English | Spanish |
---|---|
Pasajero | Passenger |
el cinturón de seguridad | Seat belt |
El freno | Brake |
La llanta | Tire |
El baúl | Trunk |
La placa | License plate |
La bocina | Horn |
El tanque de gasolina | Gas tank |
El gato | Car jack |
El volante | Steering wheel |
El acelerador | Accelerator |
La curva | Curve |
El carro convertible | Convertible car |
El automóvil | Car |
El conductor | Conductor/Driver |
El permiso de manejar | Driver’s permit |
Una multa por exceso de velocidad | A speeding ticket |
Encender | Turn on |
El embotellamiento | Traffic jam |
El estacionamiento | Parking lot |
Peligroso | Dangerous |
Despacio | Slowly |
Ten cuidado | Be careful |
El tráfico | Traffic |
La velocidad máxima | Maximum Speed |
El límite de velocidad | Speed limit |
Cruza | Cross |
Manejar | To drive |
La luz | Light |
Cognates
El gato means car jack (used to change tires) and cat
El volante means steering wheel and flier
Context clues show the meaning of the word in different situations
Informal Commands Intro
You use informality when addressing someone as tú—such as friends and siblings
Affirmative informal commands are used to tell others what to do
When using affirmative informal commands you use the él/ella form of the verb in the present tense
Context is used to tell if someone is making a statement or a command
Affirmative informal commads
For -ar verbs you replace the infinitive (-ar) with the él/ella form (-a)
Ex: Manejar (To drive) —> Maneja
For -er verbs you replace the infinitive (-er) with the él/ella form (-e)
Ex: Correr (to run) —> Corre
For -ir verbs you replace the infinitive (-ir) with the él/ella form (-e)
Ex: Abrir (to open) —> Abre
Negative Informal Commands
Start with the word no
For -ar verbs you replace the infinitive (-ar) with -es
Ex: Manejar —> Manejes
For -er and -ir verbs you replace the infinative (-er or -ir) with -as
Ex: Encender —> Enciendas
Verbs with spelling changes in their negative command form
Tocar —> No toques
Llegar —> No llegues
Cruzar —> No cruces
Recoger —> No recojas
Irregular Command Forms
Dar
tú | Des |
él, ella, usted | dé |
ellos/ellas, ustedes | Den |
Decir
tú | Di |
él, ella, usted | Diga |
ellos/ellas, ustedes | Digan |
Estar
tú | estés |
él, ella, usted | esté |
ellos/ellas, ustedes | estén |
Ir
tú | Vayas |
él, ella, usted | Vaya |
ellos/ellas, ustedes | Vayan |
Ser
tú | Seas |
él, ella, usted | Sea |
ellos/ellas, ustedes | Sean |
Spanish | English |
---|---|
Las señales de tráfico | Traffic Signals |
En medio de | In the middle of |
El puente | Bridge |
El semáforo | Traffic Light |
la señal de alto | Stop sign |
el cruce de calles | Crossroads; intersection |
la esquina | Corner |
la carretera | Road; highway |
el peatón, la peatona | Pedestrian |
La dirección | Direction |
Puntos cardinales | Cardinal Points |
Norte | North |
Este | East |
Sur | South |
Oeste | West |
Destino | Destination |
Dobla | Turn |
Cruza | Cross |
Pasa | Pass; go ahead |
Para | Stop |
Queda | Remain; stay; located |
Sigue | Follow; continue |
Hasta | Until |
Estoy perdido | I am lost |
a la izquierda (de) | To the left (of) |
a la derecha (de) | To the right (of) |
encima (de) | On (top of); above; over |
al lado (de) | Next (to) |
debajo (de) | Under; underneath |
dentro (de) | In; inside; into; within |
detrás (de) | Behind |
enfrente (de) | In front of |
La dirección can be used to give an address or to give directions, and context clues must be used to find which is being used
The verb seguir (to follow)
