Spanish II Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
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| hacer - to do or make | |
| hago | hacemos |
| haces | hacéis |
| hace | hacen |
| accountant | el contador | musician | el músico |
| actor / actress | el actor / la actriz | nurse | el enfermero |
| architect | el arquitecto | official / civil servant | el funcionario |
| author | el autor | optician | el óptico |
| baker | el panadero | painter | el pintor |
| banker | el banquero | pharmacist (chemist) | el químico |
| barber | el barbero | pharmacist | el farmacéutico |
| bookseller | el librero | photographer | el fotógrafo |
| businessman | el comerciante | pilot | el piloto |
| butcher | el carnicero | plumber | el fontanero |
| carpenter | el carpintero | policeman | el agente de policía |
| computer programmer | el programador | postman | el cartero |
| cook | el cocinero | priest | el cura |
| customer | el cliente | professor | el profesor |
| dentist | el dentista | publisher | el editor |
| doctor | el médico / el doctor | salesman | el vendedor |
| electrician | el electricista | scientist | el científico |
| employee | el empleado | secretary | la secretaria |
| engineer | el ingeniero | servant | el criado |
| firefighter | el bombero | shoemaker | el zapatero |
| fisherman | el pescador | singer | el cantante |
| gardener | el jardinero | soldier | el soldado |
| grocer | el dependiente | student | el estudiante |
| hair stylist | el peluquero | surgeon | el cirujano |
| jeweler | el joyero | tailor | el sastre |
| journalist | el periodista | teacher | el profesor |
| judge | el juez | teacher (grade school) | el maestro |
| lawyer | el abogado | typist | el mecanógrafo |
| librarian | el bibliotecario | waiter / server | el camarero |
| mason | el albañil | watchmaker | el relojero |
| mechanic | el mecánico | worker (blue-collar) | el obrero |
| model | el modelo | writer | el escritor |
| accounting | la contabilidad | law | el derecho |
| algebra | el álgebra | linguistics | la lingüística |
| architecture | la arquitectura | literature | la literatura |
| art | el arte | mathematics | la matématica |
| astronomy | la astronomía | medicine | la medicina |
| biology | la biología | modern languages | las lenguas modernas |
| botany | la botánica | music | la música |
| business | el comercio | natural science | las ciencias naturales |
| chemistry | la química | painting | la pintura |
| computing (IT) | la informática | philosophy | la filosofía |
| drawing | el dibujo | physical education | la educación física |
| earth science | la ciencia terrestre | physical science | las ciencas físicas |
| economics | la económia | physics | la física |
| engineering | la ingeniería | political science | las ciencias políticas |
| English | el inglés | Portuguese | el portugués |
| French | el francés | psychology | la psicología |
| geography | la geografía | religious education | la enseñanza religiosa |
| geometry | la geometría | science | la ciencia |
| German | el alemán | sociology | la sociología |
| Greek | el griego | Spanish | el español |
| history | la historia | technology | la technología |
| Italian | el italiano | zoology | la zoología |
| Latin | el latín |
| Africa | el Africa | Indonesia | Indonesia |
| African | africano/a | Indonesian | indonesio/a |
| Albania | Albania | Ireland | la Irlanda |
| Albanian | albano/a | Irishman | irlandés/esa |
| America | la América | Israel | Israel |
