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LESSON – 1 1. Singular nouns: gender and articles 2. Nouns and articles: plural forms 3. The present tense of –ar verbs and negation; interrogative words
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1. Singular nouns: gender and articles When talking about people, objects, ideas or things, we use nouns. In Spanish, all the nouns have either a masculine (m.) or feminine gender (f.). For the vocabulary lists in Tesoros the nouns appear with the definite articles (m. = el, f. = la), in order to help you memorize the gender (m./f.) of the nouns.
Masculine nouns (m)
Feminne nouns (f)
Definite Article
el hombre el libro
la mujer la mesa
Indefinite Article
un hombre un libro
una mujer una mesa
Gender In Spanish, the gender (m./f.) is a grammatical category that does NOT refer to sex; sex and gender do not coincide. a. Masculine (m.): The majority of nouns that end in -o: el perro, el libro. The majority of nouns that end with a consonant: el lápiz, el pan, el árbol. The majority of nouns that end in -e: el padre, el nombre, el hombre, el viaje. Some nouns end in -a: el clima, el día, el idioma, el mapa, el tema, el programa. Some nouns end in –ú: el champú, el menú. b. Feminine (f.): The majority of nouns that end in -a: la casa, la mesa, la historia, la joya. The majority of nouns that end with -ción, -tad, and -dad: la libertad, la canción, la nación, la sinceridad, la universidad Some nouns end in -e: la madre, la clase, la sangre. Note: the distinction between masculine (-o) and feminine (-a) does not always correspond to sex. The gender of these nouns should be memorized. el mensaje, el arte
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la clase, la tarde, la noche
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c. Many personal nouns change gender by two ways: 1. change the last vowel: el compañero ‘ la compañera el secretario ‘ la secretaria 2. by putting -a at the end of a masculine word to get the feminine form: un profesor ‘ una profesora d. Many other words with reference to people have only one form for masculine and feminine. The article indicates the gender of the noun. el estudiante (m.), la estudiante (f.) el cliente (m.), la cliente (f.) el coleccionista (m.), la coleccionista (f.)
Note: Words like agua and hambre are feminine nouns, but it order to facilitate pronunciation they become el agua and el hambre but in the plural form are las aguas and las hambres.
Articles. a. In Spanish, the definite article has a masculine form and a different form for feminine. m. sing. el -> m. plural los f. sing.
la -> f. plural las
b. In the same way, there is a masculine and feminine form for the indefinite article. The indefinite article can also have the meaning of “one” (numeric); the context determines the meaning. m. sing. un -> m. plural unos f. sing.
una -> f. plural unos
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2. Nouns and articles: plural forms Singular
Plural
Nouns ending in a vowel
el libro la mesa un libro una mesa
los libros las mesas unos libros unas mesas
Nouns ending in a consonant
la Universidad un papel
las universidades unos papeles
a. Plural forms: • vowel + s • consonant + es • -z -> ces libro
–>
libros
mesa
–>
mesas
hombre
–>
hombres
árbol
–>
árboles
lápiz
–>
lápices
b. In Spanish, the plural masculine form can be used when referring to a group with men and women. los amigos (men and women) unos profesores (male and female professors)
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3. The present tense of –ar verbs and negation; interrogative words
sPersonal pronouns Plural
Singular yo
nosotros / nosotras
tú
vosotros / vosotras
usted (Ud.)
ustedes (Uds.)
él / ella
ellos / ellas
a. We can use the masculine plural to refer to a group solely comprised of men, but also to a group of both men and women. ellos = todos los hombres; todos los hombres y mujeres. ellas = todas las mujeres.
b. There are two different forms when referring to the second person: SINGULAR: tú =
familiar relationship
usted =
formal or distant relationship
PLURAL: vosotros =
in Spain, the plural form of tú; a trusted or familiar relationship that is not used in Hispanic America.
ustedes =
In Hispanic America, this is the plural for tú and usted. In Spain, this is the plural for usted; a formal or distant relationship
Note: the explicit subject in Spanish is optional, because the verb ending already indicates the subject. quier-o un café (yo)
quier-es un café (tú)
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Verbs: infinitives and personal endings a. The infinitive in Spanish indicates the action without referring to a specific agent or time. The endings for the infinitives in Spanish are -ar, -er, -ir. -ar: hablar (to speak) -er: comer (to eat) -ir: vivir (to live) b. When conjugating a regular verb, it is necessary to put the ending of the corresponding subject behind the root of the verb. For example: Infinitive
Root
Conjugated verb
Hablar
habl-
yo hablo, tú hablas, nosotros hablamos, etc.
cantar
cant-
ella canta, vosotros cantáis, ustedes cantan, etc.
Here are all the personal verb endings for the verbs in –ar: hablar: hablSingular
Plural
(yo) hablo
(nosotros/nosotras)
hablamos
(tú) hablas
(vosotros/vosotras)
habláis
(Ud.) habla
(Uds.)
hablan
(él) habla
(ellos)
hablan
(ella) habla
(ellas)
hablan
Note: the forms for usted and ustedes that refer to the 2nd person are conjugated as the 3rd person. Some of the most important verbs that end in –ar in this lesson are the following: bailar
buscar
cantar
comprar
desear
enseñar
escuchar
estudiar
ganar
hablar
necesitar
ocultar
pagar
practicar
regresar
señalar
tocar
tomar
trabajar
c. In a sequence where there are two verbs with the same subject, the second verb is normally in the infinitive form. Necesito llamar al detective. Espero ganar.
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Negation Negation is formed in Spanish with the word no before the conjugated verb. This is how we form negative sentences. El alumno no habla español. No, yo no necesito ayuda. Interrogative words (¿…?) Interrogative words are words or expressions that we utilize to ask for information about something or to ask questions.
It is very important to pay
attention to the accent that appears in these words or expressions. ¿a qué hora?
¿A qué hora es la clase?
¿cómo?
¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo es Kathy Gold? ¿Cómo te llamas?
¿cuál?
¿Cuál es la capital de España?
¿cuándo?
¿Cuándo es la reunión con el detective?
¿cuánto?
¿Cuánto dinero necesitas?
¿cuántos?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿cuántas?
¿Cuántas naciones hay en América del Sur?
¿dónde?
¿Dónde está Nueva York?
¿qué?
¿Qué es un tesoro? ¿Qué es esto? ¿Qué hora es? ¿Quién es Juan Cross?
¿quién?
¿Quién es David, el detective?
Note: We use ¿qué? to ask for a definition or an explanation of something. The rest of the time we use ¿cuál?
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LESSON – 2 4. The present tense of the verb ser 5. The adjectives: Gender, number and placement 6. The present tense of -er and –ir verbs; When to use personal pronouns
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4. The present tense of the verb ser The verbs ser and estar are two non-interchangeable verbs, and thus the use of one or the other will depend on the speaker’s intention. In this lesson we will review the uses of the verb ser that you have already seen, while also learning some new uses. With respect to the verb estar, in Lesson 1, we have seen that this verb expresses location (¿Dónde está el aula de clase?) and also to ask someone how they are doing (¿Cómo estás?) Below we show some of the basic functions for the verb ser.
Ser yo soy
nosotros/as somos
tú eres
vosotros/as sois
Ud. es
Uds. son
él es
ellos son
ella es
ellas son
•To identify people or things. Yo soy estudiante. Kathy y yo somos amigas. David Collins es detective. Esto es un CD-ROM •To describe people or things. Soy sentimental. El mapa es muy viejo. •ser + de, to express origin. Somos de los Estados Unidos, pero nuestros padres son de la Argentina. ¿De dónde es Ud.?
