The Spanish Reference Guide
T H E
S P A N I S H
R E F E R E N C E
G U I D E
The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 1
The Spanish Alphabet
a a j jota r ere
b be, be larga k ka rr erre
c ce l ele s ese
ch che ll elle t te
d de m eme u u
e e n ene v ve, ve corta,uve
f efe ñ eñe w doble ve, uve doble
g ge o o x equis
h hache p pe y i griega
i i q cu z zeta
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Titles Of Address
The definite articles, el or la, must precede a title when talking about someone.
Es la doctora Sánchez. She is Dr. Sánchez.
El profesor Díaz es bueno. Professor Díaz is good.
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Spanish Numbers
0 cero 13 trece 26 veintiséis
1 uno 14 catorce 27 veintisiete
2 dos 15 quince 28 veintiocho
3 tres 16 dieciséis 29 veintinueve
4 cuatro 17 diecisiete 30 treinta
5 cinco 18 dieciocho 31 treinta y uno
6 seis 19 diecinueve 40 cuarenta
7 siete 20 veinte 50 cincuenta
8 ocho 21 veintiuno 60 sesenta 101 ciento y
9 nueve 22 veintidós 70 setenta uno
10 diez 23 veintitrés 80 ochenta 154 ciento
11 once 24 veinticuatro 90 noventa cincuenta
12 doce 25 veinticinco 100 cien y cuatro
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Notes:
1) The number uno, even if it is tacked on (as in veintiuno) becomes un before
masculine nouns and una before feminine nouns.
2) The numbers 16-29 are usually written as one word, but they may be written
as three: diez y ocho, veinte y cinco, etc.
3) The numbers 30-99 must be written as three words.
4) Cien is an even hundred. Numbers from 100-199 are written as ciento and
the remaining number: ciento y uno, ciento cincuenta y cuatro.
5) Mathematical Expressions:
y/mas (+) menos (-) es/son (=) por (x) dividido por (/)
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Subject Pronouns
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Notes:
1) Subject pronouns are usually omitted in Spanish but are often used for clarity,
emphasis, or contrast.
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The Verb SER (to be) - A Beginning
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The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 3
Notes:
1) Ser is used to define or identify. It is always used to express nationality or
profession. Ser de is used to express origin.
Yo soy americano. I am American.
Él es de Panamá. He is from Panama.
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Present Tense of -AR Verbs
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Notes:
1) The present indicative of any Spanish verb has 3 possible English
equivalents:
{ I buy new clothes
Compro ropa nueva { I am buying new clothes.
{ I do buy new clothes.
2) As in English, a Spanish present-tense verb may have a future meaning.
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Articles And Nouns : Gender And Number
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Notes:
1) Articles must agree in number (singular/plural ) and gender
(masculine/feminine ) with the noun they accompany.
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2) Generally, nouns that end in -o are masculine, and those ending in -a, -dad,
and -cion are feminine.
el cepillo the brush
la universidad the university
la camisa the shirt
la televisión the television
Some important exceptions are:
la mano the hand el sistema the system
el día the day el tema the theme
el problema the problem el mapa the map
el programa the program el poema the poem
el drama the drama
3) Sometimes, the same noun is used for both genders. In these cases, the gender
is determined by the article that is used before the noun.
el/la turista el/la periodista
el/la dentista el/la artista
4) Many nouns, especially those ending in -e or a consonant, do not have
predictable genders and must be memorized.
el suéter the sweater el traje the suit
el viaje the trip la tarde the afternoon
5) All plural nouns end in -s or -es. Plurals are formed as follows:
Singular nouns that end in a vowel form their plurals by adding -s.
Singular nouns that end in a consonant for their plurals by adding -es.
A final -z always changes to -c before adding -es.
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Present Tense Of-ER And-IR Verbs
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The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 5
The Verb Hay
The verb hay, from haber, doesn't take personal subjects. In the present indicative, it means there is or there are. In a question, ¿Hay?, it means Is there? or Are there?
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Days Of The Week, Months, And Seasons
1) The days of the week aren't capitalized in Spanish and are considered
masculine :
lunes Monday viernes Friday
martes Tuesday sábado Saturday
miércoles Wednesday domingo Sunday
jueves Thursday
2) The months (los meses) are the same way :
enero abril julio octubre
febrero mayo agosto noviembre
marzo junio septiembre dicembre
Note: Dates (las fechas) are given using the following formula :
el (numero) de (mes) de (año)
3) The seasons :
el otoño fall la primavera spring
el invierno winter el verano summer
4) To say something happens on a particular day, use a definite article. The
preposition en is used to say something happens in a particular month or
season.
