Parts of speech
Noun (el sustantivo): The name of a person, place, thing, or concept. Some examples are:
María (Mary, a proper name as opposed to a common noun), hombre
(man), parque (park), libro (book), religión
(religion). Nouns in Spanish have gender and number; that is, they are
either masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Libro is masculine, religión
is feminine; libro is singular (one book), libros is
plural (two or more books).
Pronoun (el pronombre): A word which is used in place of a noun and from which it takes
its gender and number. An example is él (he) to replace the
expression mi hijo (my son, masculine singular). Pronouns are
divided into: personal pronouns [e.g., yo (I), ella (she)],
demonstratives [e.g., éste (this one), ésa (that one)],
possessives [e.g, el mío/la mía (mine)], relatives [e.g., que, quien,
la que, el cual (that, who, which)], and indefinites
[e.g., alguien (someone), algo (something)].
Personal pronouns may serve as the subject of a verb [yo, tú, usted,
etc.], the direct object of a verb [me, te, lo, la,
etc.], the indirect object of a verb [me, te, le, etc.],
reflexive [me, te, se, etc.], or the object of a
preposition [mí, ti, usted, etc.].
Verb (el verbo): The part of speech which expresses an action or state in a
variable form, according to the characteristics of the subject. There are
several classes of verbs such as: active or transitive o [e.g., mover (to
move) and bañar (to bathe) in Spanish require a direct
object], intransitive [e.g., luchar (to fight) in Spanish normally does
not have a direct object], copulative or linking [e.g., ser (to be)],
impersonal [e.g., hay (there is/are)], and helping or auxiliary
[e.g., he {hablado} (I have {spoken}), habríamos {spoken}
(we would have {studied})]. There are three conjugations of verbs:
-ar [e.g., hablar, to speak], -er [e.g., comer,
to eat], and -ir [e.g., vivir, to live], each with
typical sets of endings. The endings in Spanish indicate mood, for
example indicative or subjunctive, and the tense [or time, such as present,
past, or future] within that mood, and the person [first (i.e., I or
we), second (i.e., you), or third (i.e., he/she or they)]
and number [singular or plural].
Adverb (el adverbio): The part of speech which modifies or changes the meaning of a
verb, adjective, or another adverb. There are adverbs of place [e.g., aquí
(here), allí (there)], time [e.g., después (afterwards),
pronto (soon)], manner [e.g., bien (well), rápidamente
(quickly)], affirmation [e.g., sí (yes )], and negation
[e.g., no (no), nunca (never)]. Adverbs may appear
in comparative, superlative [e.g., más (more/most), peor (worse/worst)],
y diminutive [e.g., ahorita (now)] forms.
Adjective (el adjetivo): A word which is used with reference to a noun to indicate a
quality or to determine or limit the noun. Accordingly, adjectives are divided
into descriptive and limiting. Examples of descriptive adjectives are inteligente
(intelligent ), pequeño/-a (small). Limiting
adjectives include the demonstratives [e.g., este (this), esa
(that), numerals [dos (two), cien (one hundred)],
possessives [mi (my), tu (your)] and *articles [el/la/los/las
(the), un/una (a/an), unos/unas (some)].
Since they modify nouns, adjectives may have various endings to agree with the
noun in question according to whether it is masculine or feminine,
singular or plural. Descriptive adjectives may also have
comparative/superlative forms [bueno = good, mejor = better/best],
absolute superlative forms [fácil = easy, facilísimo
= extremely easy], and diminutive forms [pequeño = small,
pequeñito = very small, tiny].
Preposition (la preposición): An invariable part of speech which unites words, denoting a
relationship which exists between them. Examples include: a (to),
ante (before) bajo (below), con (with),
contra (against), de (of ), desde (from),
en (in, at), entre (between, among), hacia (toward),
hasta (until), para (for), por (for, by),
según (according to), sin (without), and sobre
(over, upon) and compound forms such as antes de (before),
después de (after), encima de (on top of), and debajo
de (underneath).