•The form es is utilized to express generalizations. Es importante estudiar, pero no es necesario estudiar todos los días.
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•ser + de, to express possession. Es la oficina de David. Son las pistas de Kathy. Note: Only the masculine singular definite article el can contract with the preposition de to form del. No other article can form a contraction with the preposition de. de + el del Es la casa del profesor. Es la casa de la profesora. •With para, to express “to/for whom” or for what something is addressed. ¿Romeo y Julieta? Es para la clase de inglés. –¿Para quién son los regalos? (Son) Para mi nieto.
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5. The adjectives: Gender, number and placement Adjectives are words that refer and modify nouns and pronouns. In this section we will see more about how to describe your surroundings. Adjectives with ser The verb ser accompanies an adjective to describe the characteristics or basic qualities that are inherent to the nouns and pronouns it modifies. Tú eres amable. El diccionario es barato. The forms for adjectives Adjectives agree in gender and number according to the noun or pronoun they accompany. Each adjective has more than one form. a. Adjectives ending in –o, -dor, -ón, -ín and -án have four forms that show all the varieties in gender and number: alto, alta, altos, altas; trabajador, trabajadora, trabajadores, trabajadoras; barrigón (‘fatty’), barrigona, barrigones, barrigonas. Masculine
Femenine
Singular
amigo alto
amiga alta
Plurar
amigos altos
amigas altas
b. Adjectives ending in -e (amable) or in a consonant (fiel) have only two distinct forms, the singular and plural form. The plural forms of the adjective are formed in the same way as the nouns.
Singular
Plurar
Masculine
Femenine
amigo inteligente
amiga inteligente
Amigo fiel
amiga fiel
amigos inteligentes
amigas inteligentes
amigos fieles
amigas fieles
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c. The majority of the nationality adjectives also have four different forms where they show variation in gender and number. Nouns that refer to specific languages, whose gender is masculine, coincide with the nationality adjectives, for example: el español, el inglés, el ruso, el francés, el italiano... Nevertheless, we can observe that these nationality adjectives and the nouns that refer to languages do not have an upper case letter at the beginning of the word, whereas nouns that are the name of the country do. For example: inglés, inglesa, but Inglaterra.
Singular
Plurar
Masculine
Femenine
el doctor
la doctora
mexicano
mexicana
español
española
alemán
alemana
inglés
inglesa
los doctores
las doctoras
mexicanos
mexicanas
españoles
españolas
alemanes
alemanas
ingleses
inglesas
The position of the adjectives a. Quantity adjectives, like numerals, precede the noun, for example the interrogatives ¿cuánto/a? and ¿cuántos/as? b. Adjectives that describe qualities of a noun that somehow make the noun “stand out” usually follow the noun. Adjectives that refer to nationalities are included in this category. un perro bueno. un ayudante trabajador. una joven delgada y morena. un joven español.
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c. The adjectives bueno and malo can be placed before or after the noun that they modify. When they appear before a masculine singular noun, the form is shortened to buen and mal. un buen perro / un perro bueno una buena perra / una perra buena un mal día / un día malo una mala noche / una noche mala
d. The adjective grande can also appear before or after the noun that it modifies. When it precedes a singular noun, either feminine or masculine, it changes to the form gran. Nueva York es una ciudad grande. Nueva York es una gran ciudad.
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6. The present tense of -er and –ir verbs; When to use personal pronouns Verbs that end in -er / -ir Present tense verbs that end in -er and -ir are formed by adding the endings to the root of the verb (the infinitive minus the ending -er/-ir). The personal endings are the same for -er /-ir verbs except in the first and second person plural. comer
vivir
como
vivo
comes
vives
come
vive
comemos
vivimos
coméis
vivís
comen
viven
a. Some of the verbs that end in -er /-ir and are most frequently used in this chapter are: -er
-ir
aprender
abrir
beber
asistir (a)
comer
escribir
comprender
recibir
creer (en)
vivir
deber (+inf.) leer vender Note: the present tense in Spanish can also express actions in the future. Mañana voy a Madrid.
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When to use personal pronouns In Spanish, it is not necessary for the subject of the verb to be explicitly expressed, since the personal verb endings already indicate the subject of the verb. Therefore, pronouns that appear in explicit form are there for emphasis, contrast, or clarification to distinguish the subject of the verb.
•As a clarifier: when the context does not leave a clear indication, the explicit pronoun is used to clearly state the subject of the verb. This frequently happens with the third person, both singular and plural forms. Ud./él/ella compra Uds./ellos/ellas compran •Emphasis: the personal pronoun appears in order to emphasize the subject of the verb. –¿Quién debe pagar? –¡Tú debes pagar! •Contrast: contrast is a special case of emphasis where the opposition or contrast is between the actions of two individuals or groups. Ellos leen mucho; nosotros leemos poco.
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LESSON – 3 7. Possessive adjectives 8. The conjugations for the verbs: tener, venir, preferir, querer and poder 9. Ir; ir + a + infinitivo
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7. Possessive adjectives This is a complete table for all the possessive adjectives in Spanish:
Possessive Adjectives mi libro/mesa
nuestro libro, nuestra mesa
mi/s
nuestro/s mis libros/mesas
nuestros libros, nuestras mesas
tu libro/mesa
vuestro libro, vuestra mesa
tu/s
vuestro/s tus libros/mesas
vuestros libros, vuestras mesas
su libro/mesa
su libro/mesa
su/s
su/s sus libros/mesas
sus libros/mesas
The possessive adjectives mi(s), tu(s) and su(s) agree in number with the noun. Nevertheless, nuestro/a/os/as and vuestro/a/os/as, agree in number and gender with the noun. Es tu bolígrafo.
Es vuestra casa
Son tus libros
Son nuestros hermanos
Son sus gafas
Son nuestras amigas
8. The conjugations for the verbs: tener, venir, preferir, querer y poder tener
venir
preferir
querer
poder
tengo
vengo
prefiero
quiero
puedo
tienes
vienes
prefieres
quieres
puedes
tiene
viene
prefiere
quiere
puede
tenemos
venimos
preferimos
queremos
podemos
tenéis
venís
preferís
queréis
podéis
tienen
vienen
prefieren
quieren
pueden
•The first person singular (yo) for the verbs tener and venir are irregular. However, the first and second person plural (nosotros, vosotros) for all these verbs are regular. • For some forms of the verbs tener, venir, preferir, and querer, the vowel e changes to ie. The vowel o in poder changes to ue. Note: you can see more verbs of this type in the Grammar Session 11. S
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Idioms with the verb “tener” The idioms with the verb tener express a state or condition that a person can experience. Some of the idioms with the verb tener are the following: tener miedo (de) tener prisa (no) tener razón tener sueño
With other idioms like tener que or tener ganas de the verb that follows appears in the infinitive. Tengo ganas de comer. ¿No tiene Ud. que leer este capítulo?
9. Ir; ir + a + infinitivo Ir is an irregular verb in Spanish. ir voy
vamos
vas
vais
va
van
The expression ir + a + infinitivo is used to indicate plans in a nearby future and for plans that are more probable than the verbs conjugated in the future tense. Vamos a comer al restaurante ahora mismo. Van a venir a la fiesta esta noche. The contraction al There are two contractions in Spanish that are formed by the preposition + article. These contractions are obligatory. In Lesson 2 we have already seen del (de + el = del). The other contraction is al (a + el = al). Voy al jardín zoológico. Vamos a la biblioteca.
