Spanish 3 final study

Comprehensive Guide to Spanish Grammar Topics

Table of Contents

1. Stem-Changing Verbs in the Preterite

2. Present Progressive Tense

3. Double Pronouns

4. Imperfect Tense

5. Superlatives

Stem-Changing Verbs in the Preterite

Stem-changing verbs undergo specific changes in different tenses. Here we focus on the preterite tense.

Key Concepts

• -AR and -ER Verbs: No stem-change in the preterite tense.

• -IR Stem-Changing Verbs: Stem-change occurs in the 3rd person singular and plural forms.

• Types of Stem Changes:

  • E to I: e.g., Pedir (to request) changes to pidió, pidieron.

  • O to U: e.g., Dormir (to sleep) changes to durmió, durmieron.

Examples

• Pensar (e:ie): Yo pensé, Nosotros pensamos

• Dormir (o:ue): él durmió, ellos durmieron

Practical Sentences

• Service Verbs: Los camareros les sirvieron los platos a los clientes en muy poco tiempo.

• Actions in Past: Anoche Elena no durmió casi nada. Ahora está sonámbula.

Present Progressive Tense

Used to describe actions currently in progress, similar to the "-ing" form in English.

Structure

• Formation: Estar + Present Participle

• Verb Endings:

  • -AR verbs: -ando (e.g., hablar -> hablando)

  • -ER/-IR verbs: -iendo (e.g., comer -> comiendo, escribir -> escribiendo)

Irregularities

• Some Stem-Changing Verbs:

  • Preferir (e:ie) changes to prefiriendo.

  • Dormir (o:ue) changes to durmiendo.

• Double-Vowel Infinitives: Change i to y (e.g., leer -> leyendo).

Examples

• Regular Use: Sara está yendo al mercado en este momento.

• Ongoing Actions: Mis amigos están consiguiendo boletos para el concierto.

Double Pronouns

Combining indirect and direct object pronouns in sentences.

Rules

1. Sequence: Indirect object pronoun (I.O.P.) precedes the direct object pronoun (D.O.P.)

2. Same Letter Rule: When both pronouns begin with "L", the I.O.P. changes to "Se".

Example Transformations

• Base Sentence: El camarero me muestra el menú.

• With Pronouns: El camarero me lo muestra.

Special Cases

• Clarification: Adding phrases like "a él" or "a ella" to clarify ambiguous "se".

Examples

• Transformation: Le escribí una carta -> Se la escribí.

• Clarification: ¿El sombrero? Carlos se lo vendió a ella.

Imperfect Tense

Describes past events that are seen as ongoing or habitual.

Conjugation Patterns

• -AR Verbs: cantaba, cantábamos

• -ER/-IR Verbs: bebía, escribía

Irregular Verbs

• Ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban

• Ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran

• Ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían

Usage

The imperfect tense is used to:

1. Describe habitual actions: De niño, íbamos al parque los domingos.

2. Set the scene: Yo leía mientras él estudiaba.

3. Describe characteristics: Era alto y guapo.

4. Express time: Eran las tres y media.

5. State age: Los niños tenían seis años.

Superlatives

Used to express the highest or lowest degree of a quality.

Superlatives are used to express the highest or lowest degree of a quality by combining "el/la" with "más" (most) or "menos" (least) followed by the adjective. For example, "El restaurante es el más elegante de la ciudad" (The restaurant is the most elegant in the city).

Absolute superlatives are formed by dropping the final vowel of the adjective (if any) and adding "-ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas". For instance, "El bistec está malísimo" (The steak is very bad).

Key Differences:

• Superlatives express comparison among multiple items, using "más" or "menos" with adjectives.

• Absolute superlatives emphasize the extreme quality of a single item, using suffixes like "-ísimo."

Formation

• Combine "el/la" with "más" (most) or "menos" (least) followed by the adjective.

• For best and worst, use "el/la mejor" (best) or "el/la peor" (worst).

Absolute Superlatives

Formed by dropping the final vowel of the adjective (if any) and adding -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas.

Examples

• Highest Degree: El restaurante es el más elegante de la ciudad.

• Absolute Degree: ¡El bistec está malísimo!

Special Forms

• Irregular Examples: rico -> riquísimo, fácil -> facilísimo

• Combined Phrases: Carlos es el más simpático de todos.