No hay clases los sábados. There are no clases on Saturdays.
Hay una fiesta el lunes. There is a party on Monday.
Hace frío en enero. It's cold in January.
En verano, me gusta nadar. In the summer, I like to swim.
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Four Irregular Verbs : Tener, Salir, Ir, Dar
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Notes:
1) When tener is followed by an infinitive, it becomes tener que and means
to have to or must :
Tengo que comprar un coche. I have to (must) buy a car.
2) Ir a plus an infinitive has a future meaning :
Voy a hacerlo mañana. I'm going to (will) do it tomorrow.
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Telling Time
1) The word time in Spanish is hora, which is always feminine. To tell the hour,
es is used ONLY with la una; otherwise, son followed by the hour is used.
¿Qué hora es? What time is it?
Es la una. It's one o'clock.
Son las doce. It's twelve o'clock.
2) Minutes from the hour to the half hour are connected with y. Between the half
hour and the next hour, minutes are subtracted from the hour and connected
with menos.
2:24 Son las dos y veinticuatro.
12:42 Es la una menos dieciocho.
3) Cuarto means quarter hour, and media means half past (thirty) :
Yo salgo a las tres y media y I leave at 3:30 and
vuelvo a las diez menos cuarto. return at quarter to ten.
4) To say something happens at a particular time, use a las (See #3 above).
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5) The phrase de la mañana/tarde/noche is only used when stating a specific
time; otherwise use por in place of de.
Yo llego a las dos de la mañana. I arrive at 2 am.
Yo llego por la tarde. I arrive in the afternoon.
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Verbs Of Motion
Verbs of motion always use a to indicate movement to or arrival at a place and de to indicate movement from a particular place :
El lunes regreso de España a México. Monday I return from Spain to Mexico.
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Adjectives : Number, Gender, And Position
1) Masculine, singular adjectives ending in -o have four possible forms :
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2) Neutral adjectives have only two possible forms :
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3) Adjectives of nationality ending in a consonant add -a or -as to form the
feminine adjectives and -es to form the masculine plural :
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4) The colors :
rojo, colorado red negro black
anaranjado orange gris gray
amarillo yellow morado purple
verde green marrón, pardo brown
azul blue rosado pink
blanco white castaño chestnut
Note: When colors function as adjectives, they follow the same rules as other
adjectives. When they function as nouns, the masculine, singular form is
used with the definite article.
El rojo es mi color favorito. Red is my favorite color.
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Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they describe.
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Notes:
1) Less common demonstratives are aquel, aquella, aquellos, and aquellas
which mean that/those and are used when the object is seen as being far
away from the speaker.
2) By putting an accent over the first e in any of these changes the meaning. It's
sort of like saying this/these/that/those one(s) as when pointing at something.
3) The forms of éste are often user to mean the latter, and the forms of ése or
aquél mean the former.
4) You may also use esto, eso, and aquello as neuter demonstratives. They don't
refer to a specific noun, but to something already mentioned, a general idea, or
something unidentifiable to the speaker.
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Certain verbs undergo an e->ie, o->ue, or an e->ie vowel change in all forms, except nosotros and vosotros, whenever the stem vowel is stressed.
[pic] [pic] [pic]
Notes:
1) There is one verb in Spanish, JUGAR, that undergoes a u->ue change.
2) After a while, you will be able to tell which verbs should undergo a change
simply by sounding out the choices.
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Numbers Above 200
200 doscientos 1.207 mil dos cientos y siete
300 trescientos 2.000 dos mil
400 cuatrocientos 12.032 doce mil treinta y dos
500 quinientos 99.098 noventa y nueve mil noventa y ocho
600 seiscientos 130.032 ciento treinta mil treinta y dos
700 setecientos 500.000 quinientos mil
800 ochocientos 1.000.000 un millón
900 novecientos 12.000.000 doce millones
1.000 mil 25.100.200 veintiséis millones cien mil doscientos
Notes:
1) If the numbers 200-900 precede a feminine noun, they end in -as.
307 camisas trescientas y siete camisas
450 blusas cuatrocientas cincuenta blusas
2) Mil means one thousand or thousand. It is never preceded by un, and its
plural is never used when counting.