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LESSON – 4 10. Saber and conocer; The a personal 11. The present tense of stem-changing verbs 12. Reflexive verbs
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10. Saber and conocer; The a personal The conjugations for the verbs saber y conocer in the present tense are the following: saber
conocer
sé
sabemos
conozco
conocemos
sabes
sabéis
conoces
conocéis
sabe
saben
conoce
conocen
Note: the first person in irregular. Now we will look at the different uses for saber and conocer: saber To ask for or to give information: Ud. sabe su número de teléfono, ¿verdad? saber + infinitive To ask or give information on how to do something: ¿Sabes jugar al ajedrez? conocer To indicate familiarity with a person or thing: ¿Conoces a la nueva estudiante francesa? Conozco un buen restaurante cerca de aquí. ¿Quieres conocer al nuevo profesor?
“a” personal In Spanish, the preposition a precedes the direct object when it is a specific person. This is referred to as the personal a. ¿Conoces a Kathy? Llamo a mis padres con frecuencia. Note: With interrogative sentences, the personal a appears before the question words ¿quién? y ¿quiénes? ¿A quién llamas?
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11. The present tense of stem-changing verbs e -> ie
o ->ue
e -> i
pensar (ie)
volver (ue)
pedir (i)
pienso
pensamos
vuelvo
volvemos
pido
pedimos
piensas
pensáis
vuelves
volvéis
pides
pedís
piensa
piensan
vuelve
vuelven
pide
piden
Note: in the present tense for these verbs the vowel in the root changes in all cases except for nosotros and vosotros.
In the vocabulary lists, they will indicate stem–
changing verbs in the following manner: dormir (ue).
Some of the most common stem changing verbs are: e -> ie cerrar (ie) empezar (ie) entender (ie) pensar (ie) perder (ie)
o (u) -> ue almorzar (ue) dormir (ue) jugar (ue) volver (ue) e -> i pedir (i) servir (i) •The verbs empezar, comenzar and volver are followed by the preposition a, when these verbs are followed by an infinitive. Empezar a means `to begin something´ and volver a means `to do something, again.´ Uds. empiezan a hablar bien el español. ¿Cuándo vuelves a jugar al tenis?
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•The verb pensar + infinitive means `to plan to do something´; with the preposition en the meaning becomes `to meditate on something:´ ¿Cuándo piensas contestar la carta? —¿En qué piensas? —Pienso en la tarea para esta noche.
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12. Reflexive verbs In Spanish, there are reflexive verbs where the verb has an object pronoun that agrees in person and number with the subject: me
nos
te
os
se
se
Yo me levanto por la mañana a las 8:00. Luisa se baña dos veces al día. Nosotros nos alegramos del fin del año escolar. Reflexive usually means that the person that receives the action is the same person that does the action: David se lava las manos antes de comer (= ‘David lava las manos a David...’) Tú siempre te miras en el espejo (= ‘Tú siempre te miras a ti mismo...’) bañarse, afeitarse, peinarse, ducharse, pintarse, lavarse, vestirse, ponerse or quitarse (la ropa, las gafas...), mirarse (en el espejo) However, there are other uses that are not reflexive in meaning, but still occur with an object pronoun because they are pronominal verbs: Juan se va del trabajo a las cinco ¿Y vosotros no os alegráis de mi visita? ¿Ustedes se dan cuenta de su error? acostarse, levantarse, despedirse, despertarse, quejarse, enamorarse, marcharse, entristecerse, contentarse, molestarse, preocuparse, darse cuenta, burlarse, etc. Uses bañarse (yo)
me baño
(tú)
te bañas
(Ud./ él/ ella)
se baña
(nosotros/as)
nos bañamos
(vosotros/as)
os bañáis
(Uds./ ellos/ ellas)
se bañan
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Some of these verbs are irregular and have a stem change. acostarse (ue) despertarse (ie) divertirse (ie) dormirse (ue) sentarse (ie) vestirse (i)
Position There are two possible positions for these pronouns: a. Placed before the verb in affirmative sentences, and behind the word no in negative sentences. Me tengo que levantar temprano. No me baño por la mañana. b. Placed at the end of the infinitive: Tengo que levantarme temprano.
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LESSON – 5 13. The present progressive: estar + –ndo 14. Summary of the uses for ser and estar 15. Comparison
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13. The present progressive: estar + –ndo How the present progressive is formed The present progressive is formed with the verb estar plus el gerundio, that you get by adding the ending -ando to the verbs ending in –ar, and the ending -iendo to the verbs ending in –er/–ir.
tomar
tomando
comprender
comprendiendo
abrir
abriendo
Note: the i in the gerund ending has the sound [y]. When there is an i that appears between two vowels it becomes a y: creyendo, leyendo, oyendo. Irregular –ir verbs that stem change, keep their irregular form in the gerund also. preferir
prefiriendo
pedir
pidiendo
dormir
durmiendo
Progressive use In Spanish, you can emphasize an action that is in progress, this is to say, an action that has started but has not yet finished. This is the progressive. The present progressive never indicates the future. Ramón está comiendo (come) ahora mismo. Jorge me está llamando (llama) por teléfono. Compramos la casa mañana. When we describe habitual actions or actions that take place within the present time frame, we normally use the simple present. But when we refer to a precise moment for that action, it is best to use the progressive: Luisa come mucho (habitualmente: la acción se mantiene en el tiempo) Luisa está comiendo en el restaurante (en este momento)
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Pronoun use with the present progressive Reflexive pronouns can appear in two different places: 1. Preceding the verb Pablo se está bañando. 2. Proceeding and connected to the gerund, consequently changing the accentuation of the word. (Note: in reality the accentuation does not change, given that it maintains its accentuation on the same syllable. What happens is that is becomes esdrújula, and must receive a marked accent). Pablo está bañándose.
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14. Summary of the uses for ser and estar. Summary of the uses for ser Ser with nouns: -To identify people and things. Ella es doctora. -To identify nationality Son cubanos. -To express time Son las once. Es la una y media. Ser with prepositional phrases: -To express origin with the preposition de. Son de La Habana. -With the preposition de, to identify the material used to make something. Este bolígrafo es de plástico. -With the preposition para, when expressing motion or destination of something to a person. El suéter es para Sara. -With the preposition de to express possession. Es de Carlota. -With adjectives that express long-lasting characteristics. Ramona es inteligente. -To make generalizations, use only the form es. Es necesario llegar temprano. Es importante estudiar.
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Summary of the uses for estar With prepositional and adverbial phrases: -To indicate location, place. El libro está en la mesa. -To indicate state of health or well-being Estoy muy bien, gracias. With adjectives that express temporary or changing states: -To indicate momentary states Estoy muy ocupada. -To form the present progressive, accompanied by a gerund. Estoy estudiando ahora mismo.
Ser and estar with adjectives a. Ser appears with adjectives that describe long-lasting qualities. Esa mujer es muy baja. Sus dientes son blancos. Este sillón es cómodo. Sus padres son cariñosos. b. Estar is used with adjectives that express the result of a change that is not a basic quality of the noun. The following adjectives are generally used with the verb estar. abierto/a
desordenado/a
ocupado/a
aburrido/a
enfermo/a
ordenado/a
alegre
furioso/a
preocupado/a
cansado/a
limpio/a
seguro/a
cerrado/a
loco/a
sucio/a
contento/a
nervioso/a
triste
Note: Many adjectives can be used with either the verb ser or the verb estar. The use of one over the other depends entirely on the intention of the speaker.
