Grammar - Sentences Flashcards
these are full sentences that help with grammar, and also a bit of vocab.
8
See you in a while.
Nos vemos al rato. (most common in Mexico)
“Nos vemos en un rato”: used everywhere, more universally understood across Spanish-speaking regions.
I am going for a walk along the shore. (express in at least 2 ways.)
Voy a dar un paseo por la orilla.
Voy a pasear por la orilla.
Voy a caminata…
As usual, I want to…
Como de costumbre” or “como siempre”, quiero…
Como de costumbre is best for expressing habitual actions or routines; como siempre emphasizes that the action is consistent with past behavior. Por lo común or por lo general mean “generally” or “in general” and refers to common tendencies but is less specific than “as usual.”
I had trouble sleeping.
(Express several ways.)
Tuve problemas para dormir.
Tuve dificultades para dormir.
Me costó dormir (It was hard for me to sleep).
No pude dormir bien (Literal: I couldn’t sleep well.)
I went to the train station, which is a five-minute walk away.
Fui a la estación de tren, que está a cinco minutos caminando. Fui a la estación de tren que está a una cinco minutos a pie. (“esta a” is idiomatic and helps indicate distance, travel time, or even future points in time (like “a cinco días de ahora” = “five days from now”).
I don’t want more food.
No quiero nada más de comer.
It was nice to see you too.
Fue un gusto verte también. (Yo también me alegro de verte.)
Although I get along well with Juan, I don’t really like his brother.
Aunque me llevo bien con Juan, no me cae muy bien su hermano.
Me llevo bien: Refers to the relationship/dynamic (mutual)
Me cae bien: Refers to the impression of a person (one-sided)
Me llevo bien”
Verb: llevarse (reflexive verb, “to get along”).
Subject: yo (first person singular, because you’re the one who gets along with Juan).
Reflexive verbs are conjugated to match the subject performing the action. Since yo is the subject, the verb is conjugated in the first person: me llevo.
2. “No me cae bien”
Verb: caerle bien/mal (used to express liking/disliking someone, similar to gustar).
Subject: “su hermano” (the person you dislike; third person singular).
The structure of caerle bien/mal works differently than gustar. The person doing the liking (yo) is an indirect object (me), while the person being liked or disliked (su hermano) is the subject.
Since su hermano is third person singular, the verb is conjugated as cae.
How do you plan to welcome her?
¿Cómo planeas darle la bienvenida?
There are some clouds in the sky.
The sky is partly cloudy.
Hay algunas nubes en el cielo.
El cielo está parcialmente nublado
I’m going bird watching.
Voy a observar aves.
Aves (la) includes all birds (e.g., eagles, penguins, parrots, etc.).
Pájaros generally refers to small birds and is less formal.
I enjoy watching dogs
I love to watch dogs
Disfruto viendo los perros.
Disfruto ver los perros.
Me divierte ver los perros.
Me encanta observar a los perros
In most Latin American Spanish, “disfrutar” is often used without de unless followed by a noun. When followed by a verb, dropping de is perfectly natural.
The personal a is used when the direct object is a specific person or pet with whom you have an emotional bond. So not necessary here since its about dogs in general.
Ver: General action (you enjoy the idea or act of seeing them).
Viendo: Emphasizes the process or moment (you enjoy yourself while watching them).
She never hurt herself.
Nunca se lastimaba ella.
Jamás se hacía daño.
The verb dañar(se) is less natural. lastimar(se) or herir(se) are often more commonly used when referring to hurting oneself physically or emotionally.
Lastimar(se): To hurt oneself (general and common).
Herir(se): To wound oneself (more intense, often involving injury).
Spanish often prefers placing the subject (ella) after the verb when the sentence starts with nunca.
I woke up in a good mood.
Me desperté de buen humor.
Since I focus on speaking more fluently…
Como me enfoco en hablar con más fluidez,
Instead of “como”, could use “desde que” or “ya que”
I didn’t understand anything at all.
No entendí nada de nada.
That doesn’t worry me at all.
Eso no me preocupa para nada.
I’m planning to go back to Mexico.
Tengo la intención de volver a México.
Do you have something to show me?
Tienes algo que mostrarme?
common pattern:
tener algo/nada que (+ infinitive)
No tengo nada que compartir. (I have nothing to share.)
I like to support the team that is expected to lose.
Me gusta apoyar al equipo que se espera que pierda.
It gives me the opportunity to be alone, which I appreciate after being with people for a long time.
Me da la oportunidad de estar solo, lo cual agradezco después de estar con gente por mucho tiempo.
My wife will join me for cocktail hour.
Mi esposa se unirá a mí para la hora del cóctel.
Unirse (Reflexive)
Meaning: To join or become part of something (a group, activity, cause).
Usage: Reflexive verb, where the subject (the person/thing) becomes part of a larger entity or joins in on their own.
Unir (Non-Reflexive)
Meaning: To join, unite, or bring together something else.
Usage: Transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object (something or someone being united).
The weather was nice today. It was cool.
Hoy ha hecho buen tiempo. Hacía fresco.
I like how the tajín gives it a spicy touch.
Me gusta como el tajín le da un toque picante.
I want to know what to order.
Quiero saber qué pedir
I love the spiciness.
Me encanta el picante.
I don’t know any of the fighters.
