Spanish Grammar Review

Ser and Parecer + Adjective

We use adjectives after the verbs ser and parecer (to seem) to describe essential characteristics or fairly permanent qualities such as colors, size, personality, etc.

• Ser + Adjective:
  • Matilde es simpática. (Matilde is nice.)
  • Matilde y Claudia son simpáticas. (Matilde and Claudia are nice.)
  • Alan es simpático. (Alan is nice.)
  • Alan y Mario son simpáticos. (Alan and Mario are nice.)
• Parecer + Adjective:
  • Matilde parece simpática. (Matilde seems nice.)
  • Matilde y Claudia parecen simpáticas. (Matilde and Claudia seem nice.)
  • Alan parece simpático. (Alan seems nice.)
  • Alan y Mario parecen simpáticos. (Alan and Mario seem nice.)

Remember that the verb parecer, like other verbs ending in -cer and -cir, has an irregular yo form in the present tense: parezco.

• Yo parezco seria, pero soy muy divertida. (I seem serious, but I am very funny.)

We also use parecer to express opinions. In this case, parecer needs the same pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les) as verbs like gustar.

• A mí me parece que los jóvenes tenemos que expresar nuestra opinión. (It seems to me that young people like us have to express our opinions.)
• A los jóvenes les parece que los adultos no los toman en serio. (It seems to young people that adults do not take them seriously.)

Verbs Like Gustar: Interesar, Preocupar, Importar, Etc.

These verbs use indirect object pronouns and indicate what someone is interested in, worried about, or what matters to them.

• (A mí) me
• (A ti) te
• (A él / ella, usted) le
• (A nosotros / nosotras) nos
• (A vosotros / vosotras) os
• (A ellos / ellas, ustedes) les

These pronouns are followed by the verb conjugated to match the subject:

• preocupa + infinitive (e.g., suspender - to fail)
• preocupan + singular noun (e.g., el examen - the exam)
• preocupan + plural noun (e.g., los estudios - the studies)

Examples:

• A mí, me interesan el arte y la moda. (I am interested in art and fashion.)
• ¿A ustedes qué temas les interesan más? (What topics are you most interested in?)
• A mí, me interesa el deporte. (I am interested in sports.)
• Me interesan mucho las ciencias. (I am very interested in Science.)
• Me importa mucho encajar en un grupo. (I care a lot about fitting into a group.)

Other verbs that work similarly to gustar:

• Dar vergüenza: to be embarrassed
  • A mi hermana le da vergüenza bailar en público. (My sister is embarrassed to dance in public.)
• Doler: to hurt, to be in pain
  • ¿Te duele la cabeza? (Do you have a headache?)

We use a + noun or pronoun (mí, ti, etc.) to clarify or emphasize who is experiencing the emotion, sensation, or feeling (expressed by the verb gustar, interesar, preocupar, etc.).

Expressing Reciprocity with Reflexive Constructions

These constructions indicate that two or more people are performing an action to each other.

• Hugo y yo nos vemos todos los domingos. (Hugo and I see each other every Sunday.)

Word Order

• Reflexive pronouns go before the verb.
  • Marta y tú se escriben cada día. (You and Marta write to each other every day.)
• With an infinitive, they can go before the conjugated verb or can be attached to the end of the infinitive:
  • Marta y yo nos solemos escribir todos los días.
  • Marta y yo solemos escribirnos todos los días. (Marta and I usually write to each other every day.)

Examples with conocer (to know/meet) and enamorarse (to fall in love):

• nos conocimos
• os conocisteis
• se conocieron
• Se conocieron en la escuela, ¿verdad? (They met at school, right?)
• Sí, nos enamoramos solo con mirarnos. (Yes, we fell in love just by looking at each other.)

The Past Progressive: Estaba + Present Participle

We use the past progressive to refer to actions that were in progress in the past.

• ¿Qué estabas haciendo ayer a las 6 p. m.? (What were you doing yesterday at 6 p.m.?)
• Estaba estudiando en mi habitación. (I was studying in my bedroom.)