Daniel es guapo. Daniel está muy guapo esta noche. S
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15. Comparison COMPARISONS OF SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY With adjectives and adverbs
más/menos ____ que
With nouns
más/menos ____ que
With verbs
____ más/menos que
COMPARISONS OF EQUALITY With adjectives and adverbs
tan ____ como
With nouns
tanto/a/os/as ____ como
With verbs
____ tanto como
Comparisons with adjectives COMPARISONS OF EQUALITY tan + adjective + como Enrique es tan trabajador como Amalia. COMPARISONS OF SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY más + adjective + que Alicia es más perezosa que Marta. menos + adjective + que Julio es menos listo que Jaime. COMPARISONS OF SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY WITH IRREGULAR FORMS bueno/a mejor malo/a peor mayor (older) menor (younger) Estos coches son buenos, pero esos son mejores. Mi lámpara es peor que esta. Mi hermana es mayor que yo. Mis primos son menores que yo.
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Comparisons with nouns COMPARISONS OF EQUALITY Tanto agrees in gender and number with the noun. tanto/a/os/as + noun + como Alicia tiene tantas bolsas como Pati. Pablo tiene tanto dinero como Sergio. COMPARISONS OF SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY más/menos + noun + que Alicia tiene más/menos bolsas que Susana. We use the preposition de when a number follows the comparison más/menos de + noun Alicia tiene más de cinco bolsas. (Note: in reality, this is not a comparison, it is simply stating the quantity) Comparisons with verbs COMPARISONS OF EQUALITY In these constructions, different from what we have seen in the comparisons with adjectives, the word tanto does not change. Verb + tanto como Yo estudio tanto como mi hermano mayor. COMPARISONS OF SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY Verb + más/menos que Yo duermo más que mi hermano menor. Comparisons with adverbs COMPARISONS OF EQUALITY tan + adverb + como Yo juego al tenis tan bien como mi hermano. COMPARISONS OF SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY más/menos + adverb + que mejor/peor que Yo como más rápido que mi padre. Yo juego al tenis peor que mi hermana.
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LESSON – 6 16. Direct object pronouns 17. Indefinite and negative words 18. Formal commands
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16. Direct object pronouns Direct object pronouns me
nos
te
os
lo
los
la
las
a. Direct object pronouns, directly receive the action expressed by the verb. It is placed before the verb in affirmative sentences and after the word no in negative sentences. Ellos me ayudan. ¿El libro? Diego no lo necesita. The direct object pronoun for third person (lo/s, la/s) is used only when the noun functioning as the direct object in the sentence has already appeared. ¿Dónde están los chicos? Los necesito ahora.
Note: the neuter pronoun lo (that shares the same form for the masculine, third person direct object) can be used to refer to actions, situations or general ideas. Lo sé. No lo creo. b. It can also be placed at the end of an infinitive or the end of a participle: Las tengo que leer Tengo que leerlas Lo estoy comiendo Estoy comiéndolo
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17. Indefinite and negative words Below we provide you with a list of the most common indefinite and negative words. Many of them have been appearing in Tesoros since the beginning. INDEFINITE WORDS algo alguien algún (alguno/a/os/as) siempre también
NEGATIVE WORDS nada nadie ningún (ninguno/a) nunca, jamás tampoco •
Pay attention to the following aspects when using negative words in Spanish. If the negative word appears after the first verb in the sentence, it is necessary to place the word no before the verb. Nevertheless, when the negative word appears before the main verb in the sentence, the word no is not necessary. Look at the following examples: ¿No estudia nadie? ¿Nadie estudia? No estás en clase nunca. Nunca estás en clase. No quieren cenar aquí tampoco. Tampoco quieren cenar aquí.
•In contrast to other adjectives like alguno (shortened form algún), whose plural form algunos is used frequently, the plural form for ninguno (shortened form ningún), which is ningunos, is hardly ever used. Let’s look at the following example: ¿Hay algunos recados para mí hoy? No, no hay ningún recado para Ud.
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18. Formal commands Formal commands are imperative forms that come from the Ud. or Uds. conjugations. These are some of the basic conjugations for the formal commands: hablar
comer
escribir
volver
decir
Ud.
hable
coma
escriba
vuelva
diga
Uds.
hablen
coman
escriban
vuelvan
digan
a. The formal commands are formed by taking the first person singular (yo) in the present tense minus the ending, to which you add the -e for verbs ending in -ar, and a for verbs ending in -er and -ir hablo hable como coma escribo escriba b. Irregular verbs maintain there stem-change when used as formal commands. Pensar piense Ud. Volver vuelva Ud. Pedir pida Ud. c. Verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar suffer a spelling change in order to maintain the sound of -c-, -g-, and -z- . c qu
buscar busque Ud.
g gu
tragar trague Ud.
zc
comenzar comience Ud.
d. Formal commands for verbs that are irregular in the first person singular (yo) in the present tense, still maintain irregular forms in the formal commands. conocer -> conozca Ud.
decir diga Ud.
hacer haga Ud.
oír oiga Ud.
poner ponga Ud.
salir salga Ud.
tener trenga Ud.
traer traiga Ud.
venir venga Ud.
ver venga Ud. e. How to ask for something? It is common in everyday speech to use the simple present in a question to ask for something instead of using formal commands: ¿Me da un vaso de agua? ¿Me quiere traer un vaso de agua? ¿Me trae un vaso de agua? S
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Pronoun placement for formal commands There are two different ways you can place the direct object and atonic pronouns when using formal commands. 1. After the imperative verb, which modifies the accentuation of the word and therefore creates the need for an accent that was not there before. Léalo Ud. Siéntese, por favor.
2. After the word no in negative commands. No lo lea Ud. No se siente.
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LESSON – 7 19. Indirect object pronouns; dar and decir 20. Gustar 21. The indefinite preterite (i.e. the past) of regular verbs and dar, hacer, ir and ser
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19. Indirect object pronouns; dar and decir. Indirect object pronouns share the same form as the direct object pronouns except for third person singular and plural. Indirect Object Pronouns me
(a/para mí)
nos
(a/para nosotros)
te
(a/para ti)
os
(a/para vosotros)
le
(a/para él, ella, Ud.)
les
(a/para ellos, ellas, Uds.)
The indirect object pronouns refer to the person affected by the action expressed by the verb. They normally answer the question, ¿a quién? or ¿para quién? a. Like the direct object pronouns, the indirect object pronouns can be placed in two different places in the sentence. 1. Before the verb in affirmative sentences, yet behind the word no in negative sentences. Te voy a guardar el asiento. No, no te presto el coche. 2. Behind the infinitive or gerund of the verb. Voy a guardarte el asiento. Estoy escribiéndole una carta a Marisol. . b. To emphasize or disambiguate the meaning for the pronoun le/les, it is common to repeat the indirect object after the preposition a followed by a personal pronoun. Voy a mandarle una carta a Ud. (a él, a ella) Les hago una comida a Uds. (a ellos, a ellas) c. Indirect object pronouns are used in commands. In this case, the indirect object pronoun is placed after the verb for affirmative commands and before the verb for negative commands. Sírvanos un café, por favor. No me dé su número de teléfono ahora. Below is a list of the most frequent verbs that have an indirect object. dar (irreg.)
explicar
ofrecer (ofrezco)
prestar
regular
decir (irreg.)
