This document provides an overview of Spanish grammar concepts including: 1. Verb conjugations in the present tense for regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. 2. Common irregular verbs like ser, ir, estar, dar. 3. Reflexive, impersonal "se", and gustar verbs. 4. Verbs with spelling changes like gerunds and diphthongs. 5. Uses of the imperfect and preterite tenses.

1. 1

2. 1. Title Page 1. Commands
2. Table de Contenidos 2. Preterite vs. Imperfect
3. El Presente 3. Future vs. Conditional
4. Stem Changers 4. Por vs. Para
5. Irregular “yo” 5. Present Perfect
6. Saber vs. Conocer 6. Double Object Pronouns
7. Reflexives 7. Adverbs
8. “Se” Impersonal 8. Subjunctive
9. Verbs like “Gustar” 9. Progressives (Ir, Andar, Seguir)
10. Diphthongs
11. Verbos con Ger/Gir, Uir/Guir, Cer/Cir
12. Hace + ___ + Que + ___
13. El Imperfecto
14. Preterite
15.Irregulars- Car/Gar/Zar
16.Irregulars- Cucaracha Verbs
17.Irregulars- Spock/Snake/Snakey
18.Comparatives/ Superlatives
19.Future Tense 2

3. -AR -ER/IR
-o -amos -o -emos/
imos
-as -es
-a -an -e -en
SUBJECT PRONOUNS Examples:
Yo (I) Nosotros/as Bailar
(We) Tú bailes bien.
Tú (You dance well.)
(You- informal) Comer
Yo como muchos tacos.
El/Ella/Usted Ellos/Ellas/
(I eat many tacos.)
(He/She/You- Ustedes
Salir
formal) (They, You all)
Nosotros salimos de la escuela.
(We leave the school.)
3

4. (o-ue) (e-i)
Puedo Podemos Pido Pedimos
Puedes Pides
Poder
Pedir
Puede Pueden Pide Piden
(e-ie) Jugar has a u-ue stem
Pienso Pensamos change in all but the
nosotros form; incluir and
Piensas
Pensar
destruir have an i-y stem
Piensa Piensan change in all but the
nosotros form. 4

5. Verbs with –go in the yo form
Tener Oir Hacer
Tengo Tenemos Oigo Oimos Hago Hacemos
Tienes Oyes Haces
Tiene Tienen Oye Oyen Hace Hacen
Other verbs with an irregular yo form
Proteger (e-ie) Conocer (c-zc)
Protejo Protegemos Conozco Conocemos
Proteges Conoces
Proteje Protegen Conoce Conocen
Ir Ser Estar Dar
Voy Vamos Soy Somos Estoy Estamos Doy Damos
Vas Eres Estas Das
Va Van Es Son Está Están Da Dan
5

6. Saber Conocer
(To know a fact, (To know/ be
to know how to do something.) familiar with someone.)
Saber is usually followed by an infinitive Conocer can only be followed by a direct
or a subordinate clause. object..
Sé Sabemos Conozco Conocemos
Sabes Conoces
Sabe Saben Conoce Conocen
In the preterite, saber means to learn or In the preterite, conocer means to meet
find out. someone for the first time.
Ex. Supiste tu lección ayer. Ex. Conocí mi novio en escuela.
(I met my boyfriend in school.)
6

7. In Spanish, reflexive pronouns are placed in
front of the conjugated verb.
Me Nos
Te
Se Se
Examples
Lavar (to wash) --> Lavarse (to wash oneself)
Me lavo. (I wash myself.)
Te lavas. (You wash yourself.)
Se lava. (He/she washes him/herself.)
Nos lavamos. (We wash ourselves.)
7
Se lavan. (You all wash yourselves.)

8. Impersonal does not address anyone specific. In Spanish, the pronoun
“se” is added in front of verbs to make general statements. A singular
verb will typically be used because “se” can be replaced by “uno”.
Examples:
¿Cómo se dice “dog” en español?
(How does one say “dog” in spanish?)
Se dice “perro”.
(One says “perro”.)
8

9. “Gustar” is unique because it’s only conjugated two ways: “Gusta”
and “Gustan”. Which form of gustar used depends on whether the
direct object is singular or plural.
Gustar To like
Molestar To be a bother Examples:
Gustar
Fascinar To be fascinating to Me gustan los flores.
Aburrir To bore (I like the flowers.)
Importar To be important to Encantar
Te encanta comprar.
Interesar To be interesting to (You love to shop.)
Disgustar To hate something Doler
Nos duelen los pies.
Doler (e-ue) To be painful
(We hurt our feet.)
Encantar To “love” something Me duele la mano.
Quedar To remain (I hurt my hand.)
Verbs similar to gustar are conjugated the same way.
9

10. Diphthongs are when a strong vowel (a,e,o)
and a weak vowel (i/y, u) or two weak vowels
come together to form a strong syllable.
Esquiar Enviar
(To ski) (To send)
Esquio Esquiamos Envio Enviamos
Esquias Envias
Esquia Esquian Envia Envian
10