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3) An even million is always expressed as un millión and its plural is millones.
When a number above a million precedes a noun, it is always followed by de.
4.000.000 perros cuatro millones de perros
4) As seen above, periods instead of commas set off sets of three numbers.
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Comparisons Of Equality
Tanto (a,os,as)...como (as much/many...as ) is used to compare nouns. Tanto is the adjective and always agrees with the noun being compared.
Pago tanto alquiler como tú, pero I pay as much rent os you do, but
no pagas tantas cuentas como yo. you don't pay as many bills as I do.
Tan...como (as...as ) is used to compare adjectives or adverbs.
Esta falda es tan cara como esa falda. This skirt is as expensive as that skirt.
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Tener Idioms
An idiom is a group of words with a clear meaning in one language that makes no sense when translated into another.
This is a list of idioms with tener that are usually expressed with the verb to be in English.
tener calor to be hot
tener frío to be cold
tener hambre to be hungry
tener miedo de to be afraid of
tener prisa to be in a hurry
tener razón to be right
no tener razón to be wrong
tener sed to be thirsty
tener...años to be...years old
tener sueño to be sleepy
tener que + infinitive to have to (do something)
tener ganas de + infinitive to feel like (doing something)
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Hacer In Time Expressions
To describe an action that began in the past and is still going on, use the following formula.
Hace + (time period) + que + (present tense verb)
Hace dos horas que trabajo. I have been working for 2 hours.
The English equivalent is:
to have been + (-ing verb) + (time period)
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The Verb Estar
Estar is used to tell where someone or something is located and to describe how someone is feeling or their condition. It's also used with the present participle to form the present progressive tense.
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Interrogative Words
¿Cómo? How?, What? ¿Cuánto/a? How much?
¿Cuál(es)? Which one(s)?, What? ¿Cuántos/as? How many?
¿Cuándo? When? ¿Qué? What?, Which?
¿Dónde? Where? ¿Quién(es)? Who?
¿Por qué? Why? ¿Adónde? To where?
Notes:
1) All interrogative words require a written accent. When they don't have one,
they function as conjunctions or relative pronouns.
No sé dónde vives I don't know where you live.
Escucho música cuando ando. I listen to music when I walk.
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2) ¿Cuál(es)? meaning what is used instead of qué before the verb ser when
the verb is followed by a noun, except when the definition of a word is being
asked for.
¿Cuál es tu dirección? What's your address?
¿Qué es la bioligía? What's biology?
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Present Participles And The Present Progressive Tense
1) In English, the present participle is the -ing form of a verb. In Spanish, it is
formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding -ando to -ar verbs
and -iendo to -er and -ir verbs.
estudiar : estudiando studying
correr : corriendo running
2) There are irregularities. The -iendo ending becomes -yendo whenever the
stem of the infinitive ends in a vowel.
leer : leyendo reading
traer : trayendo bringing
3) Present participles of stem-changing -ir verbs undergo a one-vowel change,
e to i or o to u.
durmiendo siguiendo repitiendo pidiendo
muriendo diciendo sirviendo vistiendo
4) The present progressive tense is formed with estar and a present
participle.
Ella está estudiando. She is studying.
5) In Spanish, the present progressive tense is used to talk about something that is happening at
the moment. In English, it may be used to talk about the future: I am going tomorrow. In
Spanish, you would used the present indicative tense to say this: Voy mañana.
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Absolute Superlative
To express a high degree of something (extremely, exceptionally, or very, very), add the ending -ísimo(a,os,as) to the singular form of an adjective. Final vowels are always dropped.
interesante interesantísimo (a,os,as)
Whenever the singular form of an adjective ends in -co/a or -go/a, a spelling change occurs in the superlative form: c becomes qu and g becomes gu.
rico riquísimo largo larguisimo
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Saber vs. Conocer
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Notes:
1) Conocer is always used when speaking of knowing a person or being familiar
with a place or thing.
2) Saber is used when speaking of knowing factual information. When saber is
followed by an infinitive, it means to know how to do something.
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Ser vs. Estar
Ser is used:
1) With adjectives to describe physical attributes, personality, and inherent
characteristics.
2) To identify people or things.
3) To express origin and nationality.
4) To tell what material something is made of.
5) To tell time.
6) With impersonal expressions.
7) To indicate location of events (meaning to take place ).
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Estar is used:
1) With adjectives to describe temporal evaluation of states of being behavior, and
conditions.
