Final Exam Study Guide Flashcards
**Negative Words **
- Only one negative word can precede the verb.
- Verbs are affirmative unless they are made negative through the use of no or a negative expression.
- Double negatives are common in Spanish. Thus, when no precedes the verb, another negative word can appear somewhere after the verb.
- When the sentence is negative, any included indefinite word must also be negative.
- Note that questions may have a no before the verb but not be negative in meaning.
- When a negative expression precedes the verb, no is omitted.
- The expression nadie and alguien refer only to persons and require the personal a when they appear as direct objects of the verb.
- The adjectives anguno and ninguno drop the -o before a masculine singular noun. You must use the accent when the -o is dropped.
Examples:
Ni Juanito ni María fueron a la fiesta.
Celia nunca fumó cigarrillos.
Negation
To make a sentence negative, place the word “no” before the verb.
Ella no habla inglés.
She doesn’t speak English.
Él no es profesor.
He is not a professor.
When the answer to a question is negative, two negative words are required.
- *¿Habla Ud. español?** (Do you speak Spanish?)
- *No. No hablo español.** (No. I don’t speak Spanish.)
- *¿ Está Gerardo en la clase?** (Is Gerardo in the class?)
- *No. Gerardo no está en la clase.** (No. Gerardo is not in the class.)
- *¿Siempre estudias? **(Do you always study?)
- *No, nunca estudio.** (No, I never study.)
Study the following list of affirmative words and their negative counterparts:
- *algo** (something)
- *nada** (nothing)
- *alguien** (somebody)
- *nadie** (nobody)
- *algún** (-o, -a, -os, -as) (some, something)
- *ningún** (-o, -a, -os, -as) (no, none)
- *siempre** (always)
- *nunca** (never) jamás (never, ever)
- *también** (also)
- *tampoco** (neither, not either)
- *o . . . o** (either . . . or)
- *ni . . . ni** (neither . . . nor)
The negative words can also be used with the word “no,” following the verb. Note that unlike English, double negatives are acceptable in Spanish.
No habla nadie.
Nobody speaks.
Él no come nunca.
He never eats.
Alfredo no baila tampoco.
Alfredo doesn’t dance either.
Sometimes, three negative words occur in the same sentence.
No compro nada nunca.
I never buy anything.
Él no compra nada tampoco.
He doesn’t buy anything either.
You can even have four negative words in the same sentence.
Yo no veo nunca a nadie tampoco.
I never see anybody either.
Alguno and ninguno drop the -o before a masculine singular noun.
¿Tienes algún libro?
No, no tengo ningún libro.
Ninguno(-a) is generally used in the singular.
¿Tienes algunas revistas?
No, no tengo ninguna.
¿Tienes algunos libros?
No, no tengo ninguno.
The plural of ninguno(-a) is used only when the noun it modifies exists only in plural, or is normally used in plural.
Ningunas vacaciones a Alaska son completas sin una excursión a Mt. McKinley.
No vacation to Alaska is complete without a trip to Mt. McKinley.
In this example “ningunas” is used because “vacaciones” is normally used in plural form.
Direct Object Pronouns
The object that directly receives the action of the verb is called the direct object.
Bill hit the ball.
“Ball” receives the action of the verb “hit.”
Sherry reads the book.
“Book” receives the action of the verb “reads.”
The direct object can also be a person.
Sherry hit Bill. (The direct object is Bill)
The direct object answers the question “what?” or “whom?” with regard to what the subject of the sentence is doing.
Bill hit what?
Bill hit the ball.
Sherry hit whom?
Sherry hit Bill.
Often, it is desirable to replace the name of the direct object with a pronoun.
Example 1
Paul bought the flowers. He took the flowers home and gave the flowers to his wife.
Example 2
Paul bought the flowers. He took them home and gave them to his wife.
When the pronoun replaces the name of the direct object, use the following pronouns:
- *me** (me)
- *te** (you-familiar)
- *lo, la** (him, her, it, you-formal)
- *nos** (us)
- *los,** las (them, you-all-formal)
In an affirmative statement with one verb, the direct object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.
Tengo = I have
Tengo la pluma. = I have the pen.
La tengo. = I have it.
If the direct object of the sentence changes to a masculine noun, the masculine pronoun must be used.
Juan lo tiene.
Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene el libro. = John has the book.
Juan lo tiene. = John has it.
but
Juan la tiene.
Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene la pluma. = John has the pen.
Juan la tiene. = John has it.
Likewise, if the direct object of the sentence changes from singular to plural, the plural pronoun must be used.
Juan lo tiene.
Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene el libro. = John has the book.
Juan lo tiene. = John has it.
but
María los tiene.
María tiene = Mary has
María tiene los libros. = Mary has the books.
María los tiene. = Mary has them.
Further Examples:
la como
I eat it (feminine DO - la sopa, la comida, etc.)
lo como
I eat it (masculine DO - el pollo, el arroz, etc.)
la leo
I read it
lo leo
I read it
la veo
I see it
lo veo
I see it
la tengo
I have it
lo tengo
I have it
la compro
I buy it
lo compro
I buy it
In the previous examples, it is clear that the subject of the sentence is “I” because the verbs are all conjugated in the “yo” form. With other verb forms, it is often desirable to add a word to clarify the subject.
Juan la come. (la comida)
Juan eats it.
María lo tiene. (el libro)
María has it.
El chico la compra. (la pluma)
The boy buys it.
La chica lo ve. (el edificio)
The girl sees it.
Ustedes lo leen. (el periódico)
You-all read it.
Examples of plural direct objects:
Juan come dos sándwiches.
Los come. or Juan los come.
María tiene tres libros.
**Los tiene. **or María los tiene.
El chico compra dos revistas.
**Las compra. **or El chico las compra.
La chica ve dos coches.
Los ve. or La chica los ve.
Ella compra dos televisores.
Los compra. or Ella los compra.
Tenemos dos mesas.
Las tenemos. or Nosotros las tenemos.
Examples where the direct object is a person:
I know you.
Te conozco.
She loves him.
Ella lo ama.
She loves me.
Ella me ama.
Juan sees her.
Juan la ve.
They call us.
Ellos nos llaman.
We call them.
Los llamamos.
- *Indirect Object Pronouns**
- Indirect Object (IO), Direct Object (DO)*
- The IO tells us where the DO is going.
- The IO answers the question “to whom” or “for whom.”
- Sentences that have an IO usually also have a DO
- Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is implied, or understood.
- The IO pronouns are: me, te, le, nos, les.
- Place the pronoun before the conjugated verb.
- Think in phrases, do not translate word-for-word.
- Le and les are ambiguous.
- Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity and for emphasis.
The indirect object (IO) tells us where the direct object (DO) is going.
He gives the book to María.
DO=Book
Where is the book going?
To María.
IO=María
He gives María the book.
DO=Book
Where is the book going?
To María.
IO=María
The indirect object answers the question “To whom?” or “For whom?” the action of the verb is performed.
He gives María the book.
To whom does he give the book?
To María.
IO=María
He buys me flowers.
For whom does he buy the flowers?
For me.
IO=me
Sentences that have an indirect object usually also have a direct object. Remember, the IO tells us where the DO is going. Notice how the sentences below just wouldn’t work without a direct object.
He gives María . . .
the book, the pen, the diamond, etc.
He buys me . . .
flowers, candy, an ironing board, etc.
Sometimes the direct object is not stated; rather it is implied, or understood.
My mother writes me every week.
DO=letter (understood)
IO=me
(My mother writes me a letter every week.)
She told him.
DO=it (understood)
IO=him
(She told it to him.)
To identify the indirect object use these two guidelines:
- The IO tells us where the DO is going.
- The IO answers the question “to whom?” or “for whom” the action of the verb is performed.
When a pronoun takes the place of the name of the indirect object, use the following pronouns:
- *me** (me)
- *te** (you-familiar)
- *le** (him, her, you-formal)
- *nos** (us)
- *les** (them, you-all-formal)
In an affirmative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.
Juan me compra un regalo.
John buys me a gift.
John buys a gift for me.
Juan te compra un regalo.
John buys you a gift.
John buys a gift for you.
Juan le compra un regalo.
John buys her a gift.
John buys a gift for her.
Juan nos compra un regalo.
John buys us a gift.
John buys a gift for us.
Juan les compra un regalo.
John buys them a gift.
John buys a gift for them.
Now, focus in on one part of each of the previous examples:
Juan me compra un regalo.