Interjection (la interjección): A part of speech which includes exclamations which express
reactions and changes in mental states such as ¡ah! (oh!), ¡ay!
(ow!, ouch!), ¡bravo! (well done!), and ¡uf! (ugh!).
Conjunction (la conjunción): An invariable word which serves to link words or phrases. Examples
include y (and), o (or), pero (but), cuando
(when), and porque (because). Conjunctions are often
divided into two groups: coordinating conjunctions may be used to combine
independent clauses (e.g., y, o, and pero); subordinating
conjunctions (e.g. cuando and porque) introduce a subordinate or
dependent clause.
Examples of parts of speech
within the context of a sentence:
|
(possessive) adjective
|
noun
|
Verb
|
conjunction
|
verb
|
adverb
|
preposition
|
(demonstrative) adjective
|
noun
|
|
Mi
|
hijo
|
Vive
|
y
|
trabaja
|
aquí
|
en
|
esta
|
ciudad.
|
|
My
|
son
|
Lives
|
and
|
works
|
here
|
in
|
this
|
city.
|
|
interjection
|
verb
|
adjective
|
conjunction
|
pronoun
|
Verb
|
adjective (article)
|
noun
|
|
¡Oh!
|
Es
|
maravilloso
|
cuando
|
ella
|
Toca
|
el
|
violín.
|
|
Oh!
|
(It) is
|
marvelous
|
when
|
she
|
plays
|
the
|
violin.
|
Use of written
accent marks in Spanish
Accent marks are in Spanish
for two different purposes: to indicate where the stress or emphasis falls on a
word when it is pronounced, and to help differentiate between identically
spelled words. They are only used over vowels (á, é, í, ó,
ú), and are written as a short diagonal line, from upper right to lower
left.
- The
following rules regarding written accents assume you know on which
syllable of a word the stress occurs. An accent mark is normally NOT
required if:
- The word
ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or n
or s and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last (or penultimate)
syllable. Examples:
|
camino
|
|
[ca-MI-no,
road, ends in a vowel, and the stress falls on the next-to-the last
syllable]
|
|
hablan
|
[HA-blan,
they speak, ends in an n and the stress falls on the
next-to-the-last syllable]
|
|
muchachas
|
[mu-CHA-chas,
girls, ends in an s and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last
syllable]
|
- The
word ends in a consonant other than n or s and the stress
falls on the last syllable. Examples:
|
querer
|
|
[que-RER,
to want, ends in an r and the stress falls on the last
syllable]
|
|
ciudad
|
[ciu-DAD,
city, ends in a d and the stress falls on the last syllable]
|
- A written
accent mark IS required if the situation is not as given in the above two
rules, that is, when:
- The word
ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or n
or s and the stress falls on the last syllable. Examples:
|
caminó
|
|
[ca-mi-NÓ,
he/she walked ends in a vowel, and the stress falls on the last
syllable]
|
|
canción
|
[can-CIÓN,
song, ends in an n and the stress falls on the last syllable]
|
|
verás
|
[ve-RÁS,
you will see, ends in an s and the stress falls on the last
syllable]
|
- The
word ends in a consonant other than n or s and the stress
falls on the next-to-last syllable. Examles:
|
mártir
|
|
[MÁR-tir, martyr, ends in
an r and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last syllable]
|
|
cárcel
|
[CÁR-cel, jail, ends in an l
and the stress falls on the next-to-the-last syllable]
|
- The stress
falls on any vowel more than two syllables from the end of the word.
Examples:
|
propósito
|
|
[pro-PÓ-si-to,
purpose, is stressed on the third-from-the-last syllable]
|
|
dándomelo
|
|
[DÁN-do-me-lo,
giving it to me, is stressed on the fourth-from-the last syllable]
|
- The
stress falls on a weak vowel (i or u) which comes
immediately before or after a strong vowel (a, e, o).
Examples:
|
día
|
|
[DÍ-a,
day; the stress falls on an i which is immediately followed by
an a]
|
|
actúo
|
|
[ac-TÚ-o,
I act; the stress falls on a u which is immediately followed by
an o]
|
5.
