SPN 601D — Exam 1 | 50 Essential Rules in Plain English

Quick-review version condensed from the 80-card set. Fifty beginner-friendly cards emphasize useful rules and short examples: agreement, present-tense verbs, gustar, indirect objects, por/para, question words, time, numbers, and classroom requests. Related rules are combined and repeated examples removed. This is a focused review, not the full vocabulary list. Based on the official Exam 1 Study Guide and review slides for Volume 1, Modules 0–3. Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZtlRXLpa7VUq5QVrCCDRNLlg6ohHR-7u2TSynV_VYXE/ and https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vXdUW3MNW82F17BR6aSypsthbxe-MR3Xfdqj9X7vRoA/ .

01 • How do I make describing words match a noun?

A noun names a person, place, or thing. Match masculine/feminine and one/more than one: la casa blanca = the white house; las casas blancas = the white houses.

02 • Which Spanish words mean “the” and “a”?

The: el, la, los, las. A/an: un, una. Some: unos, unas. Use masculine or feminine and singular or plural to match the noun: el libro, la casa.

03 • How do I change one thing into more than one?

Add -s after a vowel: casa → casas. Add -es after a consonant: profesor → profesores. Change z to ces: lápiz → lápices.

04 • Do words like mi and mis match the owner or the thing owned?

Match the thing owned: mi libro / mis libros. My = mi/mis; your = tu/tus; his/her/their/formal your = su/sus. Use -s for more than one thing.

05 • How do I choose the right word for “our”?

Match what we own: nuestro libro, nuestra casa, nuestros libros, nuestras casas. Check masculine/feminine and one/more than one.

06 • Which verb form goes with usted or ustedes?

Usted uses the same form as él/ella: usted habla. Ustedes uses the same form as ellos/ellas: ustedes hablan. Both mean “you,” but use these verb forms.

07 • How do I choose a verb form?

Ask who does the action. Remove -ar, -er, or -ir and add that person’s ending. For hablar: yo hablo = I speak. A special spelling change may also be needed.

08 • What endings do regular -ar verbs use?

Yo -o, tú -as, él/ella/usted -a, nosotros -amos, ellos/ellas/ustedes -an. Example: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, hablan.

09 • What endings do regular -er verbs use?

Yo -o, tú -es, él/ella/usted -e, nosotros -emos, ellos/ellas/ustedes -en. Example: como, comes, come, comemos, comen.

10 • What endings do regular -ir verbs use?

Yo -o, tú -es, él/ella/usted -e, nosotros -imos, ellos/ellas/ustedes -en. Example: vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, viven.

11 • After quiero or puedo, should I change the next verb too?

No. Leave the next verb in its -ar, -er, or -ir form: quiero estudiar = I want to study; puedo salir = I can leave.

12 • When should I use ser?

Use ser for who someone is, where they are from, their job, characteristics, and time. Soy estudiante = I am a student. Soy de Texas = I am from Texas.

13 • What are the present forms of ser?

Yo soy, tú eres, él/ella/usted es, nosotros somos, ellos/ellas/ustedes son. These mean am, are, or is.

14 • When should I use estar?

Use estar for how someone feels and where a person or thing is. Estoy cansado = I am tired. El libro está aquí = the book is here. Event locations use ser.

15 • What are the present forms of estar?

Yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella/usted está, nosotros estamos, ellos/ellas/ustedes están. Remember the accents on estás, está, and están.

16 • When do I use hay instead of está or están?

Hay means there is/there are: hay dos libros. Está/están tells where a known thing is: los libros están aquí. Hay stays the same for one or many.

17 • What is a stem-changing verb?

The stem is what remains after removing -ar/-er/-ir. Some verbs change a vowel there: pensar → pienso. For the forms on this exam, nosotros keeps the original vowel: pensamos.

18 • How does an e → ie verb work?

Change the stem’s e to ie, then add the ending: pensar → pienso; querer → quiero. Do not change the stem with nosotros: pensamos, queremos.

19 • How does an o → ue verb work?

Change the stem’s o to ue: dormir → duermo; poder → puedo. Nosotros keeps o: dormimos, podemos. The ending still matches who does the action.

20 • How does an e → i verb work?

Pedir becomes pido, pides, pide, pedimos, piden. Notice nosotros keeps e. Decir follows this vowel pattern too, but its yo form is digo.

21 • How do I use ir to say where someone goes?

Forms: voy, vas, va, vamos, van. Add a + place: voy a casa. A + el becomes al: voy al parque = I go to the park.

22 • What are the forms of tener?

Tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen. Tengo is special. The e changes to ie in tienes/tiene/tienen, but not tenemos. Tener means to have.

23 • What are the forms of venir?

Vengo, vienes, viene, venimos, vienen. Vengo is special. Nosotros stays venimos. Venir means to come.

24 • Which common verbs have a special yo form ending in -go?

Hacer → hago; poner → pongo; salir → salgo; traer → traigo; decir → digo. These are the “I” forms. Do not add -go to the other forms.

