tengo sueño I'm sleepy phrase

están perdidos They are lost phrase

tengo dolor de espalda I have backache phrase

estamos orgullosos de ti We are proud of you phrase

llegaron tarde They arrived late phrase



Replace "Clause B" for: Word Class

iré a dormir I will go to sleep phrase

le preguntarán al policía They will ask the policeman phrase

compraré otro colchón I will buy another mattress phrase

celebraremos esta noche We will celebrate tonight phrase

no los dejarán pasar They won't be allowed in phrase

For example:


1. Tengo sueño así que iré a dormir. "I'm sleepy so I will go to sleep."

2. Están perdidos así que le preguntarán al policía. "They are lost so they will ask the policeman."

3. Tengo dolor de espalda así que compraré otro colchón. I have backache so I will buy another mattress."

4. Estamos orgullosos de ti así que celebraremos esta noche. "We are proud of you so we will celebrate tonight."

5. Llegaron tarde así que no los dejarán pasar. "They arrived late so they won't be allowed in."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Explaining the Result or Response to an Action or Condition

Use the following pattern to explain a result of or response


1. Tengo el día libre así que iré al cine. "I have the day off so I will go to the movies. "

To explain an action as a result of something, first state the current action or condition (Clause A). Then comes the phrase así que ("so"). After which you add, Clause B, the result or response to the action or condition in the first clause. Note that Clause A contains conjugated verbs in the simple present tense, and clause B's verb is conjugated in the simple future tense.

1. Conjunction "So"



In Spanish, así que ("so") is a common "consecutive conjunction"—conjunción consecutiva. As a subordinate conjunction it expresses a consequence of the main sentence.

2. Future Tense

In Spanish, just as in English, the future tense of a verb is used to talk about something that will happen or will be true in the future.

Formation

To conjugate a verb in the future tense in Spanish, it is necessary to change the ending.

REGULAR VERBS

We use the same endings in the 3 different kinds of regular verbs: -AR, -ER, -IR

We will add the following endings to the infinitive form of the verb:

Future - Endings

hablar "to speak"

comer "to eat"

vivir "to live" English

- é Yo hablaré comeré viviréI will speak/eat/live

- ás *informal

Tú hablarás comerás vivirás


- á *formal Usted hablará comerá vivirá


- á Él / Ella hablará comerá vivirá

He/She/It will speak/eat/live

- emos Nosotros hablaremos comeremos viviremos

We will speak/eat/live


- án Ustedes hablarán comerán vivirán

You all will speak/eat/live

- án Ellos hablarán comerán vivirán

They will speak/eat/live

IRREGULAR VERBS

The following verbs do not use their infinitives as the stem for the future tense in Spanish, these verbs are some of the most common but there are many more irregular verbs in the future.

Verb Stem Yo Tú Usted Él/EllaNosotros

Ustedes Ellos

decir"to say"

dir- diré dirás dirá dirádiremos

dirán dirán

haber"to have"

habr- habré habrás habrá habráhabremos

habrán habrán

hacer"to do/make"

har- haré harás hará haráharemos

harán harán

poder"to be able to"

podr- podré podrás podrá podrápodremos

podrán podrán

tener"to have"

tendr- tendrétendrás

tendrá tendrátendremos

tendrán

tendrán


venir"to come"

vendr- vendrévendrás

vendrá vendrávendremos

vendrán

vendrán

Example Sentences

1. Yo hablaré con mi maestra. "I will speak to my teacher."

2. Ellos harán la tarea esta noche. "They will do the homework tonight."

3. Nosotras pondremos una señal en la esquina. "We will put a signal in the corner."

4. Tú querrás más helado. "You will want more ice cream."

Notes

As in English, there are two more common ways of talking about the future in Spanish:

1. Using the present tense to refer to something that is going to happen in the future. Example: Mañana voy al cine con mi hermano. "I am going to the movies tomorrow with my brother."

2. Using the present tense of the verb ir followed by a and an infinitive. Example: Él va a dormir toda la tarde. "He is going to sleep all the afternoon."