No conozco a ninguno de los luchadores.
Wrestlers are usually very talented and put on incredible shows in the ring.
Los luchadores suelen tener mucho talento y ofrecen espectáculos increíbles en el ring.
I appreciate it.
Te lo agredezco.
I’m “spiced up” because the sauce is very spicy.
Estoy enchilada porque la salsa está muy enchilosa.
Enchiloso describes food and enchilada is the sensation.
The dollar is at 18 pesos today.
El dólar está a 18 pesos hoy.
“Está a” is used to indicate a fluctuating price or rate.
Explanation: “Está a…” describes the current cost or exchange rate of something.
The school is five kilometers from here.
La escuela está a cinco kilómetros de aquí.
“Está a…” here shows the distance between two places.
it’s 30 degrees.
Hoy está a 30 grados.
“Está a…” here refers to the specific degree of temperature.
We are two days away from the vacation.
Estamos a dos días de las vacaciones.
“Está a…” shows the temporal proximity to an event.
The window is to the right of the door.
La ventana está a la derecha de la puerta.
“Está a…” situates something in relation to another object.
The painters were supposed to arrive at eight o’clock in the morning.
Se suponía que los pintores llegarían a las ocho de la mañana.
supposed to: suponarse + que + subjunctive
Luis is supposed to work tomorrow.
Se supone que Luis trabaja mañana.
Do you want to go to the restaurant where we met?
Quieres ir al restaurante donde nos conocimos?
Warm weather makes people sweat.
(Use 3 verbs.)
El clima cálido hace que la gente sude.
El clima cálido causa que la gente sude.
El clima cálido provoca que la gente sude.
It’s useless.
(idiomatic)
No sirve para nada.
This doesn’t work for me.
(idiomatic)
Esto no me sirve.
A little bit of everything.
De todo un poco.
We hope you can join us.
Esperamos que puedas unirte a nosotros.
To express “join us,” the correct verb in Spanish is “unirse a”, which requires the preposition “a” when referring to a group.
In this structure, “unirte” (reflexive) is used because the subject (you) is joining a group that includes others.
Unirnos means “to unite us,” not “to join us.”
He already left
Ya se fue.
(verb: irse)
Do you want to go out to lunch?
Quieres salir a almorzar?
salir a + infinitive
to go out to do something
My ex is going out with my friend.
Mi ex está saliendo con mi amiga.
Salir con =
to go out with, to date
I had a great time during the trip.
Me la pasé muy bien durante el viaje.
“Me” – This is a reflexive pronoun indicating that the action affects the speaker.
“La” – This is a direct object pronoun referring to an implied “time” or “experience” (e.g., la noche, la tarde, la fiesta). Even though it is not explicitly stated, native speakers understand it as referring to the time spent.
“Pasé” – This is the first-person singular (yo) preterite form of pasar (to spend time).
“Muy bien” – This is an adverbial phrase that describes how the time was spent (very well, great).
Meaning:
It roughly translates to “I had a great time” or “I spent it very well”.
Nos la pasamos muy bien en la boda.
→ We had a great time at the wedding.
I have nothing in particular to say.
No tengo nada en particular que decir.
when expressing “nothing in particular,” we need to use the preposition “en”; also, when expressing “nothing to [verb]”, the construction is “nada que + [infinitive]”.
Alternatives: “No hay nada específico de lo que quiera hablar”. No traigo nada especial que contar.
I want to speak with better grammar.
Quiero hablar con mejor gramática.
Explanation: When “mejor” functions as an adjective, it should go before the noun it modifies. This is different from English word order. Quality adjectives typically come after the noun, but “mejor” is one of the exceptions that usually comes before the noun it modifies.
Alternative: quiero mejorar mi gramática.
more than I thought
más de lo que pensé
Explanation: When making comparisons with thoughts or beliefs, we need to use the construction “de lo que” to connect the comparison.
Alternative: “más tiempo del que esperaba” (longer than I expected)
more than anything
Más que nada
The recovery is taking longer than I thought.
La recuperación está llevando más tiempo del que pensé.
That really sucks (how awful about) about your surgery.
qué gacho lo de tu cirugía
Which city in Mexico would you like to move to if you could?
¿A cuál ciudad de México te gustaría mudarte si pudieras?
CDMX has much variety while Oaxaca is less diverse.
La CDMX tiene mucha variedad mientras que Oaxaca es menos diversa.
Mientras” alone isn’t correct for making a comparison - “mientras que” is the proper way to say “while” when contrasting two things.
- “es menos” should be “tiene menos” when talking about having less of something (diversity in this case) - we use “tener” (to have) rather than “ser” (to be) in this context.
I like CDMX better.
Me gusta más la Ciudad de México”
“más” goes before or after what you’re comparing, but “mejor” isn’t used this way for basic comparisons.
I go often.
Voy seguido.
It has everything - from museums to the best street food.
Tiene de todo - desde museos hasta la mejor comida callejera.
I prefer to stay in Narvarte because it is less touristy and cheaper.
Prefiero quedarme en Narvarte porque es menos turística y más económica.
“turista” is a noun (meaning tourist), while “turística” is the adjective form needed to describe a place
I haven’t felt well for a long time.
Ha pasado mucho tiempo desde que me sentí bien.
Hace mucho que no me siento bien.