Note: Unless accented, the letters i and u become
semi-consonants when the come in contact with other vowels. Thus, without
written accents, the above words would be pronounced DYA (one syllable)
and AC-tuo (two syllables).
To sum up the
above rules:
Does the word end
in a, e, i, o, u, n, or s?
- If the
answer is “yes” and it is not stressed on the next-to-the-last
syllable, a written accent is required.
·
If the answer is “no”
and it is not stressed on the last syllable, a written accent is
required.
- Accent marks
are required on some words to differentiate them from otherwise
identically spelled ones. There are three groups of these word pairs; in
all cases the more emphatic word of the pair carries the written accent
mark
- Exclamation and question words are
written with a written accent mark; the corresponding relative pronouns
or connecting words are not:
|
¿adónde?
|
(to) where?
|
|
adonde
|
(to) where
|
|
¿cómo?
|
how?
|
|
como
|
as, like, because
|
|
¿cuál?
|
which?
|
|
cual
|
which, as
|
|
¿cuándo?
|
when?
|
|
cuando
|
when
|
|
¿cuánto(s)?
|
how much, how many?
|
|
cuanto(s)
|
as much, as many
|
|
¿dónde?
|
where?
|
|
donde
|
where
|
|
¿qué?
|
what, how?
|
|
que
|
which, that
|
|
¿quién(es)?
|
who, whom?
|
|
quien
|
who, whom
|
1.
Examples:
|
¿Adónde
vas?
|
|
Where are you going?
|
|
¿Cuánto cuesta?
|
|
How much does it cost?
|
|
¡Qué interesante!
|
|
How interesting!
|
|
No sé cómo se llama.
|
|
I don't know what his/her name is.
(indirect question)
|
|
Cuando vengan, iremos al parque.
|
|
When they come, we'll go to the park.
|
|
Digo que no es verdad.
|
|
I say that it isn't true.
|
|
La mujer de quien hablas es la jefa.
|
|
The woman you're talking about is the boss.
|
- Several
pairs of monosyllabic (one-syllable) words are
similarly distinguished by the presence or absence of accent marks. The
word that is more emphatic receives the written accent.
|
dé
|
|
give (subjunctive
of dar)
|
|
de
|
|
of, from
|
|
él
|
He, him
|
el
|
the
|
|
más
|
more, most
|
mas
|
but
|
|
mí
|
me
|
mi
|
my
|
|
sé
|
I know (saber),
be (ser)
|
se
|
himself, herself, etc.
|
|
sí
|
yes, indeed
|
si
|
if, whether
|
|
té
|
tea
|
te
|
you, yourself
|
|
tú
|
you
|
tu
|
your
|
- The demonstrative pronouns (éste, ése, and aquél, this one, that
one) generally carry a written accent mark, while the demonstrative
adjectives (este, ese, and aquel, this, that)
never do. Note also that the neuter pronouns esto, eso, and
aquello (this thing, this matter, this business)
never take an accent mark since there is no corresponding adjective form.
|
éste
|
|
ésta
|
|
éstos
|
|
Éstas
|
|
this one, these
|
|
ése
|
ésa
|
ésos
|
Ésas
|
that one, those
|
|
aquél
|
aquélla
|
aquéllos
|
aquéllas
|
that one, those
|
|
este
|
|
esta
|
|
estos
|
|
Estas
|
|
this, these
|
|
ese
|
esa
|
esos
|
esas
|
that, those
|
|
aquel
|
aquella
|
aquellos
|
aquellas
|
that, those
|
4
Examples:
|
No me gusta esta blusa; prefiero ésa.
|
|
I don't like this blouse; I prefer that one.
|
|
Eso es estraño.
|
|
That's strange.
|
- Special
cases.
