Spanish Grammar Review

Flashcards covering grammar concepts from lecture notes.

Ser and Parecer + Adjective

Used with adjectives to describe essential characteristics or fairly permanent qualities such as colors, size, personality, etc.

Pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les)

To express opinions using parecer requires these pronouns.

Verbs like Gustar

Verbs that function similarly to gustar in Spanish.

A + Noun or Pronoun

Used to clarify or emphasize who is experiencing the emotion, sensation, or feeling.

Expressing Reciprocity with Reflexive Constructions

Expressing actions done mutually or reciprocally.

Word Order

Reflexive pronouns placement

The Past Progressive

To refer to actions that were in progress in the past.

Preterite Tense

Used to indicate the main action in a story.

Imperfect Tense

Used to provide the background information of a story, such as time, weather, location, mood, or age.

The Present Perfect

Used to refer to events that have happened (or not) in a period of time up to the present.

Que

The main linking word in adjective clauses, used to refer to things, places, people, and ideas.

Donde

Used in adjective clauses to talk about places, equivalent to en el que, en la que, en los que, and en las que.

The Past Perfect

Used to refer to actions that have finished before another moment in the past.

Expressing the Timing of an Action with Verb Constructions

Verb constructions that are used to express the timing of an action.

The Present Subjunctive

Used in the main clause to express the purpose of the subordinate clause.

Para + Infinitive and Para Que + Subjunctive

Used to express purpose.

Subjunctive

Used when the person experiencing the feeling and the person doing the action are different.

Haya

The present subjunctive form of haber.

Indicative Clause

Used when affirming a statement.

Subjunctive Clause

Used when denying a statement.

Costar

To express that something is hard for someone.

Resultar Fácil / Difícil

To express that someone finds something easy or difficult.

Cuando + Present Subjunctive

Used when we talk about the present, the verbs in the subordinate and the main clause use the present tense.

Desear / Esperar / Querer + Infinitive / Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used to express wishes and hopes.

Indicative - Main Clause

Used when we can identify the person, place, thing, or idea we are talking about.

Present Subjunctive - Main Clause

Used when talking about someone or something that we cannot identify.

The Neutral Lo

When referring to abstract things, ideas, or someone else’s words.

The Conditional Tense

To make suggestions using infinitive structures, describe hypothetical situations and express wishes.

Using Past Participles as Adjectives

Can be used as an adjective in order to describe nouns

Haber

Impersonal verb in the subjunctive form.

Subordinate Clause

Si + imperfect subjunctive

Main Clause

Conditional

Expressions

To hypothesize are followed by a verb in the present subjunctive.

Preterite Tense

To indicate the main action.

Imperfect Tense

To provide the background information of the story.

Past Progressive

Describes what was happening when the main action took place.

Past Perfect

Is used to refer to events that had finished before another event in the past.

Mientras

Is used to refer to an event happening at the same time as another one.

Al + infinitive

Is equivalent to cuando + preterite tense.