Spanish:

Learn Spanish In 21 DAYS!

A Practical Guide To Make Spanish Look Easy!

EVEN For Beginners
Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1: Pronunciation Guide (1/2)
Chapter 2: Pronunciation Guide (2/2)
Chapter 3: Word Order and Sentence Structure
Chapter 4: Nouns and Articles (1/2)
Chapter 5: Nouns and Articles (2/2)
Chapter 6: Pronouns
Chapter 7: Adjectives (Adjetivo)
Chapter 8: Multiple Adjectives (1/2)
Chapter 9: Multiple Adjectives (2/2)
Chapter 10: Verbs (1/2)
Chapter 11: Verbs (2/2)
Chapter 12: Ser and Estar
Chapter 13 - Adverbs (Adverbios)
Chapter 14: Prepositions (Preposiciones)
Chapter 15: Conjunctions
Chapter 16: Moods of Verbs
Chapter 17: The Preterite Tense
Chapter 18: The Future Tense
Chapter 19: Numbers
Chapter 20: Telling Time and Date
Chapter 21: Useful Phrases
Conclusion
Bonus: Preview Of “French: Learn French in 21 DAYS! – A Practical Guide To Make French Look
Easy! EVEN For Beginners”
Introduction
This book contains twenty highly-informative chapters on the fundamentals of Spanish language, as
well as grammar rules and communication. It is designed to address the needs of professionals,
students, travelers, and self-learners who need to have a working knowledge of Spanish in a few
weeks’ time. The book aims to provide its readers a solid foundation on learning the Spanish
language by targeting basic grammar rules while enriching their vocabulary and comprehension with
useful and practical phrases.
Beyond the grammar, sentence structures, capitalization, punctuation, and pronunciation, you will
find comprehensive listings of nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and prepositions as well as useful
charts and tables that you can use as quick references to speed up your mastery of the language. Each
chapter is an interesting discussion on the different aspects of grammar intended to make learning a
new language an enjoyable experience.
You will find relevant and strategically chosen examples under each subject to reinforce your
learning. The last chapter is a concise collection of common phrases that you can use to start a
conversation, ask for help, introduce yourself, and make courteous greetings.
Let’s begin the journey.
Chapter 1: Pronunciation Guide (1/2)
Learning Spanish pronunciation is so much easier than learning English sounds. While English has
multiple sound variations, each letter in the Spanish alphabet, except for a few exceptions, has only
one sound. As long as you know how each letter sounds, you can practically read almost any Spanish
word.

The Spanish Alphabet

There are officially 27 letters in the Spanish alphabet (El Abecedario).

Letter -> Lettter Name -> Pronunciation

A a -> a -> ah
B b -> be -> beh
C c -> ce -> say
D d -> de -> day
E e -> e -> ay
F f -> efe -> ef-ay
G g -> ge -> hay
H h -> hache -> ah-chay
I i -> I -> ee
J j -> jota -> hotah
K k -> ka -> kah
L l -> ele -> el-ay
M m -> eme -> em-ay
N n -> ene -> en-ay
Ñ ñ -> eñe -> en-yay
O o -> o -> oh
P p -> pe -> peh
Q q -> cu -> coo
R r -> erre -> air-ay
S s -> ese -> es-ay
T t -> te -> teh
U u -> u -> oo
V v -> uve -> beh
W w -> uve doble -> bveh doh-bvleh
X x -> equis -> eh-keys
Y y -> i griega -> ee-gree-ay-gah
Z z -> zeta -> say-tah
Vowels -> English Sound -> Examples
a -> like a in father -> caja (box), hora (hour), nada (nothing)
e -> like e in elephant -> tren (train), verde (green), feliz (happy)
i -> like e in greet -> niño (boy), frito (fried), cinco (five)
o -> like o in no -> ocho (eight), dos (two), loro (parrot)
u -> like u in fluke -> fruta (fruit), bueno (good), nueve (nine)

Diphthongs
A Spanish diphthong is a mix of either one strong and one weak vowel or two weak vowels. The
vowels a, e, and o are strong vowels while the vowels i and u are weak vowels.

ai -> eye -> vaina (sheath), baile (dance)

ei -> hey -> pleito (dispute), reina (queen)
oi -> soy -> boicot (boycott) coima (bribe)
ui -> we -> destruir (to destroy) ruido (noise)
au -> cow -> pauta (guideline), bautismo (baptism)
ia -> ya -> memoria (memory), media (average)
eu -> eww -> neutro (neutral), neutral (neutral)
ie -> yen -> pie (foot), bien (good)
io -> yo -> comentario (comment), idioma (language)
iu -> you -> ciudad (city), triunfo (triumph)
ua -> wah -> agua (water), aduana (customs)
ue -> wet -> pueblo (town), puerta (door)
uo -> woe -> individuo (individual), monstruo (monster)
Chapter 2: Pronunciation Guide (2/2)

Consonants -> English Sound -> Examples

b, v -> hard sound -> like b in boy -> barco, ver

-> soft sound -> no equivalent -> privado, pavo
-> before e and i -> like c in center -> cerdo, circo
-> before a, o, and u -> like c in coffee -> cama, caballo

d -> hard sound -> like d in dog -> caldo, andar

-> soft sound -> like th in that -> medio, ciudad

f -> like f in fire -> falta, grifo

g -> hard g -> like g in get -> gordo, gato

-> soft g -> like g in go -> agua, digo

g -> before e or i -> like h in hot -> gente, agente

h -> always silent -> harina, hablar

-> close to h in hot -> jamás, tarjeta

k -> in foreign words -> like k in ask -> ketchup, kayak

l -> close to l in call -> filo, listo

m -> like m in mob -> malo, mano

n -> like n in nice -> ratón, niña

p -> no puff of air -> like p in put -> pagar, pensar

q -> no puff of air -> like k in kid -> queso, aquí

r -> first letter -> trilled like rr -> rico, río

-> elsewhere -> like dd in ladder -> cero, pero

s -> like s in sit -> ser, chicas

t -> no puff of air -> close to t in stop -> torta, triste

w -> used in foreign words -> whisky, wáter

x -> in general -> like x in extra-> sexton, éxito

-> in certain nouns -> like the English h -> México, Mexicano

y -> in general -> like y in yes -> payaso, ayer

-> if used as a word -> like Spanish i -> y

z -> like th in thin -> zorro, cabeza

Syllables

In general, each syllable has exactly one vowel. If two strong vowels are adjacent to each other, you
can consider them as two distinct syllables.

Examples:
pre-o-cu-par -> to worry
ca-er -> to fall
te-a-tro -> theater
If a weak vowel is adjacent to another vowel, you can count them as a single syllable.

Examples:
cui-da-do -> be careful
ja-guar -> jaguar
chue-co -> crooked
Accents

Spanish words are usually stressed in one syllable. The stress may be explicit (indicated by an accent
mark) or implicit (no accent mark). A word is stressed on the syllable where an accent mark is
located.

Examples:
pájaro -> pá -ja-ro -> bird
víveres -> ví -ve-res -> groceries
canción -> can- ción -> song

If it has no accent mark, stress is determined by the following rules:

If a word ends with n, s, or a vowel, the penultimate syllable is stressed.

Examples:
edificios -> e-di- fi -cios -> buildings
casa -> ca -sa -> house
bonita -> bo- ni -ta -> pretty

If a word ends with any other consonant, the stress is on the final syllable.

Examples:
escazes -> es-ca- sez -> scarcity
ciudad -> ciu- dad -> city
descansar -> des-can- sar -> to rest
Chapter 3: Word Order and Sentence Structure

To construct sentences in Spanish, you need at least a subject and a verb. Like English sentences, it is
quite common to construct sentences in Spanish using the word order subject + verb + other parts of a
sentence.

For example:
English: -> Maria works in a laboratory.
Spanish: -> Maria trabaja en un laboratorio.

Word order in Spanish, however, is more flexible than English. The order in which the words appear
may shift to emphasize one grammatical element over the other. Different parts of a sentence can be
arranged in several ways and still be able to express the same idea. The above example can be re-
arranged as follows:
Trabaja Maria en un laboratorio.
En un laboratorio trabaja Maria.
Trabaja en un laboratorio Maria.

In addition, when the subject of the sentence is clearly identifiable either by context or through the
verb’s conjugation, the subject pronoun may be omitted.

For example:
Vemos películas los fines de semana.
We watch movies on weekends.
Arturo nada. Juega tenis también.
Arturo swims. He plays tennis, too.

In forming Spanish sentences, an English speaker commonly has to deal with the fact that adjectives
generally come after the noun. For instance, to express “long lashes” in Spanish, you’ll say “pestañas
largas”, or literally, lashes long. That is just, however, a simple twist when you have to consider that
an adjective has to change its form to agree with the noun.
Declarative sentences commonly follow the order subject + predicate + object.

Example:
Martha da limosna a los pobres.
Martha gives alms to the poor.

However, when an object is replaced by an object pronoun (me,te, se, os), the object pronoun is
placed before the verb.

Example:
Martha les da limosna.
Martha gives them alms.

When a sentence contains both direct and indirect object, the direct object generally takes precedence
over the indirect object.

Example:
Ricardo ha enseñado la técnica a sus alumnus.
Ricardo has taught the technique to his students

However, if the direct object is accompanied by a supplement, the indirect object is placed before the
direct object.

Example:
Ricardo ha enseñado a sus alumnus la técnica que aprendió de París.
Ricardo has taught his students the technique he learned from Paris.

Adverbs are usually placed near the verb, but like English, the Spanish language is flexible in terms
of its placement.

For example:
Mario frecuentemente juega baloncesto.
Mario frequently plays basketball.

Frecuentemente Mario juega baloncesto.

Frequently, Mario plays basketball.

Mario juega baloncesto frecuentemente.

Mario plays baskeball frequently.

Adverbs that modify adjectives are placed before the adjective.

For example:
La señora es muy hermosa.
The lady is very beautiful.
Forming Questions
There are a several ways to form a question in Spanish.
One is by switching the subject and the verb.

Example:
Declarative sentence -> Julian nada. -> Julian swims.
Question ->¿Nada Julian? -> Does Julian swim?

Another is by adding question marks in written words and by raising the tone while speaking.

For example:
¿Julian swims? -> Julian swims?

Another way is to add tags at the end of a sentence, which is similar to the use of the word “right?” in
English.

Example:
Julian nada, ¿no?
Juan cocina, ¿es verdad?

Forming Negative Sentences

To form negative sentences in Spanish, the word “no” is placed before the verb.

Examples:
Ellos juegan al ajedrez. -> Ellos no juegan al ajedrez.
They play chess. -> They don’t play chess.

Yo quiero escribir. -> Yo no quiero escribir.