Formula:

• Estar (in the imperfect tense) + present participle (-ing form)
  • Ayer, a las 11 a. m., Judit y yo estábamos jugando al fútbol. (Yesterday, at 11 a.m., Judit and I were playing soccer.)

Word Order with Reflexive Verbs

The pronoun can be placed:

1. Before the conjugated form of estar.
   • Me estaba vistiendo cuando llamaron a la puerta. (I was getting dressed when someone knocked on the door.)
2. Attached at the end of the present participle. In this case, we add an accent to the stressed syllable.
   • Estaba vistiéndome cuando llamaron a la puerta. (I was getting dressed when someone knocked on the door.)

How to Combine the Past Progressive with the Preterite Tense

• Ayer estaba estudiando cuando Martina vino. (Yesterday I was studying when Martina came by.)
• Cuando Miguel me escribió, estaba pensando en él. (When Miguel wrote me, I was thinking about him.)

The Preterite Tense vs. The Imperfect Tense

How to Combine the Preterite and the Imperfect When Telling Stories

• We use the preterite tense to indicate the main action.
• We use the imperfect tense to provide the background information of the story. It describes situations or circumstances related to the main action, such as time, weather, location, mood, or age.
• When we talk about age in the past, we use the imperfect tense.
  • Cuando tuve ocho años, cambié de colegio. (When I was eight years old, I changed schools.)
  • Estaba en el salón de clase. Era mi primer día en la secundaria. Entonces, Gloria se sentó en mi mesa y empezamos a hablar. (I was in the classroom. It was my first day of high school. Then, Gloria sat at my table and we started talking.)

The Present Perfect

The present perfect tense is used to refer to events that have happened (or not) in a period of time up to the present.

• ¿Has estado alguna vez en Panamá? (Have you ever been to Panama?)
• Sí, he ido dos veces. (Yes, I have been there twice.)
• No, nunca he estado fuera de mi país. (No, I have never been outside my country.)

Formula:

Haber (in present tense) + past participle

Haber (in Present Tense)

• yo he
• tú has
• él / ella, usted ha
• nosotros/as hemos
• vosotros/as habéis
• ellos/as, ustedes han

To form regular past participles:

Some Irregular Past Participles

Word Order

Unlike in English, the auxiliary verb and the past participle cannot be separated in Spanish. That means that no word can appear between them.

• Ella nunca ha buceado. (She has never gone scuba diving.)
• Ella ha nunca buceado. (Incorrect)

With object or reflexive pronouns, the pronoun is always placed immediately before the form of haber.

• Me he bañado en el Pacífico. (I have swum in the Pacific Ocean.)

Adjective Clauses

Formula: Main Clause + Adjective Clause

• Hay muchos estudiantes universitarios + que quieren irse de intercambio. (There are many university students who want to go on exchange.)

Antecedent: Noun referred to.

• Panamá es un país que ofrece muchos voluntariados. (Panama is a country that offers many opportunities for volunteering.)

Que

The main linking word is que. You can use it to refer to things, places, people, and ideas.

• Los voluntarios son personas que quieren ayudar a los demás. (Volunteers are people who want to help others.)

If there is a preposition (a, en, con) before que, you also need to add a definite article. This article should agree in number and gender with the noun it refers to.

Formula: preposition + el / la / los / las + que + verb

• Me encantó el lugar al que fui a trabajar. (I loved the place where I went to work.)
• Esta es la asociación con la que hice mi voluntariado. (This is the association with which I did my volunteering.)

Donde

We use donde to talk about places. It is equivalent to en el que, en la que, en los que, and en las que.

Formula: donde + verb

• El pueblo donde trabajé estaba en la costa. = El pueblo en el que trabajé estaba en la costa. (The town where I worked was on the coast.)
• Esta es la calle en la que está mi restaurante preferido. = Esta es la calle donde está mi restaurante preferido. (This is the street where my favorite restaurant is.)

The Past Perfect

The past perfect is used to refer to actions that have finished before another moment in the past.

• Cuando llegamos a la tienda, ya había cerrado. (When we arrived at the store, it had already closed.)

It is also used to express experiences that happened for the first time, usually after antes de + noun / infinitive or nunca antes.