| American | americano/a | Israeli | israelí |
| Argentina | la Argentina | Hebrew | hebreo/a |
| Argentine | argentino/a | Italy | Italia |
| Asia | el Asia (f) | Italian | italiano/a |
| Asian | asiático/a | Japan | Japón |
| Australia | Australia | Japanese | japonés/esa |
| Australian | australiano/a | Latvia | Letonia |
| Austria | el Austria (f) | Latvian | letón/ona |
| Austrian | austríaco/a | Lithuania | Lituania |
| Belgium | la Bélgica | Lithuanian | lituano/a |
| Belgian | belga | Luxembourg | Luxemburgo |
| Bolivia | la Bolivia | Luxembourger | luxemburgués/esa |
| Bolivian | boliviano(a) | Macedonia | Macedonia |
| Bosnia | la Bosnia | Macedonian | macedonio/a |
| Bosnian | bosnio/a | Malta | Malta |
| Brazil | el Brasil | Maltese | maltés/esa |
| Brazilian | brasileño/a | Mexico | México |
| Bulgaria | la Bulgaria | Mexican | mexicano/a |
| Bulgarian | búlgaro/a | Netherlands | los Países Bajos |
| Canada | Canadá | Dutch | holandés/esa |
| Canadian | canadiense | New Zealand | Nueva Zelanda |
| China | China | New Zealander | neozelandés/esa |
| Chinese | chino/a | Nicaragua | Nicaragua |
| Chile | la Chile | Nicaraguan | nicaragüense |
| Chilean | chileno/a | Norway | Noruega |
| Colombia | Colombia | Norwegian | noruego/a |
| Colombian | colombiano/a | Panama | Panama |
| Costa Rica | la Costa Rica | Panamanian | panameño/a |
| Costa Rican | costarricense | Paraguay | Paraguay |
| Croatia | la Croacia | Paraguayan | paraguayo/a |
| Croatian | croata | Peru | Perú |
| Cuba | la Cuba | Peruvian | peruano/a |
| Cuban | cubano/a | Poland | la Polonia |
| Czech Republic | la República Checa | Polish | polaco/a |
| Czech | checo/a | Portugal | Portugal |
| Denmark | Dinamarca | Portuguese | portugués/esa |
| Danish | danés/esa | Romania | Rumania |
| Dominican Republic | República Dominicana | Romanian | rumano/a |
| Dominican | dominicano/a | Russia | Rusia |
| Ecuador | Ecuador | Russian | ruso/a |
| Ecuadorian | ecuatoriano/a | Scotland | la Escocia |
| Egypt | Egipto | Scottish | escocés/esa |
| Egyptian | egipcio/a | Serbia | Serbia |
| El Salvador | El Salvador | Serbian | serbio/a |
| Salvadorean | salvadoreño | Slovakia | la República Eslovaca |
| England | la Inglaterra | Slovak | eslovaco/a |
| English | inglés/esa | Slovenia | Eslovenia |
| Estonia | Estonia | Slovene | esloveno/a |
| Estonian | estonio/a | South Africa | Sudáfrica |
| Europe | la Europa | South African | sudafricano/a |
| European | europeo/a | Spain | España |
| Finland | Finlandia | Spanish | español/a |
| Finnish | finlandés/esa | Sweden | Suecia |
| France | Francia | Swedish | sueco/a |
| French | francés/esa | Switzerland | la Suiza |
| Germany | Alemania | Swiss | suizo/a |
| German | alemán/ana | Turkey | la Turquía |
| Great Britain | la Gran Bretaña | Turk | turco/a |
| British | británico/a | Ukraine | Ucrania |
| Greece | Grecia | Ukrainian | ucraniano/a |
| Greek | griego/a | United Kingdom | Reino Unido |
| Guatemala | Guatemala | United States | Estados Unidos |
| Guatemalan | guatemalteco/a | Uruguay | Uruguay |
| Honduras | Honduras | Uruguayan | uruguayo/a |
| Honduran | hondureño | Venezuela | Venezuela |
| Hungary | Hungría | Venezuelan | venezolano/a |
| Hungarian | húngaro/a | Wales | el país de Gales |
| Iceland | Islandia | Welsh | galés/esa |
| Icelandic | islandés/esa | ||
| India | India | ||
| Indian | indio/a |
| to | a |
|---|---|
| from | de |
| in | en |
Remember to use the prepositional contractions when a noun with an article follows the preposition.
