Grammar misc Flashcards
Relative clauses:
If the speaker knows the existence of the antecedent (basically the subject of which they are speaking), which tense should be used?
The indicative
E.g. I’m looking for a man that works in this office (you know he exists, but you don’t know him)
Relative clauses:
If the speaker does NOT know the existence of the antecedent (basically the subject of which they are speaking), which tense should be used?
The subjunctive
E.g. I’m looking for a man without a job (you don’t know if he exists)
Relative clauses:
If the speaker is describing an antecedent (basically the subject of which they are speaking) that is rare, which tense should be used?
The subjunctive
E.g. there are few people that sing better than you
For giving advice, pg 31:
What should follow ‘deberias’ (you should)?
Deberias + [infinitive]
For giving advice, pg 31:
What should follow ‘tener que’ (have to)?
Do you conjugate tener for the appropriate pronoun or leave it in the infinitive?
Tener que + [infinitive]
Conjugate it for the appropriate pronoun, e.g. tienes que hacerlo
For giving advice, pg 31:
What other tense can you use to give advice and why would you use it?
The conditional
To say what you would do
Verbal periphrases, pg36:
What is a verbal periphrasis?
Constructions formed by two different verbs that act as a single unit and therefore have a single meaning.
Basically there is only one meaning derived from the combination of both verbs.
Verbal periphrases, pg36:
What type of verb is ‘acabar de’ (to finish) followed by?
What does ‘acabar de’ mean when combined with another verb?
acabar de + [infinitive]
To have just done x, e.g. acabo de ver = I have just seen
Verbal periphrases, pg36:
What type of verb is ‘dejar de’ (to leave, stop) followed by?
dejar de + [infinitive]
Verbal periphrases, pg36:
What type of verb is ‘empezar a’ (to start) followed by?
empezar a + [infinitive]
Verbal periphrases, pg36:
What type of verb is ‘volver a’ (to return) followed by?
volver a + [infinitive]
Verbal periphrases, pg36:
What type of verb is ‘seguir’ (to follow, continue, keep) followed by?
What does ‘seguir’ mean when combined with another verb?
seguir + [gerund]
To still be x, e.g. sigo viviendo = I’m still living
Verbal periphrases, pg36:
What type of verb is ‘llevar’ (to carry, take, bring) followed by?
What does ‘llevar’ mean when combined with another verb?
llevar + [gerund]
To have been doing x, e.g. llevamos viviendo en esta casa por diez años
Estar + gerund, pg37:
Which tenses do you commonly use estar with the gerund in? (5)
Give an example of them all for ‘I am waiting’
Do you need to use estar, or can you just use the verb conjugated in the correct tense?
Future = estaré esperando
Indicative = estoy esperando
Preterito perfecto = estuvó esperando
Preterito indefinido = he estado esperando
Imperfect = estaba esperando
You don’t need to use estar, but it emphasises the verb being done.
Which tense do you use to describe past habits / things you used to do?
The imperfect
Which tense would you use to describe a life experience, without describing the exact moment that it occurred?
e.g. I have read lots of books in my life that my teachers recommended
The preterito perfecto
Contrarios, pg45:
To form the opposite of a word, which 5 prefixes can be added?
Which one actually follows a rule and what is it?
in-
i-
des-
im-
If the word starts with a ‘p’ or ‘b’, use im-, e.g. improbable
Final sentences, pg47:
In a sentence, if the subject of the verbs is the same, which type of verb do you use with para?
para + ?
para + infinitive
e.g. (yo) desayuno fruta para desintoxicarme
Final sentences, pg47:
In a sentence, if the subject of the verbs is DIFFERENT, which tense do you use with para que?
para que + ?
What does ‘para que’ mean?
para que + subjunctive
‘so that’
e.g. (yo) te llamo para que (tú) me cuentes lo que pasó
Comparison with ADJECTIVES, 6c:
If something is superior to something else, e.g. ‘more x than’, how would you form the sentence?
Give an example for ‘Amber is stronger than everyone’
más + [adjective] + que
Amber es más fuerte que todos
Comparison with ADJECTIVES, 6c:
If something is inferior to something else, e.g. ‘less x than’, how would you form the sentence?