Review

So remember, to explain an action as a result of something, first introduce the current condition in Clause A and add así que ("so") to connect it to Clause B which is the result of that condition.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #22Offering a Polite Invitation

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #22 - OFFERING A POLITE INVITATION 2

SPANISH

1. ¿Te gustaría salir a cenar el viernes?

2. ¿Te gustaría bailar conmigo?

3. ¿Te gustaría ir a la playa?

4. ¿Te gustaría comprar este celular?

5. ¿No te gustaría salir otra vez?

6. ¿Te gustaría saber?

ENGLISH

1. Would you like to go out for dinner on Friday?

2. Would you like to dance with me?

3. Would you like to go to the beach?

4. Would you like to buy this cellphone?

5. Wouldn't you like to go out again?

6. Would you like to know?

VOCABULARY


ayudar to help verb


tener to have verb

compartir to share verb

ir to go verb

poner to put verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

¿Te gustaría ayudar con el experimento?

“Would you like to help with the experiment?”

El asistente de la tienda me ayudó.

"The shop assistant helped me."

Su propósito en la vida era ayudar a otras personas.

"Her purpose in life was to help other people."

Gustavo dijo que él podría ayudar.

"Gustavo said he could help."

Si tú me ayudas con mi tarea, te ayudaré con la tuya.

"If you help me with my homework, I'll help you with yours."

¿Te gustaría tener más tiempo para pensarlo?

"Would you like to have more time to think about it?"

¿Tiene una identificación?

"Do you have identification (ID)?"

¿Te gustaría compartir las palomitas?

“Would you like to share the popcorn?”

¿Te gustaría ir a nadar?

“Would you like to go swim?”

¿Puedo ir contigo?

“May I go with you?”


¿Quién irá a la playa el próximo fin de semana?

"Who is going to the beach next weekend?"

Ellos van a la playa.

"They are going to the beach."

¿Te gustaría poner tus cosas aquí?

“Would you like to put your things here?”

¿Por qué no pones la lavadora por allá?

"Why don't you put the washing machine over there?"

¿Podrías poner mi cámara sobre el escritorio?

"Can you put my camera on the desk?"




¿Te gustaría + verbo (infinitivo) + complemento? "Would you like to + verb (infinitive) + complement?"

1. ¿Te gustaría salir a cenar el viernes? "Would you like to go out for dinner on Friday?"


ir to go verb

compartir to share verb

ayudar to help verb


poner to put verb

tener to have verb

For example:

1. ¿Te gustaría ir a nadar? "Would you like to go swim?"

2. ¿Te gustaría compartir las palomitas? "Would you like to share the popcorn?"

3. ¿Te gustaría ayudar con el experimento? "Would you like to help with the experiment?"

4. ¿Te gustaría poner tus cosas aquí? "Would you like to put your things here?"

5. ¿Te gustaría tener más tiempo para pensarlo? "Would you like to have more time to think about it?"

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Making a Polite Invitation

Use the following pattern to make a polite invitation

¿Te gustaría + verbo (infinitivo) + complemento? "Would you like to + verb (infinitive) + complement?"

1. ¿Te gustaría salir a cenar el viernes? "Would you like to go out for dinner on Friday?"

Start with the phrase Te gustaría ("Would you like to"), which is conjugated in the conditional second person singular form, and add a verb in its infinite form. You can add more details in the end to complement the invitation.

1. Auxiliary Verb "Would"


Very often in Spanish when we want to express a personal preference, we use the verb gustar in the conditional tense so that it pretty much means the same thing as quisiera or preferiría. For example, if you're an ESL teacher, you might hear a Hispanic student say, me gustaría hablar inglés.

Whereas the present tense of the indicative mood expresses "that" I like to speak English (me gusta hablar inglés), the conditional indicates preference, in this case, me gustaría hablar inglés ("I would like to speak English").

Formation

To use the verb gustar in the Spanish conditional tense, you'll need to use indirect object pronouns. Here are the forms of the verb gustar:

1. Me gustaría "I would like"

2. Te gustaría "You would like"

3. Le gustaría "He/She/You *formal register would like"

4. Nos gustaría "We would like"

5. Les gustaría "They would like"

Example Sentences:

1. Me gustaría hablar español para trabajar en España. "I would like to speak Spanish in order to work in Spain."

2. ¿Te gustaría acompañarme a tomar un café? "Would you like to come with me to have a coffee?"

