Spanish I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
If you're interested in buying books to supplement your Spanish studies, I've recommended some books from Amazon. Click on the play button to listen to the mp3s through Yahoo Media Player without having to download them, or right click and choose Save As... to save them to your computer. Recordings done by native speaker of Spanish from Peru.
| ¡Buenos días! bway-nohs dee-ahs Hello! / Good morning! |
¡Buenas tardes! bway-nahs tard-ays Good afternoon! |
¡Buenas noches! bway-nahs noh-chays Good evening! / Good night! |
| ¡Hola! / ¡Chao! oh-lah / chow Hi! / Bye! |
Adiós. ah-dee-ohs Good bye. |
Por favor. por fah-bor Please. |
| Hasta la vista / Hasta luego. ah-stah lah vees-tah / ah-stah loo-ay-go See you / See you later. |
Hasta pronto. ah-stah prohn-toh See you soon. |
Hasta mañana. ah-stah mahn-yahn-ah See you tomorrow. |
| (Muchas) Gracias. (moo-chahs) grah-see-ahs Thank you (very much). |
De nada. day nah-dah You're welcome. |
Bienvenidos byen-veh-nee-dohs Welcome |
| Lo siento loh see-ehn-toh I'm sorry |
Con permiso / Perdón / Disculpe kohn pehr-mee-soh / pehr-dohn / dees-kool-peh Excuse me / Pardon me |
¡Vamos! bah-mohs Let's go! |
| ¿Cómo está usted?
koh-moh ay-stah oo-sted How are you? (formal) |
¿Cómo estás? koh-moh ay-stahs How are you? (informal) |
¿Qué tal? kay tahl How's it going? |
| Bien / Muy bien bee-ehn / moy bee-ehn Good / Very good |
Mal / Muy mal / Más o menos mahl / moy mahl / mahs oh may-nohs Bad / Very bad / OK |
Sí / No see / noh Yes / No |
| ¿Cómo se llama usted? koh-moh say yah-mah oo-sted What is your name? (formal) |
¿Cómo te llamas? koh-moh tay yah-mahs What is your name? (informal) |
Me llamo... / Mi nombre es... may yah-moh / mee nohm-breh ess My name is... |
| Mucho gusto. / Encantado. moo-choh goo-stoh / en-cahn-tah-doh Nice to meet you. |
Igualmente. ee-guahl-mehn-tay Same here. / Same to you. |
Señor / Señora / Señorita
sayn-yor / sayn-yor-ah / sayn-yor-ee-tah Mister / Mrs. / Miss |
| ¿De dónde es usted? day dohn-day ehs oo-sted Where are you from? (formal) |
¿De dónde eres? day dohn-day eh-rehs Where are you from? (informal) |
Yo soy de... yoh soy day I'm from... |
| ¿Cuántos años tiene usted?
quahn-tohs ahn-yohs tee-ay-nay oo-sted How old are you? (formal) |
¿Cuántos años tienes?
quahn-tohs ahn-yohs tee-ayn-ays How old are you? (informal) |
Yo tengo _____ años. yoh tayn-goh _____ ahn-yohs I am _____ years old. |
| ¿Habla usted español? ah-blah oo-sted eh-spahn-yol Do you speak Spanish? (formal) |
¿Hablas inglés? ah-blahs een-glehs Do you speak English? (informal) |
(No) Hablo... noh ah-bloh I (don't) speak... |
| ¿Entiende usted? / ¿Entiendes? ehn-tyen-deh oo-sted / ehn-tyen-dehs Do you understand? (formal / informal) |
(No) Entiendo. noh ehn-tyen-doh I (don't) understand. |
Yo (no lo) se. yoh noh loh seh I (don't) know. |
| ¿Puede ayudarme? pweh-deh ah-yoo-dar-meh Can you help me? (formal) |
Claro / Claro que sí klah-roh / klah-roh keh see Sure / Of course |
¿Cómo? koh-moh What? Pardon me? |
| ¿Dónde está / Dónde están...