• No había probado la cocina panameña antes del viaje a Panamá. (I had not tried Panamanian cuisine before visiting Panama.)
• Antes de venir a Panamá, no había probado el saus. (Before coming to Panama, I had never tried saus.)
• Nunca antes había viajado a América Central. (I had never traveled to Central America before.)

Formula:

Haber (in the imperfect) + past participle

Haber (in the Imperfect)

• yo había
• tú habías
• él / ella, usted había
• nosotros/as habíamos
• vosotros/as habíais
• ellos/as, ustedes habían

Some irregular past participles are:

Expressing the Timing of an Action with Verb Constructions

Pronoun Placement

Object pronouns can be placed right before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive or the present participle.

The Present Subjunctive

• Publico memes graciosos para que mis amigos se diviertan. (I post funny memes so my friends are amused.)

Conjugation:

Some verbs have a spelling change. This is done to preserve the correct pronunciation of the stem’s final consonant:

Stem-Changing Verbs in the Present Subjunctive

• Like Pensar (e > ie) and Contar (o > ue)

  Pronoun	Pensar	Contar
  yo	piense	cuente
  nosotros/as	pensemos	contemos
  tú	pienses	cuentes
  vosotros/as	penséis	contéis
  él / ella, usted	piense	cuente
  ellos/as, ustedes	piensen	cuenten

  • More verbs like pensar: entender, despertarse, querer, perderse
  • More verbs like contar: acostarse, mover, poder

• Like Mentir (e > ie and i) and Dormir (o > ue and u)

  Pronoun	Mentir	Dormir
  yo	mienta	duerma
  nosotros/as	mintamos	durmamos
  tú	mientas	duermas
  vosotros/as	mintáis	durmáis
  él / ella, usted	mienta	duerma
  ellos/as, ustedes	mientan	duerman

  • More verbs like mentir: divertirse, preferir, sentir
  • More verbs like dormir: morir

• Like Seguir (e > i)

  Pronoun	Seguir
  yo	siga
  nosotros/as	sigamos
  tú	sigas
  vosotros/as	sigáis
  él / ella, usted	siga
  ellos/as, ustedes	sigan

  *More verbs like *seguir: pedir, servir, reírse, repetir

Expressing Purpose: Para + Infinitive and Para Que + Subjunctive

• El profesor usa videos para enseñar español. (The teacher uses videos to teach Spanish.) - Same subject, infinitive.
• El profesor usa videos para que los estudiantes aprendan español. (The teacher uses videos to help students learn Spanish.) - Different subjects, subjunctive.

Expressing Feelings

• (A mí) me
• (A ti) te
• (A él / ella, usted) le
• (A nosotros / nosotras) nos
• (A vosotros / vosotras) os
• (A ellos / ellas, ustedes) les

… gusta, encanta, hace ilusión, molesta, cae mal

• When the person who experiences the feeling and the person who performs the action is the same, we use the infinitive.
  • A mí me gusta compartir fotos en redes sociales. (I like to share photos on social media.)
• When the person experiencing the feeling and the person doing the action are different, we use the subjunctive.
  • A mí me gusta que mis amigos compartan fotos en las redes sociales. (I like that my friends share photos on social media.)

The Present Subjunctive: More Irregular Verbs

• Verbs with Irregular Yo Forms in the Present Indicative

  Many verbs have an irregular yo form in the present indicative that is used in all the present subjunctive forms:

  • (Hacer) yo hago -> hag-
  • (Conocer) yo conozco -> conozc-

  Pronoun	Hacer	Conocer
  yo	haga	conozca
  tú	hagas	conozcas
  él / ella, usted	haga	conozca
  nosotros/as	hagamos	conozcamos
  vosotros/as	hagáis	conozcáis
  ellos/as, ustedes	hagan	conozcan

  Examples:

  • decir -> yo digo -> diga, digas, diga…
  • poner -> yo pongo -> ponga, pongas, ponga…
  • tener -> yo tengo -> tenga, tengas, tenga…
  • venir -> yo vengo -> venga, vengas, venga…

  Verbs that end in -cer and -cir preceded by a vowel, like conocer, change from c to zc in all the present subjunctive forms.