John buys (for) me a gift.
Juan te compra un regalo.
John buys (for) you a gift.
Juan le compra un regalo.
John buys (for) her a gift.
Juan nos compra un regalo.
John buys (for) us a gift.
Juan les compra un regalo.
John buys (for) them a gift.
Let’s extract the IO phrase and its English equivalent:
- *me compra**
- buys (for) me*
- *te compra**
- buys (for) you*
- *le compra**
- buys (for) her*
- *nos compra**
- buys (for) us*
- *les compra**
- buys (for) them*
Just like with the direct object, the indirect object presents a problem if one tries to translate word-for-word:
- *Juan me compra un regalo.**
- John for me he buys a gift.*
The key to learning to use the indirect object pronouns is the same as the key for direct object pronouns. You must learn to think in phrases, not words. The phrases consist of a pronoun and a conjugated verb. In the following examples, note that the IO remains the same, while the subject of the phrase changes.
- *me compra**
- he buys me*
- *me compran**
- they buy me*
me compras
you buy me
The IO pronouns le and les present a special problem because they are ambiguous. That is, they can stand for different things.
le
to (for) him
to (for) her
to (for) you-formal
les
to (for) them
to (for) you-all-formal
The following sentences, while grammatically correct, are ambiguous:
Ella le escribe una carta.
Ella les escribe una carta.
Out of context, there is no way we can know the meaning.
Ella le escribe una carta.
She writes him a letter.
She writes her a letter.
She writes you (formal) a letter.
Ella les escribe una carta.
She writes them a letter.
She writes you-all (formal) a letter.
Since le and les can mean more than one thing, a prepositional phrase is often added to remove the ambiguity.
Ella le escribe a Juan _una carta.
Ella le escribe _a su hermana una carta.
Ella le escribe a usted una carta.
Ella les escribe a sus padres una carta.
Ella les escribe a ustedes una carta.
Sometimes a prepositional phrase is added not for clarity, but rather for emphasis.
Juan me da a mí el dinero.
John gives *me the money.
(emphasizing that the money is given to me and not to someone else)*
- *Juan te da a ti el dinero.**
- John gives you the money. (emphasis on you)*
There is no ambiguity in the following sentence. It can only mean one thing.
- *Juan me da el dinero.**
- John gives me the money.*
The addition of a prepositional phrase merely adds emphasis.
- *Juan me da a mí el dinero.**
- John gives me the money.*
Let’s sum up the important points of this lesson:
- The IO tells us where the DO is going.
- The IO answers the question “to whom” or “for whom.”
- Sentences that have an IO usually also have a DO
- Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is implied, or understood.
- The IO pronouns are: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
- Place the pronoun before the conjugated verb.
- Think in phrases, do not translate word-for-word.
- Le and les are ambiguous.
- Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity and for emphasis.
Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns Used Together
Direct Object Pronouns
- *me** (me)
- *te** (you [familiar])
- *lo, la** (him, her, it, you [formal])
- *nos** (us)
- *los, las** (them, you-all)
Indirect Object Pronouns
- *me** (me)
- *te** (you [familiar])
- *le** (him, her, it, you [formal])
- *nos** (us)
- *les** (them, you-all)
When you have both a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in the same sentence, the indirect object pronoun comes first.
Ellos me los dan.
They give them to me.
IO pronoun: me
DO pronoun: los
Ella te la vende.
She sells it to you.
IO pronoun: te
DO pronoun: la
Whenever both pronouns begin with the letter “l” change the first pronoun to “se.”
- *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
The reason for changing “le lo” to “se lo” is merely to avoid the tongue-twisting effect of two short consecutive words that begin with the letter “l”. To demonstrate this, first quickly say “les las” and then quickly say “se las.” See how much easier it is to say “se las?”
In negative sentences, the negative word comes directly before the first pronoun.
No se lo tengo.
I don’t have it for you.
Nunca se los compro.
I never buy them for her.
Because the pronoun se can have so many meanings, it is often helpful to clarify it by using a prepositional phrase.
Él se lo dice.
Ambiguous. He tells it to (whom?).
Él se lo dice a Juan.
He tells it to him. (to Juan)
Él se lo dice a María.
He tells it to her. (to María)
Él se lo dice a ella.
He tells it to her.
