This document provides a grammar reference in Spanish. It includes summaries and explanations of verb tenses like the imperfect, preterite, and future, along with other grammar topics such as modal verbs, adverbs, prepositions, and commands. Various verb conjugations are provided as examples for concepts like the imperfect and irregular preterite verbs.

1. Grammar Book
MARA O’BRIEN

2. Table of contents:
1. Imperfect 10. Conditional
2. Pretérito 11. Supperlatives
3. Irregular Pretérito 12. Formal commands
4. Spock 13. Prepositions
5. Cucaracha 14. Demonstratives
6. Snake/snakey
7. Modal verbs
8. Adverbs
9. Present/past
progressive
10. Futuro/ irregulars

3. Imperfect words.
Verb Hablar Comer Escribir
Yo Hablaba Comía Escribía
tu Hablabas Comías Escribías
l/ella/Ud. Hablaba Comía Escribía
Nosotros bamos Comíamos Escribíamos
vosortos Hablabais Comíais Escribía is
Ellos/ellas/Uds. hablaban Comían Escribían

4. Imperfect verbs continued.
Verb Ir Ser Ver
Yo iba era veía
Tu ibas eras veías
l/ella/Ud. iba era veía
Nosotros íbamos ramos veíamos
Vosotros ibais erais veíais
Ellos/ellas/Uds. iban eran veían

5. Pretérite.
Preterite trigger
 A snapshot of the past
words.
 A perfected action of the past. Ayer
 Beginning and/or ending Anoche
Ar Er/Ir anteayer
Yo é í La semana pasada
Tu aste iste El año pasado
El/Ella/Ud. ó ió
Nosotros amos imos
Ellos/Ellas/Uds aron ieron
.

6. Irregular Pretérito.
-car-gar-zar
Tocar: Jugar: Comenzar:
-Toqué -Jugué -Comencé
-Tocaste -Jugaste -Comenzaste
-Tocó -Jugó -comenzó
-Tocamos -Jugamos -Comenzamos
-Tocaron -Jugaron -Comenzaron
Regular verbs that end in –car –gar –zar have a spelling change in the yo
form of the preterite to maintain the original sound of the verb.

7. Pretérito.
Fui
Fuiste
Fue
Fuimos
fueron
Spock
d/v
-i
Hice -iste
Hiciste -io
Hizo -imos
Hicimos -ieron
hicieron

8. Pretérito.
 Ander= anduv-
Cucaracha
 Estar= estuv-
 Ponder= pud-
 Poner= pus-
 Querer= quis- -e
 Saber= sup- -iste
 Tener= tuv-
 Venir= vin- -o
-imos
 Decir= dij-
 Traer= traj-
-isteis
 Conducir= conduj- -ieron
 Producir= produj-
 traducir= traduj-

9. Pretérito.
Snake/Snakey
Stem Changers
- To write the third
DORMIR person (el/ella/ud.
-Dormí
-Dormimos
Y Changers And ellos/ellas/uds.
In preterite form of –
LEER er and –ir verbs with
-Dormiste
stems that end in a
-Durmio -Leí vowel, change the I to
-Dumieron -Leimos Y.
-Leiste - All of these preterite
-Leyo forms require an
accent, except the
-Leyeron uds./ellos/ellas
forms.

10. Modal verbs.
 Congugate and pair the modal verbs with an
infinitive to get a new meaning
 ir+a+infinitive(going to do something)
 Poder+infinitive(are able to do something)
 Querer+infinitive(want to do something)
 Deber+infinitive(should do something)
 Tener+que+infinitive(to have to do something)
 Soler+infinitive(to be accustomed to…)

11. Los Adverbs.
 Most Spanish adverbs are formed by adding –mente
to the feminine singular form of the adjective.
 Corresponds to –ly in English
 Claro-clara-claramente=clearly
 Constante - Constante – constantemente =constantly
 When two adverbs modify the same verb, only the second adverb
uses the –mente meaning. The first adverb is just changed into the
feminine singular form.
 Ex: Juan trabaja lenta y curdadosamente
• Juan works slowly and carefully.
 El chico le habló clara y cortésmente
• The boy spoke to him clearly and constantly

12. Progressive tense.
 Present progressive tense is formed by combing the
conjugated, word “to be” with the present
participle.(used when the action is happening)
 Estar + -ando/-iendo/-yendo
 Ex. Estoy hablando a ti.= I am talking to you.
 To from past progressive conjugate estar in the
imperfect tense, drop the –ar/-er/-ir of infinitive,
and attach the appropriate ending. (used when the
action is continually going)
 Ex. Estaba hablando a ti.= I was talking to you.

13. El futuro.
 -é  Decir= dir-
 -ás  Hacer= har-
Infinitive  -á  Poner= pondr- -é
 -emos  Salir= saldr-
-ás
 - án  Tener =tendr-
-á
 Valer= vendr-
-emos
 Poder= podr-
- án
 Querer= querr-
 Saber= sabr-

14. Conditional
 Used to express  Infinitive +
probability, possibility,  Ía
and wonder, usually  ías
translated as would,  ía
could, probably or must  íamos
have.  ían
For Example:
Hablar:
Hablaría
Hablarías
Hablaría
Hablaríamos
Hablarían

15. Superlatives.
 When you want to say something has the most or the least of a
certain quantity, you use a superlative.
 Ex: Luis es el más alto. -Luis is the tallest
 To use a noun with the superlative form. Put an alter after
article.
 Ex: Luis es el chico mas alto. – Luis is the tallest boy.
 When you refer to an idea or a concept, El más.. El
use the acticle lo. menos..
 Ex: Luis says: -Lo más increible es que
son los dos.. –the most incredible {thing } Los más.. Los
is that it’s two o’clock..
menos..
 Remember to use these irregular
forms when referring to the best, worst, La más.. La
oldest and youngest. menos..
 El/la mejor, el/la peor, el/la mayor, el/la menor.
Las más.. Las
menos..

16. Formal commands.
A Tu- simply drop the ‘s’ Ud./uds.-pit it in ‘yo’ form and
F
I change to opposite vowel. N
R O
M Los irregulares- di, S
A
T haz ,ve, pon, sal, se, Los irregulares- O
I
V
ten, ven. TVDISHES T
DOP+IOP +’se’ can attach to an
E affirmative R
---------------------------
O
DOP+IOP +’se’ must go before the
N negative command S
E
G Ud./uds.-pit it in ‘yo’ form and Make
A Tu- put it in the ‘yo’ form and change same as
T the opposite vowel, add an ‘s’. change to opposite vowel. ud./Uds.
I Irregular
V Los irregulares- Los irregulares- -
TVdishes
E TVDISHES TVDISHES

17. Prepositions.
 To tell where things are located.
Abajo Down/ under
Arriba On top of
Debajo Below
Dentro Inside
Encima de Above
A la izquierda To the left of
A la derecha To the right of
En el centro In the center

18. Demonstratives.
This That That over there
Este Ese Aquel
Esta Esa Aquella
These Those Those over there
Estos Esos Aquellos
Estas Esas Aquellas