Learning grammar rules in Spanish can be an exciting goal. Rules get your mind working in the new language and provide structure for the experience of speaking, writing, listening, and reading. As you encounter new words and ways of arranging and pronouncing them in the process of foreign language learning, both sides of your brain come into play. In other words, Spanish grammar rules can help your brain learn Spanish more easily.
Table of Contents
1. Nouns must agree with adjectives in gender and number
Spanish is a gendered language, meaning nouns are categorized as either masculine or feminine and Spanish grammatical gender rules should be followed. Except for nouns referring to a person as a man / boy or a woman / girl, gendered language does not have much to do with things that are traditionally related to men or women.
Most masculine nouns in Spanish end in “o,” and most feminine nouns end in “a.” However, there are exceptions. Concordancia, or “agreement,” requires articles and adjectives to match the nouns they modify in gender and number.
- el caballo negro = the black horse
- la manzana roja = the red apple
You’ll probably notice that the adjectives, in this case the colors describing the horse and apple, come after the nouns and end in the same vowels the nouns do. The articles el and la are the masculine and feminine forms of the word for “the.”
When these nouns are pluralized, all the parts of speech related to them also agree in number and gender:
- los caballos negros = the black horses
- las manzanas rojas = the red apples
Most nouns are pluralized by adding the “s,” but nouns ending in consonants get the “es.” “Z” must be changed to “c” when pluralizing.
2. Ser and estar both mean “to be” but are used differently
While both of these verbs can be translated as “to be,” broadly speaking, ser is for more permanent situations, and estar is for more temporary ones. The ser vs. estar differences may seem subtle to English speakers, but they’ll start making sense with some practice. We list the basic differences below, but f you need some extra help, consider some a Rosetta Stone Tutoring session to bolster your understanding.
| Use ser for: | Use estar for: |
| permanent states | temporary states |
| physical characteristics | marital status (if married) |
| time, date, and location (of an event) | location |
| nationality | emotions |
| professions | auxiliary verb (present progressive tense) |
3. Gustar gets conjugated according to object not subject
The verb gustar (to like) works differently than most other verbs in Spanish in the sense that the verb conjugation doesn’t match the person doing the liking. The conjugation must instead match the thing that is liked:
- Me gusta la piña. = I like pineapple.
- Me gustan los tacos. = I like tacos.
When talking about people, it’s important to note that gustar means “to be attractive to,” and it has some sexual overtones. If you want to say you like a person in a non-sexual way, you can use caerse bien (to like a person, to get along with someone).
Gustar has some associated verbs that work the same way. When used with a pronoun, they have the sense listed below in parentheses:
- encantar = to love, to please (I am pleased by…)
- interesar = to interest (I am interested in…)
- fascinar = to fascinate (I am fascinated by…)
- molestar = to bother (I am bothered by…)
- preocupar = to worry (I am worried about…)
4. When talking about the past, use preterite for defined actions and imperfect for undefined or repeated ones
Spanish includes several ways to talk about the past, with the two most important ones being the pretérito (preterite tense) and the imperfecto (Spanish imperfect tense). In a nutshell, the preterite is for actions that have a clear beginning and end in the past, and the imperfect is for ones that do not, for instance, habitual actions. The imperfect is often translated as “used to” or “would.”
- Caminé seis kilómetros ayer. = I walked six kilometers yesterday.
- Cuando vivía en Barcelona, caminaba todas las mañanas. = When I lived in Barcelona, I would walk (used to walk) every morning.
The preterite is also used to talk about an action in the past that interrupts another action in process in the past expressed with the imperfect progressive tense:
- Julio estaba preparando un jugo cuando sonó el teléfono. = Julio was making some orange juice when the telephone rang.
Some Spanish-speaking countries favor the present perfect tense to talk about the past:
- He caminado seis kilómetros hoy. = I walked six kilometers today.
5. It’s okay to have a sentence without a subject
Spanish verb conjugations are really important. Unlike English, there’s a distinct conjugation for each singular and plural point of view in Spanish: first person (I), second person (you), third persons (he/she/it).
Use this chart to help you with the corresponding Spanish pronouns used for learning the verb conjugations:
| Point of view | Spanish singular | English singular | Spanish plural | English plural |
| first person | yo | I | nosotros / as | we |
| second person | tú (and sometimes vos) | you | vosotros / as* | you |
| third person | él/ella/ellousted** | he/she/it(you) | ellosustedes | they(you) |
*Vosotros is only used in certain parts of the Spanish-speaking world.