- When an adverb is formed by adding
-mente to the feminine form of an adjective, the accent mark is
retained, if the adjective form has one. Examples:
|
fácil
|
|
easy
|
|
fácilmente
|
|
easily
|
|
rápido
|
quick
|
rápidamente
|
quickly
|
- Sólo vs. solo:
|
Sólo (with an
accent)
|
=
|
solamente, only (an adverb)
|
|
solo (without an
accent mark)
|
=
|
alone (an
adjective).
|
- Por qué vs. porque:
|
Por qué (two
words, with an accent mark)
|
=
|
why (question
word)
|
|
porque (one
word, no accent mark)
|
=
|
because.
|
Pronouns
- Subject pronouns (pronombres usados como sujetos)
|
Singular
|
|
plural
|
|
yo
|
|
I
|
nosotros, nosotras
|
|
|
|
tú
|
you (familiar)
|
vosotros, vosotras
|
|
|
usted
|
you (formal)
|
ustedes
|
|
|
él
|
he
|
ellos
|
|
|
ella
|
she
|
ellas
|
|
2.
Note the accent marks over tú
[to distinguish it from tu meaning “your”] and él [to distinguish
it from el meaning “the”].
3.
Subject pronouns are used as
the subject of a verb (the verb may be implied); they are also used as the
predicate complement after the verb ser.
|
Yo prefiero coca-cola.
|
|
I prefer Coca-cola.
|
|
¿Es ella?
|
Is it her? [Is it she?]
|
|
—¿Quién lo hizo? —Yo.
|
Who did it? I did. [implied verb]
|
4.
The vosotros form is
used as the plural of tú in Spain;
in Latin America ustedes is used as the
second person plural, both familiar and plural.
|
¿Cómo estáis vosotros?
|
|
How are you all doing? (Spain, familiar)
|
|
¿Cómo están ustedes?
|
How are you all doing? (Spain, formal plural;
Latin America,
both formal and familiar plural)
|
5.
The masculine forms nosotros,
vosotros, and ellos are used when referring to a group of males
and females; the feminine forms nosotras, vosotras, and ellas
are used only when the group consists entirely of females.
|
Nosotras
estamos cansadas.
|
|
We are tired.
(all female)
|
6.
In English the subject pronoun
“it” is used very frequently. If “it” is indefinite —that is, if it doesn't
refer back to anything at all— it is NOT expressed in Spanish. YOU CANNOT USE LO AS THE SUBJECT OF A
VERB since it is not a subject pronoun but rather a
direct object pronoun (or the neuter article used with adjectives). If “it” or
its plural form “they” is used as a subject pronoun referring to something
definite, it is normally omitted in Spanish; however, if for some reason it is
essential to include such a subject pronoun, it is sometimes expressed using:
1) the regular masculine/feminine, singular/plural subject pronouns depending
on the gender and number of the thing(s) referred to [this is done primarily
where the thing can be personified], or 2) the neuter form ello if “it”
refers to an abstract idea or a general situation instead of something
physical.
|
Es obvio que está nevando.
|
|
It's
obvious that it is snowing. [“It” in both cases
is indefinite, and not expressed in Spanish.]
|
|
|
|
|
¿Los libros? Están allá.
|
The books?
They're over there. [“They” is usually omitted in
Spanish in this case.]
|
|
|
|
|
Mis hijos dicen que las flores son un regalo
de Dios. Ellas nos traen color y alegría.
|
My children
say that flowers are a gift from God. They bring us color and happiness. [Ellas can be used here—- but it could and often would
be omitted.]
|
|
|
|
|
Jorge perdió el billete que Juana le dio. Ello causó toda una serie de infortunios
para la familia.
|
Jorge lost
the ticket Juana give him. It [his having lost
it] caused a whole series of disasters for the family. [Ello
can be used here, but esto, eso or aquello would more be
employed more frequently.]
|
- Prepositional object pronouns
|
Singular
|
|
plural
|
|
mí
|
|
me
|
nosotros,
nosotras
|
|
us
|
|
ti
|
you
|
vosotros,
vosotras
|
you (familiar, Spain)
|
|
usted
|
you (fam.)
|
ustedes
|
you
|
|
él
|
him (formal)
|
ellos
|
them
|
|
ella
|
her
|
ellas
|
them (all female)
|
|
sí himself/herself / yourself
/ themselves / yourselves
|
8.