11. Verbs like Ger/Gir, Uir/Guir, and Cer/Cir are changed in the “yo”
form to keep the diphthong.
Coger
Exigir (To catch) (In Mexico, also slang. Don’t use
(To demand) it.)
Exijo Exigimos Cojo Cogemos
Exiges Coges
Exige Exigen Coge Cogen
Distinguir Convencer
(To distinguish) (To convince)
Distingo Distinguimos Convenzo Convencemos
Distingues Convences
Distingue Distinguen Convence Convencen
11

12. Indicates the length of time an action has been taking place.
Hace + (time) + Que + (present tense form of verb)
Example
Hace un año que juego lacrosse.
(I have been playing lacrosse for one year.)
In the preterite tense:
Hace + (time) + Que + (preterite tense form of verb)
Example
Hace un año que jugué lacrosse.
(I played lacrosse one year ago.)
12

13. -ar -er/ir
-aba -abamos -ía -íamos
-abas -ías
-aba -aban -ía -ían
Imperfect is used for actions that were repeated Trigger Words:
Siempre
habitually or to “set the stage” for another action. Also,
A Veces
it is used for telling time and stating one’s age. A Menudo
Cadadia
Ir Ser Todos los dias Ver
Iba Ibamos Era Eramos Veía Veíamos
Ibas Eras Veías
Iba iban Era Eran Veía Veían
13

14. -ar
-é -amos
-aste
Preterite is used for actions that were
-ó -aron completed in the past. The endings for preterite
are conjugated by being affixed to the end of
-er/ir the infinitives.
-í -imos
Examples:
Bailar
-iste
Tú bailaste bien.
(You danced well.)
-ío -ieron Comer
Yo comé muchos tacos.
(I ate many tacos.)
Trigger Words: Salir
Ayer Nosotros salimos de la escuela.
Anoche (We left the school.)
Anteayer
La semana pasado
14

15. Cucaracha verbs are irregular preterite verbs
that have the infinitive changed.
The infinitive is then
Verb Infinitive affixed with the
Andar Anduv- corresponding ending.
Estar Estuv-
Poder Pud- -é -imos
Poner Pus- -iste
Querrer Quis- -ío -ieron
Saber Sup-
Tener Tuv- Examples:
Venir Vin- Estar
Estuvé muy triste.
Conducir Conduj- (I was very sad.)
Producir Produj- Estuviste muy triste.
Traducir Traduj- (You were very sad.)
Traer Traj-
Decir Dij-
15

16. Verbs ending in -Car, -Gar, and -Zar have their
endings replaced in the yo form in order to keep the
diphthong.
Sacar Pagar Cruzar
(To get) (To pay) (To cross)
Saqué Sacamos pagué Pagamos crucé Cruzamos
Sacaste Pagaste Cruzaste
Sacó Sacaron Pagó Pagaron Cruzó Cruzaron
-car becomes -qué -gar becomes -gué -zar becomes -cé
16

17. Dormir
Irregular Preterites (To sleep) Y Changers
Dormí Dormimos
Hacer
Dormiste Leer
Hice Hicimos
Durmío Durmieron
(To read)
Hiciste
Leí Leímos
Hizo Hicieron
Pedir Leiste
Ir/Ser (To ask) Leyó Leyeron
Fuí Fuimos Pedí Pedimos
Fuiste Pediste
Fue Fueron Pidío Pidieron
Dar/Ver
Di/Vi Di/Vimos
Di/Viste
Dio/Vio Di/Vieron 17
Stem Changers

18. Comparatives compare two nouns to Superlatives show how one noun is the
each other. most ____ out of all.
They are often represented with the formula:
(noun)+es+(comparative)+(adjective)+que+( Examples:
noun) Ellá es la estudiante más rica de toda la
escuela.
(She is the most rich student in the school.)
Mejor… Que Better… Than Mateo es el jugador mejor de todo el equipo.
Peor… Que Worse… Than (Matt is the best player on the team.)
Más… Que More… Than
Menos… Que Less… Than Tan… Como As… As
Mayor… Que Older… Than Tanto… Como As… As
Menor… Que Younger… Than Tantas… Como As… As
Examples: Examples:
Julia es más inteligiente que Bonita. Julia es tan alta que Bonita.
(Julie is more intelligent than Brittany.) (Julie is as tall as Brittany.)
18

19. Immediate
Future
Future tense verbs are used to tell what the Immediate future
subject is going to do. They are conjugated by verbs are conjugated
affixing the appropriate ending to the verb by using the formula Trigger Words:
WITHOUT dropping the –er, – ar, or –ir. La semana
Ir + a + (verb)
Proxima
Mañana
Pasado
Semana
Endings Examples: Examples: Año
Estar Volver Pasado Año
-é -emos Estarás en el parque. Yo voy a volver.
-ás (You will be in the park.) (I will return. (soon).)
Comer Comer
-á -án Comeré una manzana. Vamos a comer la manzana.
(I will eat an apple.) (We will eat the apple. (soon).)
Future Tense Irregulars: Saber- Sabr- Poner- Pondr-
Tener- Tendr- Poder- Podr Venir- Vendr-
Decir- Dir- Querer- Querr-
Hacer- Har- Salir- Saldr- 19