I want to write. -> I don’t want to write.
Punctuations
Spanish punctuation marks are used in almost the same manner as how you use them in the English
language.

Periods
A period, which is called punto or punto final in Spanish, is added at the end of a sentence.

Mateo es un buen chico. -> Mateo is a good boy.

Te esperaré. -> I will wait for you.

Comma
A comma has similar usage in Spanish and English. You can use it to separate clauses, parenthetical
phrases and lists.

El presidente, un caballero, ayudó a la señora.

The president, a gentleman, helped the lady.

Ella necesita papel, lápiz y borrador.

She needs paper, pencil, and eraser.

In many European countries, commas and periods are used inversely when writing numbers.

Cerca de 1.000 personas participan.

About 1,000 people participated.

Ella recibió una calificación final de 92,5.

She received a final grade of 92.5.
Question Marks
In Spanish, questions start with an inverted question mark and ends with a regular question mark.
Question marks are called signo de interrogación:

¿Quien es el campeón? -> Who is the champion?

¿Adónde vas? -> Where are you going?

Exclamation Points
Exclamation points make it easier for a reader to read exclamation sentences in Spanish by marking
the start of a sentence with an inverted exclamation point and the end with an upright or regular
exclamation point:

¡Felicidades por tu nuevo trabajo! -> Congratulations on your new job!

¡Ya vale de tonterías! -> Stop this nonsense!

The initial exclamation point or question mark may be placed in the middle or other parts of a
sentence if the starting words are not part of the exclamation or question.

Carina, ¿está disponible mañana?

Carina, are you available tomorrow?

Me incorporé a la rifa y ¡gané el primer premio!

I joined the raffle and I won first prize!

You may likewise mix and match punctuations if a sentence has both question and exclamation.

Sarah, ¿qué te pasó! -> Sarah, what happened to you?!

Quotation Marks
There are several ways to quote someone’s words in Spanish and the symbols vary depending on the
region you’re in. In some Spanish-speaking places, you may see the familiar double quotation marks
(comillas):

“Quiero saber la verdad”, dijo Felipe.

“I want to know the truth,” said Felipe.

The use of angular quotes (comillas angulares), however, is more common in Spanish writing:
«Quiero saber la verdad», dijo Felipe.

A dash (raya) may likewise be used to indicate that a person is speaking:

—Quiero saber la verdad—dijo Felipe.

To mark a quotation within another quotation, you begin the first quotation with angular quotes
before switching to double quotes:
«Quiero ver"Anatomía de Grey"», dijo Felipe.
“I want to watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy’,” said Felipe.

Either the angular quotes or double quotes may be used to quote a movie or a book:
Yo quiero ver "Anatomía de Grey".
Yo quier0 ver «Anatomía de Grey».
I want to see “Grey’s Anatomy”.

While periods and commas are usually placed inside quotation marks in English, they are placed
outside of quotations in Spanish.

Other punctuation marks, though less commonly used in Spanish, have similar uses as they do in
English: colon (dos puntos), hypen (guión), semicolon (punto y coma), ellipsis (puntos suspensivos),
and parenthesis (paréntesis).
Capitalization

Spanish has far fewer uses for capital letters than the English language. Capitalization is required in
the following instances:

To start a sentence
Marco es un buen nadador. Él es un estudiante excelente también.
Marco is a good swimmer. He is an excellent student, too.

With proper nouns

Mi amiga Martha se va para Alemania el mes próximo.
My friend Martha is living for Germany next month.

With shortened personal titles

El Sr. Arroyo habló con el Dr. Ferrer la semana pasada.
Mr. Arroyo talked to Dr. Ferrer last week.

The first letter of a book’s title (when written out)

Orgullo y prejuicio
Pride and Prejudice

The following, however, are not capitalized:

Days and months

Hoy es el sábado 31 de octubre.
Today is Saturday, October 31.

Languages
Él habla francés y alemán.
He speaks French and German.
Nationalities
Michelle es un canadiense mientras que Anita es un mexicano.
Michelle is a Canadian while Anita is a Mexican.

Religions
Ella es una cristiana pero su madre es budista.
She is a Christian but her mother is a Buddhist.

Personal titles
El señor Arroyo habló con el doctor Ferrer la semana pasada.
Mr. Arroyo talked to Dr. Ferrer last week.

Yo
Mi madre les dijo que yo soy un niño obediente.
My mother told them that I am an obedient child.
Chapter 4: Nouns and Articles (1/2)

In Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine and an article, which indicates its gender, modifies
each one.

Articles
The English definite article “the” has four equivalent articles in Spanish:

Gender Singular Plural

Masculine el los
Feminine la las

A masculine noun is modified by the definite article “el” in the singular and by the article “los” in the
plural:
el niño (the boy) -> los niños (the boys)
el libro (the book) -> los libros (the books)

A feminine noun goes with the definite article “la” in its singular form and with “las” in the plural:
la niña (the girl) -> las niñas (the girls)
la cama (the bed) -> las camas (the beds)

When a plural noun has mixed gender, the masculine form of the noun is used along with the article
“los”:
los padres (the parents)
los gatos (male and female cats)
los niños (the children)
los perros (male and female dogs)
Indefinite Articles

The Spanish singular indefinite articles are the equivalent of “a” or “an” in English while the plural
indefinite articles are the equivalent of “some”.

Gender Singular Plural

Masculine Un unos
Feminine Una unas

Examples:
un libro -> a book
unos librossome books
una casa -> a house
unas casas -> some houses
Contractions
To make pronunciation easier, the article “el” is contracted in two instances:

When the preposition “a” (to, in, at) is followed by the definite article “el”, they are combined to form
“al”.

a + el = al

Voy a ir al aeropuerto. -> I will go to the airport.

Whenever the preposition “de” (from) comes before “el”, they combine to form “del”.

de + el = del

Ella ha venido del mercado. -> She has come from the market.

Gender
The gender of a living creature is based on its natural gender while the gender of an inanimate object
follows certain rules. In this section, you will learn the rules governing the gender of nouns as well as
the exceptions.
Feminine Nouns
In general, the following nouns are feminine:

Nouns ending in “-a”:

la chica (girl), la gata (female cat), la mesa (table)

Nouns that end in –tad, -dad, and –tud

la libertad (freedom), la dificultad (difficulty), la facultad (faculty)
la edad (age), la universidad (university), la ciudad (city)
la gratitud (gratitude), la virtud (virtue), la juventud (youth)

Nouns that end in –cion, –gion, and sion

la habitación (bedroom), la canción (song), la estación (station)
la religion (religion), la legion (legion), la región (region),
la decision (decision), la profesión (profession), la tension (tension)

Nouns that end in –umbre

la certidumbre (certainty), la legumbre (vegetable), la muchedumbre (crowd)

Nouns that end in -triz

la directriz (directress), la emperatriz (empress), la actriz (actress)
Abbreviated forms of feminine nouns
la foto, from la fotografia (photography)
la tele, from la televisión (television)
la moto, from la motocicleta (motorcycle)

Nouns that refer to women

la mujer (woman)
la madre (mother)
A few nouns ending in –d
la pared (wall), la merced (mercy), la salud (health), la sed (thirst), la red (net)

Nouns that end in -z

la voz (voice), la cruz (cross), la paz (peace), la faz (face), la luz (light), la nariz, (nose), la vez
(time), la nuez (nut), la raíz (root)

Some nouns that end in -e

la llave -> key
la base -> basis
la gente -> people
la calle -> street
la nieve -> snow
la carne -> meat
la nube -> cloud
la clase -> class
la clave -> clue
la torre -> tower
la corriente -> current
la muerte -> death
la fe -> faith
la sede -> headquarters
la fiebre -> fever
la serpiente -> snake
la frase -> phrase
la fuente -> source
la tarde -> afternoon
la leche -> milk
la suerte -> fate
la lente -> lens
la noche -> evening
la mente -> mind
la sangre -> blood

Other nouns:
la piel (skin)
la filial (affiliate)
la sal (salt)
la flor (flower)
la miel (honey)
la imagen (image)
la mano (hand)
la ley (law)
la tribu (tribe)
The following nouns are exceptions:

el día (day)
el mediodía (noon)
el sofa (sofa)
el gorila (gorilla)
el pijama (pajamas)
el yoga (yoga)
el sofá (sofa)
el tranvía (tram)

The names of letters, illnesses, and islands are usually feminine.

la hache (h), la apendicitis (appendicitis), la isla de Rodas (Rhodes Island)

Masculine Nouns
In general, the following nouns are masculine:

Most nouns that end in –0

el trabajo (job), el vestido (dress), el ojo (eye)

Nouns ending in –ma, -pa, -ta which are usually of Greek origin

el tema (topic)
el telegrama (telegram)
el clima (climate)
el programa (program)
el sistema (system)
el planeta (planet)
el cometa (comet)
el mapa (map)
el idioma (language)
el problema (problem)
el poema (poem)

Nouns that refer to male living creatures

el padre (father)
el hombre (man)
el perro (male dog)

Most nouns ending in -l, -r, or -aje are masculine

el papel (paper)
el favor (favor)
el paisaje (landscape)
el valor (value)
el personaje (character)
el lugar (place)
el traje (suit)
el control (control)
el garaje (garage)
el final (end)
el temor (fear)
el hotel (hotel)

Some exceptions:
la sal (salt), la cárcel (jail), la miel (honey), la labor (labor), la flor (flower),
la catedral (cathedral)

Days, months, numbers, mountains, seas, oceans, rivers, and compound nouns are commonly
masculine.

el martes (Tuesday) el enero (January), los cuarenta (forty), el Océano Pacífico (Pacific Ocean), el
mar Báltico (Baltic sea), el Monte Everest (Mount Everest), el abrelatas (can opener)
Chapter 5: Nouns and Articles (2/2)

Nouns with Irregular Gender

Several nouns referring to professions use the same form for both genders and are only modified by
the accompanying article:

English -> Masculine -> Feminine

atleta -> el atleta -> la atleta
singer -> el cantante -> la cantante
piloto -> el piloto -> la piloto
manager -> el gerente -> la gerente
student -> el estudiante -> la estudiante
poeta -> el poeta -> la poeta
judge -> el juez -> la juez
soldado -> el soldado -> la soldado
pianist -> el pianist -> la pianista
psiquiatra -> el psiquiatra -> la psquiatra
modelo -> el modelo -> la modelo
journalist -> el periodista -> la periodista

Some nouns that usually refer to people can be used as feminine or masculine without a change in
meaning:

English -> Masculine -> Feminine

astronaut -> el astronauta -> la astronauta
aristocrat -> el aristócrata -> la aristócrata
model -> el modelo -> la modelo
lover -> el amante -> la amante
pilot -> el piloto -> la piloto
technocrat -> el tecnócrata -> la tecnócrata
pirate -> el pirata -> la pirata
soprano -> el soprano -> la soprano
witness -> el testigo -> la testigo
client -> el cliente -> la cliente
guide -> el guía -> la guía