Stem-changing verb
Used to give directions
Conjugation:
Yo | Sigo |
Tú | Sigues |
él/ella/usted | Sigue |
Nosotros/Nosotras | Seguimos |
Vosotros/Vosotras | Seguís |
Ellos/ellas/ustedes | Siguen |
Common informal commands in giving directions are seguir (to follow), doblar (to turn), cruzar (to cross), and parar (to stop)
When showing the location of a noun you use the formula:
Noun + estar + preposition
Conjugations of estar
Yo | Estoy |
Tú | Estás |
él/ella/usted | Está |
nosotros/nosotras | Estamos |
vosotros/vosotras | Estáis |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | Estan |
Prepositions: Show the location of a noun (person, place, thing, or idea) or a pronoun (word taking the place of a noun
Ex: To the left of, on top of
Example: La iglesia está a la derecha de la oficina de correos. (The church is to the right of the post office)
Comparatives
Ways to compare nouns
Comparatives of equality (as…as)
Ex: The giraffe is as tall as the tree)
Formula: tan + adjective + como
Comparatives of inequality (more/less than)
Ex: The giraffe is taller than the elephant)
Formula: más + adjective/noun + que
Formula: menos + adjective/noun + que
Superlatives (The most/the least)
Ex: The giraffe is the tallest animal
To use comparatives of equality with adjectives use the formula: Tan (as) + adjective + como (as)
Ex: Ella es tan alta como el automóvil (She is as tall as the car)
To use comparatives of equality with nouns use the formula: Tanto (as much/many) + noun + como (as)
Gender and number of the noun must match
Ex: Hay tantos parques en tu comunidad como en la mía. (There are as many parks in your community as in mine.)
Ex: Hay tantas señales de alto como semáforos en la carretera. (There are as many stop signs as there are street lights on the road.)
Tanto como is used to say as much as
You do not need to match number and gender to a noun as you would with tanto + noun + como
Ex: Camino en el parque tanto como en el gimnasio. (I walk in the park as much as in the gym.)
For comparatives of inequality you use the formula: Más/menos (more/less) + adjective + que (than)
The adjective must match the first noun (subject of comparison)
Ex: El hospital es más interesante que el museo.
(The hospital is more interesting than the museum.)
Ex: La farmacia es menos grande que el condominio.
(The pharmacy is less big than the condominium.
Spanish | English |
---|---|
Hacer las diligencias | Do errands |
Cuidar a | Take care of; look after |
Devolver | Return |
Cerrar | Close |
Depositar | Deposit |
Llenar el tanque | Fill up the tank |
Venir | Arrive; come; go to |
Recoger | Pick up |
Pronto | Soon |
Se abre | It opens |
Se cierra | It closes |
En seguida | Right away |
En camino | On my way |
¿a quién le toca? | Whose turn is it? |
Le toca a | It’s (person’s) turn |
Me toca a mí | It’s my turn |
Te toca a ti | It’s your turn |
se te olvida | Don’t forget |
Las llaves | Keys |
Compra | Grocery shopping |
Stems do not change in the nosotros/as and vosortos/as form
Spanish | Change | English |
---|---|---|
Cerrar | e —> ie | Close |
Servir | e —> i | Serve |
Devolver | o —> ue | Return |
Jugar | u —> ue | To play |
To say you have to do something you use the formula: Tener (conjugated) + Que + Infinitive
Ex: Tienes que llenar el tanque para hacer las diligencias. (You have to fill up the tank to do the errands.)
To say you did something you use the formula: Acabar (conjugated) + De + Infinitive
Ex: Acabo de llenar el tanque de gasolina. (I just filled up the tank with gas.)