| venir - to come | ir - to go | ||
| vengo | venimos | voy | vamos |
| vienes | venís | vas | vais |
| viene | vienen | va | van |
| a lot | mucho | always | siempre |
| very much | muchísimo | everyday | todos los días |
| a little | poco | now | ahora |
| very little | muy poco | usually | usualmente |
| sometimes | a veces | there | ahí |
| well | bien | over there | allí |
| after | después | too bad | demasiado malo |
| poorly | mal |
Verbs in Spanish end in -ar, -er or -ir. Before a verb is conjugated, it is called the infinitive. Removing the last two letters gives you the stem of the verb (cantar is the infinitive to sing, while cant- is the stem.) To conjugate regular verbs in the present tense, add these endings to the stems:
| -ar | -er | -ir | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| o | amos | o | emos | o | imos | ||
| as | áis | es | éis | es | ís | ||
| a | an | e | en | e | en | ||
Remember that verbs do not require the subject pronouns, so just canto means I sing. Here are some more regular verbs:
| -ar verbs | -er verbs | -ir verbs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bailar | to dance | aprender | to learn | vivir | to live | ||
| desear | to want | comer | to eat | escribir | to write | ||
| escuchar | to listen | correr | to run | compartir | to share | ||
| estudiar | to study | leer | to read | recibir | to receive | ||
| hablar | to speak | vender | to sell | ||||
| practicar | to practice | beber | to drink | ||||
| tomar | to take | comprender | to understand | ||||
| viajar | to travel | ||||||
To make sentences negative, simply put no in front of the verb.
The subject and the object are the same with reflexive verbs - the subject acts upon itself. A reflexive verb in Spanish will be marked with se attached to the end of the infinitive. These verbs are conjugated like regular verbs, except the reflexive pronoun agrees with case and gender and precedes the verb when not used in the infinitive form. Reciprocal verbs are the same as reflexive except the action passes from one person to another. It can only be used in the first and third person plural forms. Reflexive verbs sometimes use the "-self" forms in English, while the reciprocal verbs use "each other."
| me | nos |
| te | os |
| se | se |
Some common reflexive verbs:
acostarse - to go to bed
bañarse - to bathe oneself
casarse - to get married
despertarse - to wake up
irse - to go away
levantarse - to rise
sentarse - to sit down
vestirse - to dress oneself
atreverse - to dare
quejarse - to complain
Some verbs have vowel changes in the present tense for all forms except first and second person plural. After dropping the endings (-ar, -er, or -ir), the e of the last syllable changes to ie, and o of the last syllable changes to ue. Some -ir verbs change the e to i, while verbs ending in -uir change the i to y for all forms except first and second plural.
| e to ie | o to ue | e to i | ui to uy |
|---|---|---|---|
| pensar - to think querer - to want, like, love cerrar - to close comenzar - to begin despertar - to awaken empezar - to begin entender - to understand perder - to lose preferir - to prefer sentar - to seat sentir - to regret, feel |
contar - to count poder - to be able costar - to cost dormir - to sleep encontrar - to find, meet jugar - to play morir - to die mostrar - to show volar - to fly volver - to return |
pedir - to ask (for) repetir - to repeat seguir - to follow servir - to serve vestir - to dress |
construir - to build |
| pensar | contar | pedir | construir | ||||
| pienso |
pensamos |
cuento |
contamos |
pido |
pedimos |
construyo |
construimos |
| piensas | pensáis | cuentas | contáis | pides | pedís | construyes | construís |
| piensa | piensan | cuenta | cuentan | pide | piden | construye | construyen |
A few other verbs are irregular only in the first person singular form. The rest of the forms follow the regular pattern:
| traer | to carry | traigo | I carry |
| salir | to go out | salgo | I go out |
| hacer | to do | hago | I do |
| saber | to know | sé | I know |
| dar | to give | doy | I give |
| ver | to see | veo | I see |
| tener | to have | tengo | I have |
| poner | to put | pongo | I put |
| decir | to say | digo | I say |
| valer | to be worth | valgo | I am worth |
| caer | to fall | caigo | I fall |
| conocer | to know | conozco | I know |
| deducir | to deduce | deduzco | I deduce |
Generally, verbs that end in -cer and -cir add z before the first person singular ending.
When the direct object of a verb (except tener) is a person, it is preceded by a. It isn't used if a number precedes the object though. The pronouns alguien (somebody), alguno (someone), nadie (nobody), and ninguno (no one) require a as well, when used as the direct object.
Veo a Juan. I see John.
Conozco a tu amiga. I know your friend.
Veo a alguien. I see somebody.