? dohn-deh eh-stah / dohn-deh eh-stahn Where is ... / Where are ... ? |
Aquí / Ahí ah-kee / ah-ee Here / There |
Hay / Había... eye / ah-bee-ah There is / are... / There was / were... |
| ¿Cómo se dice ____ en
español? koh-moh seh dee-seh ___ en eh-spahn-yol How do you say ____ in Spanish? |
¿Qué es esto? keh ehs ehs-toh What is that? |
¿Qué te pasa? keh teh pah-sah What's the matter (with you)? |
| No importa. noh eem-por-tah It doesn't matter. |
¿Qué pasa? keh pah-sah What's happening? |
Sin novedad. seen noh-veh-dahd Nothing much. |
| No tengo ninguna idea. noh tehn-goh neen-goo-nah ee-deh-ah I have no idea. |
¡Buena idea! bweh-nah ee-deh-ah Good idea! |
¡Pase! pah-seh Go ahead! |
| Estoy cansado / enfermo. eh-stoy kahn-sah-doh / ehn-fehr-moh I'm tired / sick. |
Tengo hambre / sed. tehn-goh ahm-breh / sed I'm hungry / thirsty. |
Tengo calor / frío. tehn-goh kah-lohr / free-oh I'm hot / cold. |
| Estoy aburrido. eh-stoy ah-boo-ree-doh I'm bored. |
No me importa. noh meh eem-por-tah I don't care. |
No se preocupe. noh seh preh-oh-koo-peh Don't worry |
| Está bien. ehs-tah bee-ehn That's alright. / It's ok. |
Me olvidé. meh ohl-vee-deh I forgot. |
Tengo que ir ahora. tehn-goh keh eer ah-oh-rah I must go now. |
| ¿Listo? lees-toh Ready? |
Quizás / Depende. kee-sahs / deh-pehn-deh Maybe / It depends. |
Todavía no. toh-dah-vee-ah noh Not yet. |
| ¡Qué chistoso! keh chees-toh-soh How funny! |
¡Que le vaya bien! keh leh vah-yah bee-ehn Have a nice day! |
¡Nos vemos! nohs veh-mos We'll see you! |
| ¡Salud! sah-lood Bless you! |
¡Felicitaciones! feh-lee-see-tah-see-oh-nehs Congratulations! |
¡Buena suerte! bweh-nah swehr-teh Good luck! |
| Te toca a ti. teh toh-kah ah tee It's your turn. (informal) |
¡Callate! kah-yah-teh Shut up! |
Te amo. tay ah-moh I love you. (informal and singular) |
Notice that Spanish has informal and formal ways of speaking. This is because there is more than one meaning to "you" in Spanish (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.)
Encantado, cansado, enfermo, and aburrido are
the masculine forms of the words. If the words refer to a woman or are
spoken by a woman, then the final o changes to a: encantada, cansada, enferma, and aburrida
In Spain, as well as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, the Spanish language is called castellano instead of español.
| Spanish Letter | English Sound |
| a | ah |
| e | ay |
| i | ee |
| o | oh |
| u | oo |
| ll | y |
| v | b at beginning of word, real soft b between 2 vowels |
| ñ | ny (as in canyon) |
| r | almost like a d when in between 2 vowels |
| rr | r with a roll of the tongue |
| d | almost like a th when in between 2 vowels |
| j | hard h |
| g | g, sometimes a h |
| qu | k |
| ai / all / ay | eye |
| z | s |
| z, ce, ci | th (in northern Spain only) |
The five vowels in Spanish are all pure vowels: [a], [e], [i], [o], [u] Be sure that you do not pronounce a diphthong as we do in English (the extra yuh or wuh sound at the end).