In sentences with two verbs, there are two options regarding the placement of the pronouns. Place them immediately before the conjugated verb or attach them directly to the infinitive.
She should explain it to me.
Ella me lo debe explicar.
Ella debe explicármelo.
I want to tell it to you.
Te lo quiero decir.
Quiero decírtelo.
You need to send it to them.
Se la necesitas enviar a ellos.
Necesitas enviársela a ellos.
Note that when attaching the pronouns to the infinitive, a written accent is also added to the final syllable of the infinitive. This preserves the sound of the infinitive.
When the pronouns are attached to the infinitive, make the sentence negative by placing the negative word directly before the conjugated verb.
Ella debe explicármelo.
Ella no debe explicármelo.
Quiero decírtelo.
No quiero decírtelo.
Necesitas enviársela a ellos.
No necesitas enviársela a ellos.
When the pronouns come before the conjugated verb, make the sentence negative by placing the negative word directly before the pronouns.
Ella me lo debe explicar.
Ella no me lo debe explicar.
Te lo quiero decir.
No te lo quiero decir.
Se la necesitas enviar a ellos.
No se la necesitas enviar a ellos.
Preterit Tense
- In general, the preterite is used for past actions that are seen as completed.
- Always use an accent mark in the final vowel for the first- and third-person singular forms of regular verbs, unless the verb is only one syllable.
To conjugate regular -ar verbs in the preterite, simply drop the ending (-ar) and add one of the following:
é
aste
ó
amos
aron
Hablar conjugated in the Preterite
hablé
hablaste
habló
hablamos
hablaron
Probarse (reflexive) conjugated in the Preterite
me probé
te probaste
se probó
nos probamos
se probaron
To conjugate regular -er and -ir verbs in the preterite, simply drop the ending (-er or -ir) and add one of the following:
í
iste
ió
imos
ieron
Comer conjugated in the Preterite
comí
comiste
comió
comimos
comieron
Vivir conjugated in the Preterite
viví
viviste
vivió
vivimos
vivieron
Note: the nosotros forms for -ar and -ir verbs are the same in both preterite and present tenses: hablamos, vivimos.
Verbs ending in car, gar and zar have a spelling change in the “yo” form of the preterit.
-
car (qu)
practicar
(yo) practiqué -
gar (gu)
jugar
(yo) jugué -
zar (c)
empezar
(yo) empecé
Generally speaking, the preterite is used for actions in the past that are seen as completed. Use of the preterite tense implies that the past action had a definite beginning and definite end.
Juan habló de la una hasta las dos.
Juan spoke from one until two o’clock.
(clearly stated beginning and end)
It is important to realize that the beginning and the end may not always be clearly stated.
Juan habló dos horas.
Juan spoke for two hours.
(implied beginning and end)
Juan habló con la estudiante.
Juan spoke with the student.
(implied beginning and end)
The preterite is used for actions that can be viewed as single events.
Ella caminó por el parque.
She walked through the park.
Ellos llegaron a las ocho.
They arrived at eight o’clock.
The preterite is used for actions that were repeated a specific number of times, or occurred during a specific period of time.
Ayer escribí tres cartas.
Yesterday I wrote three letters.
Vivimos allí por cuatro años.
We lived there for four years.
The preterite is used for actions that were part of a chain of events.
Ella se levantó, se vistió, y salió de la casa.
She got up, dressed, and left the house.
The preterite is used to state the beginning or the end of an action.
Empezó a nevar a las ocho de la mañana.
It began to snow at eight in the morning.
Common Expressions Using Preterite
entonces
then
de momento
for the moment
aquella semana
that week
anteayer
the day before yesterday
en febrero
in February
el lunes
on Monday
siempre (when an end point is obvious)
always
una vez
once
anoche
last night
la semana pasada
last week
de repente
suddenly
por fin
finally
una noche
one night
Imperfect Tense
- The imperfect tense is used to refer to actions in the past that occurred repeatedly.
- The imperfect tense is also used to refer to actions in the past that occurred over an extended period of time.
- The imperfect tense is also used to “set the stage” for an event that occurred in the past.
- Actions which are not physical, that is feelings and mental actions, usually use the imperfect tense.
- The imperfect is frequently associated with phrases that describe the frequency of past actions.
- The imperfect is used to describe how things were or what things were like. Use the imperfect when describing the characteristics of people, things or conditions.