Give an example for ‘Amber is less anxious than before’
menos + [adjective] + que
Amber está menos ansiosa que antes
Comparison with ADJECTIVES, 6c:
If something is equal to something else, e.g. ‘as x as’, how would you form the sentence?
Give an example for ‘Amber is as beautiful as her grandma’
tan + [adjective] + como
Amber es tan hermosa como su abuela
Comparison with NOUNS, 6c:
If there are more of something, e.g. ‘more x than’, how would you form the sentence?
Give an example for ‘there are more cats than dogs’
más + [noun] + que
hay más gatos que perros
Comparison with NOUNS, 6c:
If there are less of something, e.g. ‘less x than’, how would you form the sentence?
Give an example for ‘there are less dogs than cats’
menos + [noun] + que
hay menos perros que gatos
Comparison with NOUNS, 6c:
If there are the same of something, e.g. ‘equal x and y’, how would you form the sentence?
What do you need to remember with this one?
Give an example for ‘there are as many cats as dogs’
tanto/a/os/as + [noun] + como
To agree tant- with the noun
hay tantos gatos como perros
Comparison with VERBS, 6c:
If you want to say someone does more of something than someone else, how would you form the sentence?
Give an example for ‘Amber cares more than her friends’
[verb] + más que
Amber cuida más que sus amigas
Comparison with VERBS, 6c:
If you want to say someone does less of something than someone else, how would you form the sentence?
Give an example for ‘Amber runs less than Eliza’
[verb] + menos que
Amber corre menos que Eliza
Comparison with VERBS, 6c:
If you want to say someone does the same of something as someone else, how would you form the sentence?
Give an example for ‘Amber likes cats as much as Eliza’
[verb] + tanto como
Amber se gustan los gatos tanto como Eliza
Irregular comparisons, 6c:
Some comparatives are irregular. If you want to say ‘x is bigger than y’, what would you say?
What would you NOT say?
x es mayor que y
más grande
Irregular comparisons, 6c:
Some comparatives are irregular. If you want to say ‘x is smaller than y’, what would you say?
What would you NOT say?
x es menor que y
más pequeño
Irregular comparisons, 6c:
Some comparatives are irregular. If you want to say ‘x is better than y’, what would you say?
What would you NOT say?
x es mejor que y
más bueno
Irregular comparisons, 6c:
Some comparatives are irregular. If you want to say ‘x is worse than y’, what would you say?
What would you NOT say?
x es peor que y
más malo
How do you make a profession match the sex of the person doing it?
Give male and female examples of:
Teacher
Footballer
Chef
Do all professions have to agree with the person doing it?
Add an -o, -isto or -ero if the person is male
Add an -a, -ista or -era if the person is female
profesor / profesora
futbolisto / futbolista
cocinero / cocinera
No, those that already end in -ista are fixed, e.g. ‘taxista’ (taxi driver) applies to both male and female taxi drivers. However, the ARTICLE can change to agree.
If you use ‘cuando’ when talking about the present, which tense do you use?
The indicative
If you use ‘cuando’ when talking about the past, which tense do you use?
The past (whichever past tense works with what you’re saying)
If you use ‘cuando’ when talking about the future, which tense do you use? (2)
- If there are two clauses to the sentence, use the present subjunctive with cuando in the first clause and the future in the second. E.g.
cuando sepa algo, te avisaré
- If there is only one clause, use the future. E.g.
cuando empezarás tu nuevo trabajo?
Direct style, pg79:
What is the direct style / when do you use it?
What punctuation do you need?
What tense do you use?
Reporting exactly what someone said
Speech marks
Any - whatever the person originally said
Indirect style, pg79:
What is the indirect style / when do you use it?
What punctuation do you need?
What tense do you use?
When you’re reporting what someone said, which involves paraphrasing
None
The past (can be any of the past tenses, whichever works with the context) UNLESS you’re reporting what someone said about the future, then it’s the conditional
Passive voice, pg87:
What is the passive voice?
Where do you see it used? (2)
Give an example of the passive voice for ‘police found the car’ in English.
When the thing receiving the action (object), or the action itself (verb), is more important than the person doing the action (subject).
In the news and historical texts.
‘the car has been found by police’
Passive voice, pg87:
How do you form the passive voice?
Which tenses do you tend to use the passive voice with?