3. Nos gustaría que respondas lo antes posible. "We would like you to respond as soon as possible."


2. Conditional Tense

The conditional tense in Spanish is used in the following situations:

1. to say what you would like to do

2. to make suggestions

3. to give advice

4. to say what you would do

Formation

REGULAR VERBS

-AR, -ER, -IR verbs

To form the conditional of the regular verbs we add the following endings to the stem of the verb. In this case, the stem of the verb will be its infinitive form.

Conditional - Endings Pronoun hablar comer vivir English

- ía Yo hablaría comería viviría

I would speak/eat/live

- ías *informal

Tú hablarías comerías vivirías

You would speak/eat/live

- ía *formal Usted hablaría comería viviría

You would speak/eat/live

- ía Él/Ella hablaría comería viviría

He/She/It would speak/eat/live


- íamos Nosotroshablaríamos

comeríamos viviríamos

We would speak/eat/live

- ían Ustedes hablarían comerían vivirían

You all would speak/eat/live

- ían Ellos hablarían comerían vivirían

They would speak/eat/live

IRREGULAR VERBS

The following chart contains some of the most common Spanish irregular verbs in the conditional:

Infinitive Yo Tú Usted Él/Ella

Nosotros Ustedes Ellos

decir "to say" diría dirías diría diría

diríamos dirían dirían

haber "to have"

habría habrías habría habríahabríamos

habrían habrían

hacer "to do/make"

haría harías haría haríaharíamos

harían harían

querer "to want"

querría querrías querría querríaquerríamos

querrían querrían

saber "to know"

sabría sabrías sabría sabríasabríamos

sabrían sabrían


tener "to have"

tendría tendrías tendría tendríatendríamos

tendrían tendrían

Other irregular verbs in the conditional are: poder "to be able to", poner "to put", salir "to leave", venir "to come".

Example Sentences

1. Me encantaría ir al cine mañana. "I would love to go to the movies tomorrow."

2. Te vendría bien tomar un día libre. "It would be good for you to take a day off."

3. Nosotros te recomendaríamos que te mudaras a otro lugar. "We would recommend you to move to another place."

3. Formulating an invitation - Would you like...? (as a question)

The Spanish equivalent of the question "Would you like...", to make an invitation, is ¿Te gustaría... (informal) and ¿Le gustaría...? (formal)

Let's break down the sentence with the literal translation of each word:

Te - "you" (pronoun second person singular, informal)

Gustaría - "would like"

To address someone formally you can say—¿Le gustaría...?

Example Sentences

1. "¿Te gustaría dar una vuelta?" "Would you like to drive around?"

2. "¿Le gustaría ordenar?" "Would you like to order?"


4. Informal invitations

A more common and more casual way to make an invitation in Spanish is using the verb "querer"—"to want".

Example Sentences

1. "¿Quieres pedir pizza?" "Do you want to order pizza?"

2. "Quiere ordenar algo más?" "Do you want to order something more?"

Review

So remember, to make a polite invitation start with the phrase Te gustaría ("would you like to"), add a verb in infinitive form, and finish with a complement.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #23The Verb "To Hope"

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #23 - THE VERB "TO HOPE" 2

SPANISH

1. Espero que ganes el concurso.

2. Espero que encuentres lo que buscas.

3. Espero que vengas a la fiesta.

4. Espero que tengan mi soda favorita.

5. Espero que no tengamos mucho que hacer.

6. Espero que te sientas mejor pronto.

ENGLISH

1. I hope (that) you win the contest.

2. I hope (that) you find what you are looking for.

3. I hope (that) you come to the party.

4. I hope that they have my favorite soda.

5. I hope that we don't have to do much.

6. I hope that you feel better soon.

VOCABULARY


traiga he/she brings conjugated verb


estés you are conjugated verb

haya there is conjugated verb

molestemos we disturb conjugated verb

cerremos we close conjugated verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Espero que traiga muchos regalos Santa.

“I hope that Santa brings a lot of presents”

Espero que estés bien.