2) To indicate location of people and things.
3) To form the progressive tense.
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Comparisons Of Inequality
With the exception of four irregular forms, comparisons are made with más and menos. Más is the comparative of superiority, and menos is the comparison of inferiority. The form is :
más/menos + (adjective/noun/adverb) + que
Mi hermana es más loca que tú. My sister is crazier than you.
Mi coche es menos caro que tú coche. My car is less expensive than your car.
The four irregular comparitives are:
mayor older mejor better
menor younger peor worse
¿Quién es mayor? Who is older?
Soy menor que ella. I am younger than her.
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Prepositions
Simple Compound
a to, at antes de before
con with cerca de near
de of, from debajo de under
en in, at detrás de behind
entre between delante de in front of
por for, by en frente de facing, opposite
para for, by lejos de far from
sobre on, above al lado de next to, beside
después de after
a la derecha (de) to the right (of)
a la izquierda (de) to the left (of)
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Possessive Adjectives
Unlike English, possessive adjectives in Spanish must agree in number with the person, place, or thing possessed. Nuestro and vuestro must also agree in gender.
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Usually the context will clarify any confusion that may result from using su/sus. If the context still doesn't help, one of the following combinations of de + pronoun is used instead of su/sus:
de usted your
de él his
de ella her
de ustedes your
de ellos their
de ellas their
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End of Part 1
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Direct/Indirect Object Nouns And Pronouns
Direct object nouns and pronouns answer the question whom? or what? in relation to the verb of the sentence. Direct object pronouns replace direct object nouns. The direct object pronouns are:
Singular Plural
me me nos us
you (tú ) te os you all (vosotros )
him, it, you (ud., mas.) lo los them, you (uds., mas.)
her, it, you (uds., fem.) la las them, you (uds., fem.)
Indirect object pronouns answer the question to whom/what? or for whom/what? in relation to the verb. The indirect object pronouns are:
Singular Plural
to/for me me nos to/for us
to/for you (tú ) te os to/for you all (vosotros )
to/for her, him, you (uds. ) le les to/for them, you (uds., fem.)
Notes:
1) Direct/indirect object pronouns must be placed directly in front of a
conjugated verb, however, it may follow and be attached to an infinitive
or a present participle.
2) Whenever the object is a specific person or persons, an a is always placed
before it. The a is never translated into English.
3) Both the indirect object noun and pronoun may be included in a sentence
for emphasis or clarity when using le or les. The preposition a always
precedes the indirect object noun, but isn't translated into English.
4) When object pronouns are used with affirmative commands, they also follow
and are attached to the verb.
5) When both a direct and an indirect object pronoun are in a sentence, the two
pronouns must always be together with the indirect preceding the direct.
Nothing can separate them! However, if both pronouns begin with the
letter 'l', the indirect pronoun changes to se.
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6) If an attached pronoun changes the accent of a word, a written accent is put
over where the accent would occur without the attachment. Ex: Sírvanosla
7) If a pronoun comes after most prepositions, the following demonstratives are
used:
mí me nosotros/as us
ti you (familiar) vosotros/as you (familiar)
él him ellos them
ella her ellas them
Ud. you (formal) Uds. you (formal)
sí himself/herself/yourself (formal) sí themselves/yourselves (formal)
8) After entre, come, and que, the subject pronouns are used. After con, the pronouns mí, ti,
and sí change form: con + mí/ti/sí=conmigo/contigo/consigo.
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Irregular -go Verbs
|Tener |Salir |Hacer |Traer |Poner |Decir |Venir |Oir |
|tengo |salgo |hago |traigo |pongo |digo |vengo |oígo |
|tienes |sales |haces |traes |pones |dices |vienes |oyes |
|tiene |sale |hace |trae |pone |dice |viene |oye |
|tenemos |salimos |hacemos |traemos |ponemos |decimos |venimos |oímos |
|tenéis |salís |hacéis |traéis |ponéis |decís |venís |oís |
|tienen |salen |hacen |traen |ponen |dicen |vienen |oyen |
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The Verb Gustar
The verb gustar means to be pleasing to and is equivalent to like in English. The forms of gustar are always preceded by an indirect object pronoun. Gustar's form will be determined by what is liked, not whom or what likes it.
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Weather Expressions
1) Hacer, estar, and hay are commonly used to describe weather conditions.
Some examples are:
¿Qué tiempo hace? What's the weather like?
