Singular and Affirmative Informal Commands
Formation of Informal Commands
Steps to form affirmative tú commands:
Get the Tú form of the verb.
Drop the -S.
Example with the verb hablar (to talk, to speak):
Infinitive: hablar
Conjugated forms:
yo: hablo
tú: hablas
él/ella: habla
nosotros: hablamos
vosotros: habláis
ellos/ellas: hablan
General rules for forming affirmative commands using tú:
Use the third person singular form of the verb.
Example sentences:
¡(Tú) Corre a casa! = Run home!
¡(Tú) Cierra la puerta! = Close the door!
¡(Tú) Escribe la respuesta! = Write the answer!
Common irregular affirmative tú commands:
Decir (to say/tell): di
Hacer (to do/make): haz
Other examples:
Di la verdad = Say the truth
Haz la tarea = Do the homework
Ve a la escuela = Go to school
Pon el libro allí = Put the book there
Sal temprano = Leave early
Ir (to go): ve
Poner (to put/place): pon
Salir (to leave/go out): sal
Ser (to be): sé
Tener (to have): ten
Venir (to come): ven
Irregular Affirmative Tú Commands
Hacer (to do): ¡Haz la tarea!
Ir (to go): ¡Ve a la escuela!
Poner (to put): ¡Pon el libro allí!
Sal (to leave): ¡Sal temprano!
Ser (to be): ¡Sé respetuoso!
Tener (to have): ¡Ten cuidado!
Venir (to come): ¡Ven a clase!
Verbos Radicales en el Presente (Stem-Changing Verbs)
Definition: Stem-changing verbs change their vowel in the present tense based on a pattern.
O → UE verbs:
Poder (to be able): puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden
Dormir (to sleep): duermo, duermes, duerme, dormimos, dormís, duermen
Volver (to return): vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve, volvemos, volvéis, vuelven
Almorzar (to eat lunch): almuerzo, almuerzas, almuerza, almorzamos, almorzáis, almuerzan
Costar (to cost): cuesta
Recordar (to remember): recuerdo, recuerdas
Encontrar (to find): encuentro, encuentras
Mover (to move): muevo, mueves
Contar (to count): cuento, cuentas
E → I verbs:
Decir (to say): digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen
Pedir (to ask for): pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden
Servir (to serve): sirvo, sirves, sirve, servimos, servís, sirven
Repetir (to repeat): repito, repites, repite
Morir (to die): muero
Conjugating Verbs
Definition: Conjugating involves making a verb agree with its subject.
Three Types of Verbs
-AR, -ER, -IR
Process for Conjugation:
Start with the infinitive
Remove the ending
Add the appropriate ending to the stem
Examples:
Hablar (to speak):
Stem: HABL-
Conjugation: 我要 hablar, tú hablas, él habla…
Comer (to eat):
Stem: COM-
Conjugation: yo como, tú comes, él come…
Vivir (to live):
Stem: VIV-
Conjugation: yo vivo, tú vives, él vive…
Spanish Subject Pronouns
Singular Subject Pronouns:
yo (I)
tú (you, informal)
él/ella/usted (he/she/you formal)
Plural Subject Pronouns:
nosotros (we, masculine)
nosotras (we, feminine)
vosotros (you, plural informal, masculine)
vosotras (you, plural informal, feminine)
ellos/ellas/ustedes (they masculine/feminine, you all formal)
Forming Plural Nouns in Spanish
Rules Based on Noun Endings
In a vowel:
Add an 's' (e.g., silla → sillas; libro → libros)
In a consonant:
Add 'es', except most nouns ending in 's' (e.g., árbol → árboles; reloj → relojes)
In 's' or 'x':
Mark the plural form with determiners (e.g., crisis → crisis)
In 'z':
Drop 'z' and add 'ces' (e.g., lápiz → lápices; avestruz → avestruces)
Common Questions in Spanish
¿Adónde? (Where to?)
¿Dónde? (Where?)
¿De dónde? (From where?)
Examples:
¿Adónde vas? (Where are you going?)
¿Dónde está el centro del pueblo? (Where is the center of town?)
¿De dónde eres tú? (Where are you from?)
¿Cómo? (How?)
Used to ask about the nature or manner of something.
How are you feeling? (e.g., ¿Cómo estás?)
Present Progressive Tense
Definition:
Describes actions in progress.
Formation:
Use a present tense form of estar + present participle.
Present participle is formed by adding -ando to the stem of an -AR verb or -iendo to the stem of an -ER or -IR verb.
Examples:
Yo estoy estudiando. (I am studying)
Él está comiendo. (He is eating)
Nosotros estamos escribiendo. (We are writing)
Irregular Present Participles:
leyendo (reading), trayendo (bringing)
For stem-changing verbs (e.g., dormir, pedir, servir), change from o to u or e to i:
durmiendo (sleeping), pidiendo (asking for), sirviendo (serving)
Prepositions of Location with Estar
Common Prepositions:
al lado de (next to/beside)
detrás de (behind)
en (in/on)
con (with)
debajo de (under/below)
encima de (on top of)
entre (between/among)
delante de (in front of)
dentro de (inside of)
lejos de (far from)
sobre (on/over)
Examples of Location with Estar:
Papá está en el comedor. (Dad is in the dining room.)
La tarea está encima de la mesa. (The homework is on the table.)
Spanish Adjectives and Their Agreement
Emotional/Physical States Descriptive Adjectives:
aburrido(a) (bored)
contento(a) (happy)
cansado(a) (tired)
emocional (excited)
preocupado(a) (worried)
enfermo(a) (sick)
enojado(a) (angry)
triste (sad)
Gustar (To Like) and Its Use
Structure: Gustar + infinitive/noun.
Examples with infinitive:
Me gusta nadar. (I like to swim.)
A mí y a mi papá nos gusta correr. (My dad and I like running.)
Examples with nouns:
A Carlos le gusta el tenis. (Carlos likes tennis.)
A Carlos le gustan los deportes. (Carlos likes sports.)
The Verb Tener
Conjugation:
yo tengo (I have)
tú tienes (you have)
él/ella/usted tiene (he/she/you formally have)
nosotros(as) tenemos (we have)
vosotros(as) tenéis (you all have)
ellos(as)/ustedes tienen (they/you (pl.) have)
State Expressions with Tener:
tener calor (to be hot)
tener hambre (to be hungry)
tener miedo (to be afraid)
tener razón (to be right)
tener sed (to be thirsty)
tener éxito (to be successful)
Identifying Essential Characteristics with Ser
Essential Characteristics:
Guillermo del Toro es inteligente y creativo. (Guillermo del Toro is intelligent and creative.)
Sus películas son interesantes. (His movies are interesting.)
Nationality and Origin:
Guillermo del Toro es mexicano. (Guillermo del Toro is Mexican.)
El Sr. del Toro es de México. (Mr. del Toro is from Mexico.)
Singular and Plural Forms of Nouns
Nouns ending in -z drop the -z and add -ces (e.g., lápiz → lápices).
Vocabulary Practice
Common -ar verbs:
ayudar (to help)
bailar (to dance)
buscar (to look for)
estudiar (to study)
Common -er verbs:
comer (to eat)
aprender (to learn)
beber (to drink)
Common -ir verbs:
vivir (to live)
escribir (to write)
recibir (to receive)
Example Sentences:
Yo hablo español. (I speak Spanish.)
Tú comes mucho. (You eat a lot.)
Ellos estudian todos los días. (They study every day.)