General Rules 1 Flashcards
going + to + infinitive/ir + a + infinitive
In order to form the immediate future, you must first conjugate ir according to the subject, add a, then add the future action in the infinitive. Ex: Voy + a + estudiar
the same + noun = el mismo + noun
the same book = el mismo libro
The rule of mismo
If used before the noun, it means ‘same’. If used after the noun, it means ‘himself, herself or itself’. Ex: the building itself = el edificio mismo
the same thing
the same/ditto
la misma cosa
lo mismo
to be
ser for permanent situations
estar for transitory situations
listo/lista
means ready when used with está
means clever when used with ser
seguro/segura
means sure when used with está
means safe when used with ser
when using ojala, quizas or lastima
use pueda instead of puede/puedo. this indicates a wish for an event to happen. however, use usted or yo before pueda for clarification
time of day
what time is it? son las tres/es la uno
What time do i need to be there? a las tres/a la uno
Spanish equivalent of -ing (present progressive)
is -ando or -iendo, depending on whether the infinitive ends in -ar-, -er or -ir. This present progressive tense is always used with estar, not with ser.
to where
a donde means to where and must be used whenever you pair donde with a direction or destination
I pay vs you paid
I pay - pago - emphasis is on 1st syllable
you paid - pagó - emphasis is on 2nd syllable
going
my son is going to school with your son.
me hijo esta yendo a la escuela con su hijo
yendo must be used with esta, and are used in this situation instead of va because it is transitory
viejo
if viejo is used before a noun, it means ‘long-time’. if used after the noun it means elderly.
Ex: El es mi viejo amigo
single - soltero/a
In Spanish you must use ser + soltero, rather than estar
Ex: Mi tia es soltera
Si used to emphasize a statement
My uncle Rafa is not single, but his sister is single.
Mi tio Rafa no es soltero, pero su hermana si es soltera.
vas a ver a tus amigos?
When the direct object of a verb is a person you must use the “personal a”
the only - el unico
If unico is used before the noun, it means ‘the only’. If used after the noun it means ‘unique’.
certain - cierto
If cierto is used before a noun, it means ‘certain’. If used after a noun it means “sure or definite’.
theirs - suyo
‘theirs’, ‘his’, ‘hers’, ‘your’, and ‘yours’ all take the same possessive pronoun suyo/suya
eso/esto
gender neutral - used for unidentified objects or absract concepts
ese/esa
That
gender specific -
esa - feminine
ese - masculine
tiene instead of estar
thirsty (Sed) - hungry ( hambre) - sleepy ( sueno) - right (razon) - cold (fria/frio) - fear or scared ( miedo) - hurry (prisa) - hot (calor) - tiene cuidado
what are you saying
que dices - the present progressive form of decir is not required for this - (diciendo)
No quiero nada
double negatives are not only allowed, but required.
vengo de me casa
In spanish, in order to convey where you are coming from, you do not need the present progressive, only the present tense (i.e. vengo de, not estoy veniendo
the pretty one
el/la - in spanish, do not have a word for one used as a noun.
Instead, the pretty one = la bonita, la guapa, la bellas (beautiful)
words ending in -cion
are usually feminine
frijol/frijoles
plural for nouns ending in a consanant is es
pedir vs preguntar
pedir - ask for something else
preguntar - asking only a question
rule for pronouncing c and g
soft if followed by e or i
hard if followed by a, o or u
use of personal ‘a’
the personal ‘a’ is used with some verbs when the DO or IO of the verb is a person(s) or animal (pet)
Luis llama a Carla
Yo siempre escucho a mi madre
La mujer acaricia a la llama
when personal ‘a’ is not used
when the DO is not a person or animal (pet)
Luis habla mucho
Yo veo television
La mujer acaricia el dinero
the personal ‘a’ is also used with io pronouns when the pronouns refers to a person or people
alguien (somebody) nadie (nobody) algunos/as (some) ninguno/a (none) ambos (both) todo el mundo (everybody)
verbs that often take the persona ‘a’
besar - to kiss invitar - to invite buscar - to look for llamar - to call conocer - to become familiar with llevar - to carry escribir - to write mirar- to look escuchar - to listen visitar - to visit esperar - to wait/hope ver - to see
verbs that use the persona ‘a’ when referring to a place
ir- to go
llevar - to carry
llegar - to arrive
traer - to bring
