Actions and Possession Flashcards
Spanish Demystifed
Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns (I, you, we, they, etc.) refer to the person or people who are doing the action in a sentence. These pronouns are important for conjugating verbs. When speaking to or about a gender-mixed group, use the masculine form even if there is only one man in the mix.
Tú is used in informal situations to address one person. In general, it is safe to use tú with a relative (especially one younger than you), a friend, or a child. Some social settings in Latin America are extremely formal and the usted form is more customary. Usted is the formal way to say you and can be used to address a person you want to show a degree of respect to: someone older than you, a boss, a taxi driver, an official, a police officer, etc. Ustedes, the plural of usted, is most common in Latin America where it is used exclusively to address two or more people, of either gender, in both formal and informal situations.
I - yo
you (sg, inf) - tú
he - él
she - ella
you (sg, fml) - usted
we - nosotros/as
they - ellos/as
you (pl, fml & inf) – ustedes
An Introduction to Verbs
In Spanish, the infinitive of a verb is signaled by its ending: -ar, -er, or -ir: andar (to walk), dormir (to sleep), ser (to be). In English we always use the subject pronouns (I, you, she, we, they, etc.) to identify which conjugated form the verb takes: I walk, you walk, she walks, etc.
In Spanish subject pronouns are almost unnecessary and are often left out. For instance, you can just as easily say ando (I walk) as yo ando (I walk). This is because the verb’s ending largely tells you to whom the verb is referring: ando (I walk), andas (you walk), andamos (we walk).
In addition, the tense or mood (future, past, conditional, etc.) is also indicated through the verb ending, for instance: ando (I walk), andaré (I will walk), anduve (I walked).
The Verb Ser
There are two verbs in Spanish that mean to be: ser and estar. Ser is used to express the essence of something or someone, the intrinsic qualities. Think, for example, of a person’s gender, nationality, faith, or profession, or an object’s characteristics such as classification, color, material, owner, or style.
Ser: Present Tense
l am - yo soy
you are (sg inf) - tú eres
he, she, it is, you are (sg fm) - él/ella/usted es
we are - nosotros/nosotras somos
they, you are (plural) - ellos/ellas/ustedes son
Veronica is Venezuelan.
Verónica es venezolana.
Carla and Carlos are Catholic.
Carla y Carlos son católicos.
You are a firefighter. (formal)
Usted es bombero.
The house is small.
La casa es pequeña.
Are the books Juan’s?
¿Los libros son de Juan?
I’m a man/woman.
Soy un hombre/una mujer.
I’m from the United States.
Soy de Estados Unidos.
I’m a student / teacher / doctor / server.
Soy estudiante / profesor(a) / médico(a) / camarero(a).
My house is small/big.
Mi casa es pequeña/grande.
Spanish is easy/difficult.
El español es fácil/difícil.
My friends are nice, strange, fun.
Mis amigos son simpáticos, extraños, divertidos.
You are my (male) friend, colleague, relative.
Tú eres mi amigo, colega, pariente.
You (pl) are from Latin America.
Ustedes son de América Latina.
Ser - Countries and Nationalities
The verb ser is used when describing country of origin and nationality. When talking about place of origin, use ser + de. Nationalities are not capitalized in Spanish.
I am from Argentina.
Yo soy de Argentina.
I am Argentinean.
Soy argentino/argentina.
You (inf) are from Spain.
Tú eres de España.
You (inf) are Spanish.
Eres español/española.
She is from Colombia.
Ella es de Colombia.
She is Colombian.
Es colombiana.
They are from Germany.
Ellos son de Alemania.
They are German.
Son alemanes.
We are from France.
Somos de Francia.
We are French.
Somos franceses/francesas.
Making a Sentence Negative
Making sentences negative in Spanish is very straightforward. Just add the word no before the verb.
Regina speaks English.
Regina habla inglés.
Regina doesn’t speak English.
Regina no habla inglés.
You are my boyfriend.
Tú eres mi novio.
You are not my boyfriend.
Tú no eres mi novio.
Asking Yes/No Questions
Asking questions that generate either a yes or no answer in Spanish is simple. The sentences stay the same, and only your voice intonation changes. To make a question, just raise your voice at the end of the sentence with a questioning tone. Remember that when writing questions in Spanish, you have to use an upside-down question mark at the beginning of the sentence or phrase.
Is he your father?
¿Es tu padre?
Are you Camila’s friend?
¿Eres el amigo de Camila?
The Spanish language is very flexible, and in questions, words can be inverted in several ways to ask the same thing. “Does Carlos speak Spanish?”
¿Carlos habla español?
¿Habla Carlos español?
¿Habla español Carlos?
Tag questions
Spanish speakers often add tags such as ¿no? and ¿verdad? to the end of statements to make questions. These are similar to phrases such as right?, isn’t it?, or aren’t you? that English speakers add at the end of questions. Tag questions are often not real questions, but rather attempts to seek confirmation of something you think you already know. Note that in Spanish the written question marks fall only around the tag and your voice rises only with the tag.
Answering yes/no questions
To answer yes/no questions, use a simple sí (yes) or no (no) followed by a restatement of the question. Tag questions are answered the same way.
Yes, he’s my father.
Sí, es mi padre.
No, he’s not my father.
No, no es mi padre.
You’re Camila’s friend, aren’t you?
Eres el amigo de Camila ¿no?
Yes, I’m Camila’s friend.
Sí, soy el amigo de Camila.
No, I’m not Camila’s friend.
No, no soy el amigo de Camila.
Negative Expressions
When speaking in the negative, either when answering questions, asking questions, or making a statement, you can use a number of negative expressions. These expressions often add emphasis to what you are saying.
They can be used before the verb in place of the word no. Or they can be used in addition to the word no, after the verb. Notice that unlike English, Spanish may use double negatives. Notice that when the word nadie substitutes for the subject pronoun the verb is conjugated as with él or ella.
nothing, anything, at all
nada
no-one, anyone.
nobody helped me.
I didn’t see anybody.
nadie.
no me ayudó nadie.
no vi a nadie.
never
nunca, jamás
either/neither
tampoco