Other occupations differ slightly in the endings for each gender:

writer -> el mesero -> la mesera

banker -> el banquero-> la banquera
teacher -> el maestro -> la maestra
mail carrier -> el cartero -> la cartera
engineer -> el ingeniero -> la ingeniera
cook -> el cocinero -> la cocinera
boss -> el jefe -> la jefe
president -> el president -> la presidenta

Some nouns can have either feminine or masculine gender but take on a different meaning under each
gender:

Noun -> Masculine ->Feminine

cólera -> cholera -> anger, bile
corte -> cut -> court
coma -> coma -> comma
frente -> front -> forehead
final -> ending -> sports finals
papa -> pope -> potato
cura -> priest -> cure
orden -> order -> decree
parte -> report -> portion
pez -> fish -> pitch, tar
capital -> capital -> capital city
pendiente -> earring -> hillside, slope

There are a few nouns with entirely different forms for the masculine and feminine gender:

Masculine -> Feminine

el caballero (gentleman) -> la dama (lady)
el actor (actor) -> la actriz (actress)
el héroe (hero) -> la heroína (heroine)
el rey (king) -> la reina (queen)
el hombre (man) -> la mujer (woman)
el varón (male) -> la hembra (female)
el príncipe (prince) -> la princesa (princess)

Feminine nouns that start with a stressed syllable and with either “a” or “ha” takes on the definite
article “el” or the indefinite article “un” in its singular form but retain the normal article “las” or
“unas” in the plural form:

el alma (soul)
el agua (water)
el habla (speech)
el hambre (hunger)
el asma (asthma)
el hada (fairy)

Víctima and Persona

Persona and victim remain feminine regardless of the gender of the person they are referring to.
Articles and adjectives that modify these nouns are feminine as well.

Nuestra madre es una persona generosa.

Our mother is a generous person.

Su mejor amigo fue víctima de un incendio.

His best friend was a victim of fire.
Forming the Plural

There are several ways to form the plural in Spanish.

Many nouns form their plural by adding “s” at the end of the word:

Nouns ending in a non-stressed vowel

el padre -> los padres -> father, fathers

el juego -> los juegos -> game, games
elhermano -> los hermanos -> brother, brothers
el chico -> los chicos -> boy, boys
el vaso -> los vasos -> glass, glasses
el color -> los colores -> color, colors
la pluma -> las plumas -> pen, pens
la mesa -> las mesas -> table, tables
la cama -> las camas -> bed, beds
la cosa -> las cosas -> thing, things
la casa -> las casa -> house, houses
la puerta -> las puertas -> door, doors

Nouns that end in stressed vowels -á, -é, and –ó

el dominó -> los dominos -> domino, dominoes

el sofá ->los sofás -> sofa, sofas
el bebé ->los bebés ->baby, babies
el café -> los cafés -> coffee, coffees
el bongó -> los bongos -> drum, drums
Some nouns form their plural by adding –es at the end of the word:

A noun ending in a consonant

Singular -> Plural -> English

la pared -> las paredes -> wall, walls
el borrado -> los borradores -> eraser, erasers
el león -> los leones -> lion, lions
el professor -> los profesores -> teacher, teachers
la ciudad -> las ciudades -> city, cities
el reloj -> los relojes -> watch, watches
el mes -> los meses -> month, months
la universidad-> las universidades -> university, universities
el papel -> los papeles -> paper, papers

Nouns ending in a stressed vowel + –s

el autobús -> los autobuses -> bus, buses

el país -> los países -> country, countries

Generally, nouns ending in stressed vowel besides "-é":

el bambú -> los bambúes -> bamboo, bamboos

el jabalí -> los jabalíes -> wild boar, wild boars
el tabú -> los tabúes -> taboo, taboos

Here are some exceptions, however:

el champú -> los champús -> shampoo

el sofá ->los sofas -> sofa
la mamá -> las mamas -> mom
el papá -> los papas -> dad
el menú -> los menus -> menu

Some nouns ending in –ión form the plural by adding –es and dropping the accent mark:

el avión -> los aviones ->airplane, airplanes

la canción -> las canciones -> song, songs
la conversación -> las conversaciones -> conversation, conversations
la oración -> las oraciones -> sentence, sentences
la sección -> las secciones -> section, sections
la televisión -> las televisiones -> television, televisions
el violín -> los violines -> violin, violins

Nouns ending in –z form their plural by changing the “z” to “c” and adding –es.

el lápiz -> los lápices -> pencil, pencils

la vez -> las veces -> time, times
la voz -> las voces -> voice, voices
el tapiz -> los tapices -> tapestry, tapestries
el avestruz ->los avestruces -> ostrich, ostriches
la actriz -> las actrices -> actress, actresses

Some nouns retain their forms in the plural:

Nouns ending in –x have the same form for singular and plural.

el fénix -> los fénix -> phoenix

el bórax -> los bórax -> borax
el tórax -> los tórax -> thorax
Multi-syllable nouns ending in –s use the same form for the singular and plural if the last syllable is
not stressed:

el atlas -> los atlas -> atlas

el sacacorchos -> los sacacorchos -> corkscrew
el énfasis -> los énfasis -> emphasis
el virus -> los virus -> virus
el jueves -> los jueves ->Thursday

Lastly, there are nouns that are used either dominantly or exclusively in the plural form:

los modales (manners)

las afueras (outside)
las nupcias (nuptials)
las albricias (glad tidings)
los enseres (belongings)
los ambages (hesitation)
los anales (annals)
las fauces (jaws)
las cosquillas (tickling)
los víveres (supplies)
las creces (the increase)
las gafas (sunglasses)
las expensas (expenses)
Chapter 6: Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns replace the subject noun in a sentence. Subject pronouns are frequently unnecessary
and are usually omitted in Spanish sentences because the subject is clearly identifiable through verb
conjugations.

For example:
Hablo español. -> I speak Spanish.
Hablas español. ->You speak Spanish.
Hablamos español. -> We speak Spanish.

The following are the subject pronouns in Spanish with their English equivalent:

Person -> Singular -> Plural

First person -> yo (I) -> nosotros, nosotras (we)

Second person (informal) -> tú (you) -> vosotros, vosotras (you)

Second person (formal) -> usted (you) -> ustedes (you)

Third person -> él, ella (he, she) -> ellos, ellas (they)

Tú and Usted

While English uses only one pronoun for the second person, Spanish uses two forms to indicate
“you”. The informal form, “tú”, is used to address a person who is close or familiar to the speaker
like a family member, a younger person, a friend, or a colleague.

The formal form, “usted”, on the other hand, is used to address a person with whom the speaker has a
formal or more respectful relationship like a superior, an elder, a dignitary, or a new acquaintance.
The verb conjugations for “usted” follow that of the third person.

Examples:
Formal: -> Usted escribe rápido. -> You write fast.
Informal: -> Tú escribes rápido -> You write fast.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns take the place of nouns and denote ownership. They have similar forms as
possessive adjectives but are commonly used with a definite article. The article is generally omitted
if the possessive pronoun is preceded by the verb “ser”. The gender and number of a possessive
pronoun must agree with the noun it replaces.

Possessive Pronouns:

mine -> el mío, la mía

los míos, las mías

yours (familiar) -> el tuyo, la tuya

los tuyos, las tuyas

yours (formal), his, hers -> el suyo, la suya

los suyos, las suyas

ours -> el nuestro, la nuestra

los nuestros, las nuestras

yours (familiar) -> el vuestro, la vuestra

los vuestros, las vuestras

yours (formal), theirs el suyo, la suya

los suyos, las suyas

El pequeño coche rojo es suya.

The small red car is hers.

El mío es azul.
Mine is blue.

Su casa es más grande que el mí0.

Your house is bigger than mine.
Chapter 7: Adjectives (Adjetivo)

Adjective Forms
In Spanish, adjectives are usually descriptive and have to correspond in number and gender with the
noun they describe or modify. The default form of an adjective is its masculine singular form and
that is how they are listed in dictionaries.

A great number of adjectives end in –o and take on four forms to agree with the word they modify.

Example:
Singular -> Plural
Masculine -> el chico alto -> los chicos altos
Feminine -> la chica alta -> las chicas altas

Some adjectives, however, are invariable in terms of gender. They only have two forms to indicate
the number of the noun: the singular and the plural form. Many invariable adjectives end in “-a” and
“-ista”. Adjectives ending in –e or a consonant likewise take on only two forms.

Examples:
indígena, marina, azteca, violeta, maya
optimista, realista, comunista, pesimista, deportista
verde, inteligente
cortés, menor, tropical

As can be expected, there are a few exceptions to the above rule. For instance, some adjectives that
pertain to nationalities have distinct feminine forms though they end in consonants:

Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
francés francesa franceses francesas French
alemán alemána alemánes alemánas German
japonés japonesa japoneses japonesas Japanese
 español española españoles españolas Spanish

Likewise, a few adjectives ending in -án, -ón, -or, or –ín take on different feminine forms:

Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
holgazán holgazana holgazanes holgazanas lazy
juguetón juguetona juguetones juguetonas playful
hablador habladora habladores habladoras talkative
pequeñín pequeñina pequeñines pequeñina tiny
Adjective Placement

Spanish adjectives generally follow the nouns they modify but there are adjectives that come before
the nouns:

Limiting Adjectives

Limiting adjectives describe the amount or number of a noun, whether specific or not. All numbers
and the following words are limiting adjectives:

alguno -> some

ninguno -> no, none
cuanto -> as much
bastante -> enough
menos ->less
mucho -> a lot
suficiente -> enough, sufficient
poco -> a little
varios -> various, few, some

The superlative adjectives mejor (best) and peor (worst) likewise precede the nouns they modify.

Su hermana quiere tres muñecas para su cumpleaños

Her sister wants three dolls for her birthday.

Quiero otra pizza.

I want another pizza.

Ella es el mejor cocinero de la ciudad.

She is the best cook in the city.
Hoy es el peor día de mi vida.
Today is the worst day of my life.

Mis padres tienen menos dinero que mi hermana.

My parents have less money than my sister.

Hay muchos lugares para ver en su ciudad natal.

There are many places to see in her hometown.
Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives

Possessive adjectives show ownership of a noun while demonstrative adjectives specify the noun
being referred to in a sentence.

Mi hermana es rica.
My sister is rich.

Su casa es grande.
Your house is big.

Su coche es azul mientras el coche de su hermano es rojo.

Her car is blue while her brother ’s car is red.

Esta casa devuelve muchas memorias de la infancia.

This house brings back many childhood memories.

Estos libros son de la biblioteca de mi abuelo.