There is a letter change in the yo form of recoger, and it is conjugated as recojo
Informal tú Commands
You change the ending to the él/ella form
With irregular verbs there are different conjugations
Affirmative Informal Commands with irregular verbs
Verb | Affirmative tú Command | English |
---|---|---|
Ser | Sé | Be |
Poner | Pon | Put |
Tener | Ten | Have |
Salir | Sal | Go out |
Venir | Ven | Arrive; come; go to |
Ir | Ve | Go |
Decir | Di | Say |
Hacer | Haz | Do; make |
Negative Informal tú Commands with irregular verbs
Verb | Affirmative tú Command | English |
---|---|---|
Ser | No seas | Don’t be |
Dar | No des | Don’t give |
Estar | No estés | Don’t be |
Ir | No vayas | Don’t go |
Hacer | No hagas | Don’t do; don’t make |
Spanish | English |
---|---|
Las leyes | Laws |
el abogado, la abogada | Lawyer |
el ingeniero, la ingeniera | Engineer |
el bibliotecario, la bibliotecaria | Librarian |
la comadrona | Midwife |
el contable, la contable | Accountant |
el político, la política | Politician |
el jefe, la jefa | Boss |
el hombre de negocios, la mujer de negocios | Businessman/Businesswoman |
el arquitecto, la arquitecta | Architect |
el carpintero, la carpintera | Carpenter |
el recepcionista, la recepcionista | Receptionist |
el secretario, la secretaria | Secretary |
el pastor, la pastora | Pastor |
el poeta, la poetisa | Poet |
el mecánico, la mecánica | Mechanic |
el policía, la policía | Police officer |
el veterinario, la veterinaria | Veterinarian |
el jardín | Garden |
La guerra | War |
Él mide | He measures |
el guardia de seguridad, la guardia de seguridad | Security Guard |
el jardinero, la jardinera | Gardener; landscaper |
el recolector de basura, la recolectora de basura | Garbage collector |
el soldado, la soldado | Soldier |
el electricista, la electricista | Electrician |
el agrimensor, la agrimensora | Surveyor |
el agricultor, la agricultora | Farmer |
el cajero, la cajera | Cashier |
el atleta, la atleta | Athlete |
Trabajar | Work |
Cortar | Cut |
Ayudar | Help |
Contestar | Answer |
Apoyar | Support |
Presentar | Present |
Entregar | Deliver |
Defender | Defend |
Medir | Measure |
Cocinar | Cook |
Sembrar | Sow |
Vender | Sell |
Proteger | Protect |
Cuidar | Take care of |
el orientador, la orientadora | school counselor |
el doctor, la doctora | doctor |
el dentista, la dentista | dentist |
el maestro, la maestra | teacher |
el profesor, la profesora | professor |
el director, la directora | director; school principal |
el científico, la científica | scientific |
el reportero, la reportera | reporter |
el artista, la artista | artist |
el vendedor, la vendedora | salesman; saleswoman |
el chef, la chef | chef |
el mesero, la mesera | waiter; waitress |
el agente, la agente | agent |
el bombero, la bombera | firefighter |
el estilista, la estilista | stylist |
el banquero, la banquera | banker |
Direct objects and direct object pronouns
Direct objects are people or things that directly receive the action of the verb, and answer the questions what or whom
Direct object pronouns:
Pronoun | Meaning |
---|---|
Me | Me |
Te | You |
Lo/La | Him/Her/It/You formal |
Nos | Us |
Os | You all |
Los/Las | Them/You all formal |
Direct object pronouns replace the direct object with a pronoun
The direct pronoun must match the gender and number of the object being replaced, not the subject of the sentence
Direct object pronouns can be used in affirmative and negative statements
Direct Object Examples:
El contable usa la calculadora. (The accountant uses the calculator.) —> El contable usa la calculadora. (The accountant uses it.)
Verb: Usa
Direct object: La calculadora
Direct object pronoun: La
La soldado tiene el uniforme. (The female soldier has the uniform.) —> La soldado lo tiene. (The female soldier has it.)
Verb: Tiene
Direct object: El uniforme
Direct object pronoun: Lo
La comadrona tiene al bebé en sus brazos. (The midwife has the baby in her arms.) —> La comadrona lo tiene en sus brazos. (The midwife has him in her arms.)
Verb: Tiene
Direct object: Al bebé
Direct object pronoun: Lo
El mecánico usa las herramientas. (The mechanic uses the tools.) —> El mecánico las usa. (The mechanic uses them.)
Verb: Usa
Direct object: La herramientas
Direct object pronoun: Las
Nosotras no vemos al abogado. (We don’t see the lawyer.) —> Nosotras no lo vemos. (We don’t see him.)