hablar
pedir (i, i)
prometer
servir (i, i)
escribir
mandar
preguntar
recomendar (i, e)
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Dar y decir Dar
decir
doy
damos
digo
decimos
das
dais
dices
decís
da
dan
dice
dicen
Dar and decir are verbs in Spanish that are always used with indirect object pronouns. ¿Cuándo me das el dinero? ¿Por qué no me dice Ud. la verdad, señor? Note: Dar and decir have irregular forms in the imperative (command) form. dar
dé, den
decir
diga, digan
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20. Gustar The verb gustar is used to express likes and preferences. Me gusta viajar. a. Gustar is a verb that is always accompanied by an indirect object pronoun. It is obligatory that the verb agree with the subject of the sentence, that which is pleasing. Me gusta la comida mexicana. Me gustan los viajes en barco. b. When we use a + noun or pronoun in a sentence, it is to clarify the meaning or to give emphasis. This construction normally appears before the indirect object pronoun, but it can also come after the verb. ¿Le gusta a Ud. viajar? A mí me gusta viajar en avión, pero a mi esposo le gusta viajar en coche. More expressions with likes and preferences To express desire, we use the conditional gustaría + infinitive. A mí me gustaría viajar a Colombia. To express intense or extreme like or preference. Me gusta mucho/muchísimo. No me gusta nada. To express something you like to do a lot or something you hate, we use the verbs encantar and odiar. Nos encanta el chocolate. Me encantan las películas de terror Les encanta esquiar en el agua, ¿verdad? Odio el apio. Mi madre odia ir al cine sola. To express interest in something, we use the verb interesar. It is used (constructed) in the same way as gustar and encantar. Me interesa la cultura guatemalteca. S
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21. The indefinite preterite (i.e. the past) of regular verbs and dar, hacer, ir and ser The preterite for regular verbs hablar
Comer
Vivir
hablé
hablamos
comí
comimos
viví
vivimos
hablaste
hablasteis
comiste
comisteis
viviste
vivisteis
habló
hablaron
comió
comieron
vivió
vivieron
Note: the first person plural (nosotros) has the same form in the present; therefore the context determines its meaning. The verbs ending in -car, -gar and -zar suffer a spelling change in the first person singular in order to maintain the same sound. It is the same change that occurs with the imperative form for the formal commands. -car qu
buscar: busqué,...
-gar gu
pagar: pagué,...
-zar c
empezar: empecé,...
In verbs where the conjugation has an -i- between two vowels, it will change to a -y-. creer: creyó, creyeron leer: leyó, leyeron Irregular forms in the indefinite preterite: dar, hacer and ir/ser dar
hacer
ir/ser
di
dimos
hice
hicimos
fui
fuimos
diste
disteis
hiciste
hicisteis
fuiste
fuisteis
dio
dieron
hizo
hicieron
fue
fueron
a. The indefinite endings for dar are the same for the regular forms for –er/-ir, except that there is no accent. b. Hizo appears with z to maintain the sound [θ] in the infinitive. hic- + -o hizo c. Ir and ser have the same forms in the preterite, therefore the context determines the correct meaning. Fui a la playa el verano pasado. Fui agente de viajes. S
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LESSON – 8 22. The preterite for irregular verbs 23. The preterite with verbs that stem change 24. Double object pronouns
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22. The preterite for irregular verbs These are also some of the irregular verbs in the pretérito: estar: estuv--e poder: pud- -e poner: pus-
-e
querer:quis- -e saber: sup-
-e
tener: tuv-
-e
andar: anduv- -e haber: hub- -e
estar estuve
estuvimos
estuviste
estuvisteis
estuvo
estuvieron
When the root of the verb in the preterite ends in -j-, the -i- in the third person plural (ellos/ellas/ustedes) is omitted.
decir: dijconducir: conduj-
[-e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron]
traer: traj-
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23. The preterite with verbs that stem change a. Verbs that end in -ar and -er that have a stem change in the present do not have this stem change in the preterite (nor in the gerund). For example:
Recordar (ue) Present: recuerdo
preterite: recordé
gerund: recordando
Perder (ie) Present: pierdo
preterite: perdí
gerund: perdiendo
b. Verbs that end in -ir that have a stem change in the present have the same change in the preterite conjugation, but only for the third person singular and plural, where the vowels e and o change to i and u, respectively. This change also affects the gerund form for some verbs. pedir (i, i)
Preterite
dormir (ue, u)
pedí
pedimos
dormí
dormimos
pediste
pedisteis
dormiste
dormisteis
pidió
pidieron
durmió
durmieron
Gerund
pidiendo
durmiendo
Some verbs of this type are: conseguir (i, i)
preferir (ie, i)
despedirse (i, i) (de)
reír(se) (i, i)
divertir(se) (ie, i)
sugerir (ie, i)
dormir(se) (ue, u)
sonreír (i, i)
morir(se) (ue, u)
servir (i, i)
pedir (i, i)
sentir(se) (ie, i)
vestir(se) (i, i)
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24. Double object pronouns Pronoun order If the indirect object pronoun and the direct object pronoun combine together in the same sentence, the order is: pro [indirect] + pro [direct] with the same placement as always (before the verb or after the infinitive or gerund). —¿Tienes el dinero? —Sí, me lo dieron. —Sí, acaban de dármelo. —Mamá, ¿está listo el desayuno? —Te lo preparo ahora mismo.
Le(s) se -
The combination for change to se by using the structure preposition + personal pronoun or noun. Se lo escribo a Uds. Se las doy a él. Se lo dije a la vecina S
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LESSON – 9 25. The Imperfect for Regular and Irregular Verbs 26. The difference between the indefinite preterite and the imperfect
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25. The Imperfect for Regular and Irregular Verbs The imperfect is one of the two simple past tenses in Spanish. Unlike the indefinite preterite, by which actions or finished states (i.e. perfectives) are expressed, the imperfect focuses on the durational or habitual aspect of an event in the past. For this reason, the imperfect is normally used when making descriptions about the past or to refer to a physical or mental state, because what is important is the duration of the past event. Forms of the Imperfect cantar
beber
servir
cantaba
cantábamos
bebía
bebíamos
servía
servíamos
cantabas
cantabais
bebías
bebíais
servías
servíais
cantaba
cantaban
bebía
bebían
servía
servían
•Irregular verbs that have a vowel change in the root do not have this stem change in
the imperfect conjugation. recordar (ue) recordaba tener (ie) tenía pedir (i, i) pedía haber había Note: remember that the pronunciation for the ía is not pronounced like a diphthong, but each vowel has its own distinct syllable that helps us remember the accented mark above the i > í-a. •There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect indicative: ir, ser y ver.
ir
ser
ver
iba
íbamos
era
éramos
veía
veíamos
ibas
ibais
eras
erais
veías
veíais
iba
iban
era
eran
veía
veían
When to use the imperfect • To describe habitual acts in the past. Siempre nos quedábamos en aquel hotel. Todos los veranos la familia iba a la costa. • To describe the duration of an event in the past. Yo vivía en París en aquel tiempo. Ayer me dolía el estómago durante el vuelo a Madrid.
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• To express events that repeat. El señor fumaba cigarrillos sin parar. Cerraban y abrían la puerta con mucho ruido. • To express the time in the past, and to express age with the verb tener. Era la una. Eran las dos. Tenía 18 años. • To form the past progressive tense: imperfect of estar + gerund. This verb form can be used in a way to emphasize the on going nature of an event in the past. Anoche a las nueve ya estábamos cenando. ¿No estabas estudiando?