These books are from my grandfather ’s library.

Adjectives that emphasize a noun’s inherent quality

el valiente león -> las verdes hojas

the brave lion -> the green leaves

la blanca nieve -> el azul ciel0

the white snow -> the blue sky

la bella flor -> la dulce miel

the beautiful flower -> the sweet honey
In some instances, an adjective may precede a noun for emphasis.

Regular word order:

Es una bailarina buena. -> She is a good dancer.

To place emphasis:
Es una buena bailarina. -> She is really a good dancer.
Meaning-Changing Adjectives

You can place some adjectives before or after a noun and they can mean differently depending on
their placement.

After the Before the

Adjective
noun noun

high-class,
alto tall
top
antiguo old, ancient Former
good,
bueno gentle, simple, good
generous
cierto true, right Certain
any (of
cualquier any available
options)
dulce sweet good, nice
grande big Great
himself,
mismo Same
herself, very
nuevo new another
pobre poor unfortunate
propio proper his, her own
puro pure sheer
raro strange rare
simple simple mere
triste sad Dreadful
único unique Only
Varios different Several
Viejo old, aged Former

Fue un evento único

It was a unique event.

Ella es la única hija.

She is the only daughter.

Viven en una casa grande.

They live in a big house.
Tomó un gran esfuerzo para ver a su padre la nueva esposa.
It took a great effort to see her father ’s new wife.
Shortened Adjective Forms

A few adjectives take on shortened forms when they precede masculine singular nouns but retain their
original meaning:

alguno -> algún día (one day)

bueno -> buen vendedor (good salesman)
malo -> mal cocinero (bad cook)
ninguno -> ningún regalo (no gift)
primero -> primer marido (first husband)
Santo -> San Pablo (Saint Paul)
tercero -> tercer edificio (third building)
uno -> un muchacho (a boy)

Exception: “Santo” retains its form before masculine singular nouns that start with “Do” or “To”.

Example:
Santo Domingo

Some adjectives have shortened forms regardless of the gender of the noun they precede:

ciento -> cien chicas (one hundred girls)

cualquiera -> cualquier estudiante (any student)
grande -> gran heroína (great heroine)
Chapter 8: Multiple Adjectives (1/2)

Just like in the English language, you can use several Spanish adjectives to describe a noun. In
addition, the series of adjectives can be placed before the noun, after the noun, or split into different
parts.

Los niños jugaban con pelotas grandes, suaves y azul.

The children played with big, soft, and blue balls.

Multiple adjectives can be placed before a noun to stress essential qualities or emphasize
characteristics:

Ella era un valiente y fuerte mujer.

She is a brave and strong woman.

Two or more adjectives can be placed after a noun to clarify, restrict, or narrow the noun:

Él era un muchacho fuerte y activo.

He was a strong and active boy.

It is also possible to split multiple adjectives by placing the subjective adjectives before the noun and
the objective adjectives after it.

Michael Phelps es un fantástico nadador estadounidense.

Michael Phelps is a fantastic American swimmer.
Common Adjectives with Four Forms:
Singular Plural
English Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
Aggressive agresivo agresiva agresivos Agresivas
Angry enojado enojada enojados Enojadas
Annoyed enfadado enfadada enfadados Enfadadas
Annoying enfadoso enfadosa enfadosos Enfadosas
another, one
more otro otra otros Otras
Average promedio promedia promedios Promedias
Bad malo mala malos Malas
beautiful bello bella bellos Bellas
beautiful hermoso hermosa hermosos Hermosas
beloved,
dear querido querida queridos Queridas
bitter amargo amarga amargos amargas
blind ciego ciega ciegos ciegas
boiled hervido hervida hervidos hervidas
bored aburrido aburrida aburridos aburridas
broken quebrado quebrada quebrados quebradas
burnt quemado quemada quemados quemadas
calm tranquilo tranquila tranquilos tranquilas
careful cuidadoso cuidadosa cuidadosos cuidadosas
cheap barato barata baratos baratas
clean limpio limpia limpios limpias
clear claro clara claros claras
cold frío fría fríos frías
complicated complicado complicada complicados complicadas
content,
satisfied contento contenta contentos contentas
cool fresco fresca frescos frescas
correct correcto correcta correctos correctas
crazy,
insane loco loca locos locas
curious,
odd curioso curiosa curiosos curiosas
dark oscuro oscura oscuros oscuras
deaf sordo sorda sordos sordas
delicious delicioso deliciosa deliciosos deliciosas
delicious sabroso sabrosa sabrosos sabrosas
difficult duro dura duros duras
diligent aplicado aplicada aplicados aplicadas
dirty sucio sucia sucios sucias
drunk borracho borracha borrachos borrachas
dry seco seca secos secas
early temprano temprana tempranos tempranas
empty vacío vacía vacíos vacías
entertaining divertido divertida divertidos divertidas
expensive,
dear caro cara caros caras
fast rápido rápida rápidos rápidas
fat gordo gorda gordos gordas
favorite favorito favorita favoritos favoritas
filthy, nasty cochino cochina cochinos cochinas
flat, even llano llana llanos llanas
foreign,
strange extraño extraña extraños extrañas
fragrant oloroso olorosa olorosos olorosas
fried frito frita fritos fritas
frozen helado helada helados heladas
full lleno llena llenos llenas
funny cómico cómica cómicos cómicas
good bueno buena buenos buenas
handsome guapo guapa guapos guapas
healthy sano sana sanos sanas
heavy pesado pesada pesados pesadas
honest honesto honesta honestos honestas
humid húmedo húmeda húmedos húmedas
illiterate analfabeto analfabeta analfabetos analfabetas
irritable corajudo corajuda corajudos corajudas
jealous celoso celosa celosos celosas
lazy flojo floja flojos flojas
lazy perezoso perezosa perezosos perezosas
little, few poco poca pocos pocas
long largo larga largos largas
lost perdido perdida perdidos perdidas
loving,
charitable cariñoso cariñosa cariñosos cariñosas
made hecho hecha hechos hechas
magnificent magnífico magnífica magníficos magníficas
many, much mucho muchos muchos muchas
married casado casada casados casadas
mature, ripe maduro madura maduros maduras
mischievous travieso traviesa traviesos traviesas
modest modesto modesta modestos modestas
moronic baboso babosa babosos babosas
mute mudo muda mudos mudas
naked desnudo desnuda desnudos desnudas
naked encuerado encuerada encuerados encueradas
narrow estrecho estrecha estrechos estrechas
nervous nervioso nerviosa nerviosos nerviosas
new nuevo nueva nuevos nuevas
noisy ruidoso ruidosa ruidosos ruidosas
old antiguo antigua antiguos antiguas
old viejo vieja viejos viejas
painful doloroso dolorosa dolorosos dolorosas
pale pálido pálida pálidos pálidas
pleasant simpático simpática simpáticos simpáticas
poisonous venenoso venenosa venenosos venenosas
pretty bonito bonita bonitos bonitas
profound profundo profunda profundos profundas
proud orgulloso orgullosa orgullosos orgullosas
ready,
quick-
witted listo lista listos listas
rich rico rica ricos ricas
roasted asado asada asados asadas
rotten pudrido pudrida pudridos pudridas
round-
shaped redondo redonda redondos redondas
salty salado salada salados saladas
scared asustado asustada asustados asustadas
severe,
harsh severo severa severos severas
short corto corta cortos cortas
shy vergonzoso vergonzosa vergonzosos vergonzosas
sick enfermo enferma enfermos enfermas
simple sencillo sencilla sencillos sencillas
skinny, thin flaco flaca flacos flacas
slow despacio despacia despacios despacias
slow lento lenta lentos lentas
small pequeño pequeña pequeños pequeñas
smelly apestoso apestosa apestosos apestosas
stupid tonto tonta tontos tontas
suspicious sospechoso sospechosa sospechosos sospechosas
tall, high alto alta altos altas
tame,
domestic doméstico doméstica domésticos domésticas
thick grueso gruesa gruesos gruesas
thin delgado delgada delgados delgadas
tired cansado cansada cansados cansadas
ugly feo fea feos feas
unique, sole único única únicos únicas
used usado usada usados usadas
warm, tepid tibio tibia tibios tibias
wet mojado mojada mojados mojadas
wide ancho ancha anchos anchas
wise sabio sabia sabios sabias
Chapter 9: Multiple Adjectives (2/2)
Adjectives with Two Forms:

Singular Plural
English Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
better mejor mejores
big grande grandes
capable capaz capaces
comfortable confortable confortables
courteous cortés corteses
cruel cruel crueles
difficult difícil difíciles
discourteous descortés descorteses
easy fácil fáciles
edible comestible comestibles
equal igual iguales
excellent excelente excelentes
extinguishable apagable apagables
fierce,
ferocious feroz feroces
fragile,
breakable rompible rompibles
free libre libres
friendly amable amables
gentle apacible apacibles
grave grave graves
guilty,
culpable culpable culpables
happy alegre alegres
happy feliz felices
hot caliente calientes
ignorant ignorante ignorantes
intelligent inteligente inteligentes
interesting interesante interesantes
late tarde tardes
moveable móvil móviles
natural natural naturales
patient paciente pacientes
poor pobre pobres
pregnant embarazada embarazadas
running,
flowing corriente corrientes
sad triste tristes
spicy, sharp picante picantes
strong fuerte fuertes
superior,
better superior superiores
sweet dulce dulces
unforgettable inolvidable inolvidables
useless inútil Inútiles
weak débil Débiles
wild salvaje Salvajes
young joven jóvenes
Colors
Colors are adjectives that also change in form according to the number and gender of the noun they
modify.

Examples:
el cielo azul -> the blue sky
el coche rojo ->the red car
la clasa blanca -> the white house
las manzanas rojas -> the red apples

blue -> azul

red -> rojo/roja
green -> verde
orange -> naranja
white -> blanca/blanco
black -> negra/negro
pink -> rosa
brown -> marron
gray -> gris
deep red -> burdeos
violet -> violeta
turquoise -> turquesa
sky blue -> celeste
light blue -> azul claro
dark blue -> azul oscuro
Chapter 10: Verbs (1/2)

Verbs are words that convey action or a state of being. In Spanish, verbs undergo changes to agree
with the subject of a sentence. This is called conjugating a verb. English verbs are also conjugated but
not as complex as the conjugation required for Spanish verbs.

Take a look at the conjugation of the English verb to be:

I am taking a review course.

She is a lovely lady.
We are watching a movie.

Infinitives
Non-conjugated verbs are called “infinitives”. In Spanish, Spanish infinitives take on one of these
three endings: -ar, -er, and ir. Spanish regular verbs are categorized according to their infinitive
endings and are called –ar verbs, -er verbs, or –ir verbs. Most verbs are –ar verbs.