Verb: Vemos
Direct object: Al abogado
Direct object pronoun: Lo
Ella no ama los vegetales del agricultor. (She doesn’t love the farmer’s vegetables.) —> Ella no los ama. (She doesn’t love them.)
Verb: Ama
Direct object: Los vegetales del agricultor
Direct object pronoun: Los
Indirect objects and indirect object pronouns
Indirect objects are living things that answer the questions to whom or for whom the action of the verb is being performed
Indirect object pronouns replace the indirect object with a pronoun
Indirect object pronouns:
Indirect Object Pronoun | Meaning |
---|---|
Me | Me |
Te | You |
Le | Him/her/you formal |
Nos | Us |
Os | You all |
Les | They/You all formal |
Indirect Object Examples
Ella compra las frutas para José. (She buys the fruits for José.) —> Ella le compra las frutas. (She buys the fruits for him.)
Indirect Object: José
Indirect Object Pronoun: Le
Salvador le escribe una carta a la política Mendoza. (Salvador writes a letter to the politician Mendoza.) —> Salvador le escribe mucho. (Salvador writes to her a lot.)
Indirect Object: la política Mendoza
Indirect Object pronoun: Le
Spanish | English |
---|---|
El voluntario, La voluntaria | Volunteer |
Trabajar de voluntario, Trabajar de voluntaria | Work as a volunteer |
El proyecto de acción social | Social action project |
La pobreza | Poverty |
el comedor de beneficencia | Soup kitchen |
Las personas sin hogar | Homeless people |
El hogar de ancianos | Nursing home |
El refugio de animales | Animal refuge |
Mejorar | Improve |
La planificación | Planning |
Los fondos para la caridad | Charity funds |
Recaudar fondos | Collect funds; Fundraising |
Contar con los demás | Count on others |
Tirar basura | Throw trash |
Limpiar las jaulas | Clean the cages |
Dar tutorías | To tutor |
Reciclar | To recycle |
Delegar | To delegate |
Solicitar | Solicitation |
Contar | To count |
Cría | Raises |
Ovejas | Sheep |
Castillos | Castles |
Coloridos | Colorful |
Contar (To count)
Stem change o → ue
Conjugations:
Subject pronoun | Contar |
---|---|
Yo | Cuento |
Tú | Cuentas |
él/ella/usted | Cuenta |
Nosotros/Nosotras | Contamos |
Vosotros/Vosotras | Contáis |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | Cuentan |
Direct Object pronouns
Must match the person or thing it is replacing in gender and number
Singular Masculine | Plural Masculine |
---|---|
Lo | Los |
Singular Feminine | Plural Feminine |
---|---|
La | Las |
The direct pronoun is written before the verb
Indirect Object pronouns
Does not need to match the person or thing it is replacing in gender but must match in number
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Le | Les |
Le can refer to him, her, or you
Les refers to them
The indirect object pronoun is placed before the verb
To clarify who the indirect object pronoun is referring to, the indirect object noun is placed at the end of the sentence
Ex: La voluntaria le da la comida a la persona sin hogar. (The volunteer gives him/her the food to the homeless person.)
Double object pronouns (Indirect and direct pronouns in the same sentence)
When using double object pronouns the indirect object pronoun comes before the direct object pronoun
Ex: Cecilia nos da los fondos para la caridad. Cecilia nos los da. (Cecilia gives us the funds for charity. Cecilia gives them to us.)
Indirect Object Pronoun: Nos
Direct Object Pronoun: Los
The “se” rule
Used when the indirect object pronoun le or les and the direct object pronoun lo, las, la, or las
When both pronouns start with the letter ‘L’ the first pronoun (indirect object) needs to be changed to se
Se could refer to him, her, you, or them, so Spanish speakers clarify by placing the indirect object noun at the end of the sentence
Combinations:
Two L’s | Se rule |
---|---|
Le lo | Se lo |
Le la | Se la |
Le los | Se los |
Le las | Se las |
Les lo | Se lo |
Les la | Se la |
Les los | Se los |
Les las | Se las |