  • agradecer -> yo agradezco -> agradezca, agradezcas, agradezca…
  • parecer -> yo parezco -> parezca, parezcas, parezca…
  • traducir -> yo traduzco -> traduzca, traduzcas, traduzca…

• Other Irregular Verbs

  Pronoun	Ser	Ir	Saber
  yo	sea	vaya	sepa
  tú	seas	vayas	sepas
  él / ella, usted	sea	vaya	sepa
  nosotros/as	seamos	vayamos	sepamos
  vosotros/as	seáis	vayáis	sepáis
  ellos/as, ustedes	sean	vayan	sepan

Making Recommendations with Impersonal Constructions

• Es importante respetar a todo el mundo en internet. (It is important to respect everyone on the Internet.)

  We use impersonal constructions with the infinitive when making recommendations to everyone in general, without specifying the person.

  Formula: Es + adjective + infinitive

  • Es importante proteger los datos personales en las redes sociales.

• We use impersonal constructions with the subjunctive when making recommendations to specific people.

  Formula: Es + adjective + que + subjunctive clause

  • Es importante que protejas (tú) tus datos personales en las redes sociales.

• The present subjunctive form of hay (haber) is haya.

  • Es bueno que haya transparencia en las redes sociales. (It is good that there is transparency on social media.)

Affirming and Denying Statements

• Affirming

  Formula: Es + adjective + que + indicative clause

  • Es cierto que hay mucha información útil en internet.
  • Es verdad que las redes sociales son fundamentales en la vida de todos los adolescentes. (It is true that social media is essential in the lives of all teenagers.)

• Denying

  Formula: No + es + adjective + que + subjunctive clause

  • No es cierto que haya mucha información útil en internet.
  • No es verdad que las redes sociales sean fundamentales en la vida de todos los adolescentes. (It is not true that social media is essential in the lives of all teenagers.)

Describing Skills

Costar and Resultar Fácil / Difícil

We use costar to express that something is hard for someone and resultar fácil / difícil to express that someone finds something easy or difficult.

• (A mí) me
• (A ti) te
• (A él / ella, usted) le
• (A nosotros / nosotras) nos
• (A vosotros / vosotras) os
• (A ellos / ellas, ustedes) les

… cuesta / resulta fácil / resulta difícil

followed by:

• Infinitive

• Singular Noun

• Plural Noun

• A Alejandra le resulta fácil hablar en público.

• We use a + noun or pronoun (mí, ti, etc.) to clarify or emphasize who is experiencing the situation. A Asunción le resulta fácil hacer amigos. (Asunción finds it easy to make friends.)

• A Eugenia le resulta difícil hablar en alemán. (Eugenia finds speaking German difficult.)

• A Francisco le cuestan las matemáticas. (Francisco finds math difficult.)

The Future Tense

The structure is:

Regular Verbs: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án

Examples:

• yo estudiar- é
• tú aprender -ás
• él / ella, usted vivir -á
• nosotros/as -emos
• vosotros/as -éis
• ellos/as, ustedes -án

Me graduaré el próximo año. (I will graduate next year.)

John terminará sus estudios el curso que viene. (John will finish his studies next semester.)

Irregular Verbs:

poder podr- é ás á emos éis án
querer querr-
saber sabr-
poner pondr-
salir saldr-
tener tendr-
venir vendr-
decir dir-
hacer har-
haber (hay) habr-

Tendremos una reunión el viernes. (We will have a meeting on Friday.)

Talking About the Future: Cuando + Present Subjunctive

• Cuando + present subjunctive + future tense
• Cuando termine la secundaria, estudiaré Música. (When I finish high school I will study Music.)
  When we talk about the present, the verbs in the subordinate and the main clause use the present tense. When we talk about the past, both verbs are in the past.
• Cuando tengo exámenes, me pongo nerviosa. (When I have exams I get nervous.)
• Cuando era pequeño, no tenía muchas tareas. (When I was a child I did not have much homework.)