Conjugate:
The car has been found by police.
The castle was constructed in 1751.
ser + [past participle]
Pretérito perfecto or pretérito indefinido
ha sido encontrado el coche por la policía
fue construido el castillo en 1751.
Orders in the indirect style, pg88:
What is the indirect style?
What is the introductory verb?
If the introductory verb is in the present tense, what tense does the indirect speech take?
What other word do you need?
Give an example for ‘he’s asking that I go to see him’
Reporting what someone said, which involves paraphrasing
The one that comes first in the sentence
The present subjunctive
que
él me pide que vaya a verlo
Orders in the indirect style, pg88:
What is the indirect style?
What is the introductory verb?
If the introductory verb is in the préterito perfecto, what tense does the indirect speech take?
What other word do you need?
Give an example for ‘he asked me to marry him today’
Reporting what someone said, which involves paraphrasing
The one that comes first in the sentence
The present subjunctive
que
hoy, ha pedido que me case con él
Orders in the indirect style, pg88:
What is the indirect style?
What is the introductory verb?
If the introductory verb is in the préterito indefinido, what tense does the indirect speech take?
What other word do you need?
Give an example for ‘she asked me to collect the tickets’
Reporting what someone said, which involves paraphrasing
The one that comes first in the sentence
The imperfect subjunctive
que
pidió que recogiera las entradas
Orders in the indirect style, pg88:
What is the indirect style?
What is the introductory verb?
If the introductory verb is in the imperfect, what tense does the indirect speech take?
What other word do you need?
Give an example for ‘she used to tell me to clean the house’
Reporting what someone said, which involves paraphrasing
The one that comes first in the sentence
The imperfect subjunctive
que
me decía que limpiara la casa
Orders in the indirect style, pg88:
What is the indirect style?
What is the introductory verb?
If the introductory verb is in the pluperfect, what tense does the indirect speech take?
What other word do you need?
Give an example for ‘he had said I was his favourite’
Reporting what someone said, which involves paraphrasing
The one that comes first in the sentence
The imperfect subjunctive
que
habia dicho que fuera su favorita
Expressing desires, pg90:
Which five verbs are commonly used to express desires?
esperar (to hope)
desear (to desire)
querer (to want)
gustar (to like)
necesitar (to need)
Expressing desires, pg90:
If the subject of the sentence stays the same, which verb/tense do you use?
Conjugate ‘I want to travel’ as an example (which is the same as ‘I want that I travel’, i.e. the subject is the same).
verb + [infinitive]
Quiero viajar
Expressing desires, pg90:
If the subject of the sentence CHANGES, which verb/tense do you use?
Conjugate ‘I need you to support me’
verb + [subjunctive]
Necesito que tú me apoyes
Expressing conjecture, pg96:
What is conjecture?
Speculation - when you say something based on incomplete information
Expressing conjecture, pg96:
What does ‘a lo mejor’ mean?
What tense is it followed by?
Use it to express that you might go on holiday in May
You can use it for both positive and negative things. True or false?
Probably
The indicative
A lo mejor voy a ir de vacaciones en Mayo
False - it’s used to express something positive
Expressing conjecture, pg96:
What does ‘seguramente’ mean?
What tense is it followed by?
Use it to express that you might travel by train
Surely, most probably
The future
Seguramente iré en tren
Expressing conjecture, pg96:
What does ‘quizás’ mean?
What tense is it followed by?
Use it to express that you might go to the party
It can be used with both positive and negative things. True or false?
Maybe
The subjunctive
Quizás vaya a la fiesta, pero no sé
True
Expressing conjecture, pg96:
What does ‘probablemente’ mean?
What tenses can it be followed by and in what circumstances?
Use it to express that:
It’s too late to sign up
You’ll buy the tickets on the internet
Likely, possibly, probably
Subjunctive when talking about something unlikely
Future when talking about something likely
probablemente sea demasiado tarde para inscribirse
probablemente compraré las entradas por Internet
Asking for things politely, pg99:
What does ‘le importaría…’ mean?
Is it formal or informal?
‘would you mind…’
formal
Asking for things politely, pg99:
What does ‘sería possible…’ mean?
Is it formal or informal?