20. For usted commands, you simply For nosotros commands, just
put the verb in the “yo” form and put it in nosotros form and
switch the ending vowel. switch the vowel.
EX: Comer- Coma/coman EX: Comer- comamos
For usted negative commands, you If it’s a verb like “irse”, the
do the same thing. correct conjugation would be
EX: Comer- No coma/coman like IR- Vamosnos-Vamonos
It’s the same for negative
For tu commands, you simply put commands.
the verb in the “usted” form. EX: Comer- No comamos
EX: Comer- Come
For negative tu commands, use the
usted form, switch the vowel, and
add an “s”.
EX: Comer- No comas
20

21. Preterite is used for actions that Imperfect is used for actions that
were completed in the past. It is were repeated habitually or to “set
used for actions that are non- the stage” for another action. Also,
habitual and completed. it is used for telling time and stating
one’s age.
Examples:
Preterite
Fuimos al parque ayer.
(We went to the park yesterday.)
Imperfect
Cuando era nina, ibamos al parque todos los dias.
(When I was a little girl, we went to the park every
day.)
21

22. Future tense verbs are used to tell what Conditional tense verbs are used to tell what
the subject is going to do. They are the subject would/could/should do. Similarly
conjugated by affixing the appropriate to future tense verbs, they are conjugated by
ending to the verb WITHOUT dropping affixing the appropriate ending to the verb
the –er, – ar, or –ir. WITHOUT dropping the –er, – ar, or –ir.
Endings
For future tense endings, go to slide #19.
-ía -íamos
Irregulars: -ías
Tener- Tendr- -ía -ían
Decir- Dir-
Hacer- Har-
Saber- Sabr-
Future tense and
Poder- Podr
Querer- Querr-
conditional tense verbs
Salir- Saldr- have the same irregulars.
Poner- Pondr-
Venir- Vendr- 22

23. Portal Para
Expressing movement along, through, Expressing purpose.
around, by, or about. Paramedic
Porever A time limit.
Duration of time Paraguay
Destination/movement towards a place.
Porpose
Reason/motive for an action. Para
Addressee/recipient of action.
Import/Export
Para
An exchange.
A comparison.
Portugal
Motion or general location.
I’m por, pay for me!
Doing something in place of someone else.
23

24. Present Perfect
Present perfects tells when you “have Abrir Abierto
done” something. It is conjugated using Cubir Cubierto
this formula:
Decir Dicho
Haber + Infinitive
Escribir Escrito
The infinitive is affixed with either an –
ado or –ido ending. Hacer Hecho
Example: I have eaten Morir Muerto
He comado Poner Puesto
We have studied Resolver Resuelto
Hemos estudiado
Romper Roto
He Hemos Ver Visto
Has Volver Vuelto
Ha Han Ir Ido
24

25. Double Object Pronouns
Double object pronouns are conjugated by using this formula:
Verb + Indirect object pronoun + Direct object pronoun
Examples: Give me it.
Damelo! Da= verb me= IOP lo=DOP
Tell me it.
Dimelo! Dime=verb me=IOP lo=DOP
Answer me it.
Contestamelo!
25

26. Adverbs
Adverbs are adjectives with –mente affixed to
the endings to describe an action or adjective.
Example: Facil -> Facilmente
Rapido -> Rapidamente
Irregulars
Bastante Bad
Demasiando Too
Mal Badly
Peor Worse
Siempre Always
26

27. Subjunctive
• Regular Present Subjunctive- Hablar
– Hable, Hables, Hable, Hablemos, Hablen
• Irregular Yo Impersonal Expressions
– Conducir (zco) Conduzca Es bueno que…
Es mejor que…
Pedir – e:i Pida, Pidamos Ojala que…
Es malo que…
Sentir – e:ie Sienta Es necesario que…
Dormir – o:ue Duerma, Duermas, Dueran Es urgente que…
Indicative Subjunctive
Facts Attitudes
Real Uncertain
Definite Hypothetical 27

28. Progressives (Ir, Andar,
Seguir)
• Ando/ Iendo/ Yendo
• Jaime/andar/buscar trabajo
• Ir + present participle = is
Example: Jaime anda buscando
slowly but surely ____ing
trabajo.
Example: Voy estudiando • Yo/ir/cantar/ una cancion
• Andar + present participle Example: Voy cantando una cancion
= is going around ___ing • Uds./ seguir/ estudiar historia
Example: Caminando Example: Uds. Sigen estudiando
historia.
• Seguir + present
• Tu/ andar/ perder todo.
participle= is still ___ing
Example: Tu andads perdiendo todo.
Example: Sigo calificando
28