Expressing Wishes and Hopes

• Desear / Esperar / Querer + Infinitive / Present Subjunctive
• Sebastián espera aprobar el examen. (Sebastian hopes to pass the exam.) - same subject
• El profesor espera que Sebastián apruebe el examen. (The teacher hopes that Sebastian passes the test.) - Subject 1/ Subject 2
• Ojalá Que + Present Subjunctive
• Ojalá que consigas el trabajo. (I hope you get the job.)
• Que + Present Subjunctive
• ¡Que tengas un buen día! (Have a nice day!)

Adjective Clauses + Indicative / Subjunctive

• Adjective Clauses + Indicative

Formula: Main clause + Adjective Clause

*Esperamos a Miguel, el voluntario  +  que quiere colaborar en nuestro proyecto.*

We use the indicative when we can identify the person, place, thing, or idea we are talking about.

Buscamoa a Marta, la joven venezolana que habla portugués. (We are looking for Marta, the young Venezuelan woman who speaks Portuguese.)

• Adjective Clauses + Subjunctive

Formula: Main Clause + Adjective Clause
Necesitamos Voluntarios + que quieran colaborar en nuestro proyecto.

We use the subjunctive when talking about someone or something that we cannot identify.

Necesitamos un candidato que sepa hablar muy bien inglés. (We need a candidate who can speak English very well.)

Buscamos gente a la que le guste trabajar al aire libre. (We are looking for people who like to work outdoors.)

When we deny the existence of someone or something, we also use the subjunctive.

No hay nadie que hable portugués en esta oficina. (There is no one who speaks Portuguese in this office.)

The Neutral Lo

We use the neutral lo when referring to abstract things, ideas, or someone else’s words.

• Lo más importante es alimentarse bien. (The most important thing is to eat well.) (la cosa más importante)
• Estoy de acuerdo con lo que dijo Miguel. (I agree with what Miguel said.) (las palabras que dijo Miguel)

Lo + Adjective

lo + saludable / importante / bonito /…

• Lo divertido fue construir una canoa. (The fun thing was building a canoe.)

In this structure, the adjective is always in the masculine singular form.

Lo Que + Verb

lo que + decimos / necesito / queremos /…

• Lo que decimos tiene un impacto en las otras personas. (What we say has an impact on other people.)

The Conditional Tense

To make suggestions using infinitive structures: tener que + infinitive deber + infinitive poder + infinitive

Personal Suggestions

• Tendríamos que ayudar a los animales en peligro. (We should help animals in danger.)
• Las personas deberían respetar la naturaleza. (People should respect nature.)
• Podrías adoptar un animal. (You could adopt an animal.)

Impersonal Suggestions

habría que + infinitive

Habría que consumir productos de proximidad. Local products should be consumed.

When deber and tener que are used in the present tense they mean must and have to. When they are used in the conditional, they mean should.

• Tenemos que comprar comida, no hay nada. We have to buy some food, there is nothing left.
• Tendríamos que comprar comida, hay muy poca. We should buy some food, there is not much left.

To describe hypothetical situations:

• ¿Tú qué harías para obtener comida en la selva del Amazonas? What would you do to obtain food in the Amazon rainforest?

Remember we also use the conditional to express wishes.

• Me gustaría encontrar más comida sin envoltorios. I would like to find more package-free foods.
• Me encantaría visitar el Amazonas. I would love to visit the Amazon.

Irregular Verbs:

poder podr- ía ías ía íamos íais ían
querer querr-
saber sabr-
poner pondr-
salir saldr-
tener tendr-
venir vendr-
decir dir-
hacer har-
haber (hay) habr-

Using Past Participles as Adjectives

The past participle form can be used as an adjective in order to describe nouns.

• Los jaguares son animales protegidos. Jaguars are protected animals.

What Forms Do They Have?

Some irregular past participles frequently used as adjectives are:

How Do We Use Them?

The sombrero está roto. Los sombreros están rotos.

La chaqueta está rota. Las chaquetas están rotas.

They can be used following a noun and also with the verb estar.

En esta tienda venden ropa usada. This shop sells used clothes.

Esta ropa está usada, hay que lavarla. This clothing is used; it needs to be washed.