The preterite tense expresses an action in the past. It is used to describe events that are finished or complete. It is formed by adding these endings to the infinitive stem.
| -ar verbs | -er and -ir verbs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -é |
-amos |
-í |
-imos | |
| -aste | -asteis | -iste | -isteis | |
| -ó | -aron | -ió | -ieron | |
Viví en España dos años. I lived in Spain
for two years.
Ellos hablaron con los niños. They spoke with the
children.
Quién comió la fruta? Who ate the fruit?
A few verbs are irregular in the preterite tense. The following are the most common:
| dar - to give | decir - to say, tell | estar - to be | |||||
| di diste dio |
dimos disteis dieron |
dije dijiste dijo |
dijimos dijisteis dijeron |
estuve estuviste estuvo |
estuvimos estuvisteis estuvieron |
||
| hacer - to do, make | ir - to go / ser- to be | poner - to put, place | |||||
| hice hiciste hizo |
hicimos hicisteis hicieron |
fui fuiste fue |
fuimos fuisteis fueron |
puse pusiste puso |
pusimos pusisteis pusieron |
||
| tener - to have | traer - to bring | venir - to come | |||||
| tuve tuviste tuvo |
tuvimos tuvisteis tuvieron |
traje trajiste trajo |
trajimos trajisteis trajeron |
vine viniste vino |
vinimos vinisteis vinieron |
||
Ir and ser have the same forms in the preterite tense. Context will make the meaning clear.
The imperfect is another past tense that is used to express an action as going on in the past, as repeated or habitual. It is also used with mental and physical conditions and for descriptions. The preterite tense is used much more often than the imperfect tense though, except with these verbs: querer, creer, poder, esperar, tener, and saber. It is formed by adding these endings to the infinitive stem.
| -ar verbs | -er and -ir verbs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -aba |
-ábamos |
-ía |
-íamos | |
| -abas | -abais | -ías | -íais | |
| -aba | -aban | -ía | -ían | |
Yo vivía en España. I used to live in Spain.
Luisa estaba triste. Louise was sad.
El vendía radios. He was selling radios.
Only a few verbs are irregular in the imperfect tense:
| ser - to be | ir - to go | ver - to see | |||||
| era eras era |
éramos erais eran |
iba ibas iba |
íbamos ibais iban |
veía veías veía |
veíamos veíais veían |
||
| bacon | el tocino | salad | la ensalada |
| beef | la carne de vaca | salami | el salchichón |
| beer | la cerveza | salt | la sal |
| beverage | la bebida | sandwich | el bocadillo |
| biscuit | el bizcocho | sauce | la salsa |
| bread | el pan | sausage | la salchicha |
| breakfast | el desayuno | soft drink | el refresco gaseoso |
| butter | la mantequilla | soup | la sopa |
| cake | la torta | sour cream | la crema agria |
| candy | los dulces | steak | el bistec |
| cheese | el queso | stew | el guisado |
| chicken | el pollo | sugar | el azúcar |
| chocolate | el chupete | supper | la cena |
| chop | la chuleta | tea (iced) | el té (helado) |
| coffee | el café | toast | las tostadas |
| cookie | la galleta | turkey | el pavo |
| cottage cheese | el requesón | veal | la ternera |
| cotton candy | el algodón de azúcar | vegetable | la legumbre |
| cream | la crema | vinegar | el vinagre |
| custard | las natillas | water | el agua |
| dessert | el postre | whipped cream | la nata montada |
| dinner | la comida | wine | el vino |
| duck | el pato | yogurt | el yogur |
| egg | el huevo | bag | la bolsa |
| fat | la grasa | bowl | el tázon |
| flour | la harina | bottle | la botella |
| fried eggs | los huevos fritos | box | la caja |
| goose | el ganso | can | la lata |
| ham | el jamón | can opener | abrelatas |
| hamburger | la hamburguesa | carton | el tetrabrik |
| honey | la miel | chopsticks | los palillos |
| hot dog | el perro caliente | coffee pot | la cafetera |
| ice | el hielo | colander | el colador |
| ice cream | el helado | corkscrew | el sacacorchos |
| jam | la jalea | cup | la taza |
| juice | el jugo | dish | el plato |
| lamb | el cordero | fork | el tenedor |
| lobster | la langosta | frying pan | la sartén |
| lollipop | el chupete | glass | el vaso |
| lunch | el almuerzo | jar | el tarro |
| meal | la comida | jug | la jarra |
| meat | la carne | kettle | la caldera |
| milk | la leche | knife | el cuchillo |
| milkshake | la malteada | lid | la tapa |
| mustard | la mostaza | napkin | la servilleta |
| mutton | la carne de carnero | plate | el plato |
| oil | el aceite | saucer | el platillo |
| omelet | la tortilla | saucepan | la cacerola / el cazo |
| pepper | la pimienta | spoon | la cuchara |
| pie | el pastel | spray can | el spray |
| pork | el cerdo | table | la mesa |
| rice | el arroz | tablecloth | el mantel |
| roast | el asado | teapot | la tetera |
| roll | el panecillo | tube | el tubo |
Gustar plus a noun means to like something. Literally, it means to please and takes an indirect object, so the construction of the sentence will be different than that of English. The verb will only be conjugated in the third person singular or plural because it is agreeing with the noun or infinitive that follows it, not the subject.