- One does not normally think of a general mental state or physical sensations as having a definite beginning or end, and so they are usually expressed in the imperfect.
- The imperfect is used for telling time and stating one’s age.
The imperfect tense is used to refer to actions in the past that occurred repeatedly.
I used to walk every day.
Yo caminaba cada día.
The imperfect tense is also used to refer to actions in the past that occurred over an extended period of time.
I used to eat paella frequently.
Yo comía frecuentemente paella.
The imperfect tense is also used to “set the stage” for an event that occurred in the past.
We were coming home when we saw Juan.
Veníamos para casa cuando vimos a Juan.
Actions which are not physical, that is feelings and mental actions, usually use the imperfect tense.
Juan was feeling sick.
Juan estaba enfermo.
The imperfect is frequently associated with phrases that describe the frequency of past actions.
a menudo
often
a veces
sometimes
cada día
every day
cada año
every year
con frecuencia
frequently
de vez en cuando
from time to time
en aquella época
at that time
frecuentemente
frequently
generalmente
usually
muchas veces
many times
mucho
a lot
nunca
never
por un rato
for awhile
siempre
always
tantas veces
so many times
todas las semanas
every week
todos los días
every day
todo el tiempo
all the time
varias veces
several times
Regular forms of the imperfect are formed by adding the following endings to the stem of the verb:
-ar verbs
aba
abas
aba
ábamos
aban
example: hablar (to talk)
hablaba
hablabas
hablaba
hablábamos
hablaban
-er verbs, -ir verbs
ía
ías
ía
íamos
ían
example: vivir (to live)
vivía
vivías
vivía
vivíamos
vivían
Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect:
ser (to be)
era
eras
era
éramos
eran
ver (to see)
veía
veías
veía
veíamos
veían
ir (to go)
iba
ibas
iba
íbamos
iban
Conjugations
Preterite and Imperfect
One way to view the difference between the preterite and imperfect is that the preterite tells us specifically when an action took place, while the imperfect tells us in general when an action took place.
- *ser** (to be)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
fui
fuiste
fue
fuimos
fueron
Imperfect (irreg.)
era
eras
era
éramos
eran
- *hacer** (to do, to make)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
hice
hiciste
hizo
hicimos
hicieron
Imperfect
hacía
hacías
hacía
hacíamos
hacían
- *ir** (to go)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
fui
fuiste
fue
fuimos
fueron
Imperfect (irreg.)
iba
ibas
iba
íbamos
iban
- *ver** (to see, to look at, to watch)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
vi
viste
vio
vimos
vieron
Imperfect (irreg.)
veía
veías
veía
veíamos
veían
- *conocer** (to know, to meet)
- Preterite*
conocí
conociste
conoció
conocimos
conocieron
Imperfect
conocía
conocías
conocía
conocíamos
conocían
- *tener** (to have, to be)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
tuve
tuviste
tuvo
tuvimos
tuvieron
Imperfect
tenía
tenías
tenía
teníamos
tenían
- *venir** (to come, to arrive)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
vine
viniste
vino
vinimos
vinieron
Imperfect
venía
venías
venía
veníamos
venían
- *llamar** (to call)
- Preterite*
llamé
llamaste
llamó
llamamos
llamaron
Imperfect
llamaba
llamabas
llamaba
llamábamos
llamaban
- *querer** (to want, to love)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
quise
quisiste
quiso
quisimos
quisieron
Imperfect
quería
querías
quería
queríamos
querían
- *jugar** (to play)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
jugué
jugaste
jugó
jugamos
jugaron
Imperfect
jugaba
jugabas
jugaba
jugábamos
jugaban
- *dar** (to give)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
di
diste
dio
dimos
dieron
Imperfect
daba
dabas
daba
dábamos
daban
- *poner** (to put)
- Pretrite (irreg.)*
puse
pusiste
puso
pusimos
pusieron
Imperfect
ponía
ponías
ponía
poníamos
ponían
- *dormir** (to sleep)