Expressing Requests and Objectives

Making Requests: Pedir, Necesitar, Querer… + Infinitive / Subjunctive

• Los vecinos queremos que las ciudades sean lugares tranquilos.

We neighbors want cities to be quiet places.

Subject 1/ Subject 2/ present subjunctive

Expressing Objectives: Lograr, Hacer, Ayudar A…

El aire puro hace que la gente tenga mejor salud. Fresh air makes people have better health.

Subject 1/ Subject 2/ present subjunctive:

When using the impersonal verb haber, it is in the subjunctive.

La moda circular ayuda a que haya menos residuos. Circular fashion helps reduce waste,

Nosotros necesitamos descansar por las noches. We need to rest at night.

La asociación logró construir un huerto urbano. The association managed to grow an urban garden.

The Imperfect Subjunctive

The Imperfect Subjunctive formula is:

• -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -rais, -ran from Preterite Tense (ellos/as)
  Si viajara a Sevilla, visitaría la Giralda. ( If I traveled to Seville, I would visit the Giralda.)

Subordinate Clause Subordinate MAIN CLAUSE CLAUSE MAIN CLAUSE

This formula also includes verbs ending with:

• -se, -ses, -se, -semos, -seis, -sen

Conjugation:

Regular & Irregular Endings

• yo: -ra, -se
• tú: -ras, -ses
• él / ella, usted: -ra, -se
• nosotros/as: -ramos, -semos
• vosotros/as: -rais, -seis
• ellos/as, ustedes: -ran, -sen

(ser / ir)ellos/as fueron- fue +Ser / Ir
yo fuera / nosotros/as fuéramos
tú fueras / vosotros/as fuerais
él / ella, usted fuera / ellos/as, ustedes fueran

Irregular verbs follow the same rule as the regular verbs to form the imperfect subjunctive. You can also conjugate verbs in the imperfect subjunctive adding to the stems the endings: -se, -ses, -se, -semos, -seis, -sen.

Si Clauses: Imperfect Subjunctive + Conditional

If + Imperfect Subjunctive implies the conditional. Example:* Si actuara en una película, conocería a actores famosos. (If I were in a movie, I would meet famous actors).*

We can switch the order of the clause. Example: Te reirías mucho si leyeras sus historias. Main Clause SI CLAUSE IF-CLAUSE.

Making Recommendations

Recommend + Noun/Subjunctive

te / le / os / les recomiendo + Noun una película / un libro / un museo /… les recomiendo la novela “Marina” a mis amigos. ( I recommend the novel “Marina” to my friends.

te / le / os / les recomiendo + que + PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE leas / lea / leáis / lean Te recomiendo que leas la novela “Marina”.( I recommend that you read the novel “Marina”.)

Other verbs we can use for giving recommendations are sugerir and proponer. These verbs are not usually followed by a noun, but by a verb in the subjunctive.

Te sugiero que leas el libro antes de ver la película. ( suggest that you read the book before seeing the movie.)

Les propongo que organicemos un taller de lectura. (I propose that we organize a reading workshop).

Making Hypotheses with the Subjunctive

There are different ways of expressing hypotheses in Spanish. In general, expressions used to hypothesize are followed by a verb in the present subjunctive.

I know  La artista está en su taller. Está pintando un retrato. (The artist is in her studio. She is painting a portrait.)

I imagine  Es probable que la artista esté en su taller. Tal vez esté pintando un retrato. (It is likely that the artist is in her studio. Perhaps she is painting a portrait.)

Forms
Es probable/ Es posible/ Puede ser + que + presente subjunctive
Probabemente / Posiblemente/ Tal vez/ Quiza + present subjunctive.
The last four expressions can also be used with a verb in the indicative. For example: Quiza la artista está en su taller. (Perhaps the artist is in her studio.)

Telling Stories Using Past Tense Combinations

The Preterite and the Imperfect Tenses- We use the preterite tense to indicate the main action. The imperfect tense is used to describe situations related to the main action, such as time, weather, location, mood, age, and cause.

Example: Don Quijote salió a buscar aventuras porque quería ayudar a los débiles. (Don Quijote went out to seek adventure because he wanted to help the weak.)

The imperfect tense