Conjugating Verbs
Tense is a verb attribute that indicates the time an action or condition occured. There are several
tenses in Spanish: the basic tenses, the perfect tenses, and the preterite. To form tenses in Spanish,
verbs undergo a process called conjugation where the ending of a verb is changed to reflect the
timeframe and the subject.

To conjugate a verb, you have to identify the subject. Here are possible subjects:

yo (I)
tú (you, informal)
usted (you, formal)
el, ella (he, she)
nosotros, nosotras (we)
vosotros, vosotras (you, plural, informal)
ustedes (you, plural, formal)
ellos, ellas (they)

After identifying the subject, you’ll have to break the infinitive you will use into its stem and ending.
For example, the verb “cantar”, which means “to sing” in English, is an-ar verb that can be broken
into two parts:

verb -> cantar

stem -> cant
ending -> -ar

Finally, to conjugate the verb, you need to replace the ending –ar with an appropriate ending using the
verb chart for –ar verbs.

Verb Charts
Each verb group (-ar, -er, ir) follows a chart of verb endings. In the example given, the verb cantar
will fall under the verb chart for –ar verbs:

-ar Verb Chart (Present Tense)

yo -o
tú -as
usted (ud.) -a
él/ella -a
nosotros /
nosotras -amos
vosotros /
vosotras -áis
ustedes (uds.) -an
ellos / ellas -an

To conjugate the verb cantar to express “I sing”, you need to replace the ending –ar with –o:

I sing -> Yo canto.

To express “We sing”, choose the verb ending for nosotros or nosotras, -amos, and replace the
infinitive ending –ar:

We sing -> Nosotros cantamos.

To say he sings: Él canta.

To be able to conjugate verbs effortlessly, it is best to memorize the endings for each verb type.
Following are some of the most common –ar verbs:

-ar verbs:
to buy comprar
to call llamar
to carry, to llevar
wear
to change cambiar
to cook cocinar
to dance bailar
to dine Cenar
to invite invitar
to look at mirar
to look for buscar
to pay for pagar
to prepare preparar
to rest descansar
to send mandar
to sing cantar
to smoke fumar
to speak hablar
to study estudiar
to swim nadar
to take tomar
to teach Enseñar
to wait for esperar
to wash lavar
to work trabajar

To conjugate –er verbs, you will use the following verb chart:

-er Verb Chart (Present Tense)

yo -o
tú -es
usted (ud.) -e
él/ella -e
nosotros /
nosotras -emos
vosotros /
vosotras -éis
Ustedes (uds.) -en
ellos / ellas -en

To conjugate the verb comer (to eat) to express “I eat”, you’ll simply replace the ending –er with –o:
Yo como.

To state “We eat”, say “Nosotros comemos.”

Common -er verbs:

to believe creer
to drink beber
to eat comer
to learn aprender
to read leer
to run correr
to see ver
to sell vender
to understand comprender
Chapter 11: Verbs (2/2)

To conjugate –ir verbs, you will use the following verb chart:

-ir Verb Chart (Present Tense)

yo -o
tú -es
usted (ud.) -e
él/ella -e
nosotros /
nosotras -imos
vosotros /
vosotras -ís
ustedes (uds.) -en
ellos / ellas -en

Thus, if you conjugate the verb escribir (to write) to say “I write”, you’ll come up with “Yo escribo.”

To express “We write”, you’ll say “Nosotros escribimos.”

To tell “She writes” say “Ella escriben.”

To express “You write” when addressing one person informally: Tú escribes.

Here are some of the commonly used -ir verbs

to admit admitir
to assist or attend asistir
to climb or go subir
up
to discuss discutir
to live vivir
to open abrir
to receive recibir
to share compartir
to suffer sufrir
to write escribir

Most Common Regular Verbs

acabar to end, finish
to approve,
acceptar accept
acercar to bring near
acompañar to accompany
actuar to act, perform
alcanzar to reach
to support,
apoyar back
aprender to learn
to take
aprovechar advantage of
to insure,
asegurar secure
ayudar to help
to descend,
bajar download
buscar to look for
cambiar to change
colocar to locate, place
comer to eat
comprar to buy
considerar to consider
continuar to continue
correr to run
corresponder to correspond
cortar to cut
crear to make, create
creer to believe
cumplir to carry out
deber to owe
to decide,
decidir resolve
dedicar to dedicate
dejar to leave
desarrollar to develop
desear to desire, wish
dirigir to direct
echar to throw
to teach,
enseñar educate
to come in,
entrar enter
to hand over,
entregar deliver
escuchar to hear, listen
esperar to hope
estudiar to study
to avoid,
evitar prevent
existir to exist
explicar to explain
faltar to lack
formar to shape, form
ganar to win, earn
to protect,
guardar guard
gustar to like
hablar to speak
imaginar to imagine
importar to import
indicar to indicate
initiar to start, initiate
intentar to try, attempt
interesar to interest
lanzar to throw, hurl
leer to read
levantar to raise
llamar to call
llegar to arrive
llevar to bring
lograr to obtain, get
mandar to order, send
to kill,
matar slaugher
meter to place, insert
to watch, look
mirar at
necitar to require, need
to note,
notar observe
obervar to observe
ocupar to occupy
ocurrir to happen
olvidar to forget
pagar to pay
partir to leave, divide
to spend time,
pasar to pass
to allow,
permitir permit
preguntar to inquire, ask
preparar to prepare
presentar to introduce
quedar to stay, remain
to accomplish,
realizar achieve
to welcome,
recibir receive
representar to represent
responder to reply
resultar to turn out
reunir to gather, meet
sacar to take out
to mark, to
señalar show
to mean,
significar signify
subir to climb
suceder to follow
sufrir to suffer
terminar to finish, end
tocar to touch, play
tomar to drink, take

trabajar to work
tratar to treat, handle
usar to use
utilizar to use
vender to sell
vivir to live
Chapter 12: Ser and Estar

The irregular verbs ser and estar both translate to the English verb “to be”. However, when translating
from English to Spanish, you need to know whether to use ser or estar as both verbs have distinct
uses.

When to User Ser

Ser describes conditions that are more permanent or characteristics that are inherent:

Martha’s car is red. -> El coche de Martha es rojo.

Her sisters are beautiful. -> Sus hermanas son hermosas.
Ricardo is an honest man. -> Ricardo es un hombre honesto.
She is fun. -> Ella es divertida.

Ser is used to tell the date, day, and hour:

What time is it? ->¿Qué hora es?

It’s seven o’clock. -> Son las siete.
Today is Wednesday. -> Hoy es miércoles.
It’s November 5. -> Es 5 de noviembre.

Ser is used to tell the nationality and the place or country where a person is from.

Where are you from? -> De dónde eres.

I’m from Venezuela. -> Soy de Venezuela.
I’m a Venezuelan. -> Soy un venezolano.
I’m a German. -> Soy un alemán.
My husband is an American. -> Mi marido es un americano.
She is French. -> Ella es francesa.

It is used to express the profession or occupation of a person.

What is your job? ->¿Cuál es su trabajo?

I’m a fireman. -> Soy un bombero.
He is a doctor. -> Él es un médico.

Ser is used in expressing an object’s material composition.

It’s made of oakwood. -> Es de madera de roble.

This bag is made of leather. -> Este bolso es hecho del cuero.

It is also used to state possession:

This book is Emilio’s. -> Este libro es de Emilio.

The big house is theirs. -> La casa grande es de ellos.

Ser is also used to convey political or religious affiliations.

Their family is Catholic. -> Su familia es católica.

They are communists. -> Son comunistas.

Ser is used to state relationships.

Roberto is Maria’s husband. -> Roberto es el esposo de María.

He is my cousin. -> Él es mi primo.

Ser is used to tell an event’s location.

The meeting is at Sonia’s house. -> El encuentro es en casa de Sonia.
The basketball game is at the stadium. -> El juego de baloncesto es en el estadio.

You use ser with impersonal expressions.

It’s important to save for the future. -> Es importante ahorrar para el futuro.
It’s a foregone conclusion. -> Es una conclusión inevitable.

When to Use Estar

Estar conveys physical or geographical locations.

Maria and Pablo are in the hospital. -> María y Pablo están en el hospital.
She is in the library. -> Ella está en la biblioteca.
Where is Monaco? -> ¿Dónde está Mónaco?

The verb “ser”, however, is used to express the location of an event.

When paired with an adjective, estar is used to express a changeable physical, emotional, or mental
condition or state of people, objects, or animals.

Marco is sick. -> Marco está enfermo.

How’s the meal? -> ¿Cómo está la comida?
The meal is delicious. -> La comida es deliciosa.
The old man is angry. -> El hombre viejo está enojado.
How is your father? -> ¿Cómo está tu padre?
He is fine. -> Él está bien.

Estar can be found in several idioms:

to be lost -> estar en el limbo
to be standing -> estar de pie
to daydream -> estar en las nubes
to ignore (something) -> estar pez

You can also use it with progressive tenses.

What are you doing? ->¿Qué estás haciendo?

I am writing a poem. -> Estoy escribiendo un poema.
They are sleeping on the couch. -> Están durmiendo en el sofá.

Whether you use “estar” or “ser” can have an effect on the meaning of the sentence as some
adjectives convey different meanings depending on the verb they are paired with.

For example:

“Ella es feliz” means she is a happy person by nature while “Ella está feliz” means she is happy at this
moment.

Here are more examples:

Está callado. -> (He is quiet.) -> Es callado. (He’s introverted.)

Está viva. (She is alive.) -> Es viva. (She is lively.)
Ella está orgullosa. (She is proud.) -> Ella es orgullosa. (She is conceited.)
Está listo. (He is ready.) -> Es listo. (He is smart.)
Chapter 13 - Adverbs (Adverbios)

Adverbs modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs and are invariable. They provide information
about manner, frequency, time, place, or quantity.

A large number of adverbs are formed by adding “-mente” at the end of the feminine singular form
of an adjective in the same manner that the suffix “-ly” is added to English adjectives to form adverbs.

Take, for example, the adjective “lento” which means slow. Its feminine singular form is “lenta”. To
turn it into an adverb, the suffix –mente is added at the end of “lenta”; hence, lenta + mente =
lentamente or slowly.

Habla lentamente.
She speaks slowly.

Habla detenidamente sobre temas sensibles.

He talks carefully about sensitive issues.

When a sentence contains two or more adverbs or a series of adverbs, the last adverb will take the “–
mente” suffix while the preceding adverbs will take the feminine adjective form.

La chica habla clara y cortésmente.

The girl speaks clearly and courteously.

Un traductor bueno piensa rápida, clara y exactamente.

A good translator thinks quickly, clearly, and accurately.

You can also form adverbs by using the preposition con with a noun’s singular form.