These pronouns are used as
objects of prepositions. They are identical to the subject pronouns except for mí,
ti and sí. Note that mí has a written accent mark to
distinguish it from mi meaning “my”; the same applies to sí, as
opposed to si meaning “if”. The tú form, ti, does NOT have an accent
mark.
9.
Examples:
|
¿Es para él o para ella?
|
|
Is it for him or for her?
|
|
No saldrán sin nosotros.
|
They won't leave without us.
|
|
A mí me gusta el chocolate.
|
I like chocolate.
|
10. Special cases:
- Special forms are found for mí, ti, and sí
after the preposition con:
|
conmigo
|
|
with me
|
|
¿Vas conmigo?
|
|
Are you going with me?
|
|
|
|
contigo
|
|
with you;
fam. sing.
|
|
Me gustaría salir contigo.
|
|
I'd like to go out with you.
|
|
|
|
consigo
|
|
with himself/ herself/ yourself
|
|
No traen dinero consigo.
|
|
You/they don't bring money with
yourselves/ themselves.
|
12. A very few prepositions are followed by subject pronouns. These
include entre (between), según (according to), salvo
(except), excepto (except), and hasta (until, up
to).
|
Entre tú y yo, no es
verdad.
|
|
Between to you and me, it's not true.
|
|
|
Según tú, todo el mundo sabe lo que pasó anoche.
|
According to you, everyone knows what
happened last night.
|
|
- Direct
object pronouns (pronombres de complemento
directo)
|
singular
|
|
plural
|
|
me
|
|
me
|
|
nos
|
|
us
|
|
te
|
you
|
|
os
|
you (fam. Spain)
|
|
lo
|
him, you, it
|
|
los
|
them, you
|
|
la
|
her, you, it
|
|
las
|
them, you
|
|
se himself / herself / yourself / themselves
/ yourselves
|
14. These forms are used as the direct objects of verbs. Lo and la
are used as the direct object forms of usted, los and las
for ustedes. THESE
FORMS MUST BE USED IF THE A PRONOUN IS REQUIRED FOR THE DIRECT OBJECT AND THE
VERB IS EXPRESSED. A prepositional phrase (e.g., a
él, a ella, a usted) is sometimes be added for clarity or for
emphasis, primarily in spoken Spanish.
|
¿Me oyes?
|
|
Do you hear me?
|
|
Te necesito.
|
I need you.
|
|
Lo conozco.
|
I know him. Or: I know you
(masculine formal usted). Or: I am familiar with it.
|
|
Lo conozco a él.
|
I know him.
|
|
Lo conozco a usted.
|
I know you.
|
|
|
|
|
Yo me miro en el espejo.
|
|
I look at myself in the mirror.
|
|
El se quiere mucho.
|
He loves himself a lot.
|
|
Ustedes se matan.
|
You are killing yourselves.
|
15. Note that these are with-verb forms, and cannot be used if the verb
is only implied; in that case, the prepositional phrase forms are required: a
él, a ella, etc.
|
A quién vio Ud.? ¿A ella?
|
|
Who(m) did you see? Her? (verb implied)
|
|
No, a él?
|
No, him.
|
- Indirect object pronouns (pronombres de
complemento indirecto)
|
singular
|
|
plural
|
|
me
|
|
to me
|
nos
|
|
to us
|
|
te
|
to you
|
os
|
to you
(familiar, Spain)
|
|
le
|
to him, her, you, it
|
les
|
to them, you
|
|
se to himself/herself / yourself / themselves
/ yourselves
|
17. These pronouns are used as the indirect objects of verbs. As with
direct object pronouns, they are required when the indirect object is a pronoun
(in contrast to a noun) but a prepositional phrase may be added for
clarification or emphasis.
|
¿Me hablas?
|
|
Are you talking to me?
|
|
¿Me hablas a mí?
|
Are you talking to me? [a mí added for emphasis]
|
|
|
|
|
Le dije la
verdad.