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26. The difference between the indefinite preterite and the imperfect
1. Indefinite preterite • To express actions that start and/or finish in the past (perfective actions). El sábado pasado, el partido de fútbol empezó a la una. Terminó a las cuatro. Imperfect • To express the idea of duration or a habitual action in the past. Había un partido todos los sábados. Muchas personas jugaban todas las semanas. Gritaban mucho, como siempre. 2. Indefinite preterite • To indicate an action completed in the past. El partido duró tres horas. Ganaron Los Lobos de Villalegre. Lo celebraron mucho en los bares de Vallalegre. Imperfect • To express two actions that occurred at the same time in the past. Mientras mi amigo veía el final del partido, hablaba con su novia. Cuando ella estaba saliendo del cuarto, yo estaba entrando. To express that one action took place while the other was in process. In some cases, the indefinite preterite interrupts the on going action already taking place that is expressed in the imperfect. Yo no vi el final del partido. Estaba en la cocina cuando terminó. Cuando ella entró en el cuarto, yo veía la televisión
3. Indefinite preterite • To express a succession of completed actions in the past. Durante el partido, los jugadores corrieron, saltaron y gritaron.
Imperfect • To express different circumstances (time, place, weather, mood, age, physical state or mental...) that surround the main action, the fundamental piece of information that is wanting to be communicated (with the verb in the indefinite preterite):
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Llovía un poco durante el partido. Había muchos espectadores. Todos los jugadores eran jóvenes; tenían 17 ó 18 años. ¡Y todos esperaban ganar! Pero al final, claro, ganó el mejor equipo por 5-0.
4. Determined adverbial expressions that are associated with the indefinite preterite or with the imperfect. • Indefinite preterite: una vez, dos veces,... de repente de la una a las cuarto de la tarde desde aquel entonces • Imperfect: todos los días, todos los lunes,... siempre, frecuentemente, habitualmente mientras de niño/a, de joven De la una a las tres jugaste al tenis. Desde aquel momento empecé a tener problemas con el maestro. Todos los días cenábamos con mis abuelos. De niño jugaba al fútbol.
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LESSON – 10 27. The participle used as an adjective 28. The perfect forms: Present perfect
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27. The participle used as an adjective Forms of the participle The participle is formed by adding –ado to the root of the verbs ending in -ar, and -ido to the root of the verbs ending in –er/-ir. cantar
beber
server
cantado
bebido
servido
caer caído
reír reído
creer creído
sonreír sonreído leer leído
traer traído
oír oído
There are also verbs that have irregular participles; some of them are: abrir: abierto
morir: muerto
cubrir: cubierto
poner: puesto
decir: dicho
resolver: resuelto
descubrir: descubierto
romper: roto
escribir: escrito
ver: visto
hacer: hecho
volver: vuelto
The participle used as an adjective In Spanish, the participle can be used as an adjective that modifies a noun. When it functions as an adjective, just like the rest, it should agree in gender and number with the noun that it modifies. Tengo una bolsa hecha en El Salvador. El español es una de las lenguas habladas en los Estados Unidos. The participle is used after the verb estar to express states that are the result of a previous action. La puerta está abierta. Todos los lápices estaban rotos.
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28. The perfect forms: Present perfect Present perfect indicative he hablado
hemos hablado
has hablado
habéis hablado
ha hablado
han hablado
a. The present perfect indicative is formed by the present conjugation of the verb haber plus the participle for the verb that you want to conjugate. No hemos estado aquí antes. Me he divertido mucho. Ya le han escrito la carta. Note: Haber is utilized as an auxiliary verb and it is not interchangeable with the verb tener. b. The participle for the present perfect is invariable; the element that agrees in number and person with the subject of the sentence is the auxiliary verb haber. The participle and the auxiliary verb haber can never be separated by another element in the sentence. For this reason, indirect and direct object pronouns and the negation no should appear immediately before the auxiliary verb haber. Ella ha cambiado la ropa varias veces. Todavía no le han dado su número. c. The present perfect for the verb haber is ha habido. Ha habido un accidente. Note: Acabar + de + infinitive is utilized to indicate that something has happened recently. El profesor acaba de llegar (‘ha llegado hace un momento’) Using the present perfect We use the present perfect indicative when we refer to a previous event that still has some relationship or relevance to the moment that is mentioned, within the same temporal period. Hoy David se ha levantado a las siete. (Todavía es hoy desde el punto de vista del que habla) S
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Esta semana ha hecho mucho calor. (y tiene relación con la misma unidad temporal) El siglo XXI ha comenzado con muchos desastres (y tiene relación con la misma unidad temporal).
Contrasting the present perfect and the indefinite preterite a. Both refer to a previous event, something that happened before. b. the present perfect is still related to the moment described, within the same temporal period. c. the indefinite preterite only expresses past actions without any temporal relation to the moment described. It expresses absolute anterior action. He terminado el trabajo pronto (evento todavía relacionado con el momento de hablar). Terminé el trabajo pronto (un evento anterior absoluto sin relación con el momento de hablar).
The following images illustrate this difference:
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PRETÉRITO PERFECTO
Esta semana ha sido terrible:
He ido de compras con mi novia,
Allí he asistido a varias reuniones de trabajo
He corrido todos los días para ir al trabajo,
y finalmente he visitado un poco la ciudad
Esta semana (Estoy dentro de esta semana)
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He tomado tres veces el avión a Barcelona.
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INDEFINIDO
Pero ayer fue más tranquilo:
Leí un libro,
toqué un poco la guitarra,
paseé por el campo con mi novia,
fuimos al cine,
estuvimos cenando en un bonito restaurante
y, sobre todo, descansé tranquilamente,
AYER
HOY (Estoy fuera de ayer) S
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LESSON – 11 29. The imperative of tú and vosotros 30. Reciprocal actions with reflexive pronouns
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29. The imperative of tú and vosotros The imperative of tú and vosotros is used to order, ask or advise people with whom one has confidence or familiarity. The affirmative imperative for tú -ar
-er/-ir
Habla
Come
Canta
Escribe
Juega
Pide
a) Many verbal forms for the imperative tú coincide with the third person for the singular form of the present indicative. b) Some verbs have irregular forms in the affirmative imperative. For example: decir: di
salir: sal
hacer: haz
ser: sé
ir: ve
tener: ten
poner: pon
venir: ven
The monosyllabic imperatives for tú do not need an orthographic accent, except those forms that can be confused with other words. For example, the imperative of ser (sé) and dar (dé) need an accent mark so as not to confuse it with the pronoun se or the preposition de. Sé puntual pero ten cuidado. Note: The affirmative verb forms for ir and ver are the same: ve. The context will determine the meaning. ¡Ve esa película! Ve a casa ahora mismo. The affirmative imperative for vosotros The imperative of vosotros is formed by substituting the final –r of the infinitives for a–d -ar
-er/-ir
Hablad
Comed
Cantad
Escribid
Jugad
Pedid
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If the verb is pronominal (alegrarse, sentarse, acostarse, quitarse, bañarse, etc.), in the vosotros you remove the final –d and add the pronoun os: Sentaos en esta silla Quitaos las gafas Poneos el abrigo Vestíos rápidamente The negative imperative The negative imperative is formed with no before the verb in the present subjunctive. No cantes tan fuerte. -ar
-er/-ir
No hables / No habléis
No comas / no comáis
No cantes / No cantéis
No escribas / No escribáis
No juegues /No juguéis
No pidas / No pidáis
Note: Normally, the subject pronoun does not appear, unless for some reason we want to put an emphasis on the person: No, no cantéis vosotros; canta tú, Raquel Using pronouns with the imperatives In the affirmative imperative, the pronouns for the indirect and direct object complements are placed at the end and attached to the verb. Once the pronoun is attached to the verb, the orthographic accent is necessary except when the pronouns are added to a monosyllable. Léela, por favor. Póntelos. Subídmela, pronto. Dile la verdad. Dadme la mano. For the negative imperative, the pronouns are placed before the verb and are separate from it. No lo mires así. No les escribas más cartas. No te la comas toda. No se lo digáis. No os preocupéis, todo va a ir bien S
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30. Reciprocal actions with reflexive pronouns
The plural pronouns, nos, os, and se, can also be used to express reciprocal actions, that is one another to one another. Nos queremos mucho. ¿Os ayudáis en las tareas? Se miraban con intensidad.