"I hope that you are well."

Espero que no haya tráfico.

"I hope that there is no traffic."

Espero que no molestemos a los vecinos con la música.

“I hope that we don't disturb the neighbors with the music.”

Espero que cerremos temprano.

“I hope that we close early.”




Espero + que + verbo (presente del subjuntivo) + complemento. "I hope + that + verb (present subjunctive) + complement."


1. Espero que ganes el concurso. "I hope (that) you win the contest."

Replace "verb (present subjunctive)" for: Word Class

traiga He/She brings conjugated verb

estés You are conjugated verb

haya There is conjugated verb

molestemos We disturb conjugated verb

cerremos We close conjugated verb

For example:

1. Espero que traiga muchos regalos Santa. "I hope that Santa brings a lot of presents."

2. Espero que estés bien. "I hope that you are well."

3. Espero que no haya tráfico. "I hope that there is no traffic."

4. Espero que no molestemos a los vecinos con la música. "I hope that we don't disturb the neighbors with the music."

5. Espero que cerremos temprano. "I hope that we close early."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Expressing Your Hope For Something

Use the following pattern to express a hope or wish


Espero + que + verbo (presente del subjuntivo) + complemento. "I hope + that + verb (present subjunctive) + complement."

1. Espero que ganes el concurso. "I hope (that) you win the contest."

Start with the verb espero ("I hope"), followed by the conjunction que ("that"). Then add a verb in the present subjunctive form. You can add more details in the end by putting another verb, noun, phrase, etc.

1. Verb "To Hope"

When you want to express desire of expectancy for something in Spanish you use the word esperar ("to hope"). The verb esperar also means "to wait", but you will know it means "to hope" when it is followed by the conjunction "que"—"that".

Example Sentences:

1. Espero que tengas un buen día. "I hope that you have a nice day."

2. Esperamos que todo salga bien. "We hope that everything goes well."

3. Espera que lleguen a un acuerdo. "He/She hopes that you come to an agreement."

2. Present Subjunctive

In this lesson we will learn about the Spanish present subjunctive, it is used to express feelings or when there is doubt about whether something will happen or something is true.

The present subjunctive in Spanish is used in the following situations:

1. When giving affirmative orders and instructions (usted, ustedes and nosotros)

2. When giving negative orders and instructions

3. After certain verbs and conjunctions when two parts of the sentence have different subjects

4. Expressing a wish


5. Expressing an emotion

6. After verbs expressing doubt or uncertainty (using the word "no" in the sentence)

7. In impersonal constructions that show the need to do something

Formation

PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE

To form the present subjunctive of most verbs we add the following endings to the stem of the verb.

REGULAR VERBS

-AR verbs

Example: hablar "to speak", stem: habl-

Present Subjunctive - Endings Spanish

- e Yo hable

- es *informal Tú hables

- e *formal Usted hable

- e Él/Ella hable

- emos Nosotros hablemos

- en Ustedes hablen

- en Ellos hablen

Example Sentence:

1. No creo que ella hable español. "I doubt that she speaks Spanish."

*Note that we cannot translate the present subjunctive form literally to English, because


the English equivalent will change depending on the sentence.

-ER and -IR verbs

Examples: comer "to eat", stem: com- / vivir "to live", stem: viv-

Present Subjunctive - Endings Spanish (comer) Spanish (vivir)

- a Yo coma Yo viva

- as *informal Tú comas Tú vivas

- a *formal Usted coma Usted viva

- a Él/Ella coma Él/Ella viva

- amos Nosotros comamos Nosotros vivamos

- an Ustedes coman Ustedes vivan

- an Ellos coman Ellos vivan

Example Sentences:

1. No quiero que él coma en la escuela. "I don't want him to eat at school."

2. Espero que vivas muchos años más. "I hope that you live many more years."

There are Regular Verbs with an irregular yo form in the Simple Present tense, these changes are the same in the Present Subjunctive. We have the most common of these verbs on the following chart:


Nosotros

Ustedes Ellos

decir "to say" digo digas diga diga digamos digan digan


hacer "to do/make"

haga hagas haga hagahagamos

hagan hagan

poner "to put" ponga pongas ponga ponga

pongamos pongan pongan

salir "to leave" salga salgas salga salga

salgamos salgan salgan

tener "to have"

tenga tengas tenga tengatengamos

tengan tengan

venir "to come"

venga vengas venga vengavengamos

vengan vengan

Note that other than the first person singular yo, "I" We use the same endings used with the other regular verbs.