To form the adverb from the adjective perfecto, which means perfect in English, you can either add
“–mente” to the feminine singular form “perfecta” and come up with “perfectamente” or say “con
perfección” which means with perfection.

There are other adverbs that do not follow the –mente ending and should be studied individually.
Positions of Adverbs

When an adverb modifies a verb, the adverb follows the verb:

Baila bien. -> He dances well.

Ella camina rápido. -> She walks fast.

When it modifies an adjective or another adverb, the adverb is placed in front of the adjective or
adverb:

Ella baila muy bien.

She dances very well.

Siempre estoy esperanzado.

I’m always hopeful.

Spanish Adverbs:

Adverbs of Manner
adjective + mente
así -> so, like this
alderedor -> around
bajo -> softly
alto -> loudly
despacio -> slowly
mal -> badly or poorly
muy -> very
peor -> worse
major -> better
Adverbs of Frequency
a veces -> sometimes
nunca -> never
siempre -> always
raramente -> rarely
frecuentemente -> frequently

Adverbs of Quantity
apenas -> hardly
menos -> less
bastante -> enough
poco -> little, few
casi -> almost
más -> more
demasiado -> too much
tanto -> so, as much/as many
mucho -> a lot
suficiente -> enough

Adverbs of Place
abajo -> downstairs
afuera -> outside
adentro -> inside
acá -> over here
alguna parte -> somewhere
aquí -> here
ahi -> there
allí -> there
allá -> over there
arriba -> upstairs, above
fuera -> outside
cerca -> nearby
debajo -> under
donde -> where
detrás -> behind
delante -> ahead
enfrente -> in front of
encima -> on top, above
lejos -> far
todas partes -> everywhere

Adverbs of Time
ahora -> now
anoche -> last night
hoy -> today
ayer -> yesterday
luego -> soon
temprano -> early
tarde -> late
anteayer -> the day before yesterday
mañana -> tomorrow
cuando -> when
mientras -> while
después -> later, after
pronto -> soon
entonces -> next, then
ya -> already
por fin -> finally
todavía -> still, yet
actualmente -> currently
Interrogative Adverbs
¿cómo? -> How?
¿cuánto? -> H0w much/How many?
¿cuándo? -> When?
¿dónde? -> Where?
¿adónde? -> To where?
¿porque? -> Why?

Adverbs of Negation
nunca -> never
jamás -> never
no -> no
ni -> nor
tampoco -> neither

Adverbs of Inclusion
aún -> still, yet
además -> moreover
tambien -> also, too

Adverbs of Opinion
evidentemente -> obviously
personalmente -> personally
quizás -> perhaps

Examples:
El centro comercial está allí. -> The mall is over there.
El perro está debajo de la mesa. -> The dog is under the table.
Jugamos el tenis ayer. -> We played tennis yesterday.
Nos vemos mañana. -> I’ll see you tomorrow.
Soy muy enérgico. -> I am very energetic.
Es una nadadora buena también. -> She is a good swimmer, too.
Chapter 14: Prepositions (Preposiciones)

Prepositions are words that establish relationships between words in a sentence or phrase. Except for
the prepositions “a” and “de” that are contracted when used with the article “el”, prepositions are
invariable. Spanish sentences never end in a preposition. It is placed before an object which can be a
noun, a verb used as a noun, or a pronoun.

Spanish prepositions are used in the same way that English prepositions are used but it can be tricky
to translate prepositions literally as each preposition can mean differently on either language
depending on the context of the sentence.

Here is a list of the most common Spanish prepositions:

a -> to, at, for, by

The preposition “a” is used to express time and motion, connect a verb and an infinitive, indicate
manner, and introduce a direct and indirect object.

Las clases empiezan a las siete de la mañana.

Classes start at seven o’clock in the morning.

Fuimos a su despacho tres veces esta semana.

We went to his office three times this week.

Comenzó a trabajar en su proyecto la semana pasada.

He started to work on his project last week.

Vi a mi amigo anoche.
I saw my friend last night.
Di el regalo a mi mamá.
I gave the gift to my mom.

de -> of, from

The preposition “de” is used to show cause, origin, possession, comparison, and a description of a
noun with an infinitive or another noun. It is also a part of many idioms.

Está cansado de nadar.

He is tired from swimming.

Mi padre es de Australia.
My father is from Australia.

La casa de mi madre es más grande que mi casa.

My mother ’s house is bigger than my house.

Me dio varias botellas de Colonia.

He gave me several bottles of cologne.

Hace más de tres años desde la última vez que nos vimos.
It’s been more than three years since we last saw him.

De pie -> standing

en -> in, at, on, about

En is used to express manner, time and location. It forms part of a number of Spanish idioms.

Viajamos a la ciudad en tren.

We travelled to the city by train.

Iremos a España en verano.

We will go to Spain in summer.

Vivo en casa de mi abuela en Guatemala.

I live in m grandmother ’s house in Guatemala.

Idioms:
en vivo -> live
en serio -> seriously

antes de -> before

Yo estaba con mi padre un día antes de su muerte.

I was with my father one day before his death.

bajo -> under

The preposition bajo can be used to mean “under” in a figurative sense.

Me siento más cómoda bajo la dirección de mi padre.

I feel more comfortable under my father ’s guidance.

Se siente más seguro bajo influencia de su partido político.

He feels more confident under his political party’s influence.

debajo de -> under

Nuestro gato está jugando debajo de la mesa.

Out cat is playing under the table.

cerca de -> near to, close to

Debe ser relajante vivir cerca de la playa.

It must be relaxing to live near the beach.

El supermercado está cerca de la oficina.

The supermarket is near the office.

con -> with

Estoy trabajando con estudiantes brillantes.

I’m working with brilliant students.

Estoy planeando un viaje con mi marido.

I’m planning a trip with my husband.

contra -> against

Estoy contra la discriminación sexual.

I am against sexual discrimination.

Ella no tiene nada que decir contra los matrimonios del mismo sexo.
She has nothing to say against same sex marriages.

Here is a list of other prepositions:

debido a -> due to

durante -> during
dentro de -> within, inside
a través de -> across, through
entre -> between, among
detrás (de) -> behind
fuera de ->outside
incluso -> including
hasta -> up to, until
para -> for
por -> for, by, per
sin -> without
salvo -> except (for)
sobre -> about, over, on
tras -> after, behind
por todo/toda -> throughout (place)
vía -> via
Chapter 15: Conjunctions

Conjuctions link words, clauses and phrases together. In general, Spanish conjunctions work in
similar manner as English conjunctions. There are two categories of conjunctions: the coordinating
and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating Conjuctions
A coordinating conjuction joins two words that belong to the same grammatical class. Here are the
most common coordinating conjunctions:
pero -> but
y -> and
o -> or
pues -> then
entonces -> thus, so
ni…. ni -> neither… nor

The conjunction “y”, which means “and” changes to “e” when it precedes an “i” sound to avoid
having to say two successive “i” sounds.

Example:
Muchos aún están recibiendo tratamiento áspero e inhumano.
Many are still receiving harsh and inhumane treatment.

If the conjuction “o” is followed by a word that begins with an “o” sound, it is changed to “u”to avoid
saying two successive “o” sounds.

Example:
Él no puede recordar si ocurrió ayer u hoy.
He doesn’t remember if it happened yesterday or today.
Quiero verla pero estoy muy ocupado con mi trabajo.
I want to see her but I’m too busy with my job.

Si dice entonces que sea.

If he says so then let it be.

Él es un hombre solitario y ella es una persona extrovertida.

He is a loner and she is an outgoing person.

Subordinating Conjuctions
Subordinating conjuctions connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. That is, they connect
two clauses that are not equivalent. An independent clause can stand alone and form a simple sentence
by itself while a dependent clause cannot stand by itself.

Some of the most commonly used subordinating conjunctions are the following:

como -> since

que -> that
apenas -> as soon as
mientras -> as, while
mientras que -> while, whereas
cuando -> when
desde que -> since (indicates time)
donde ->where
porque ->because

Su familia regresó a la ciudad donde solían vivir.

Her family went back to the town where they used to live.

El niño estaba desayunando cuando llegó el autobús escolar.

The boy was still eating breakfast when the school bus arrived.
Ella está limpiando la casa mientras escucha la radio.
She is cleaning the house while listening to the radio.
Chapter 16: Moods of Verbs

A verb’s mood is a property, which expresses how a condition or action is intended or conceived.
There are three moods in Spanish: the indicative mood, subjunctive mood and the imperative mood.

Indicative Mood
The indicative mood is the regular verb form used in everday statements and questions.

Tengo dos perros y un gato.

I have two dogs and one cat.

Subjunctive Mood
A verb in the subjunctive mood expresses a condition, which is contrary to fact, doubtful or wished
for. In many cases, a subjunctive verb is part of a clause that begins with “que”, a relative pronoun
which means “that”, “which”, or “who”. To justify the use of the subjunctive mood, the sentence
should express uncertainty, opinion, or doubt.

There are several signal phrases that will prompt you to use the subjunctive mood:

It is not likely that ___ -> Es difícil que ___

It is good that ___ ->Es bueno que ___
It is not certain that ___ -> No es cierto que ___
It is bad that __ -> Es malo que ___
It’s better that __ -> Más vale que ___

Espero que los niños estudien.

I hope that the boys are studying.

Está mal que esté enfermo.

It’s bad that he is sick.

Conjugating the Verb in the Present Subjunctive Mood

To conjugate verbs in the present subjunctive mood, you will have to start with the first person
present indicative form of the verb, drop the –o ending, and add the endings indicated on the
following charts:

ar Verbs:
yo -e
tú -es
usted, él, ella -e
nosotros /
nosotras -emos
vosotros /
vosotras -éis
ustedes, ellos,
ellas -en

-ar and –ir Verbs

yo -a
tú -as
usted, él, ella -a
nosotros /
nosotras -amos
vosotros /
vosotras -áis
ustedes, ellos,
ellas -an

Imperative Mood
A verb in the imperative mood expresses a command, instruction, demand, or request.

¡Vaya a su cuarto ahora!

Go to your room now!
Chapter 17: The Preterite Tense

The preterite tense is used in several ways:

1. To indicate a single, completed event

2. To express actions that were part of a series of events
3. To express actions that happened within a particular period
4. To indicate actions which were repeated at a particular frequency
5. To state when the actions started and ended

To conjugate regular verbs in the preterite tense, you’ll have to take out the verb ending and replace it
with appropriate ending using the following verb charts:

-ar Verbs
yo é
tú aste
usted, él, ella ó
nosotros /
nosotras amos
vosotros /
vosotras asteis
ustedes, ellos,
ellas aron

-er and –ir verbs

yo í
tú iste
usted, él, ella ió
nosotros /
nosotras imos
vosotros /
vosotras isteis
ustedes, ellos,
 ellas ieron

Examples:

Mi madre cocinó paella ayer.