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LESSON – 12 31. Forms for the Present Subjunctive 32. The present subjunctive: Introduction 33. The use of the subjunctive: Will 34. The use of the subjunctive: Emotions (feelings, opinions, values)
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31. Forms for the Present Subjunctive We have seen that the verb forms used for expressing formal commands have similar verb forms for the subjunctive.
Singular
Plural
hablar
comer
escribir
decir
volver
hable
coma
escriba
diga
vuelva
hables
comas
escribas
digas
vuelvas
hable
coma
escriba
diga
vuelva
hablemos
comamos
escribamos
digamos
volvamos
habléis
comáis
escribáis
digáis
volváis
hablen
coman
escriban
digan
vuelvan
The personal endings in the present subjunctive are added to the first person of the present indicative except for the ending -o. Verbs that end in -ar receive the ending -e, and verbs ending in -er/-ir receive the ending -a. The root for yo in the present indicative = Root in the present subjunctive -ar -e -er/-ir -a a. Verbs that end in -car, -gar and -zar have an orthographic change in order to keep the sounds -c-, -g- and -z-. -car: c qu -gar: g gu -zar: z c buscar: busque, busques,... pagar: pague, pagues,... empezar: empiece, empieces,... b. Verbs with irregular forms in the first person present indicative maintain their irregularity in first, second and third person in the present subjunctive. conocer: conozca,...
salir: salga,...
decir: diga,...
tener: tenga,...
hacer: haga,...
traer: traiga,...
oír: oiga,...
venir: venga,...
poner: ponga,...
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c. Some verbs have irregular forms in the present subjunctive. dar: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den estar: esté,... haber (hay): haya ir: vaya,... saber: sepa,... ser: sea,... d. Verbs that end in -ar and -er that have a vowel change in the root or stem in the present indicative also have the stem change in the present subjunctive. pensar (ie): piense, pienses, piense, pensemos, penséis, piensen poder (ue): pueda, puedas, pueda, podamos, podáis, puedan e. Verbs that end in -ir that have a vowel change in the root or stem in the present indicative also have the stem change in the present subjunctive in four of its forms and also have another vowel change that is distinct for the nosotros and vosotros. Verbs ending in -ir with a stem change (nosotros and vosotros): ou ei dormir (ue, u): duerma, duermas, duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerman preferir (ie, i): prefiera, prefieras, prefiera, prefiramos, prefiráis, prefieran
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32. The present subjunctive: Introduction Until now, the verb forms that we have seen, except for the commands (the imperative), pertain to the indicative mood. The indicative is the mood of “reality” because it is used to express actions or states that the speaker considers true or real. Sentences in Spanish can be simple or complex. A simple sentence is that which only contains one verb and one main or independent clause. It is always in the indicative (except with the commands). Quiero pan. Vienen los soldados. Complex sentences: Complex sentences are those that contain two or more verbs. They are formed by two or more sentences or clauses: the independent and a dependent sentence or subordinating sentence that, as we will see, can be in the indicative or subjunctive. MAIN CLAUSE
SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
Creo
que
es tarde. (indicativo)
Sé
que
no te gusta este libro. (indicativo)
Quiere
que
compres pan. (subjuntivo)
Espero
que
me visites pronto. (subjuntivo)
¿Dudas
que
puedan venir? (subjuntivo)
The indicative is a mood of what is real or “reality” according to the speaker. With the indicative the speaker can express what he/she wants to declare about what is sure, what he/se perceives, knows, thinks or about what others know or think. INDICATIVE: Estoy seguro de que mañana ganaremos el partido. Veo que estás un poco cansada. Sé que has llegado tarde a la reunión Me han contado que María está en el hospital The subjunctive is a mood of “irreality”, of what is virtual. With the subjunctive the speaker expresses what he/she wants to happen, what he/she wants others to do, what he/she feels or what he/she thinks, for example doubt, negation, probability or other things that are unknown or still in the future at the moment of speaking. Everything expressed is based upon the subjectivity of the speaker.
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SUBJUNCTIVE: Espero que puedas venir a la fiesta. Prefiero que llegues temprano a casa. Dudo que ganemos mañana el partido. Nos gusta que nos traten bien en el restaurante. Me alegro de que estés mejor.
Complex but abbreviated sentences: • Ojála (que) (+ subjunctive) The word ojalá is invariable and means “I hope that/I want that”. It is used with the subjunctive to express the desires or hopes for the first person (yo). The use of que with ojalá is optional. ¡Ojalá (que) yo gane la lotería algún día! ¡Ojalá (que) haya paz algún día! Ojalá (que) no pierdan tu equipaje. Ojalá can also be used as a response to a question. —¿Te va a ayudar Julio a estudiar para el examen? —¡Ojalá! • que (+ subjunctive) To express desire, many times in social formulas of politeness where the main verb (“yo espero que”) is eliminated: ¡Que te mejores! (cuando alguien está enfermo) ¡Que os lo paséis bien! (cuando alguien sale de fiesta, excursión, etc.) ¡Que aproveche! (cuando alguien está comiendo) ¡Que cumplas muchos más! (cuando es el cumpleaños de alguien) ¡Que duermas bien! (cuando alguien se va a dormir)
• quizá(s) tal vez probablemente
(+ indicative / subjunctive)
posiblemente seguramente
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These adverbial expressions are equivalent to the sentence “es posible que…”. If the expression is before the verb, it can be in the indicative (with greater probability) and in the subjunctive (with less probability). Quizá(s) es / sea la persona más simpática que conozco Probablemente iremos / vayamos al concierto. Posiblemente Marisa está / esté en su casa ahora.
Notes: In Spanish, seguramente does not express certainty, but actually denotes probability (= ‘es bastante probable que...’) With the expression a lo mejor (and its colloquial synonyms igual and lo mismo) we always use the indicative (generally in the present, even for a future action): A lo mejor estudio Periodismo. Igual voy esta tarde al cine. Lo mismo viajo el año próximo a Chile.
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33. The use of the subjunctive: Will a. Will: when the speaker wants something to happen, the verb in the main clause appears in the indicative and the verb in the subordinate clause is in the subjunctive. MAIN CLAUSE
SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
Yo quiero
que
tú prepares el viaje.
La profesora prefiere
que
los estudiantes no lleguen tarde.
b. Many verbs express will; some more than others. desear
permitir
insistir en
prohibir
mandar
recomendar (ie)
pedir (i, i) c. There are also impersonal constructions that carry with them this idea of “will”. They too will use the subjunctive in the subordinate clause. Es necesario que + subjunctive
Es importante que + subjunctive
Es urgente que + subjunctive
Es mejor que + subjunctive
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34. The use of the subjunctive: Emotions (feelings, opinions, values) MAIN CLAUSE First subject + indicative
SUBORDINATE CLAUSE second subject + subjunctive
que
(Expression of emotions) Expressions of emotions are accompanied by subordinate clauses with the verb in the subjunctive mood. Esperamos que Ud. pueda asistir. Tengo miedo de que mi abuelo esté enfermo. Es una lástima que no den aumentos este año.
a. These are the most frequent emotion verbs. alegrarse de gustar (me [te, le, …] gusta que…) molestar (me molesta que…) sorprender (me sorprende que…) esperar sentir (ie, i) temer tener miedo (de)
b. These impersonal expressions also go require the verb in the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
es terrible
es ridículo
es mejor/bueno/malo
es increíble
es extraño
es una pena / lástima
¡qué extraño!