‘would it be possible…’
formal
Asking for things politely, pg99:
What does ‘podrías…’ mean?
Is it formal or informal?
‘could you…’
informal
Asking for things politely, pg99:
What does ‘te importaría…’ mean?
Is it formal or informal?
‘would you mind…’
informal
Asking for things politely, pg99:
What does ‘sería(n) tan amable(s) de…’ mean?
Is it formal or informal?
‘would you be so kind to…’
formal
Responding to things politely, pg99:
What does ‘por supuesto’ mean?
Of course
Responding to things politely, pg99:
What does ‘sí, cómo no’ mean?
Yes, of course
Responding to things politely, pg99:
What does ‘sí, ahora mismo’ mean?
Yes, right away
Responding to things politely, pg99:
What does ‘claro que sí’ mean?
Yes, of course
When to use articles, pg111:
What is a definite article?
Give an example in English
A word used to refer to a specific noun
‘the’
When to use articles, pg111:
What is an indefinite article?
Give an example in English?
A word used to refer to a non-specific noun
‘a’
When to use articles, pg111:
What are the definite articles for:
the (masculine)
the (feminine)
these (masculine)
these (feminine)
el
la
los
las
When to use articles, pg111:
What are the indefinite articles for:
a (masculine)
a (feminine)
some (masculine)
some (feminine)
un
una
unos
unas
When to use articles, pg111:
If you’re speaking about a specific noun, would you use the definite, indefinite or no article?
Translate this example - ‘I’m going to my sister’s shop’
Definite
Voy a la tienda de mi hermana
When to use articles, pg111:
If you’re speaking about something for the first time, would you use the definite, indefinite or no article?
Translate this example - ‘I bought myself a dress today’
Indefinite
he comprado un vestido hoy
When to use articles, pg111:
If you’re speaking about an approximate quantity, would you use the definite, indefinite or no article?
Translate this example - ‘there are some students’
Hay unos estudiantes
When to use articles, pg111:
If you’re speaking about a profession, would you use the definite, indefinite or no article?
Is there ever an exception to this?
Translate the examples:
she is a writer
she is a famous writer
No article
Yes - if the profession goes with an adjective
ella es escritora
ella es una escritora famosa
When to use articles, pg111:
If you’re using the verb gustar, or other verbs that take ‘le’ (molestar, enfadar, importar etc.), would you use the definite, indefinite or no article?
Translate this example - ‘I do not like lazy people’
Definite
no me gustan los vagos
When to use articles, pg111:
If you’re speaking about body parts, would you use the definite, indefinite or no article?
Translate this example - ‘Eliza, wash your hands’
Definite
Eliza, lávate los manos
When to use articles, pg111:
If you’re speaking about personal objects, would you use the definite, indefinite or no article?
Translate this example - ‘I will wear my new skirt tonight’
Definite
vestiré la falda nueva esta noche
When to use articles, pg111:
Sometimes you can replace a noun with the definite article. When would you do this?
Translate:
‘Which lady is the prime minister?’
‘The lady with the curly hair’
If the noun has already been said and you are referring to it again.
¿Quién es la primer ministre?
La (mujer) con el pelo rizado
When to use articles, pg111:
Which prepositions do you NOT use an article after? (3)
de
con
sin
When to use articles, pg111:
Is ‘tengo dolor del estómago’ correct - why/why not?
No - after ‘de’, you don’t need an article
The correct sentence is ‘tengo dolor de estómago’
When to use articles, pg111:
Is ‘prefiero repas sin el carne’ correct - why/why not?
No - after ‘sin’, you don’t need an article
The correct sentence is ‘prefiero repas sin carne’
When to use articles, pg111:
Is ‘llevaré el con queso’ correct - why/why not?
Yes - after ‘con’, you don’t need an article
Asking a favour, pg118:
What does ‘te / le importa…’ mean?
What type of verb/tense is it followed by?
‘Do you mind…’
te importa + [infinitive]
Asking a favour, pg118:
What does ‘podría(s)…’
What type of verb/tense is it followed by?
‘Could you…’
podría(s) + [infinitive]
Asking permissions, pg118:
What does ‘te / le importa que…’
What type of verb/tense is it followed by?