IRREGULAR VERBS

Some of the most common verbs that are irregular in the Present Subjunctive tense are conjugated in the following chart:


Nosotros

Ustedes Ellos

dar "to give" dé des dé dé demos den den

estar "to be" esté estés esté esté estemos estén estén

haber "to have"

haya hayas haya hayahayamos

hayan hayan

ir "to go" vaya vayas vaya vaya

vayamos vayan vayan


saber "to know"

sepa sepas sepa sepasepamos

sepan sepan

ser "to be" sea seas sea sea seamos sean sean

Example Sentences:

1. Para que yo te dé un regalo tiene que ser un día realmente especial. "In order for me to give you a present, it has to be a really special day."

2. Hasta que sepamos a qué hora llegarás te daremos permiso. "Until we know at what time are you coming, we will give you permission."

Other irregular verbs are:

1. pensar "to think"

2. entender "to understand"

3. poder "to be able to"

4. querer "to want"

5. volver "to return"

6. dormir "to sleep"

7. morir "to die"

8. pedir "to ask for"


9. seguir "to follow"

10. sentir "to feel"

Sample Sentences:

Notes

The subjunctive is used after the following words that links two parts of the sentence which have different subjects:

1. que (to express wishes) "that"

2. antes de que "before"

3. para que "so that"

4. sin que "without"

Review

So remember, to express your hope for something start with the phrase Espero que ("I hope that), add a verb in the present subjunctive and finish with a complement.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #24Using Reported Speech

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #24 - USING REPORTED SPEECH 2

SPANISH

1. Tú dijiste que ella vendría.

2. Él dijo que no quería.

3. Ella dijo que vendrá mañana.

4. Usted dijo que quiere ver el contrato.

5. Tú dijiste que no hiciste la tarea.

6. ¿Ella dijo que aceptaría la propuesta?

ENGLISH

1. You said that she would come.

2. He said he didn't want to.

3. She said that she will come tomorrow.

4. You said that you want to see the contract.

5. You said that you didn't do the homework.

6. She said that she would accept the proposal?

VOCABULARY


arreglarías mi computadora you would fix my computer phrase


viajó a Francia she traveled to France phrase

te ayudaría mañana I would help you tomorrow phrase

escribieron el guión juntosyou wrote the script

together phrase

regresamos en una semana we come back in a week phrase

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Tú dijiste que arreglarías mi computadora.

“You said that you would fix my computer.”

Ella dijo que viajó a Francia.

“She said that she traveled to France.”

Yo dije que te ayudaría mañana.

“I said that I would help you tomorrow.”

Ustedes dijeron que escribieron el guión juntos.

“You said that you wrote the script together.”

Nosotros dijimos que regresamos en una semana.

“We said that we will come back in a week.”



Using the pattern you just learned, use the following information to substitute the fourth element:

Pronombre + verbo "decir" (pretérito del indicativo) + que + cláusula. "Pronoun + verb "to say" (preterit indicative) + that + clause."


1. Tú dijiste que ella vendría. "You said that she would come. "

Replace "clause" for: Word Class

arreglarías mi computadora you would fix my computer phrase

viajó a Francia she traveled to France phrase

te ayudaría mañana I would help you tomorrow phrase

escribieron el guión juntosyou wrote the script together phrase

regresamos en una semana we come back in a week phrase

Example Sentences:

1. Tú dijiste que arreglarías mi computadora. "You said that you would fix my computer."

2. Ella dijo que viajó a Francia. "She said that she traveled to France."

3. Yo dije que te ayudaría mañana. "I said that I would help you tomorrow."

4. Ustedes dijeron que escribieron el guión juntos. "You said that you wrote the script together."

5. Nosotros dijimos que regresamos en una semana. "We said that we come back in a week."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Reporting Something Said By Someone Else

Use the following pattern to report something said by someone else


Pronombre + verbo "decir" (pretérito del indicativo) + que + cláusula. "Pronoun + verb "to say" (preterit indicative) + that + clause"

1. Tú dijiste que ella vendría. "You said that she would come."

When saying that someone said something, first say the verb "to say" (decir) in its preterite indicative form—make sure it is conjugated according to the pronoun. Then comes the conjunction que ("that"), and at the end add the clause stating what someone said. You can emphasize who said the statement by beginning with the pronoun, but otherwise it can be omitted.