¡qué lástima!
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+
que ….
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LESSON – 13 35. The use of the subjunctive: doubt and negation 36. The subjunctive with subordinate relative clauses (or adjectives)
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35. The use of the subjunctive: doubt and negation Main clause
Subordinate clause
First subject + indicative
second subject + subjunctive
que
(expression of doubt or negation) Expressions of doubt and negation are those in which the speaker denies something or does not have a lot of certainty about that which is expressed. These expressions in Spanish are accompanied by the subjunctive in the subordinate clause. No creo que haya guías en el museo. Es imposible que ella esté con él. The following are some of the most frequent expressions of doubt and negation in Spanish: no creer
dudar
no estar seguro/a (de)
negar (ie)
When a new subject is introduced after the expression of doubt, we use the subjunctive in the subordinate clause. The following are some of the most frequent expressions of doubt in Spanish: es posible
es imposible
es probable
es improbable
no es verdad
no es cierto
+
que …
no es seguro Expressions that indicate certainty are accompanied by the indicative in the subordinate clause. Es verdad que cocina bien. Es obvio que Jorge no viene a la reunión. Creemos que el libro es bueno.
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36. The subjunctive with subordinate relative clauses (or adjectives) Each sentence contains two sentences or clauses at the same time: a main (Tengo el abrigo; Es esta la casa), and a subordinate (que llevó Alicia el otro día; que parece un palacio) that modifies the noun in the main clause. This noun that does the modifying is known as the antecedent, and the subordinate clause receives the relative noun (because it is introduced by a relative pronoun: que, quien, el cual, donde, etc.), or also the adjective, now that it modifies the noun, it functions similarly to an adjective. Tengo el abrigo que llevó Alicia el otro día. ¿Es esta la casa que parece un palacio? Sometimes the antecedent for the subordinate adjective clause is something that in the mind of the speaker does not exist or whose existence is not defined or is uncertain. INEXISTANT ANTECEDENT No hay nada que pueda ayudarme. INDEFINITE ANTECEDENT Necesito una casa que sea nueva. (No tengo una casa nueva) EXISTING ANTECEDENT Hay algo aquí que me interesa. INEXISTING ANTECEDENT No veo nada que me interese. DEFINITE ANTECEDENT Hay muchos restaurantes donde sirven comida mexicana auténtica. INDEFINITE ANTECEDENT Buscamos un restaurante donde sirvan comida salvadoreña auténtica. The personal a is used with people that exist and therefore, it is used with the indicative. Look at the difference in use between the indicative and the subjunctive in the following examples. Busco un estudiante que hable chino (hypothetical person, subjunctive) Busco al estudiante que habla chino (known person, indicative)
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LESSON – 14 37. The subjunctive with adverbial conjunctions of condition and purpose 38. The subjunctive and indicative with conjunctions of time
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37. The subjunctive with adverbial conjunctions of condition and purpose When the outcome of one action is dependent upon another, that is to say X will happen if Y occurs, we say that this is a conditional relationship. The following conjunctions express conditional relationships. These conjunctions introduce the subordinate sentence with the verb in the subjunctive. a menos que
en caso de que
antes (de) que
para que
con tal (de) que Again, the event in the subordinate clause has not happened; it is not real yet, therefore it requires the subjunctive. Voy con tal que ellos me acompañen. En caso de que llegue Juan, dile que ya salí. When the subject in the main clause and the subject in the subordinate clause coincide, we use the prepositions antes de and para + infinitive, in place of the conjunctions + subjunctive. (do not conjugate the verb; use the infinitive) PREPOSITION: Estoy aquí para aprender. CONJUNTION: Estoy aquí para que Uds. aprendan. PREPOSITION: Voy a comer antes de salir. CONJUNCTION: Voy a comer antes (de) que salgamos.
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38. The subjunctive and indicative with conjunctions of time a. The subjunctive is used with the subordinate adverbial sentences (that function as adverbs), in order to express when an action will take place in the future. These adverbial sentences are introduced by adverbial conjunctions. Te llamo mañana. (adverb) Te llamo cuando llegue mañana. (Subordinate adverbial sentence) b. Sometimes future actions are expressed with subordinate sentences introduced by the following conjunctions. antes (de) que cuando después (de) que en cuanto hasta que tan pronto como c. In subordinate temporal sentences, after conjunctions of time, the subjunctive is used to express a future action that has not yet occurred. Cuando sea grande/mayor… Cuando tenga tiempo… Cuando me gradúe… These actions in the subordinate sentence are not real, they have not happened yet. In this use of the subjunctive, the verb in the main clause is in the future or present indicative. PENDING ACTION, HASN’T OCCURRED YET (SUBJUNCTIVE): Pagaré las cuentas en cuanto reciba mi cheque. Debo depositar el dinero tan pronto como lo reciba.
d. The indicative is used after these temporal conjunctions when we want to describe habitual actions or completed acts in the past. HABITUAL ACTIONS (INDICATIVE): Siempre pago las cuentas en cuanto recibo mi cheque. Deposito el dinero tan pronto como lo recibo. COMPLETED ACTS IN THE PAST (INDICATIVE): El mes pasado pagué las cuentas en cuanto recibí mi cheque. Deposité el dinero tan pronto como lo recibí. S
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LESSON – 15 39. The verbal forms for the future 40. The verbal forms for the conditional
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39. The verbal forms for the future a. We have seen different ways to express the future in Spanish for example, through the use of the present indicative with future value, and with the form of ir + a + infinitive. Nevertheless, we can also express it by using the verbal forms for the future.
hablar
comer
vivir
hablaré
hablaremos
comeré
comeremos
viviré
viviremos
hablarás
hablaréis
comerás
comeréis
vivirás
viviréis
hablará
hablarán
comerá
comerán
vivirá
vivirán
b. The future is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive of the verb. The endings are: -é
-emos
-ás
-éis
-á
-án
c. The following are irregular verbs in the future: decir: dirhacer: harpoder: podrponer: pondrquerer: querr-
[-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án]
saber: sabrsalir: saldrtener: tendrvenir: vendrhaber: habr-
d. The present indicative and subjunctive can be used for future value. Look at the following examples. Llegaré a tiempo. Llego a las ocho. ¿Vienes a buscarme? No creo que Pepe llegue a tiempo.
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40. The verbal forms for the conditional a. Just like the future, the conditional in Spanish is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive. The endings are: -ía -ías -ía vivir
-íamos -íais -ían comer
hablar
viviría
viviríamos
comería
comeríamos
hablaría
hablaríamos
vivirías
viviríais
comerías
comeríais
hablarías
hablaríais
viviría
vivirían
comería
comerían
hablaría
hablarían
b. Verbs that are irregular in the future form, are also irregular in the conditional. decir: dirhacer: harpoder: podrponer: pondrquerer: querr-
[-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían]
saber: sabrsalir: saldrtener: tendrvenir: vendrhaber: habr-
c. The conditional expresses an unreal hypothesis in the present or in the future. —¿Hablarías español en Brasil? —No. Hablaría portugués (pero no estoy ni voy a estar en Brasil).
La semana próxima me iría al Caribe (pero no tengo dinero). d. The conditional can express the future with respect to an action in the past. Roberto me dice que el año próximo viajará a los Estados Unidos. Robert me dijo que el año próximo viajaría a los Estados Unidos. ¡Ahora mis padres me dicen que mañana iremos a la playa, y no tengo ganas! Ayer me dijeron mis padres que mañana iríamos a la playa
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