- Preterite (irreg.)*
dormí
dormiste
durmió
dormimos
durmieron
Imperfect
dormía
dormías
dormía
dormíamos
dormían
- *hablar** (to speak)
- Preterite*
hablé
hablaste
habló
hablamos
hablaron
Imperfect
hablaba
hablabas
hablaba
hablábamos
hablaban
Irregular Preterite Verbs
ser (to be) & ir (to go)
fui
fuiste
fue
fuimos
fueron
ver (to see)
vi
viste
vio
vimos
vieron
dar (to give)
di
diste
dio
dimos
dieron
Group “i” Verbs
venir (to come)
vine
viniste
vino
vinimos
vinieron
querer (to want, to love)
quise
quisiste
quiso
quisimos
quisieron
hacer (to make, to do)
hice
hiciste
hizo
hicimos
hicieron
Group “j” Verbs
decir (to say)
dije
dijiste
dijo
dijimos
dijeron
producir (to produce)
produje
produjiste
produjo
produjimos
produjeron
traer (to bring)
traje
trajiste
trajo
trajimos
trajeron
introducir (to introduce, to insert)
introduje
introdujiste
introdujo
introdujimos
introdujeron
conducir (to lead)
conduje
condujiste
condujo
condujimos
condujeron
reducir (to reduce)
reduje
redujiste
redujo
redujimos
redujeron
traducir (to translate)
traduje
tradujiste
tradujo
tradujimos
tradujeron
Group “uv” Verbs
**tener **(to have)
tuve
tuviste
tuvo
tuvimos
tuvieron
poner (to put on)
puse
pusiste
puso
pusimos
pusieron
caber (to fit in)
cupe
cupiste
cupo
cupimos
cupieron
estar (to be)
estuve
estuviste
estuvo
estuvimos
estuvieron
poder (to be able)
pude
pudiste
pudo
pudimos
pudieron
andar (to walk)
anduve
anduviste
anduvo
anduvimos
anduvieron
saber (to know)
supe
supiste
supo
supimos
supieron
venir (to come)
vine
viniste
vino
vinimos
vinieron
ar and er verbs whose stems changing in the present don’t change in the preterite
cerrar (to close)
cerré
cerraste
cerró
cerramos
cerraron
entender (to understand)
entendí
entendiste
entendió
entendimos
entendieron
Stem changing verbs of the 3rd conjugation (ir). Ir verbs that have stem changes in the present also undergo a stem change in the preterit, but only in the 3rd person singular and plural forms.
E (IE) > I
pedir (to ask)
pedí
pediste
pidió
pedimos
pidieron
Reflexive Pronouns & Verbs
Reflexive pronouns are used in both Spanish and English whenever the subject of a verb is also its object. In other words, reflexive pronouns are used when the subject of a sentence is acting on itself.
- *me** veo
- I see myself* (the person seeing and the person seen are the same.)
Reflexive Pronouns
- *me** (myself)
- *te** (yourself)
- *se** (himself, herself, yourself, itself)
- *nos** (ourselves)
- *se** (themselves, yourselves)
When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in “se.”
- *lavar**
- to wash (non-reflexive)*
- *lavarse**
- to wash oneself (reflexive)*
There is one reflexive verb you have been using since you began studying Spanish.
llamarse - to call oneself
- *¿Cómo se llama usted?**
- What do you call yourself?*
To conjugate reflexive verbs you need to use reflexive pronouns. These pronouns are positioned before the verb, while the ending “se” is dropped and the verb is conjugated normally.
lavarse (to wash)
yo me lavo
I wash (myself)
tú te lavas
you wash (yourself) (informal)
él se lava
he washes (himself)
ella se lava
she washes (herself)
usted se lava
you wash (yourself) (formal)
nosotros nos lavamos
we wash (ourselves)
nosotras nos lavamos
we wash (ourselves) (feminine)
ustedes se lavan
you-all wash (yourselves)(formal)
ellos se lavan
they wash (themselves)
ellas se lavan
they wash (themselves) (feminine)
The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns.
- *me** (myself)
- *te** (yourself)
- *se** (himself, herself, yourself)
- *nos** (ourselves)
- *se** (themselves, yourselves)
The purpose of the reflexive object pronouns is to show that the action of the verb remains with the subject.
Juan se lava la cara.
Juan washes his face.
Saber and Conocer
Spanish has two verbs that can be translated in English as to know: saber (to know facts and information) and conocer (to know [be familiar with] a person, place, or thing).