Stress: Just as in English, Spanish stresses a certain syllable in a word. If a word ends in a consonant, except s or n, the stress is on the last syllable. If a word ends in a vowel, or s or n, the stress is on the second-to-last syllable. For words that do no follow these rules, an accent is written over the vowel so that you will know to stress that syllable, as in el pájaro (bird).
Please keep in mind that because Spanish is spoken in many countries, there are several regional dialects and accents so pronunciation rules may not apply to all countries. This tutorial is mostly concerned with the language that is spoken in Mexico and Spain.
| a | ah | j | hoh-tah | r | air-ay |
| b | bay | k | kah | rr | airr-ay |
| c | say | l | ay-lay | s | ay-say |
| ch | chay | ll | ay-yay | t | tay |
| d | day | m | ay-may | u | oo |
| e | ay | n | ay-nay | v | bay chee-kah |
| f | ay-fay | ñ | ayn-yay | w | vay doh-blay |
| g | hey | o | oh | x | ah-kees |
| h | ah-chay | p | pay | y | ee-gree-ay-gah |
| i | ee | q | koo | z | say-tah |
The Spanish language academy no longer considers the ch, ll or rr to be separate letters in dictionaries, but they are still separate letters in the alphabet. In Spain, you can say oo-bay for v, but in Latin America most dialects just use bay and an adjective, such as chica (Mexico and Peru) or corta (Argentina and Chile).
| Masc. Singular | Fem. Singular | Masc. Plural | Fem. Plural | ||
| the | el (ail) | la (lah) | the | los (lohs) | las (lahs) |
| a, an | un (oon) | una (oon-ah) | some | unos (oon-ohs) | unas (oon-ahs) |
| this | este | esta | these | estos | estas |
| that | ese | esa | those | esos | esas |
| that | aquel | aquella | those | aquellos | aquellas |
El is also used with feminine nouns beginning with a or ha when the accent is on the first syllable. Words that end in -o and -or are generally masculine, with a few exceptions: la mano (hand), la foto (photo). Words that end in -a are generally feminine, with a few exceptions: el mapa (map), el problema (problem). Other feminine words end in -ción, -tad, -dad, or -tud.
Use the ese forms to mean that when what you are talking about is near the person you are addressing. Use the aquel forms when what you are talking about is far from both you and the person you are addressing. Esto and eso are the neuter forms of this and that. They can be used in general and abstract ways. Demonstrative adjectives (listed above) are used before a noun; if you want to use the demonstrative pronouns, which are used before a verb, add an accent on all of the first e's: éste, ésta, éstos, éstas, ése, ésa, ésos, ésas, aquél, aquélla, aquéllos, aquéllas.
| yo | yoh | I | nosotros / nosotras | noh-soh-trohs / noh-soh-trahs | we |
| tú | too | you (informal) | vosotros / vosotras | boh-soh-trohs / boh-soh-trahs | you all |
| él / ella / usted | ail / ay-yah / oo-sted | he / she / it / you (formal) | ellos / ellas / ustedes | ay-yohs / ay-yahs / oo-sted-ays | they / they / you (plural) |
Vosotros is used only in Spain when speaking to more than one person with whom you know well. Nosotras and vosotras refer to a group of all females, as well as ellas. Ustedes is almost always used for saying "you all" in all Spanish speaking countries. Usted can be abbreviated to Ud. Ustedes can also be abbreviated to Uds. Please note that the subject pronouns are rarely used before verbs.
