Using Common Irregular Verbs Flashcards
1
Q
The Verb Form Hay
A
Saying there is or there are in Spanish is a simple matter of using the word hay. Unlike other Spanish verbs, which conjugate according to the subject, hay (a form of the verb haber), is always hay in the present tense, whether you are expressing the singular there is or the plural there are.
2
Q
There is milk in the fridge.
A
Hay leche en la refrigeradora.
3
Q
There is a bed in the room.
A
Hay una cama en el cuarto.
4
Q
There are three books on the table.
A
Hay tres libros encima de la mesa.
5
Q
Is there any milk in the fridge?
A
¿Hay alguna leche en la refrigeradora?
6
Q
Are there two beds in the room?
A
¿Hay dos camas en el cuarto?
7
Q
Yes, there is./Yes, there are.
A
Sí, hay.
8
Q
Yes, there is milk in the fridge.
A
Sí, hay leche en la refrigeradora.
9
Q
No, there isn’t./No, there aren’t.
A
No, no hay.
10
Q
No, there isn’t any milk in the fridge.
A
No, no hay alguna leche en la refrigeradora.
11
Q
Conjunctions
A
Conjunctions can help you create more complex sentences with very little effort. In addition, if you learn your conjunctions well, you can understand more shades of meaning when you listen to native speakers.
12
Q
and
A
y
13
Q
or, either
A
o
14
Q
but
A
pero
15
Q
neither . . . nor
A
ni… ni
16
Q
furthermore
A
además
17
Q
besides, on top of that
A
encima
18
Q
but, rather, if not (conj)
A
sino
19
Q
however
A
sin embargo
20
Q
so that | so then | therefore | so
something happened… SO …something resulted
A
así que
21
Q
that is to say…
A
es decir…
22
Q
because of …
because of this (lit: due to this)
that’s why
A
por …
debido a esto
por eso
23
Q
therefore
A
por lo tanto
24
Q
well, since, as, then
A
pues
25
Either you go, or I go.
O vas tú, o voy yo.
26
There is a lamp, but it doesn't work.
Hay una lámpara, pero no funciona.
27
He neither eats meat nor drinks alcohol.
Ni come carne ni bebe alcohol.
28
She isn't a waitress, but rather a customer.
No es camarera, sino cliente.
29
There isn't a pool at the hotel; however, there is a gym.
No hay piscina en el hotel; sin embargo, hay gimnasio.
30
Using 'and' and 'or' before words beginning with 'i' and 'o'
y (and) before words beginning with 'i' becomes e.
o (or) before words beginning with 'o' becomes u.
31
One or the other is going to the party.
Uno u otro va a la fiesta.
32
I study physics and engineering.
Estudio física e ingeniería.
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The Verb Hacer
Hacer is a verb that you will see over and over again used in a wide variety of ways. It is often translated as to do or to make but can take on many meanings according to context. While hacer is an irregular verb, its conjugations in the present tense are relatively straightforward - only the yo form strays from the -er verb pattern. In other tenses, however, hacer can become highly irregular, almost unrecognizable.
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Hacer: Present Tense
yo hago
tú haces
él/ella/usted hace
nosotros hacemos
ellos/ellas/ustedes hacen
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Uses of Hacer
Hacer is used with the meaning to make, often implying a sense of producing or creating. It also means to do, used similarly in English. In Spanish, hacer is used to talk about the weather.
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Rodolfo makes lunch.
Rodolfo hace el almuerzo.
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I make the bed in the morning.
Hago la cama por la mañana.
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What do you do?/What are you doing?
¿Qué haces?
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Camila doesn't do anything/isn't doing anything.
Camila no hace nada.
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Hacer used with a direct object pronoun
Hacer often means to make in the sense of making someone or something feel or do something. In this case it is used with direct object pronouns, which you will learn later in this book. You'll see the pronoun me (me) used before the verb.
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Traveling makes me happy.
Viajar me hace feliz.
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Sad movies make me cry.
Las películas tristes me hacen llorar.
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Idiomatic Expressions with Hacer
Hacer is used with a number of idiomatic expressions in which the meaning of the verb itself varies widely. Idiomatic expressions, by definition, cannot be understood by the individual words that make them up.
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to play a joke
hacer una broma
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to pay attention to
hacer caso
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to form a line/to wait in line
hacer cola
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to hurt, damage
hacer daño
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to make money
hacer dinero
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to be necessary
hacer falta
50
to throw a party
hacer una fiesta
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to pack (one's suitcase)
hacer la maleta
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to ask a question
hacer una pregunta
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to pay a visit
hacer una visita
54
Enrique doesn't pay attention to the teacher.
Enrique no hace caso al profesor.
55
Do you want to ask a question?
¿Quieres hacer una pregunta?
56
The sun damages your skin.
El sol hace daño a la piel.
57
Hacer falta
Keep in mind that the expression hacer falta is usually used in the third person singular (él) or plural (ellos) forms: hace falta or hacen falta. It can be followed by a noun or by the infinitive. While the expression means to be necessary it can also be translated as to need.
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It's not necessary to close the door. There's no need to close the door.
No hace falta cerrar la puerta.
59
A chair is needed. (We need a chair.)
Hace falta una silla.
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Bilingual teachers are needed.
Hacen falta profesores bilingües.
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Talking About the Weather
Now that you know the verb hacer, you will be better prepared to talk about the weather. What better way to strike up a conversation? To ask about the weather, you can say:
¿Qué tiempo hace? How's the weather?/What's the weather like?