25 • When does Spanish use tener where English uses “am”?

For age, hunger, thirst, hurry, and fear: tengo veinte años, tengo hambre, tengo sed, tengo prisa, tengo miedo. Learn these as tener phrases.

26 • How do I choose gusta or gustan?

Look at what is liked. One thing or an activity: gusta. More than one thing: gustan. Me gusta el libro; me gustan los libros.

27 • What simple pattern can I use with gustar?

Use me/te/le/nos/les + gusta/gustan + what is liked. A Ana le gusta leer = Ana likes reading. Keep le even with her name. To say no: A Ana no le gusta leer.

28 • What is an indirect object, in simple words?

It is the person an action is done to or for. In “Ana gives Luis a book,” Ana gives, the book is given, and Luis receives it. Luis is the indirect object.

29 • Which short words mean to me, to you, or to them?

Me = to/for me. Te = to/for you (tú). Le = to/for him, her, or usted. Nos = to/for us. Les = to/for them or ustedes.

30 • How do I choose le or les?

Count the people receiving, not the things. One person: le doy dos libros. Several people: les doy un libro. Le = one receiver; les = more than one.

31 • Where do me, te, le, nos, and les go?

Usually before the changed verb: te doy = I give you. With a second, unchanged verb, either position works: te voy a dar OR voy a darte. Use te only once.

32 • What four meanings should make me think of para?

Use para for a goal (para aprender = to learn), a receiver (para Ana), a deadline (para mañana = due tomorrow), or a destination (para Madrid).

33 • How can I tell a reason from a goal?

Por gives the reason: estoy nervioso por el examen = I am nervous because of the exam. Para gives a goal: estudio para aprender = I study to learn.

34 • How do I say how long something lasts?

Your course review uses por for duration: por una semana = for one week. Compare para mañana = due tomorrow. How long: por. By when: para.

35 • When does por mean “through”?

Use por for the area you move through: camino por el parque = I walk through the park. This describes your route, not just your destination.

36 • What are two other common uses of por?

Payment: pago diez dólares por el libro = I pay ten dollars for the book. Communication: hablamos por teléfono = we talk by phone.

37 • What is the difference between por qué and porque?

Por qué asks “why?” It has two words and an accent. Porque answers “because.” It is one word without an accent.

38 • When should I use qué?

Qué means what: ¿Qué haces? = What do you do? ¿Qué clase tienes? = What class do you have? Remember accents on question words such as qué, cómo, dónde, and cuándo.

39 • When should I use cuál instead of qué before es?

Use cuál to ask for a specific answer, like a phone number: ¿Cuál es tu número? Use qué to ask what something means: ¿Qué es un número?

40 • When do I use quién or quiénes?

Quién means who for one person: ¿Quién es? Quiénes asks about several people: ¿Quiénes son? Con quién means with whom.

41 • How do dónde, de dónde, and adónde differ?

Dónde = where. De dónde = from where. Adónde = to where. ¿Dónde estás? Where are you? ¿De dónde eres? Where are you from? ¿Adónde vas? Where are you going?

42 • When do I use cuándo or a qué hora?

Cuándo means when in general: ¿Cuándo es el examen? A qué hora asks for a clock time: ¿A qué hora empieza? = At what time does it start?

43 • How do “¿Cómo es?” and “¿Cómo está?” differ?

¿Cómo es? asks what someone is like: tall, friendly, etc. ¿Cómo está? asks how someone is feeling: tired, happy, etc.

44 • How do I choose cuánto, cuánta, cuántos, or cuántas?

Match what you are counting: cuántos libros, cuántas clases. Masculine/feminine and one/more than one must match. ¿Cuánto cuesta? asks how much something costs.

45 • How do I tell the time?

For one: es la una. For other hours: son las dos, son las tres, etc. Add y cuarto for :15 and y media for :30.

46 • How do I talk about class times and days?

At one = a la una; at eight = a las ocho. On Monday = el lunes; on Mondays = los lunes. Example: Estudio los lunes a las ocho.

47 • What number-writing rules are easiest to mix up?

100 = cien; 101 = ciento uno. Put y between tens and ones: treinta y dos. Before nouns: veintiún libros, veintiuna sillas. Hundreds match gender: doscientos libros, doscientas sillas.

48 • How do I politely ask the teacher to do something?

¿Puede repetir, por favor? = Can you repeat, please? ¿Puede hablar más despacio? = Can you speak more slowly? Puedo asks about yourself: ¿Puedo ir al baño? = May I go to the bathroom?

49 • How do I ask about a word’s meaning, translation, or spelling?

Meaning: ¿Qué significa…? Translation: ¿Cómo se dice… en español? Spelling: ¿Cómo se escribe…? Choose the question that matches the help you need.

50 • What should I check when fixing a sentence?

Check who does the action, the verb ending, and whether describing words match the noun. Then check ser/estar, gusta/gustan, le/les, word order, and accents.