SABER
sé (irregular)
sabes
sabe
sabemos
saben
CONOCER
conozco (irregular)
conoces
conoce
conocemos
conocen
saber + noun, saber + que, or saber + *question word *all mean to know facts and information.
saber + infinitive means to know how to do something
conocer + a + name/person = to be familiar with a person.
conocer +** a** + place/thing = to be familiar with a place or thing.
Mis primos bolivianos saben conducir, pero no conocen la ciudad.
My Bolivian cousins *know how to drive, but do not know (not familar with) the city.*
¿Conoces tú al amigo de María Elena?
-Sí, lo conozco, pero no sé de dónde es.
¿Conocen ustedes el restaurante El Sol?
-Sí, nosotros lo conocemos, pero no sabemos dónde está.
¿Sabe usted a qué hora abre la cafetería El Diamante?
-Sí, abre a las 8:00 de la mañana, pero no sé a qué hora cierra.
¿Sabes tú quién está en la oficina?
-Sé que un estudiante está en la oficina, pero no lo conozco.
Por and Para
Por and para have a variety of meanings, and they are often confused because they can each be translated as “for.”
Gracias por la información.
Thanks for the information.
Este regalo es para Juan.
This gift is for Juan.
To learn to use por and para correctly, you need to do two things:
- Learn the rules for how por and para are used.
- Memorize model sentences.
Por has many uses, and so it is the more problematic of the two.
Rule: to express gratitude or apology
Model: Gracias por la ayuda.
(Thanks for the help.)
Rule: for multiplication and division
Model: Dos por dos son cuatro.
(Two times two equals four.)
Rule: for velocity, frequency and proportion
Model: Voy al restaurante cinco veces por semana.
(I go to the restaurant five times per week.)
Rule: meaning “through,” “along,” “by” or “in the area of”
Model: Andamos por el parque.
(We walk through the park.)
Rule: when talking about exchange, including sales
Model: Él me dio diez dólares por el libro.
(He gave me ten dollars for the book.)
Rule: to mean “on behalf of,” or “in favor of,”
Model: No voté por nadie.
(I didn’t vote for anyone.)
Rule: to express a length of time
Model: Yo estudié por dos horas.
(I studied for two hours.)
Rule: to express an undetermined, or general time, meaning “during”
Model: Se puede ver las estrellas por la noche.
(One can see the stars during the night.)
Rule: for means of communication or transportation
Model: Prefiero viajar por tren y hablar por teléfono.
(I prefer to travel by train and speak by phone.)
Rule: in cases of mistaken identity, or meaning “to be seen as”
Model: Me tienen por loco.
(They take me for crazy.)
Rule: to show the reason for an errand (with ir, venir, pasar, mandar, volver, and preguntar)
Model: Paso por ti a las ocho.
(I’ll come by for you at eight o’clock.)
Rule: when followed by an infinitive, to express an action that remains to be completed, use por + infinitive
Model: La cena está por cocinar.
(Dinner has yet to be cooked.)
Rule: to express cause or reason
Model: El hombre murió por falta de agua.
The man died for lack of water.
Rule: “estar por” means to be in the mood, or inclined to do something
Model: Estoy por tomar café.
(I’m in the mood for drinking coffee.)
Rule: in passive constructions
Model: El libro fue escrito por Octavio Paz.
(The book was written by Octavio Paz.)
Por also appears in many idiomatic expressions:
por adelantado
in advance
por ahora
for now
por allí
around there; that way
por amor de Dios
for the love of God
por aquí
around here; this way
por casualidad
by chance
por ciento
percent
por cierto
certainly
por completo
completely
por dentro
inside
por desgracia
unfortunately
por ejemplo
for example
por eso
therefore
por favor
please
por fin
finally
por lo general
generally
por lo visto
apparently
por medio de
by means of
por lo menos
at least
por lo tanto
consequently
por mi parte
as for me
por ningún lado
nowhere
por otra parte
on the other hand
palabra por palabra
word for word
por primera vez
for the first time
por separado
separately
por supuesto
of course
por suerte
fortunately
por todas partes
everywhere
por todos lados
on all sides
por último
finally
Para – in contrast, has relatively fewer uses.
Rule: to indicate destination
Model: El hombre salió para Madrid.
(The man left for Madrid.)
Rule: to show the use or purpose of a thing
Model: El vaso es para agua.
(The glass is for water.)