**This is really the second person, so it means “you,” but it’s conjugated like the third person.
One of the reasons the conjugations are so important is that Spanish tends to drop the pronouns because most of the time the pronoun is obvious from the conjugation.
The lack of a subject can cause some confusion for beginners, but Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method works differently than many other language learning programs because it emphasizes a natural learning process rather than heavy memorization. You won’t feel unmoored without subject pronouns because the learning will flow as it did when you were learning your mother tongue.
6. Know when to use tú and usted depending on the social situation
We’ve already mentioned the importance of conjugations. Another reason they are so significant in Spanish is because of tú and usted as well as ustedes, which is the plural of both. They all mean “you,” but Spanish grammar rules dictate that they be used in different ways.
You’ll need to use tú or usted depending on the situation, including the country or city you’re in. In general, use tú in the following situations:
- with friends
- with children younger than you
- with most family members
And use usted in these situations:
- strangers or people you barely know
- older people (including some family members)
7. Syllable stress is straightforward in Spanish
Unlike English, which has a plethora of pronunciation rules, Spanish is fairly straightforward when it comes to this, especially in the case of syllable stress. There are only three rules:
- Palabra grave: If the word ends in a vowel, “n,” or “s,” the stress is on the second to the last syllable, for example: ba-RA-to (cheap).
- Palabra aguda: If the word ends in a consonant, except for “n” and “s,” the stress is on the final syllable, for example: can-TAR (to sing).
- Esdrújula: If the word stress is not on the last or second-to-last syllable of a multi-syllable word, it gets an accent. These are exceptions that need to be learned as you go. An example of this is the very word itself: es-DRÚ-ju-la.
As a result, Spanish accent marks and diacritics are muy importantes (very important).
8. Use the subjunctive for doubt, possibility, desire, and emotion
There are three basic moods in Spanish: indicative (used to state or ask about something concrete), imperative (used for commands), and subjunctive (used for doubtful situations, possibility, desire, and emotion).
The subjunctive starts with an indicative statement such as Yo quiero (I want) followed by the word que (that) and the subjunctive verb, possibly followed by an additional phrase. Conjugations for the subjective are slightly different from the indicative mood. The subjunctive in Spanish can be a bit challenging, especially because some of the “trigger phrases” can be followed by the indicative or the subjunctive depending on the speaker’s intention.
The thing to do with the subjunctive is to familiarize yourself with the trigger phrases that lead into it, a discussion much too long for this post. But we are happy to provide you with the basic rules for conjugating regular verbs in the present subjunctive:
| Model verb | Subject pronoun | Verb conjugation |
| -AR verbs: hablar (to speak) | yo tú él/ella/usted nosotros ellos / ustedes | hablehableshablehablemoshablen |
| -ER verbs: comer (to eat) | yo tú él/ella/usted nosotros ellos / ustedes | comacomascomacomamoscoman |
| -IR verbs: vivir (to live) | yo tú él/ella/usted nosotros ellos / ustedes | vivavivasvivavivamosvivan |
Frequently asked questions about Spanish grammar rules
For every rule, there’s an exception. These are things you can learn as you go, so you shouldn’t worry too much about them now.
What is one of the hardest grammar rules in Spanish?
The verb gustar is conjugated in a way that can be challenging for English speakers. Of course, Spanish speakers don’t see it that way. Here’s a simple way to think about this verb:
- Me gusta la salsa. = I like the salsa (The salsa is pleasing to me.)
- Me gustan las salsas. = I like the salsas (The salsas are pleasing to me.)
If you view gustar as a passive verb, it’s easier to remember to conjugate the verb according to the thing that is liked.
Why do Spanish speakers use estar for marital status and appearance (sometimes)?
In terms of marital status, take that one at face value. Although we hope your marriage lasts a lifetime, you might think of marital status as a state that could change, in theory, from one day to the next.
In terms of appearance, use estar to emphasize that someone looks particularly attractive at this moment, perhaps because they are dressed for their wedding. Use ser to talk about more permanent states like height.
What if I’m unsure about using tú or usted?
Since the practices around using tú and usted may vary from place to place and even from family to family, one rule of thumb is to always start with usted. If people prefer tú, they’ll often tell you. But if you start with tú, it might be uncomfortable for them. Some countries like Colombia may use usted with friends and family as a general practice.
0 Commentaires