ser - to be
|
|||||
present |
past |
future
|
|||
| soy | I am | fuí | I was | seré | I will be |
| eres | you are | fuiste | you were | serás | you will be |
| es | he/she/it is / you are | fué | he/she/it was / you were | será | he/she/it / you will be |
| somos | we are | fuimos | we were | seremos | we will be |
| sois | you are | fuisteis | you were | seréis | you will be |
| son | they / you are | fueron | they / you were | serán | they / you will be |
estar - to be |
|||||
present |
past |
future |
|||
| estoy | I am | estuve | I was | estaré | I will be |
| estás | you are | estuviste | you were | estarás | you will be |
| está | he/she/it is / you are | estuvo | he/she/it was / you were | estará | he/she/it / you will be |
| estamos | we are | estuvimos | we were | estaremos | we will be |
| estáis | you are | estuvisteis | you were | estaréis | you will be |
| están | they / you are | estuvieron | they / you were | estarán | they / you will be |
tener - to have |
|||||
present |
past
|
future |
|||
| tengo | I have | tuve | I had | tendré | I will have |
| tienes | you have | tuviste | you had | tendrás | you will have |
| tiene | he/she/it has / you have | tuvo | he/she/it / you had | tendrá | he/she/it / you will have |
| tenemos | we have | tuvimos | we had | tendremos | we will have |
| tenéis | you have | tuvisteis | you had | tendréis | you will have |
| tienen | they / you have | tuvieron | they / you had | tendrán | they / you will have |
Highlighted forms are only used in Spain.
Ser is used to identify or describe. It tells
what something is, its basic characteristics, or its origin. Estar
is used to tell the location of something or how someone feels.
Uses of Ser
| Identify person/object Inherent characteristics or qualities Nationality/Occupation Telling time Express ownership Impersonal expressions Passive voice |
El edificio es un templo. La casa es grande. Carlos es pobre. Es carpintero. Son las tres. Los libros son de Juan. Es necesario. El teléfono fue inventado por Bell. |
The building is a temple. The house is large. Charles is poor. He is a carpenter. It's three o'clock. The books are John's. It is necessary. The telephone was invented by Bell. |
Uses of Estar
| Location/position Temporary condition/state State of health Form progressive tense |
El libro está en la mesa. La ventana está abierta. Juan está enfermo. Miguel está estudiando. |
The book is on the table. The window is open. John is sick. Michael is studying. |
Sometimes changing the verb can completely change the meaning: ser aburrido means to be boring, while estar aburrido means to be bored. Others include: ser bueno - to be nice, estar bueno - to be in good health; ser callado - to be discrete, estar callado - to be silent; ser moreno - to have brown hair, estar moreno - to be tan.
Many common expressions using the verb "be" in English use the verb "tener" in Spanish (but not all):
| to be afraid | tener miedo | to be in a hurry | tener prisa, estar de prisa |
| to be against | estar en contra | to be jealous | tener celos |
| to be at fault | tener la culpa | to be lucky | tener suerte |
| to be careful | tener cuidado | to be patient | tener paciencia |
| to be cold | tener frío | to be sleepy | tener sueño |
| to be curious | ser curioso/a | to be successful | tener éxito |
| to be happy | estar contento/a | to be thirsty | tener sed |
| to be hot | tener calor | to be tired | estar cansado/a |
| to be hungry | tener hambre | to be ___ years old | tener ___ años |
| what | qué | which | cuál(es) |
| who | quién(es) | how much | cuánto (-a) |
| how | cómo | how many | cuántos (-as) |
| when | cuándo | whom | a quién(es) |
| where | dónde | whose | de quién(es) |
| why | por qué |
| 0 | cero | say-roh | ||
| 1 | uno | oo-noh | first | primero |
| 2 | dos | dohs | second | segundo |
| 3 | tres | trays | third | tercero |
| 4 | cuatro | kwah-troh | fourth | cuarto |
| 5 | cinco | seen-koh | fifth | quinto |
| 6 | seis | says | sixth | sexto |
| 7 | siete | see-ay-tay | seventh | séptimo |
| 8 | ocho | oh-choh | eighth | octavo |