Hace mucho frío. It's really cold.
Sí, pero no hace viento. Yes, but it's not windy.
Está lloviendo. It's raining.
Hay neblina hoy. There's fog today.
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2) The verb tener is used to describe how a person feels as a result of the
weather.
¿Tienes frío? Are you cold?
Tengo calor. I'm hot.
3) The verb estar is used to describe someone's condition as a result of the
weather.
Estoy sudando. I am sweating.
Está enfermo. He is sick.
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Mucho And Poco
Mucho and poco can describe a noun or verb. When describing a noun, they act like adjectives and have to agree in number and gender with the noun being described.
Hay muchas tiendas, There are many stores,
pero poco dinero. but little money.
When mucho and poco describe a verb, they are adverbs and their forms do not vary.
Ando mucho en mi casa. I walk a lot in my house.
Como poco en mi coche. I eat little in my car.
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Reflexive Verbs
A verb is called reflexive if the subject gets the action of the verb. A reflexive pronoun, which must agree in person and number with the subject of the verb, always accompanies the reflexive verb.
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Notes:
1) Reflexive pronouns precede a conjugated verb and are attached to
infinitives, present participles, and affirmative commands.
2) Many verbs can be made reflexive by adding the pronoun se.
3) Accents may have to be added to keep stress on the right syllables.
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Por and Para
The prepositions por and para have many English equivalents, but are not
synonymous.
POR PARA
1. By, by means of 1. In order to
2. Through, along, on 2. For : compared with in relation to others
3. Because of 3. For : intended for, to be given to
4. During, in 4. For : in the direction of, toward
5. For : in place of, in exchange for 5. For : by a specified time
6. For : for a period of time 6. For : in one's opinion
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Preterite Of Regular Verbs
The preterite is used to describe an act that has already occurred. It focuses
on the beginning, the end, or the completed aspect of an act. The preterite is
translated in English as the simple past or as did + verb.
[pic] [pic]
Notes:
1) All stem-changing -ar and -er verbs in the present tense are regular in the
preterite.
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Preterite Of Verbs With Spelling Changes
To keep the constant sound of the infinitive, verbs that end in -car, -gar, and -zar undergo a spelling change in the preterite, and actually in any situation where this occurs.
-car : c changes to qu in front of e
-gar : g changes to gu in front of e
-zar : z changes to c in front of e
Notes:
1) Whenever an unstressed i occurs between two vowels, it becomes y. NOT
leió -> leyó
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Preterite of Ir, Ser, Decir and Hacer
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Impersonal Se
In English, certain subjects such as you, one, and they are often used in a
general sense and don't refer to a specific person. These impersonal subjects
are expressed in Spanish with se and a verb in the third person singular. This
structure is common in ads, recipes, and on signs.
Se aquila apartamento. Apartment for rent
Se necesita secretaria. Secretary wanted
Se habla español. Spanish spoken
Se prohibe fumar. No smoking
Also, to say that something is done without mentioning by whom, use se plus the third person singular or plural. This is the same as the passive in English.
Se venden manzanas. Apples are sold there
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Adverbs Derived From Adjectives
1) Adverbs are commonly made from adjectives by adding -mente to the
feminine form. This is equivalent to the -ly form in English. Written accents
are only required if they appear on the adjective form.
tranquilo/a tranquilamente tranquilly
rapido/a rápidamente rapidly
2) Adjectives that are neutral add -mente to the singular form.
igual igualmente equally
3) When two or more adverbs occur in a series, only the last one has the -mente
ending; the others use the feminine form of the adjectives.
4) Remember that adverbs are normally placed before the adjective or after
the verb they modify.
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Negative And Indefinite Expressions
nada nothing algo something, anything
nadie no one, nobody alguien someone, anyone
ninguno none, not any alguno some, any
nunca never alguna vez some
jamás never también also
o...o either...or ni...ni neither...nor
tampoco neither
Notes:
1) Alguno and ninguno are adjectives and must agree with the words they
modify. As with all numbers ending in -uno, the -uno becomes -un when it
precedes a masculine, singular noun : algún, ningún.
2) A double negative construction is often used in Spanish. Whenever a
negative word follows the verb, another negative, usually no, must precede
the verb.
