Capítulo 2: Mis amigos y yo - Notes

2.1 Adjectives (pg. 49-50)

• What is an adjective?

  • Words such as alto, triste, and joven are adjectives (los adjetivos) and they describe nouns.

  • In Spanish, adjectives often change their form to agree with the noun they describe.

• Forms and agreement for adjectives ending in -o

  • Adjectives ending in -o must agree with both gender and number of the noun.

  • Gender: masculine = ending -o; feminine = ending -a.

  • Number: singular vs. plural indicated by -singular forms; plural indicated by -s (for words ending in a vowel) or -es (for words ending in a consonant).

  • Masculine singular example: el hombre alto

  • Masculine plural example: los hombres altos

  • Feminine singular example: la mujer alta

  • Feminine plural example: las mujeres altas

  • Rule recap: Masculine -o; Feminine -a; Plural -s as a general rule; if a consonant ends the stem, use -es for plural.

• Forms for adjectives ending in -e or consonants

  • Adjectives that end in -e (e.g., triste) or that end in a consonant (e.g., joven) agree only in number with the noun (gender does not change).

  • Plural endings for these adjectives: add -s or -es to indicate plural; masculine and feminine forms are the same for these endings.

  • When adding -es to form the plural, an extra syllable is added, so sometimes an accent mark is needed to preserve stress.

  • Example given: joven → jóvenes

• Quick reference table (agreement rules)

  • SINGULAR | PLURAL

  • Masculine: el hombre alto | los hombres altos

  • Feminine: la mujer alta | las mujeres altas

• Rule for choosing between -s and -es

  • If the word ends in a vowel, add -s.

  • If the word ends in a consonant, add -es.

  • This rule mirrors the noun pluralization pattern seen in Estructura 1.2.

  • Note: When adding -es, stress may shift; use accents as needed (e.g., joven → jóvenes).

• Quick takeaway

  • -o adjectives: must reflect gender and number.

  • -e or consonant endings: reflect number only; gender remains the same.

2.2 The verbs estar (to be) and ir (to go) (p. 53)

• In Para empezar, two new verbs were introduced: estar (to be) and ir (to go).

• Conjugation practice: fill in the blanks using the forms from Para empezar.

• Conjugation chart (present tense)

  • SINGULAR

  • yo: estar = estoy, ir = voy

  • tú: estar = estás, ir = vas

  • él/ella, usted: estar = está, ir = va

  • PLURAL

  • nosotros/nosotras: estar = estamos, ir = vamos

  • vosotros/vosotras: estar = estáis, ir = vais

  • ellos/ellas, ustedes: estar = están, ir = van

• Subject pronouns (often omitted in Spanish)

  • Examples:

  • Estoy contenta. = I’m happy.

  • Están aburridos. = They are bored.

  • Vamos a la fiesta. = We’re going to the party.

  • ¿Vas a clase? = Are you going to class?

• Formal vs informal addressing (usted vs tú)

  • The form used to address someone formally (usted) differs from informal (tú).

  • Transformation examples (from tú form to usted form):

  • ¿Cómo estás? → ¿Cómo está usted?

  • ¿Vas a la fiesta? → ¿Va usted a la fiesta?

• Distinction between ser and estar

  • Estar expresses temporary states or conditions (not lasting):

  • Estamos cansados. (We are tired.)

  • ¿Estás enferma? (Are you sick?)

  • Ser expresses more permanent characteristics or origins:

  • Soy de Guatemala. (I’m from Guatemala.)

  • UCLA es una universidad. (UCLA is a university.)

  • More on ser vs. estar covered in Estructura 4.4 and 5.3.

2.3 The verb gustar (pg. 56)

• Me gusta vs. me gustan

  • Both mean “I like,” but usage depends on what follows:

  • Me gusta [infinitive or singular noun]; Me gustan [plural noun].

• Me gusta and me gustan examples (from Para empezar):

  • me gusta la música

  • me gusta la biología

  • me gustan las películas

  • me gustan los deportes

  • me gustan los libros

• Singular vs. plural in gustar constructions

  • When a single item or an infinitive follows gustar, use the singular form: me gusta [singular noun or infinitive].

  • When multiple items follow gustar, use the plural form: me gustan [plural noun].

  • Table (conceptual):

  • me gusta con un sustantivo (singular noun) or con un infinitivo

  • me gustan con un sustantivo (plural noun)

• Te gusta / Te gustan

  • Te gusta and te gustan function like me gusta/me gustan, with form depending on singular/plural subject.

  • Example prompts: ¿Te gustan los deportes? ¿Te gusta la historia?

• Le gusta / le gustan

  • Le gusta and le gustan mean he/she likes or you (formal) like.

  • To clarify who is being talked about, you may use a + name or a pronoun (e.g., a usted).

  • Example prompts and answers:

  • ¿A usted le gustan las novelas gráficas?

  • A Carolina no le gusta el chocolate.

2.4 Infinitives with gustar and ir (p. 58-59) (1-3)

• Infinitivo (infinitive) after gustar

  • In Para empezar, me gusta is followed by the infinitive (el infinitivo), the unconjugated form of the verb.

  • Infinitives in Spanish end in one of these: -ar,
    -er,
    -ir.

• Examples of infinitive endings (types):

  • -ar verbs: estar, hablar, usar

  • -er verbs: hacer, tener

  • -ir verbs: dormir

  • These three endings correspond to the three verb groups in Capítulo 3.

• Gustar with infinitives (singular)

  • Gustar is always in the singular form when used with one or more infinitives.

  • Examples:

  • Me gusta ir al cine. (I like to go to the movies.)

  • A José le gusta escuchar música y bailar. (José likes to listen to music and dance.)

• Infinitives with ir a (to express a future event)

  • Infinitives are used after ir a to express a future action:

  • Voy a estudiar. (I am going to study.)

  • Van a nadar. (They are going to swim.)

  • ¿Vas a correr? (Are you going to run?)

  • Ana va a usar la computadora. (Ana is going to use the computer.)

• Summary note on usage

  • me gusta + infinitive = I like to + verb

  • ir a + infinitive = going to do + verb (future)