| 9 | nueve | new-ay-vay | ninth | noveno |
| 10 | diez | dee-ays | tenth | décimo |
| 11 | once | ohn-say | eleventh | undécimo |
| 12 | doce | doh-say | twelfth | duodécimo |
| 13 | trece | tray-say | thirteenth | décimo tercero |
| 14 | catorce | kah-tor-say | fourteenth | décimo cuarto |
| 15 | quince | keen-say | fifteenth | décimo quinto |
| 16 | diez y seis | dee-ays ee says | sixteenth | décimo sexto |
| 17 | diez y siete | dee-ays ee see-ay-tay | seventeenth | décimo séptimo |
| 18 | diez y ocho | dee-ays ee oh-choh | eighteenth | décimo octavo |
| 19 | diez y nueve | dee-ays ee new-ay-vay | nineteenth | décimo noveno |
| 20 | veinte | bayn-tay | twentieth | vigésimo |
| 21 | veinte y uno | bayn-tay ee oo-noh | twenty-first | vigésimo primero |
| 22 | veinte y dos | bayn-tay ee dohs | twenty-second | vigésimo segundo |
| 30 | treinta | trayn-tah | thirtieth | trigésimo |
| 40 | cuarenta | kuar-ain-tah | fortieth | cuadragésimo |
| 50 | cincuenta | seen-kuain-tah | fiftieth | quincuagésimo |
| 60 | sesenta | say-sain-tah | sixtieth | sexagésimo |
| 70 | setenta | say-tain-tah | seventieth | septuagésimo |
| 80 | ochenta | oh-chain-tah | eightieth | octogésimo |
| 90 | noventa | noh-bain-tah | ninetieth | nonagésimo |
| 100 | cien(to) | see-ain-(toh) | hundredth | centésimo |
| 1000 | mil | meel | thousandth | milésimo |
If you are just saying 100, you use cien. If it's over 100, you use ciento. So 101 is ciento uno and 156 would be ciento cincuenta y seis. Also you can use dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, and diecinueve for 16, 17, 18, and 19, respectively. They are pronounced the same but are combined into one word. Additionally, 21-29 can be written as one word (veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés, etc.), but you need to use y for the rest of the numbers.
Primero and tercero drop the final -o when used directly before a noun.
| Monday | lunes | loo-nays |
| Tuesday | martes | mar-tays |
| Wednesday | miércoles | mee-air-coh-lays |
| Thursday | jueves | hway-bays |
| Friday | viernes | bee-air-nays |
| Saturday | sábado | sah-bah-doh |
| Sunday | domingo | doh-ming-oh |
| day | el día | dee-ah |
| week | la semana | say-mahn-ah |
| weekend | el fin de semana | feen day say-mahn-ah |
| today | hoy | oy |
| tonight | esta noche | es-tah noh-chay |
| last night | anoche | ah-noh-chay |
| yesterday | ayer | eye-yair |
| tomorrow | mañana | mahn-yahn-ah |
| my birthday | mi cumpleaños | mee coom-play-ahn-yohs |
| next | próximo / próxima | prok-see-moh / mah |
| last | pasado / pasada | pah-sah-doh / dah |
| day before yesterday | anteayer | ahn-teh-eye-yair |
| day after tomorrow | pasado mañana | pah-sah-doh mahn-yahn-ah |
| the following day | el día siguiente | dee-ah see-gwee-ehn-teh |
| the day before | la víspera | vees-peh-rah |
Days of the week are all masculine in gender and they are not capitalized in writing. The definite article is not used after the verb ser, but at all other times it is required and there is slight change in meaning if it is singular or plural: el lunes = on Monday but los lunes = on Mondays
| January | enero | ay-nair-oh |
| February | febrero | fay-bray-roh |
| March | marzo | mar-soh |
| April | abril | ah-breel |
| May | mayo | mi-oh |
| June | junio | hoo-nee-oh |
| July | julio | hoo-lee-oh |
| August | agosto | ah-gohs-toh |
| September | septiembre | sayp-tee-aim-bray |
| October | octubre | ohk-too-bray |
| November | noviembre | noh-bee-aim-bray |
| December | diciembre | dee-see-aim-bray |
| month | el mes | mais |
| first of [a month] | el primero de [month] | pree-mair-oh day _____ |
| year | el año | ahn-yoh |
| decade | la década | deh-kah-dah |
| century | el siglo | see-gloh |
| millennium | el milenio | mee-leh-nee-oh |
The preposition en is used with months: en abril = in April. Also notice that primero is used for the first of the month, but the rest of the days are referred to using the regular cardinal numbers: el primero de junio but el dos de julio. Months of the year are also all masculine and not capitalized in writing.