Many of the expressions used to talk about the weather in Spanish use the verb hacer with a noun. This is different from English, when we generally use the verb to be and an adjective (It is cold).
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It's hot.
Hace calor.
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It's cold.
Hace frío.
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It's sunny.
Hace sol.
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It's windy.
Hace viento.
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It's cool.
Hace fresquito. Or Hace fresco.
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The weather is good./It's a nice day.
Hace buen tiempo.
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The weather is bad.
Hace mal tiempo.
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Talking about the weather at the moment of speaking
The expressions está lloviendo and está nevando are used to talk about the weather at the moment of speaking.
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It's raining./It rains.
Llueve.
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It's snowing./It snows.
Nieva.
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It's cloudy.
Está nublado.
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It's raining.
Está lloviendo.
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It's snowing.
Está nevando.
75
What's the weather like right now?
¿Qué tiempo hace ahora?
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What's the weather like in Alaska
¿Qué tiempo hace en Alaska
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in the winter?
en invierno?
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The Verbs Tener and Venir
The irregular verbs tener (to have) and venir (to come) follow similar patterns of conjugation in the present tense. You'll notice that due to the nature of the verbs and their meanings in English, venir in the present is often, but not always, translated as is/are/am coming, while tener is often, but not always, translated as has/have.
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Tener: Present Tense
yo tengo
tú tienes
él/ella/usted tiene
nosotros tenemos
ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen
80
Venir: Present Tense
yo vengo
tú vienes
él/ella/usted viene
nosotros venimos
ellos/ellas/ustedes vienen
81
Are you coming with Roberto?
¿Vienes con Roberto?
82
They are coming by car.
Vienen en coche.
83
I have three children.
Tengo tres hijos.
84
You don't have any friends?
¿No tienes amigos?
85
Uses of Tener
Tener is used a number of ways in Spanish, often in expressions that in English are used with the verb to be.
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Tener To Talk About Age
When talking about age, the verb tener (to have) is used with años (years), or in the case of babies and young children, meses (months) or semanas (weeks). While in English we say I'm seven or How old is he?, in Spanish, you literally say I have seven years, or How many years does he have?
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How old are you? (Literally: How many years do you have?)
¿Cuántos años tiene(s)?
88
How old is Ana?
¿Cuántos años tiene Ana?
89
I'm twenty-five.
Tengo veinticinco años.
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Ana is seventeen.
Ana tiene diecisiete años.
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The baby is two months old.
El bebé tiene dos meses.
92
Tener To Talk About Feelings And Qualities
There are a great number of expressions with tener that are used to talk about feelings, states of being, and qualities. Again, you'll see tengo or tienes/tiene/tienen used with a noun in cases where we usually use I am, he/she is, or you are with an adjective in English. For instance, I am hungry is Tengo hambre (literally, I have hunger).
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to be hungry
tener hambre
94
to be thirsty
tener sed
95
to be hot
tener calor
96
to be cold
tener frío
97
to be successful
tener éxito
98
to be scared
tener miedo
99
to feel like …
tener ganas de (+ infinitive)
100
to be right
tener razón
101
to be sleepy
tener sueño
102
to be ashamed
tener vergüenza
103
to be in a hurry
tener prisa
104
to be lucky
tener suerte
105
to take place
tener lugar
106
Using Idiomatic Expressions Correctly
Remember that these expressions are very common in Spanish, and that translating what you want to say directly from English into Spanish may get you into trouble. For example, tengo calor which literally translated means I have heat is used to say I'm hot or warm. You might say this on a sunny day or when the air conditioning is broken. If you translated I'm hot directly from English into Spanish, however, your result would be estoy caliente, which actually means I'm turned on (in a sexual sense). This is an expression you probably want to avoid when sweltering in a crowded elevator or when frolicking on a sunny beach with friends.
On a similar note, remember that the expression tener ganas de is followed by an infinitive. For example, Tengo ganas de ir al cine. I feel like going to the movies. It can also be used alone to answer questions. ¿Quieres ir al cine? —No, no tengo ganas. Do you want to go to the movies? —No, I don't feel like it. However, beware: If you say tengo ganas by itself, out of context, it can have sexual overtones.
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Tener Que And Hay Que To Express Obligation
The verbs tener and hay can both be used with que + infinitive to express obligation. Tener is conjugated according to who is speaking. Look at these examples.
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I have to .. .
Tengo que...
109
I have to go.
Tengo que irme.
110
I have to go to class.
Tengo que ir a clase.
111
Do I have to eat the spinach?
¿Tengo que comer las espinacas?
112
You don't have to close the door.
No tienes que cerrar la puerta.
113
Using hay que to express obligation
Hay que can be used to express obligation, in the general sense of have to, similar to when we say you have to (meaning one has to) in English. Its exact meaning can also change according to context.
114
One has to pack the bags./You have to pack your bags.
In this example, it is not clear who is speaking, so a neutral translation is used.
Hay que hacer la maleta.
115
We're going to the beach tomorrow. We have to pack the bags.
Vamos a la playa mañana. Hay que hacer la maleta.
It is clear that the subject is we, so hay que can be translated as we have to.
116
Is it necessary to pack our bags?
¿Hay que hacer la maleta?
117
No, it's not necessary to pack our bags.
Hay que can also be negative or interrogative.
No, no hay que hacer la maleta.
118
be quiet!, shut up! (colloq)
cállate!
119
to promise
prometer
120
hurry or quick, put your shoes on!
corre, ponte los zapatos!
121
Make yourself at home/get comfortable
Ponte cómodo
122
Why?
¿por qué? -\> why? lit: because of what?