My mother cooked paella yesterday.

El muchacho bebió un vaso de la leche anoche.

The boy drank a glass of milk last night.
Dormí en el sofá la noche anterior.
I slept on the couch last night.
Empezó a llover en 8:00 de la noche.
It started to rain at eight o’clock in the evening.
The following verbs have irregular forms in the preterite and must be learned and memorized:

ser ir dar hacer

Yo fui Fui di hice
Tú fuiste fuiste diste hiciste
usted, él, fue Fue dio hizo
ella
nosotros fuimos fuimos dimos hicimos
/
nosotras
vosotros fuisteis fuisteis disteis hicisteis
/
vosotras
ustedes, fueron fueron dieron hicieron
ellos,
ellas
Chapter 18: The Future Tense

The future tense refers to events that will happen in the future. Its conjugation is different from other
verb forms because the verb endings –ar, -er, and –ir are retained and simply take on appropriate
endings using only one verb chart:

yo -é
tú -ás
usted, él, ella -á
nosotros / nosotras -emos
vosotros / vosotras -éis
ustedes, ellos, ellas -án

Estudiaré mañana. -> I will study tomorrow.

Trabajarán este fin de semana. -> I will work this weekend.
Se tocar el piano el mes próximo. -> She will play the piano next month.
Besides conjugating verbs to indicate the future tense, you can express the future by using the present
tense conjugation of the verb “ir” + a + the infinitive form of the verb.

Present tense of “ir”

yo voy
tú vas
usted, él, ella va
nosotros /
nosotras vamos
vosotros /
vosotras vais
ustedes, ellos,
ellas van

Examples:
Voy a estudiar tomorrow.
I am going to study tomorrow.
Vamos a jugar el ajedrez la próxima semana.
We are going to play chess next week.
Chapter 19: Numbers

When writing numerals, most Spanish-speaking countries use periods and commas differently from
their use in English. Thus, 39,945.65 would be written in Spanish as 39.945,65.
A cardinal number is placed after the word “siglo” to express centuries in Spanish.

For example:
el siglo veinte -> the 20th century
el siglo veinte uno -> the 21st century

Cardinal Numbers
0 -> cero
1 -> uno
2 -> dos
3 -> tres
4 -> cuatro
5 -> cinco
6 -> seis
7 -> siete
8 -> ocho
9 -> nueve
10 -> diez
11 -> once
12 -> doce
13 -> trece
14 -> catorce
15 -> quince
16 -> dieciséis
17 -> diecisiete
18 -> dieciocho
19 -> diecinueve
20 -> veinte
21 -> veintiuno
22 -> veintidós
23 -> veintitrés
24 -> veinticuatro
25 -> veinticinco
26 -> veintiséis
27 ->veintisiete
28 -> veintiocho
29 -> veintinueve
30 -> treinta
31 -> treinta y uno
32 -> treinta y dos
33 -> treinta y tres
34 -> treinta y cuatro
35 -> treinta y cinco
36 -> treinta y seis
37 -> treinta y siete
38 -> treinta y ocho
39 -> treinta y nueve
40 -> cuarenta
41 -> cuarenta y uno
42 -> cuarenta y dos
43 -> cuarenta y tres
44 -> cuarenta y cuatro
45 -> cuarenta y cinco
46 -> cuarenta y seis
47 -> cuarenta y siete
48 -> cuarenta y ocho
49 -> cuarenta y nueve
50 -> cincuenta
51 -> cincuenta y uno
52 -> cincuenta y dos
53 -> cincuenta y tres
54 -> cincuenta y cuatro
55 -> cincuenta y cinco
56 -> cincuenta y seis
57 -> cincuenta y siete
58 -> cincuenta y ocho
59 -> cincuenta y nueve
60 -> sesenta
61 -> sesenta y uno
62 -> sesenta y dos
63 -> sesenta y tres
64 -> sesenta y cuatro
65 -> sesenta y cinco
66 -> sesenta y seis
67 -> sesenta y siete
68 -> sesenta y ocho
69 -> sesenta y nueve
70 -> setenta
71 -> setenta y uno
72 -> setenta y dos
73 -> setenta y tres
74 -> setenta y cuatro
75 -> setenta y cinco
76 -> setenta y seis
77 -> setenta y siete
78 -> setenta y ocho
79 -> setenta y nueve
80 -> ochenta
81 -> ochenta y uno
82 -> ochenta y dos
83 -> ochenta y tres
84 ->ochenta y cuatro
85 -> ochenta y cinco
86 -> ochenta y seis
87 -> ochenta y siete
88 -> ochenta y ocho
89 -> ochenta y nueve
90 -> noventa
91 -> noventa y uno
92 -> noventa y dos
93 -> noventa y tres
94 -> noventa y cuatro
95 -> noventa y cinco
96 -> noventa y seis
97 -> noventa y siete
98 -> noventa y ocho
99 -> noventa y nueve
100 -> cien
200 -> dosceintos
201 -> dosientos uno
300 -> trescientos
400 -> cuatrocientos
500 -> quinientos
600 -> seiscientos
700 -> setecientos
800 -> ochocientos
900 -> novecientos
999 -> novecientos noventa y nueve
1.000 -> un mil
1.012 -> un mil doce
1.999 -> mil novecientos noventa y nueve
6.000 -> seis mil
9.999 -> nueve mil novecientos noventa y nueve
10.000 -> diez mil
97.050 -> noventa y siete mil cincuenta
100.000 -> cien mil
1 million -> un millón
2 million -> dos millones
1 billion -> mil millones

Ordinal Numbers
1 primero
2 segundo
3 tercero
4 cuarto
5 quinto
6 sexto
7 séptimo
8 octavo
9 noveno
10 décimo
11 undécimo
12 duodécimo
13 decimotercero
14 decimocuarto
15 decimoquinto
16 decimosexto
17 decimoséptimo
18 decimoctavo
19 Decimonoveno
20 Vigésimo
21 vigésimo primero
22 vigésimo Segundo
23 vigésimo tercero
24 vigésimo cuarto
25 vigésimo quinto
26 vigésimo sexton
27 vigésimo séptimo
28 vigésimo octavo
29 vigésimo novena
30 trigésimo
Chapter 20: Telling Time and Date

Telling Time in Spanish

To ask for the time, you will usually say “¿Qué hora es?”
To tell time, you use the feminine articles “la” and “las” and the verb “ser”. To say one o’clock, you
use “es”, the third person singular form of “ser”. To express all other hours, you will use “son”, the
third person plural form of “ser”.

Thus:
It is one o’oclock. -> Es la una.
It is four o’cl0ck. -> Son las cuatro.
It is eleven o’clock. -> Son las once.

After passing an exact hour, the minutes can be expressed with the use of the word “y” (and).
Hence:
9:20 -> Son las nueve y veinte. -> It’s twenty minutes past nine.
1:03 -> Es la una y tres. -> It’s three minutes past one.

Time can likewise be expressed by using the word “menos”, meaning less, to state the number of
minutes before the clock reaches another full hour.

Examples:
8:39 -> Son las nueve menos veintiuno. -> It’s 21 minutes before nine.
12:50 -> Es la una menos diez. -> It’s 10 minutes till one.

The words media, meaning half, and cuarto, meaning quarter, may also be used to state the time:

2:30 -> Son las dos y media. -> It’s half past two.
3:15 -> Son las tres y cuarto. -> It’s quarter past three.
2:45 -> Son las tres menos cuarto. -> It’s quarter till three.
1:15 -> Es la una y cuarto. -> It’s quarter past one.
To distinguish between a.m. and p.m., the time expressions de la tarde, de la mañana, and de la noche
are commonly used.

Son las tres de la tarde. -> It’s three o’clock in the afternoon.
Es la una de la mañana. -> It’s one o’clock in the morning.
Son las nueve de la noche. -> It’s nine o’clock in the evening.

The time expressions por la tarde, por la mañana, and por la noche are used when not referring to a
particular time.

Bebo el café por la mañana. I drink coffee in the morning.

Telling the Date in Spanish

Days of the Week

Sunday -> domingo
Monday -> lunes
Tuesday -> martes
Wednesday -> miércoles
Thursday -> jueves
Friday -> viernes
Saturday -> sabado

Months of the Year

January -> enero
February -> febrero
March -> marzo
April -> abril
Mayo -> mayo
June -> junio
July ->julio
August -> agosto
September -> setiembre
October -> octubre
November -> noviembre
December -> diciembre

To ask for the date in Spanish, any of the following expressions may be used:

¿Qué día es hoy?

¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿A cuántos estamos hoy?

To tell the date, you can use this formula: el+ number+de+month+de+year

English Date -> Spanish Date

January 26, 1998 -> 26 de enero de 1998

June 24, 2015 -> 24 de junio de 2015
May 31, 1904 -> 31 de mayo de 1904

To spell out the dates:

el 26 de enero de 1998
el 24 de junio de 2015
el 31 de mayo de 1904

The exception to the date formula occurs when stating the first day of the month. Instead of using a
cardinal number, the ordinal number “el primero” is used.
Example:
May 1, 2015 -> el primero de mayo de 2015

If you want to state the name of the day, you’ll have to place it before the date and use a comma after
the day.

Hoy es viernes, el 30 de noviembre de 2015.

To write and read the date in number, always remember that the day comes before the month.

Hence, 3/5/2015 is May 3, 2015.

When expressing dates, the year is not broken into two parts like how it is done in English. In
Spanish, the year is read like a regular number.

Examples:
2015 -> is read as “dos mil quince”
1997 is read as “mil novecientos noventa y siete”

Useful Time Expressions:

ayer -> yesterday

anteayer -> day before yesterday
hoy -> today
esta noche -> tonight
anoche -> last night
próximo/próxima -> next
pasado/pasada -> past/last
ultimo/última -> last
mañana -> tomorrow
la hora -> hour
el minuto -> minute
el segundo -> second
el año -> year
el mes -> month
la semana -> week
el día -> day
el milenio -> millennium
el siglo -> century
la década -> decade
Chapter 21: Useful Phrases

Greetings

¡Hola! -> Hello!

¡Adiós! -> Goodbye.
¡Bienvenido! -> Welcome!
¡Buenas tardes! -> Good afternoon.
¡Buenos días! -> Good morning.
¡Buenas noches! -> Good evening/Good night.
¡Hasta la vista! -> See you.
See you tomorrow. -> ¡Hasta mañana!
See you soon. -> ¡Hasta luego!
How are you? (Formal) ->¿Cómo está usted?
¡felicidades! -> Congratulations!
¡Feliz Cumpleaños! -> Happy Birthday!
Feliz Navidad! -> Merry Christmas!
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! -> Happy New Year!
¡Eh! ¡Amigo! -> Hey, friend!