1. Verb "To Say" in Preterite Indicative

Pronombre - Pronoun Verbo - Verb

Yo - "I" dije

Tú - "You" dijiste

Él, Ella, Usted - "He, She, You (*formal)" dijo

Nosotros - "We" dijimos

Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes - "They, You all" dijeron

2. Conjunction "That"


The word que ("that") is a subordinating conjunction meaning that it introduces a subordinating clause.

3. Reported Speech

Reported speech or estilo indirecto is when you don't quote what someone said with the


same exact words but translate what is essential from the message. Apart from the verb decir ("to say") you can use other verbs to repeat or report what someone else said—you can also use these verbs to demonstrate an opinion or a statement:

1. Afirmar "to confirm"

2. Exigir "to demand"

3. Pretender "to pretend"

4. Creer "to believe"

5. Explicar "to explain"

6. Contar "to tell" "to narrate"

7. Exclamar "to exclaim"

8. Responder "to respond" "to reply"

9. Informar "to inform"

*Remember that you have to conjugate these verbs in the preterite indicative form according to the pronoun, in order to use them in a sentence to report what someone said.

Sample Sentences

1. Él exigió que le dieran mejor servicio. "He demanded that he was given better service."

2. Tú contaste tus viajes por todo el mundo. "You narrated your trips around the world."


3. Ella informó que cerrarán la fábrica. "She informed that they would close the factory."

Review

So remember, to report something said by someone, start with a pronoun if you want to emphasize whoever was speaking, add the verb "to say" in preterite indicative form, followed by the conjunction que ("that") and end with the clause stating what someone said.

LESSON NOTES


Structures S1 #25Using Conditionals

CONTENTS



SPANISHPOD101.COM MUST-KNOW SPANISH SENTENCE STRUCTURES S1 #25 - USING CONDITIONALS 2

SPANISH

1. Si compras uno, te regalan otro gratis.

2. Si traes a un amigo, te daremos un descuento.

3. Si sales vas a tener frío.

4. Si comes demasiado, te dolerá el estomago.

5. Si no nos vamos ya, llegaremos tarde.

6. ¿Si no voy no me pagan?

ENGLISH

1. If you buy one, they give you one more free.

2. If you bring a friend, we will give you a discount.

3. If you go out, you will be cold

4. If you eat a lot, your stomach will hurt.

5. If we don't leave now, we will be late.

6. If I don't go, I don't get paid?

VOCABULARY


quemas la carne you burn the meat phrase


subirá el precio the price will go up phrase

no tenemos que comprar agua we don’t have to buy water phrase

me darán un cupón they will give me a coupon phrase

no te gustará you won’t like it phrase

van derecho you go straight phrase

pintas tu cabello you dye your hair phrase

traemos nuestra propia botella we bring our own bottle phrase

ordeno en línea I order online phrase

llegarán a su destino you will arrive to your

destination phrase

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Si pintas tu cabello, subirá el precio.

“If you dye your hair, the price will go up.”

Si traemos nuestra propia botella, no tenemos que comprar agua.

“If we bring our own bottle, we don’t have to buy water.”

Si ordeno en línea, me darán un cupón.

“If I order online, they will give me a coupon.”

Si quemas la carne, no te gustará.

“If you burn the meat, you won’t like it.”

Si van derecho, llegarán a su destino.

“If you go straight, you will arrive to your destination.”




Using the pattern you just learned, use the following information to substitute the second and the third elements:

Si + cláusula A (presente del indicativo) + cláusula B (futuro o presente del indicativo). "If + clause A (present indicative) + clause B (future or present indicative)."