¿Cual es la fecha de hoy? What is today's date?
Hoy es el primero de agosto. Today is August 1st.
| spring | la primavera | in spring | en primavera |
| summer | el verano | in summer | en verano |
| winter | el invierno | in winter | en invierno |
| autumn | el otoño | in autumn | en otoño |
| to the right | a la derecha |
| to the left | a la izquierda |
| straight ahead | todo derecho |
| north | el norte | northeast | el noreste |
| south | el sur | northwest | el noroeste |
| east | el este | southeast | el sureste |
| west | el oeste | southwest | el suroeste |
| red | rojo / roja | circle | el círculo |
| pink | rosado / rosada | square | el cuadrado |
| orange | anaranjado / anaranjada | rectangle | el rectángulo |
| yellow | amarillo / amarilla | triangle | el triángulo |
| green | verde | oval | el óvalo |
| blue | azul | cube | el cubo |
| light blue | celeste | sphere | la esfera |
| purple | morado / morada | cylinder | el cilindro |
| violet | violeta | cone | el cono |
| brown | marrón | octagon | el octágono |
| black | negro / negra | box | la caja |
| gray | gris | pyramid | la pirámide |
| white | blanco / blanca | ||
| golden | dorado / dorada | dark | oscuro / oscura |
| silver | plateado / plateada | light | claro / clara |
All adjectives in Spanish are placed after the noun that they describe and they agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun. Notice that some colors do not change for gender (marrón) or number (gris). To change an adjective to the feminine form, you usually just change the final -o to -a. To make an adjective plural, simply add an -s.
a red house = una casa roja
| ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? |
| Es la una. | It's one. |
| Son las dos/tres/cuatro... | It's two/three/four... |
| Es mediodía. | It's noon. |
| Es medianoche. | It's midnight. |
| Son las cinco y cinco. | It's 5:05 |
| Son las ocho y cuarto. | It's 8:15 |
| Son las diez menos cuarto. | It's 9:45 |
| Son cuarto para las diez. | It's 9:45 (common in Mexico) |
| Son las nueve menos diez. | It's 8:50 |
| Son diez para las nueve. | It's 8:50 (common in Mexico) |
| Son las tres y media / treinta. | It's 3:30 |
| de la mañana | in the morning / AM |
| de la tarde | in the afternoon / PM |
| de la noche | in the evening / PM |
| en punto | exactly / sharp |
| ¿A qué hora? | At what time? |
| ¿Qué tiempo hace? | What's the weather like? |
| Hace buen tiempo. | The weather's nice. |
| Hace mal tiempo. | The weather's bad. |
| Hace frío. | It's cold. |
| Hace calor. | It's hot. |
| Hace sol. | It's sunny. |
| Hace viento. | It's windy. |
| Hace fresco. | It's chilly. |
| Está nublado. | It's cloudy. |
| Hay niebla. | It's foggy. |
| Hay neblina. | It's misty. |
| Hay humedad. | It's humid. |
| Hay granizo. | It's hailing. |
| Llueve. | It's raining. |
| Nieva. | It's snowing. |
| Truena. | It's thundering. |
| Llovizna. | It's sprinkling. |
| a | at, to | al lado de | beside, alongside of |
| con | with | alrededor de | around |
| contra | against | cerca de | near, close to |
| de | of, from | lejos de | far from |
| en | in, on | delante de | in front of |
| entre | between, among | debajo de | below, under |
| hacia | towards, about | en frente de | opposite |
| para | for, in order, by | detrás de | behind |
| por | for, through, along, via | encima de | above, on top of |
| sobre | on, over | hasta | till, until |
| sin | without | desde | from, since |
There are two prepositional contractions with definite articles. A and el combine to form al, and de and el combine to form del.