Introductions

¿Cómo se llama usted? -> What’s your name?

¿Cómo te llamas? -> What’s your name?
Me llamo _______. -> My name is ______.
Mi nombre es ______. -> My name is _______.
Encantado de conocerlo/conocerle. -> Pleased to meet you.
¡Tanto Gusto! -> Nice to meet you!
Oh, Qué Bíen! -> Oh, that’s good!
Señor ___, Señora ___, Señorita ___ -> Mr. ___ , Mrs. ___ , Miss ___

Telling and Asking About ‘Age

¿Cuántos años tiene/tienes? -> How old are you?

¿Cuántos años tienes? -> How old are you?
¿Cuál es su edad? -> What is your age?
Tengo veinticinco años. -> I’m twenty-five.
Soy de los Estados Unidos. -> I’m from the United States.
Vivo in Chicago. -> I live in Chicago.

Courtesy words

¡Por favor! -> Please.

¡Muchas gracias! -> Thank you very much.
¡Gracias! -> Thank you.
No, gracias. -> No, thanks.
Perdóneme / Discúlpeme. -> Excuse me.
No importa. -> Never mind.
Lo siento mucho. -> I’m very sorry.
Lo siento. -> Sorry.
Perdón. -> Sorry.
Encantado / Mucho gusto. -> My pleasure.
¡Eres Muy Amable! -> You are very kind.

Directions

¿Dónde está el Baño? -> Where is the bathroom?

Estoy Buscando a Pedro. -> I’m looking for Pedro.
¿Dónde está la Farmacia)? -> Where is the pharmacy?
Estoy perdido. -> I’m lost.
¿Puede Ayudarme? -> Can you help me?
¡Vaya Ud Derecho! -> Go straight.
izquierda. -> left.
derecha. -> right.
Conclusion

I’d like to thank you and congratulate you for transiting my lines from start to finish.
I hope this book was able to help you learn the Spanish language in a fun and easy manner. Now is the
time to hone your language skills by talking regularly to native speakers of Spanish, taking more
advanced studies of the language to take your learning to a higher level, and perhaps take a short
leisure or business trip to a Spanish-speaking country to complete your immersion.
I wish you the best of luck!
To your success,
Henry Ray
Bonus: Preview Of “French: Learn French in 21 DAYS! – A
Practical Guide To Make French Look Easy! EVEN For Beginners”

French Alphabet and Pronunciation

Remember when you were a kid and you had to learn your ABCs? Pretend that you are back in the
kindergarten classroom with your crayons and tracing paper, but this time you have an attractive
French teacher in front of the class. You want to be curious and eager to please your teacher, so pay
full attention to L’ Alphabet.

The French Alphabet

One thing that the French language has in common with English is that it has 26 letters in its alphabet.
However, many of them are pronounced quite differently.
But before you delve deep into the French alphabet, take note that there are “accentuated vowels” and
special characters that are not found in written English. These are:
The grave accent è, which sounds like the “e” in the word “bet”. It is also found in the
vowels “a”and “u”.
The accute accent é, which sounds like “ei”. It can only be found above the letter e.
The circumflex accent ê, which is placed over all vowels. It causes the vowel to sound
longer, such as the “ay” in “play”.
The French /ə/, which is a unique sound that sounds like a short “u” sound.
The cedilla, which turns the “k” sound into the “s” sound. For example, the French word
“garçon” (which means boy or waiter) is pronounced as /GHAR son/.
The diaeresis (called “tréma” in French), which is placed on the second of two
consecutive vowels. It is to show that the vowels are pronounced separately. For example, the
 French word for Christmas, Noël, is pronounced as /nou EL/.
To help you understand these unique French sounds better, go online and listen to them using free
applications such as Google Translate.
Now, practice saying the following letters based on the description below each. Keep in mind that the
words used to help describe the sounds are based on the Standard American English accent.

Aa /ah/
Sounds like the “a” in “father”.

Bb /bé/
Sounds like the “e” in “bed”.

Cc /sé/
Sounds like “k”, but if there is a cedilla, it becomes the sound “s”.

Dd /dé/
Sounds like

Ee /ə/
Sounds like the “a” in “again”.

Ff /ef/
Sounds like the “f” in “food”.

Gg / g/
Sounds like the “s” in “measure” if it comes after “e” or “i”. Other than that, it sounds like the “g” in
“girl”.

Hh /ashe/
It is often not pronounced. For example, “heureux”, which is French for “happy”, is pronounced as
/EUH reuh/.
Ii /ee/
Sounds like the “ee” in “seen”.

Jj /dji/
Sounds like the second “g” in “garage”.
Kk /ka/
Sounds like the “k” in “kite”.

Ll /el/
Sounds like the “l” in “love”.

Mm /em/
Sounds like the “m” in “man”.

Nn /en/
Sounds like the “n” in “neck”.

Oo /o/
Sounds like the “o” in “holiday”.

Pp /pe/
Sounds like the “pe” in “pellet”.

Qq /ku/
Sounds like the “k” in “kick”.

Rr /er/
Sounds like the “r” in “error”.
Ss /ess/
Sounds like the “s” in “sat”.

Tt /te/
Sounds like the “t” in “tent”.

Uu /y/
A uniquely French sound, which is similar to the “oo” in “too”.

Vv /ve/
Sounds like the “v” in “vow”.

Ww /doblé vee/
Sounds like the “w” in “weekend”.

Xx /iks/
Sounds like the “x” in “xylophone”.

Yy /y/
Pronounced as /I grec/ when alone. Other than that, it is like the sound “ea” in “each”.

Zz /zed/
Sounds like the “z” in “zebra”.

French Pronunciation Guidelines

If two /k/ sounds are together, only the first one is not changed, such as accepter /AK sep
tee/ (“accept”).
The sound /ks/ becomes /z/ or /gz/, such as exact /EG zakt/.
If the sounds /k/ and /g/ precede “e” or “i”, they become /s/ and /ʒ/, respectively.
If the letters “gu” is succeeded by “e” or “i”, the /u/ is silent., such as guerre /GEH/
(“war”).
 If the “s” is between vowels, it becomes /z/, such as chose /shooz/ (“thing”).
The /t/ becomes /s/ if followed by “ie”, “ia”, and “io”, such as patient /PEH syun/
(“patient”).
If the word-final /il/ comes after a vowel, it becomes /ee/, such as œil /uh Y/ (“eye”).
If “ill” is not at the start of a word, it turns into /ee/, such as oreille /ooh REYH/ (“ear”).
If no vowel is placed before “ill”, the sound /i/ is pronounced, such as fille /fee yh/
(“girl”). However, the /l/ is pronounced in the words distiller /distile/ (“to distill”) and mille
/mil/ (“thousand”).
If the letter “o” comes after the letter “y”, it is pronounced as /wa/, such as voyage /VWA
yaj/ (“travel”).
If “i”, “u”, and “y” are placed before a vowel in a word, they become glides, such as pied
/pye/ (“foot”), oui /wi/ (“yes”), and huit /oo weet/ (“eight”).
The final “e” is not pronounced, such as bouche /boosh/ (“mouth”).
In French there is a phenomenon called “liaison”, wherein a consonant which is usually
silent is pronounced right before the word that it precedes. For example, “vous avez” is
pronounced as /vou zavee/ (“you have”).
Also, when a word ends with a silent “e”, the liaison is present in the vowel that follows
it. For example, reste à cote is pronounced as /rest eeah cotee/ (“stay next”).
“Enchaînement” is another French language phenomenon and it involves transferring the
consonant sound at the end of a word to the start of the word that it precedes. For instance,
elle est is pronounced as /e le/ (“she is”).
Most of the time, the final e in French words is not pronounced. For example: jambe
/jamb/ (leg), bouche /bush/ (mouth), lampe /lamp/ (lamp).
If the e is followed by a double consonant, it becomes the sound /ei/, but more open and
without the glide from e to i. For example: pelle /pèl/ (shovel), lettre /lètr/ (letter)
Memorize the mute consonants in the French language, which are: the final
-b that follows an m- (such as plomb /ploh/ [metal]), final -d (such as chaud /shoh/ [warm]),
final -p (such as trop /tro/ [very much]), final -s (such as trés /treh/ [very much]), final -t
(such as part /par/ [part]), final -x (such as prix /pri/ [price]), and the final -z (such as assez
/ase/ [enough]).
Pronunciation of the Single Vowels
/a/ -sounds like the first /a/ in marmalade, but not as open. The more open vowel sound that is similar
to this one is â.
Examples: table (table), chat (cat), sac (bag), baggage (luggage), rat (rat), matin (morning), bras
(arm)

/e/ -sounds like the the English indefinite article ‘a’ but make the sound sharper, such as the second /a/
in marmalade. Sounds that are similar to this one are /eu/ which is a more open e and /oeu/ which is a
more open eu.
Examples: deux (two), oeuvre (master works), cheveu (hair), soeur (sister), beurre (butter), heure
(hour)
Keep in mind that the final e in French words is always silent. For example: Notre Dame, Anne
Also, the e in the middle of a French word is glided over. For example: boulevard, Mademoiselle
/i/ -sounds like the /ee/ sound in the English language but shorter.
Examples: courir (to run), pipe (pipe), midi (midday), minute (minute), nid (nest)

/o/ -there are two different sounds with the letter o in French. The first sound is an open /o/ that
sounds like the o in the following English words: not, more, and for.
The second sound is a more closed /o/ like the one in the English low and go.
Majority of the /o/ sounds in French pronunciation are open. It is only closed when it is placed at the
end of the word.
Examples of the open /o/: boote (boote), homme (man), développer (to develop)
Examples of the closed /o/: indigo (indigo), vélo (bicycle)
Sounds that are similar to the closed /o/ are /eau/, /au/, and /ô/. For example: auto (car), contrôle
(control), and eau (water)

/u/ -the French pronunciation for u is not actually present in the English language. While the English
pronunciation of /u/ is the sound of it in the word push, in French it is quite different. However, the u
in push is present in the French language, but it is for the vowel combination /ou/.
Examples: minute, voiture (car), humain (human)

/y/ -the pronunciation of this is similar to the French double /i/ sound.
Examples: loyer /loi ier/ (lease), noyer /noi ier/ (to drown), rayer /rai ier/ (to scratch), pays /pai i/
(country)
Practice pronouncing the following:
si -> sou -> su
rue -> rit -> roue
sous -> assure -> assis
écrou ->écrit -> écru
repu -> tous -> asile
tisse -> sucre -> rousse
git -> joue -> jus
revit -> revue -> couve

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© Copyright 2015 by Henry Ray - All rights reserved.

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