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Irregular Verbs In The Preterite
i-stem verbs
hacer hic-
querer quis- -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
venir vin-
u-stem verbs
anadar anduv-
estar estuv-
haber hub-
poder pub- -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
poner pus-
saber sup-
tener tuv-
j-stem verbs
decir dij-
producir produj- -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron
traer traj-
Notes:
1) The preterite of hay is hubo (there was, there were ). As in the present
indicative, it has only one form for both singular and plural.
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Preterite Of Stem-Changing -IR Verbs
-Ir verbs whose stem changes in the present indicative have a stem change in the third person singular and plural forms of the preterite. The vowel changes: e ->i or o->u. For example, dormir, which has a stem change, has the following third person preterite conjugation:
singular: durmió plural: durmieron
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Imperfect Of Regular And Irregular Verbs
There are no stem-changing verbs in the imperfect!!
[pic] [pic]
The imperfect of hay is había (there was, there were, there used to be ),
from haber. Also, there are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect: ser, ir,
and ver.
[pic]
The imperfect has several English equivalents:
I worked every day.
Trabajaba todos los días. I was working every day.
I used to work every day.
I would work every day.
Notes:
1) Like the preterite, the imperfect is used to talk about something that has
already occurred. However, the imperfect focuses on the continuance of
an act or on an act in progress rather than a completed act. Continuance
includes repeated, habitual action; background action; actions in
progress; and certain physical, mental or emotional states.
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Preterite Vs. Imperfect
Preterite Imperfect
Focus on beginning. Focus on continuance.
Focus on ending. Habitual or customary acts.
Focus on completed acts. Series of habitual acts.
Series of completed acts. Certain physical or mental states.
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End of Part 2
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Commands
Commands are used to order someone to do or not to do something. Tú commands are used with people with whom you are familiar or whom you address as tú. In general, the affirmative tú command is identical to the 3rd person singular of the present indicative. Object and reflexive pronouns always follow and are attached to affirmative commands. The placement follows this order : reflexive, indirect, direct. There are eight irregular affirmative tú forms.
decir di salir sal tener ten ser sé
venir ven hacer haz poner pon ir ve
Notes:
1) Accents may be needed to maintain the original stress
2) To form a negative tú command, drop the final -o from the 1st person
singular of the present indicative and add -es to -ar verbs and -as to -er
and -ir verbs. Reflexive and object pronouns must precede the verb in
negative commands.
3) To form usted and ustedes commands, use the 3rd person singular and
plural, respectively, in the subjunctive form (See pg. 26).
4) Nosotros commands use the subjunctive nosotros form.
5) Vosotros commands are formed by replacing the -r on an infinitive with -d.
6) The form ¡A + Infinitive! may be substituted for ANY command.
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Past Participles Used As Adjectives
The past participle of most verbs in English is formed by adding -ed to the verb. In Spanish, they are formed by adding -ado to the stem of -ar verbs and -ido to the stem of -er and -ir verbs.
caminar to walk caminado walked
salir to leave salido left
Frequently used irregular past participles include :
abrir abierto morir morido cubrir cubierto
poner puesto decir dicho resolver resuelto
escribir escrito romper roto hacer hecho
ver visto imprimir impreso volver vuelto
The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 26
Notes:
1) Verbs whose stem ends in -a, -e, or -o require a written accent : leer leído
2) Past pasticiples may be used as adjectives and must agree in gender and
number with the modified noun.
3) The past participle is often used as an adjective with the verb estar.
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Present Perfect
As in English, the present perfect tense in Spanish is a compound past tense. It is formed by combining the present indicative, present subjunctive, or imperfect of haber with the past participle. You may also form other 'perfect' tenses by changing the tense of haber.
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Present Subjunctive
The subjunctive tense is used for statements that reflect doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty. The endings are as follows :
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Notes:
1) The subjunctive tense usually occurs in a secondary clause which is often
introduced by que. The verb in the main clause is usually in the indicative.
Main Clause (Indicative) + QUE + Dependent Clause (Subjunctive)
2) The endings are added to the yo form of the verb minus the -o, so even verbs
whose yo forms end in -go follow the rule.
The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 27
3) Whenever the verb in the main clause expresses a request, a suggestion, a
command, or a judgement, the verb in the second, dependent clause is
expressed in the subjunctive, provided there is a subject change.
Expressions of certainty do not use the subjunctive.
4) The expressions ojalá, quizá(s), and tal vez are always followed by the
subjunctive when the speaker wishes to express doubt about something, and
que isn't necessary.
5) The verbs creer and pensar are followed by the indicative only when used
affirmatively.
