Spanish Adjectives

• Spanish Adjectives: Part I

most adjectives change form, depending upon whether the word they modify is masculine or feminine. Notice the difference between “the tall boy” and “the tall girl.”
    el chico alto
    la chica alta

Adjectives also change form depending upon whether the word they modify is singular or plural. Notice the difference between “the tall boy” and “the tall boys” ; “the tall girl” and “the tall girls.”
Notice how the endings of the nouns and these adjectives are similar

    el chico alto
    los chicos altos

Adjectives that end in -e also change form for singular or plural. To form the plural, simply add -s.
la chica inteligente
las chicas inteligentes

Adjectives that end in -e do not, however, change form for masculine or feminine
la chica inteligente
el chico inteligente

most adjectives that end in a consonant do change form for singular or plural, but do not change for masculine or feminine. To form the plural, add -es.

    la chica popular
    el chico popular

http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/adj1

• Adjectives: Part II

Many adjectives of nationality end in -o. These adjectives follow the same rules as other adjectives ending in -o. That is, they have four forms.

    el muchacho mexicano
    la muchacha mexicana

    los muchachos mexicanos
    las muchachas mexicanas

Many other adjectives of nationality end in a consonant.
    el muchacho español
    la muchacha española

    los muchachos españoles
    las muchachas españolas


There is another group of adjectives that does not follow the normal rules. Adjectives ending in -or, -án, -ón, or -ín also have a feminine form
el chico hablador
la chica habladora

los chicos habladores
las chicas habladoras

Adjectives that are descriptive usually follow the noun they describe.
    el chico alto

Adjectives of quantity almost always come before the noun. Such adjectives tell how much or how many.
    pocos libros

Sometimes, a descriptive adjective can precede the noun. If the adjective is descriptive, but speaks of a quality that is inherent and usually taken for granted, the adjective comes first.
    la blanca nieve
    the white snow (snow is inherently white)


http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/adj2

Regular Verbs

• Regular Verbs: Part I

There are three categories of verbs:

    -ar verbs (like hablar)
    -er verbs (like comer)
    -ir verbs (like vivir)


hablar – to speak
yo hablo
    I speak
usted habla
    you speak
nosotros/as hablamos
    we speak
ustedes hablan
    you-all speak

comer – to eat
yo como
    I eat
usted come
    you eat
nosotros/as comemos
    we eat
ustedes comen
    you-all eat


vivir – to live
yo vivo
    I live
usted vive
    you live
nosotros/as vivimos
    we live
ustedes viven
    you-all live

Present tense (indicative) in Spanish means three things.

    Yo hablo inglés:

    I speak English.
    I do speak English.
    I am speaking English.

http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/regverb1

• Regular Verbs: Part II

hablar
tú hablas
    you (familiar) speak
él habla
    he speaks
ella habla
    she speaks
vosotros/as habláis
    you-all (familiar) speak
ellos/ellas hablan
    they speak

comer
tú comes
    you (familiar) eat
él come
    he eats
ella come
    she eats
vosotros/as coméis
    you-all (familiar) eat
ellos/ellas comen
    they eat

vivir
tú vives
    you (familiar) live
él vive
    he lives
ella vive
    she lives
vosotros/as vivís
    you-all (familiar) live
ellos/ellas viven
    they live


http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/regverb2

• Regular Verbs: Part III

To conjugate -ar verbs, drop the ending and add:
    -o
    -as
    -a
    -amos
    -áis
    -an

To conjugate -er verbs, drop the ending and add:
    -o
    -es
    -e
    -emos
    -éis
    -en

To conjugate -ir verbs, drop the ending and add:
    -o
    -es
    -e
    -imos
    -ís
    -en

In Spanish the subject pronouns are not always required. This is because the verb endings can indicate who is performing the action.
Hablo español. (Yo is not necessary.)
I speak Spanish.

Subject pronouns are often used for clarification. For example, the verb form habla is ambiguous.
    Ud. habla
    él habla
    ella habla

http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/regverb3

Subject Pronouns

• Subject Pronouns

yo
    I
usted
    you
él
    he
ella
    she
nosotros
    we
ustedes
    you-all
ellos
    they

Speaking to your teacher: usted
Speaking to your friend: tú

http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/subpro

The Verb Form "hay"

• The Verb Form "hay"

    Hay muchos libros en la biblioteca.
    There are many books in the library.

    Hay un libro encima de la mesa.
    There is a book on the table.


    ¿Hay un hotel en el centro?
    Is there a hotel downtown?

    ¿Hay algunos libros por aquí?
    Are there any books around here?

http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/hay

Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Definite and Indefinite Articles: Part I

the definite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.
el gato
    the male cat
los gatos
    the male cats
la gata
    the female cat
las gatas
    the female cats

The masculine plural definite and indefinite articles (los, unos) are also used to indicate a group of mixed sex. Thus, “los gatos” could refer to a group of 10 male cats, or it could refer to a group of 9 female cats and one male cat.


the indefinite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the
noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.
un gato
    a male cat
unos gatos
    some male cats
una gata
    a female cat
unas gatas
    some female cats

http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/defart1

Plural Forms of Nouns

• Plural Forms of Nouns

If a noun ends in a vowel, make it plural by adding -s.

libro: libros
    (libro + s)

The definite articles (el, la) also change in the plural form. They become “los” and “las.”

If a noun ends in a consonant, make it plural by adding -es.
la universidad: las universidades
    (universidad + es)
el profesor: los profesores
    (profesor + es)

If a noun ends in -ión, add -es and drop the written accent.
el avión: los aviones
la conversación: las conversaciones


If a noun ends in -z, add -es and change the z to c.
la voz: las voces
la actriz: las actrices

When the plural refers to two or more nouns of different genders, the masculine plural is used.
1 gato + 8 gatas = 9 gatos (not gatas)

These compound nouns are always masculine, and the plural is formed by changing the “el” to “los.”
el abrelatas
los abrelatas

http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/plnoun

Gender of Nouns

• Gender of Nouns: Part I

In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine.
Masculine Feminine
el chico la chica

“El” and “la” both mean “the.”
These two words (el, la) are called “definite articles.”
Nouns that end in -o are usually masculine. Nouns that end in -a are usually feminine. Notice the word usually! There are exceptions to these two rules and you will soon be learning them.
One cannot predict the gender of a noun that stands for a non-living thing.
http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/genoun1

• Gender of Nouns: Part II

Masculine nouns that end in a consonant often have a corresponding feminine form that ends in -a.
el profesor
la profesora

Some nouns that refer to people use the same form for both masculine and feminine. These nouns indicate gender by the article (el or la).
el estudiante
la estudiante

Nouns that end in -sión, -ción, -dad, -tad, -tud, -umbre are feminine.
la decisión
la habitación
la ciudad
la libertad
la gratitud
la certidumbre


Some nouns that end in -a are masculine.
el problema


Many nouns that end in -ma are masculine
el sistema


http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/genoun2