Rule: to mean “in order to” or “for the purpose of”
Model: Para hacer una paella, primero dore las carnes.
(To make a paella, first sauté the meats.)
Rule: to indicate a recipient
Model: Este regalo es para ti.
(This gift is for you.)
Rule: to express a deadline or specific time
Model: Necesito el vestido para el lunes.
(I need the dress by Monday.)
Rule: to express a contrast from what is expected
Model: Para un niño lee muy bien.
(For a child, he reads very well.)
Rule: “estar para” to express an action that will soon be completed
Model: El tren está para salir.
(The train is about to leave.)
It is quite important to learn to use these two prepositions correctly, because if you inadvertently substitute one for the other, you might end up saying something altogether different from what you had intended. Study the two examples:
Juan compró el regalo para María.
Juan bought the gift for Maria.
(he bought it to give to her)
Juan compró el regalo por María.
Juan bought the gift for Maria.
(he bought it because she could not)
Por and para can also be used in questions. “¿Por qué?” means “Why?” (for what reason) while “¿Para qué?” means “Why?” (for what purpose).
¿Por qué estudias español?
For what reason do you study Spanish?
Possible answer:
Porque es un requisito.
Because it’s required.
¿Para qué estudias español?
For what purpose do you study Spanish?
Possible answer:
Para ser profesor de español.
In order to become a Spanish teacher.
SER and ESTAR
ser (to be)
soy
eres
es
somos
son
estar (to be)
estoy
estás
está
estamos
están
Uses of Estar
- To talk about health.
¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
Estoy bien, gracias. (I’m fine, thanks.) - To express location of people and objects.
Estamos en el hospital. (We are in [at] the hospital.) - To express actions currently in progress.
Está lloviendo. (It’s raining.)
Estar can also be used with adjectives to describe a variety of states that are in some way a change from the normal state of the subject, or to describe things that do not really have a normal way of being.
Julieta está nerviosa hoy.
Julieta is (acting) nervous today. (The use of estar represents a change from her normal , calm state of being.)
Ellos están estresados.
They are stressed. (They are normally relaxed people.)
Este plato está rico.
This dish is (tastes) delicious. (The food in front of me tastes great, even though sometimes the recipe doesn’t turn out well.)
El café está caliente.
The coffee is hot. (I just made it; it could get cold.)
Uses of Ser
- To express definition, occupation, or nationality, or otherwise equate the subject of the sentence with the word(s) following the verb.
- *Soy** médico.
- I’m a doctor.*
Las enfermeras son bolivianas.
The nurses are Bolivian.
Esta medicina es un nuevo tratamiento para la malaria.
This drug is a new treatment for malaria.
- To express orgin, composition, or possession.
- *Somos de **Cochabamba.
- We’re from Cochabamba.*
- *Son de** María Luz.
- They belong to María Luz*
- To tell time.
Son las 8:20
- To indicate the time and location of events (to take place in English).
La operación va a ser in este hospital.
The operation is going to be (take place) in this hospital.
La reunión es a las 9:00
The meeting is (takes place) at 9:00.
Whereas estar + adjective describes a change from the norm, ser + adjective expresses the normal condition of the subject. Compare the following examples of ser with the examples of estar you saw previously.
Julieta es nerviosa.
Julieta is nervous. (She’s a nervous person.)
Este plato es rico.
This dish is delicious. (In general, I like the recipe.)
El hielo es frío.
Ice is cold. (By definition, it’s a cold substance.)
Gustar and Similar Verbs
- Is used to express preferences, likes and dislikes.
- Is used with an indirect object pronoun
- The subject of the verb gustar is whatever is pleasing to someone.
- Indicates that something singular or some things plural are pleasing. It is often conjugated in the third-person singular or third person plural form
Los usos de gustar en el presente
(a mí)
me gusta(n)
( a ti)
te gusta(n)
(a usted, él/ella)
le gusta(n)
(a nosotros/as)
nos gusta(n)
(a ustedes, ellos/as)
les gusta(n)
Gusta and Gustan.
Nos gusta_ la torta_ de chocolate.
No me gustan los frijoles.
On the Exam: Make sentences with the verb gustar and the indirect object.
**MODELO: **
a ti / las blusas rosadas.
A ti_ te_ gustan las blusas rosadas