|
I told him/her/you the truth.
|
|
Le dije la verdad a ella.
|
I told her the truth. [A ella added for clarification since le can mean “him” or “you”.]
|
18. Since these are with-verb pronouns they cannot be used if the verb
is only implied. The preposition a plus prepositional object pronouns
are used in such cases:
|
¿A quién
hablas? ¿A mí?
|
|
Who are talking to? (to) Me?
|
|
Sí, a tí.
|
Yes, (to) you.
|
19. In contrast to the situation with direct object pronouns, indirect
object pronouns are normally used even when a noun is expressed as the indirect
object:
|
Veo a Carlos.
|
|
I see Carlos.
[Carlos is the direct object; lo is not added]
|
|
Le mando un
regalo a Carlos.
|
I'm sending a present to Carlos.
|
|
Les escribo a
todos.
|
I write (to) everyone.
|
20. Special situations
|
singular
|
|
plural
|
|
|
éste
|
|
this one
|
|
éstos
|
|
these
|
|
ésta
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this one
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éstas
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these
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esto
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this
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ése
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that one
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ésos
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those
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ésa
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that one
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ésas
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those
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eso
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|
that
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aquél
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that one
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aquéllos
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those
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aquélla
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that one
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aquéllas
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those
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aquello
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that
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22. Demonstrative pronouns point out something (this, these, that,
those). In English, we usually just make two distinctions: between this
thing (close by) and that thing (in the distance, or close to the person spoken
to). In Spanish, three distinctions are usually made: éste (this thing
close by), ése (that thing close to the person spoken to) and aquél (that
thing in the distance). You will recall that the demonstrative adjectives (este
libro, esa mesa, etc.) do NOT carry accent marks; the
use of accent marks on these pronoun forms is considered optional in some
grammar books, but use them for in this class.
23. Neuter demonstrative pronouns also exist: esto (this thing), eso
(that thing, near the person spoken to), aquello (that thing in the
distance). These neuter never carry a written accent mark. They are used to
refer to something unknown (as in the first sentence below), or to refer to a
general situation, or an abstract concept or something said earlier (as in the
last example below).
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¿Qué es eso?
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What's that [in your hand]?
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Esto es un reloj.
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This is a
watch.
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Y éste
es mi reloj favorito.
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And this is
my favorite watch.
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Se parece
mucho a aquél allá en la joyería.
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It looks a
lot like that one over there in the jewelry store.
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Eso es ridículo.
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That [what you just said] is ridiculous.
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24. The demonstrative pronoun éste/a can be used for “latter” and
ése/a or aquél/la for “former” (Note that in English the order is
usually “the former ... the latter”, whereas in Spanish it is usually the other
way around: ésta... ésa...).
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Juanita y
Marta son amigas, pero
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Juanita and
Martha are friends,
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son muy
distintas; a ésta le gusta
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but they
are very different;
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leer,
mientras que ésa prefiere
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the
former prefers to watch TV,
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ver la
tele.
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while the
latter likes to read.
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alguien
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=
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someone,
anyone
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nadie
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=
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no one,
nobody
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algo
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=
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something,
anything
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nada
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=
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nothing
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30.
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cada
uno(-a)
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=
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each (one)
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todo el
mundo
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=
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everyone
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Quienquiera
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=
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anyone (at
all)
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Cualquiera
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=
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anything
(whatsoever)
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26. Remember that the pronoun forms
referring to people [such as alguien and nadie] require the use
of the personal a when occurring as the direct object of a verb. Also
keep in mind the rule for forming negative sentences: one negative word must
occur in front of the verb (others may follow the verb).
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¿Buscas a alguien?
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Are you
looking for someone?
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No. Yo no
necesito a nadie.
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No. I don't
need anyone.
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No veo nada
aquí de interés.
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I don't see
anything interesting here.
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Puedo
mostrarle algo maravilloso.
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I can show
you something marvelous.
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—¿Quién
pagaría $30 por esa pluma?
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Who would
pay $30 for that pen?
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—Quienquiera.
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Anybody
(would).
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