‘Do you mind if…’
te / le importa + [subjunctive]
Offering help, pg118:
What does ‘quiere(s) que…’
What type of verb/tense is it followed by?
‘Do you want…’
quiere(s) que + [subjunctive]
Adverbs, pg121:
What is an adverb?
What’s the most common way of forming an adverb from an adjective?
Give an example of changing ‘fast’ into ‘quickly’
A word used to describe a verb
Add the suffix -mente
fast = rápido
quickly = rápidamente
Adjectives:
Where do adjectives usually go - before or after the noun?
Give 3 common exceptions
After
nuevo/a, bien, mal
Translate the following:
this (male)
this (female)
these (male)
these (female)
este
esta
esos
esas
Translate the following:
that (male)
that (female)
ese
esa
What does this mean?
sobre + [time]
around [time]
If you’re saying ‘hundreds of x’, does the word for hundred need to agree with the noun?
Is this the case with other quantities?
Yes - cientos or cientas
No
If an adjective ends in -e, do you agree it with the noun?
Only to make it plural if needed; you don’t agree the gender (-a or -o).
You never use articles with places. True or false?
Give an example for ‘at university’
False - you ALWAYS use articles with places
en la universidad
What’s the difference between…
tenía que + [infinitive]
tuvé que + [infinitive]
Both mean ‘I had to / I was supposed to’, but the imperfect version implies you didn’t end up doing the thing and the PI version implies you did
e.g.
tenía que visitar mis amigas pero estaba enferma (so I didn’t)
tuvé que visitar mis amigas (and I did)
When talking about plans, which future tense do you use?
The ‘going to’ future
What does ‘ya + [pretérito perfecto]’ mean?
I have ALREADY done x
Do verbs that change stem in the present change stem in other tenses?
Not generally, though some tenses are formed using a stem-changed version of a verb (e.g. subjunctive takes the ‘yo’ form of the indicative)
When describing a person, do you change the gender of the noun to agree with the gender of the person?
Does this also apply to animals?
Yes
No
To say something is late, which verbs do you use? (2)
ir (to go)
llegar (to arrive)
You DO NOT use ser or estar
Letters of the alphabet are always masculine. True or false?
False - they are always feminine
Do months start with capital letters?
No
Do days of the week start with capital letters?
No
Do languages start with capital letters?
No
Do nationalities start with capital letters?
No
Do job titles start with capital letters?
No
Which tense does ‘buscar’ usually go with and why?
The subjunctive, because you don’t know if you will find what you’re looking for
How do you say ‘I tried’?
lo intenté
(has to go with lo)
Do you use ‘poder’ with the following verbs if you’re trying to say ‘I can’t [verb]’?
escuchar
ver
acordarse
recorder
entender
No - you just use them in the negative
e.g. I can’t hear you = no te escuscho
What is the past continuous?
Which past tense does it take?
How do you form it?
Describing something you were doing continuously in the past, e.g. ‘I was washing up when…’
Can take the PP, PI or imperfect; depends on what is being said.
estar + [gerund]
estar can be in the PP, PI or imperfect
When can you use the PI in the past continuous?
When the time period / action has finished
What’s the difference between ‘parar’ and ‘dejar de’?
parar = to stop (but you don’t specify what OR followed by a noun)
dejar de + [infinitive] = to stop (doing something specific)
What’s the difference between:
decir a
decir que
decir a = to say to
decir que = to say (not to anyone specific, e.g. digo que no = I said no)
How does word order (of the subject and verb) differ in Spanish and English?
In English, the subject comes first e.g. Peter called this morning
In Spanish, the verb comes first e.g. llamó Pedro esta mañana
Do words that end in -ista agree with the noun?
No, the ending doesn’t change BUT the article does change to agree
Generally, if a word ends in -o/-a, it changes to agree with the noun. Give 3 common exceptions to this.
pareja = partner
victima = victim
persona = person
What is ‘vos’?
A pronoun used in Argentina and Uruguay (maybe also Paraguay?) to mean ‘tú’
Indefinites, pg109:
‘poco’ can go with a noun or an adjective.
What does ‘poco + [noun]’ mean?
What is it the opposite of?
Does it have to agree with the noun?
few/not many [noun]
mucho
Yes
Indefinites, pg109:
‘poco’ can go with a noun or an adjective.