| family | la familia | cousin (m) | el primo |
| parents | los padres | cousin (f) | la prima |
| husband | el marido / el esposo | cousins | los primos |
| wife | la mujer / la esposa | relatives | los parientes |
| father / dad | el padre / el papá | stepfather | el padastro |
| mother / mom | la madre / la mamá | stepmother | la madrastra |
| son | el hijo | stepbrother | el hermanastro |
| daughter | la hija | stepsister | la hermanastra |
| children | los hijos | stepson | el hijastro |
| brother | el hermano | stepdaughter | la hijastra |
| sister | la hermana | godfather | el padrino |
| brothers & sisters | los hermanos | godmother | la madrina |
| only child (m) | el hijo único | baby | el bebé |
| only child (f) | la hija única | teenager | el adolescente |
| kid / boy | el muchacho | boy | el niño |
| kid / girl | la muchacha | girl | la niña |
| half-brother | el medio hermano | boys & girls | los niños |
| half-sister | la media hermana | man | el hombre |
| father-in-law | el suegro | woman | la mujer |
| mother-in-law | la suegra | adult | el adulto |
| brother-in-law | el cuñado | twins (m) | los gemelos |
| sister-in-law | la cuñada | twins (f) | las gemelas |
| son-in-law | el yerno | dog | el perro |
| daughter-in-law | la nuera | cat | el gato |
| grandfather | el abuelo | bird | el pájaro |
| grandmother | la abuela | fish | el pez |
| grandparents | los abuelos | gold fish | la carpa dorada |
| grandson | el nieto | horse | el caballo |
| granddaughter | la nieta | goat | la cabra |
| grandchildren | los nietos | pig | el cerdo |
| uncle | el tío | cow | la vaca |
| aunt | la tía | rabbit | el conejo |
| aunts & uncles | los tíos | turtle | la tortuga |
| nephew | el sobrino | mouse | el ratón |
| niece | la sobrina | deer | el ciervo |
| nieces & nephews | los sobrinos | duck | el pato |
| conocer - to know people | saber - to know facts | ||
| conozco | conocemos | sé | sabemos |
| conoces | conocéis | sabes | sabéis |
| conoce | conocen | sabe | saben |
- If a singular noun ends in a vowel, just add -s to make it plural: la casa → las casas
- If a singular noun ends in a consonant, a vowel with an accent, or y, add -es to make it plural: el papel → los papeles
- Singular nouns that end in -z change the z to c and add -es to form the plural: la luz → las luces
- A few nouns that have an accent in the singular will lose it in the plural: el lápiz → los lápices
Initial Forms |
Terminal Forms |
|||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | |
| my | mi | mis | mío / mía | míos / mías |
| your | tu | tus | tuyo / tuya | tuyos / tuyas |
| your/his/her/its | su | sus | suyo / suya | suyos / suyas |
| our | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras | nuestro / nuestra | nuestros / nuestras |
| your | vuestro / vuestra | vuestros / vuestras | vuestro / vuestra | vuestros / vuestras |
| your/their | su | sus | suyo / suya | suyos / suyas |
Remember that vuestro forms are only used in Spain (just as the vosotros subject pronoun & verb conjugations are only used in Spain).
Because su and sus can have so many meanings, de + a pronoun may be used following the noun: de Ud., de él, de ella, de Uds., de ellos and de ellas.
los libros de ellos their books
The terminal forms are placed after the noun, and the noun must be preceded by the definite article, except in direct address. When used with the indefinite article, it corresponds to the English "of mine, of yours," etc.
el libro mío my book
Qué haces, hijo mío? What are you doing, my
son?
un amigo mío a friend of mine