1. Si compras uno, te regalan otro gratis. "If you buy one, they give you one more free. "

Replace "clause A (present indicative)" for: Word Class

quemas la carne you burn the meat phrase

ordeno en línea I order online phrase

traemos nuestra propia botella we bring our own bottle phrase

pintas tu cabello you dye your hair phrase

van derecho you go straight phrase

Replace "clause B (future or present indicative)" for: Word Class

no te gustará you won't like it phrase

me darán un cupón they will give me a coupon phrase

no tenemos que comprar agua we don't have to buy water phrase

subirá el precio the price will go up phrase

llegarán a su destino you will arrive to your destination phrase

Example Sentences:


1. Si quemas la carne, no te gustará. "If you burn the meat, you won't like it."

2. Si ordeno en línea, me darán un cupón. "If I order online, they will give me a coupon."

3. Si traemos nuestra propia botella, no tenemos que comprar agua. "If we bring our own bottle, we don't have to buy water."

4. Si pintas tu cabello, subirá el precio. "If you dye your hair, the price will go up."

5. Si van derecho, llegarán a su destino. "If you go straight, you will arrive to your destination."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Using Conditionals

Use the following pattern to use conditionals

Si + cláusula A (presente del indicativo) + cláusula B (futuro o presente del indicativo). "If + clause A (present indicative) + clause B (future or present indicative)."

1. Si compras uno, te regalan otro gratis. "If you buy one they give you one more free."

Start with the word si ("if"), then add a clause with a verb conjugated in the present indicative followed by a second clause with a verb that can be conjugated either in the future tense or present of the indicative. The second clause demonstrates a consequence of the first clause.

1. Conditionals

Conditional sentences are sometimes known as "if / then sentences" or si clauses. Although there are several possible combinations, the following three are commonly taught:


1. Present situation: "If you build it (now), they will come."

2. Hypothetical situation in the present: "If you built it (now), they would come."

3. Hypothetical situation in the past: "If you had built it (in the past), they would have come."

This lesson focuses on the situation in the present: "If you build it (now), they will come."

Formation

Conditional sentences are usually composed of a dependent clause (the "if" clause) plus an independent clause (the "then" clause). Although we can interchange the order of the dependent clause and independent clause, for the sake of visual consistency, we will list the dependent clause (the "if" clause) first in this grammar explanation.

Here's the formula for conditional sentences for hypothetical situations in the present:

1. English: "If" + present tense, "then" + future tense.

2. Spanish: Si + present tense, entonces + future tense.

Note: We usually omit the word entonces ("then") from the structure in written and spoken Spanish, in both familiar and formal registers.

Sample Sentences

1. Si estudias esta noche, te llevaré al parque después. "If you study tonight, I'll take you to the park later."

2. Si salimos temprano, llegaremos a buena hora al restaurante. "If we leave early, we'll arrive at the restaurant at a good time."

3. Si me duermo tarde, me levantaré de mal genio. "If I fall asleep late, I'll wake up in a bad mood."

4. No te ayudarán si no les dices la verdad. "They won't help you if you don't tell them the truth."


5. Yo te invitaré a comer si me ayudas con esta transcripción. "I'll treat you to lunch if you help me with this transcription."

Review

So remember, to use conditionals start with the word si ("if") then add two clauses-the first one must contain a verb in the present indicative, and the second one, which demonstrates the consequence of the first, can have a verb in the future tense or present indicative.

©2016 Innovative Language Learning, LLC (P)2015 Innovative Language Learning, LLC presented by japanesepod101.com

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Intro

Talking About Your Profession

Expressing What You Want

Using Adjectives to Describe

Using Prepositions of Place

Using the Present Continuous

Talking About the Past

Talking About the Future

Making Negative Commands

Asking for Information About Something

Asking About Time

Asking About Location or Position

Asking About a Person

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25

Asking for a Reason

Asking About Manner

Requesting Permission

Describing Emotions

Giving Advice

Discussing Experience

Making Commands

Explaining a Reason or Cause

Explaining a Result or Response

Offering a Polite Invitation

The Verb "To Hope"

Using Reported Speech

Using Conditionals

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Structures S1 Your Profession

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