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Present Subjunctive Of Stem-Changing Verbs
Stem-changing -ar and -er verbs follow the same stem changes in the present subjunctive as in the present indicative, so, the stems of nosotros and vosotros do not change. Stem-changing -ir verbs follow the same pattern in the present subjunctive, except for nosotros and vosotros. These change e->i or o->u.
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Present Subjunctive Of Irregular Verbs
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The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 28
Comparatives And Superlatives
In English, the superlative is formed by adding -est to adjectives or by using the most or the least to describe something. In Spanish, add the definite article el, la, los, or las before más/menos, mayor/menor, and menor/peor.
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Future Tense Of Regular Verbs
In English, the future is usually expressed with the auxillary verbs will or shall. The future tense in Spanish is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive of most verbs :
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Future Tense Of Verbs With Irregular Stems
Instead of the infinitives, use the following stems for the associated verbs :
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The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 29
Subjunctive In Adverb Clauses
In Spanish, certain conjunctions are always followed by the subjunctive. Note that they are used to relate events that may or may not happen, therefore, they require the subjunctive.
en caso (de) que in case sin que without
con tal (de) que provided (that) antes (de) que before
a fin de que so that a no ser que unless
para que so that a menos que unless
a condición (de) que on the condition that a que so that
Certain adverbial conjunctions may be followed by either the subjunctive or the indicative. The subjunctive follows these expressions when describing a future or hypothetical action or something that hasn't ocurred yet. The indicative is used to describe habitual or known facts.
aunque although en cuanto as soon as
cuando when tan pronto como as soon as
donde (adonde) where así que as soon as
después (de) que after hasta que until
mientras (que) while a la vez que at the same time
como as; however según as; according to
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Conditional Of Regular And Irregular Verbs
The conditional is used to state conditions under which an action may be completed. In English, the conditional is expressed with would : I would go if... In Spanish, the conditional is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive of most verbs :
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As far as irregular forms go, they are the same ones as in the future tense, except they use the endings shown above.
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The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 30
Past Subjunctive
The past subjunctive of all verbs is formed by removing the -ron ending from the ustedes form of the preterite and adding the past subjunctive verb endings :
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Note that the nosotros form requires a written accent on the vowel before the ending. You may also see an alternative form of the past subjunctive endings :
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These are mostly used in Spain and literary writing.
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Conditional Sentences With Si-Clauses
In Spanish, as in English, conditional sentences that express hypothetical conditions usually begin with an if-clause. Since the actions are hypothetical, the past subjunctive is used in the if-clause.
Iría a México si tuviera el dinero. I'd go to Mexico if I had the money.
Notes:
1) Never use the present subjunctive in an if-clause. Use either the present
indicative or future tense if you need to.
Se me invitas, iré contigo. If you invite me, I'll go.
2) Use the past subjunctive whenever willing, emotion, or uncertainty are
expressed in the main clause of a sentence in the past tense. It is used in the
subordinate clause.
Yo dudé que él viniera. I doubted that he would come.
The Spanish Reference Guide By Alan Watkins Page 31
Present Subjunctive In Adjective Clauses
When a clause is used as an adjective to describe a person, place, or thing, the verb of that clause may be in the subjunctive or in the indicative. If the person, place, or thing isn't known to exist, the verb must be in the subjunctive. If the person, place, or thing is known to exist, the verb in the adjective clause must be in the indicative.
Busco a alguien que hable ruso. I'm looking for someone who speaks Russian.
(Not known to exist)
Contratamos a un secretario We hired a secretary who knows shorthand.
que sabe taquigrafía.
Notes:
1) Since negative antecedents always refer to the nonexistant, the modifying
verb is always in the subjunctive.
No hay nadie que esté dispuesto a trabajar. There isn't anyone who is willing to work.
2) In this context, the personal a isn't usually used before an indefinite object,
however, nadie and alguien always take the personal a when used as direct
objects.
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Past Subjunctive In Adjective Clauses
When narrating in the past, adjective clauses describing indefinite or negative antecedents require a verb in the past subjunctive. Those describing definite antecedents require one in an indicative past tense (preterite or imperfect ).
Buscaba una persona I was looking for a person who
que me ayudara. would help me.
No encontré a nadie que I didn't find anyone who wanted
quisiera hacerlo. to do it.
Antes, la persona que me Before, the person that helped
ayudaba era ella. me was her.
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