What does ‘poco + [adjective]’ mean?
What is it the opposite of?
Does it have to agree with anything?
not very [adjective]
muy
No
Indefinites, pg109:
‘poco’ can go with a noun or an adjective.
What does ‘un poco de [noun]’ mean?
Does it have to agree with the noun?
a little of [noun]
No
Indefinites, pg109:
‘poco’ can go with a noun or an adjective.
What does ‘un poco [adjective]’ mean?
Does it have to agree with anything?
a bit [adjective]
No
Indefinites, pg109:
Does ‘mucho’ need to agree with nouns?
Yes
Indefinites, pg109:
Does ‘mucho’ need to agree with adverbs?
No
Indefinites, pg109:
Does ‘mucho’ need to agree with adjectives?
No
Indefinites, pg109:
Does ‘bastante’ need to agree with nouns?
Yes
You don’t need to change the -e for gender though, only add an -s if plural
Indefinites, pg109:
Does ‘demasiado’ need to agree with nouns?
Yes
Indefinites, pg109:
Does ‘bastante’ need to agree with adjectives?
No
Indefinites, pg109:
Does ‘demasiado’ need to agree with adjectives?
No
Indefinites, pg109:
What do the following mean?
bastante + [noun]
bastante + [adjective]
quite a lot of [noun]
quite [adjective]
Indefinites, pg109:
What do the following mean?
demasiado + [noun]
demasiado + [adjective]
too many [noun]
too [adjective]
Impersonal ‘se’, pg117:
Why use ‘se’ as a subject pronoun?
What is it equivalent to in French?
What does ‘¿cómo se dice…?’ literally mean?
How do you conjugate the verb for this subject pronoun?
To mean ‘one’
‘on’ in French
‘How does one say…?’
Put it in third person
If talking about hair or eyes, you drop the article. True or false?
False - you keep the article
tengo el pelo liso
tengo los ojos azules
What verb does ‘difícil’ always go with?
Ser
What verb does ‘bien’ always go with?
Estar
Can you use the gerund without estar?
No
‘grande’ before a noun is always written as ‘grande’. True or false?
False - if ‘grande’ comes before a noun, it is shortened to ‘gran’
NB the gender is irrelevant, it’s always ‘gran’
Is the verb for ‘to relax’ reflexive?
No - it’s ‘descansar’
What do these two phrases mean and why are they different?
‘demasiado x’
‘tan x’
demasiado = too
tan = so
‘demasiado’ has more negative connotations, while ‘tan’ is just emphatic
When talking about distance, what do you use?
estar a
If you’re trying to say an approximate quantity of something, what should you use?
What else could you use but it sounds weird?
unos + [noun]
sobre - means ‘around’ but not really used with quantity/numbers
Both ‘venir’ and ‘ir’ can be used when you’d say ‘coming’ in English. When should you use each one in Spanish?
venir = when you’re already at the place and you’re asking someone to COME and join you there
ir = when you’re going to a place someone is already at, i.e. ‘I’m COMING’ = ‘voy’
If you are listing nouns, do you need the article every time?
Only if the gender changes
Choosing between past tenses:
Which tense should you use if you’re DESCRIBING something in the past, even if that thing still exists?
Which tense should you use if you’re describing an event that is over?
The imperfect
The pretérito indefinido
If you’re describing a person in the past who is still alive now, what tense should you use?
The imperfect
If you’re describing a person in the past who is dead now, what tense should you use?
The pretérito indefinido
You can’t have ‘y’ (and) followed by a word that starts with the same sound, e.g. ‘Izzy’. What should you replace the ‘y’ with?
‘e’
If you’re describing a holiday that is over, which tense should you use?
The pretérito indefinido
Which preposition do you use with places?
Give the examples:
I live in London
I am at the gym
en
Vivo en Londres
Estoy en el gymnasio
The preposition ‘por’ is usually used for everything that doesn’t mean ‘for’ in English, e.g. ‘along’, ‘through’ etc. True or false?
If in doubt, what should you use and why?
True
‘Para’, because it’s ‘para’ is used more than ‘por’
The verb sentirse (to feel) is always reflexive EXCEPT…
when it is followed by a noun
If you’re saying how you or someone else felt in themselves, it’s always reflexive
