Book #1, Chapter #5, Grammar, Set #1

Question 1

How do you form the present participle of Spanish verbs and how do you use this participle in the present progressive tense?

Answer 1

To find the present participle of a Spanish verb, first you find its stem (based on whether it is an -er, -ir, or -ar verb), then add -ando or -iendo to this stem.

Examples:
hablar -> habl- -> -ando -> hablando
comer -> com- -> -iendo -> comiendo
escribir-> escrib- -> -iendo -> escribiendo

You form the present progressive tense by using this participle with the verb “estar”:

Estoy pescando -> I am fishing.
Estamos comiendo -> We are eating.

Question 2

How do you form the present participle of a Spanish verb whose stem ends in a vowel?

Answer 2

The present participle now ends with “-yendo”:

leer -> le- -> leyendo
oir -> o- -> oyendo
traer -> tra- -> trayendo

Question 3

What are the present participles of the verbs “ir”, “poder”, and “venir”?

Answer 3

Ir -> yendo
Poder -> pudiendo
Venir -> viniendo

Question 4

What is the special rule about the present participle for verbs that end in -ir and that are stem-changing?

Answer 4

They have the same stem change in their present participles:

preferir -> prefiriendo
conseguir -> consiguiendo
dormir -> durmiendo

Question 5

What are the common and general uses of the verbs “ser” and “estar”?

Answer 5

“Ser” is the verb “to be”, but it’s used with more permanent states of being, while “estar” is used with temporary states of being.

Common uses of “ser”:

1) Nationality and place of origin
2) Profession or occupation
3) Characteristics of people and things
4) Generalizations
5) Possession
6) What something is made of
7) Time and date
8) Where or when an event takes place

Common uses of “estar”:

1) Location or spatial relationships
2) Health
3) Physical states and conditions
4) Emotional states
5) Certain weather expressions
6) Ongoing actions (progressive tenses)

Question 6

What are some of the adjectives that change meaning when used with “ser” or “estar”? What meanings do these adjectives have with each verb?

Answer 6

1) Listo:
El chico es listo. Juan is smart.
El chico està listo. The boy is ready.
2) Malo:
La profesora es mala The professor is bad.
La profesora està mala. The professor is sick.
3) Aburrido:
Jaime es aburrido. Jaime is boring.
Jaime està aburrido. Jaime is bored.
4) Verde:
Las peras son verdes. The pears are green.
Las peras estàn verdes. The pears are not ripe.
5) Vivo:
El gato es muy vivo. The cat is very clever.
El gato està vivo. The cat is alive.
6) Seguro:
Ivàn es un hombre seguro. Ivan is a confident man.
Ivàn no està seguro. Ivan is not sure.

Question 7

What is the rule about the “personal a” with direct objects?

Answer 7

When the direct object of a sentence is a person or pet, the word “a” is put before it:

Mariela mira a Carlos. Mariela is watching Carlos.
Mariela mira televisiòn. Mariela is watching television.

In the second sentence, since “television” is not a person or pet, the “personal a” is omitted.

Question 8

What are the Spanish direct object pronouns and where are they placed in a Spanish sentence?

Answer 8

Me (me), te (you, fam.), lo (you, m. form; him, it), la (you, f. form.; her; it [feminine]), nos (us), os (you, fam.), los (you, masc. plural, them, masc.), las (you, familiar, plural, them, familiar).

In affirmative sentences, the direct object pronoun is placed before the verb. In negative sentences, the pronoun is placed between “no” and the verb:

1) “Adela lo practica.”: Adela practices it.
2) “Gabriela no las tiene.”: Gabriela doesn’t have them.

Question 9

Where do you put a Spanish direct object pronoun in an infinitive construction?

Answer 9

The direct object can be placed before the conjugated form or attached to the infiinitive:

1) “Ellos van a escribir unas postales”: A) Ellos los van a escribir. B) Ellos van a escribirlas.
2) “Lidia quiere ver una pelicula”: A) Lidia la quiere ver. B) Lidia quiere verla.

Question 10

Where do you put a Spanish direct object pronoun when using the present progressive?

Answer 10

When the verb is in the present progressive, the direct object pronoun can be placed before the conjugated form or attached to the present participle. When a direct object pronoun is attached to the present participle, an accent mark is added to maintain the proper stress.

1) “Gerardo está leyendo la lección.”: A) Gerardo la está leyendo. B) Gerardo está leyéndola.
2) “Toni está mirando el partido.”: A) Toni lo está mirando. B) Toni está mirándolo.