| Me gusta(n) | I like | Nos gusta(n) | we like | |
| Te gusta(n) | you like | Os gusta(n) | you like | |
| Le gusta(n) | you/he/she likes | Les gusta(n) | you/they like |
Gusta is used with singular nouns or an infinitive, while gustan is used with plural nouns. It is also possible to add a + complement pronoun to emphasize the subject, but this is not necessary. The complement pronouns are the same as the suject pronouns except a mí and a ti.
Me gustan las flores. I like the flowers. (Literally:
To me are pleasing the flowers or the flowers are pleasing to me.)
A nosotros nos gusta la casa. We like the house.
No me gusta. I don't like it.
Le gusta a Ud.? Do you like it?
A ellos les gustan los caballos. They like the horses.
| almond | la almendra | barley | la cebada |
| apple | la manzana | beans | los frijoles / las judías |
| apricot | el albaricoque | beet | la remolacha |
| avocado | el aguacate | broccoli | el brócoli |
| banana | el plátano | cabbage | la col |
| berry | la baya | carrot | la zanahoria |
| blackberry | la zarzamora | cauliflower | la coliflor |
| blueberry | el arándano | celery | el apio |
| cherry | la cereza | chives | la cebollana |
| chestnut | la castaña | corn | el maíz |
| coconut | el coco | cucumber | el pepino |
| currant | la grosella | eggplant | la berenjena |
| date | el dátil | garlic | el ajo |
| fig | il higo | green bean | la habichuela |
| fruit | la fruta | herbs | le hierba |
| grapefruit | el pomelo | horse-radish | el rabano picante |
| grapes | la uva | leek | el puerro |
| hazelnut | la avellana | lentil | la lenteja |
| kiwi | el kiwi | lettuce | la lechuga |
| lemon | el limón | mint | la menta |
| lime | la lima | mushroom | la seta / el hongo |
| lychee | el lichi | oats | la avena |
| mango | el mango | onion | la cebolla |
| melon | el melón | parsley | el perejil |
| olive | la aceituna | pea | el guisante |
| orange | la naranja | pepper | el pimiento |
| papaya | la papaya | potato | la patata / la papa |
| peach | el melocotón | pumpkin | la calabaza |
| pear | la pera | radish | el rábano |
| pineapple | la piña | rhubarb | el ruibarbo |
| plum | la ciruela | rice | el arroz |
| prune | la ciruela pasa | rye | el centeno |
| raisin | la uva pasa | sage | la salvia |
| raspberry | la frambuesa | seed | la semilla |
| starfruit | la carambola | spinach | la espinaca |
| strawberry | la fresa | sweet potato | el camote / la batata |
| walnut | la nuez | tomato | el tomate |
| watermelon | la sandía | turnip | el nabo |
| artichoke | la alcachofa | wheat | el trigo |
| asparagus | el espárrago | zucchini | el calabacín |
Los frijoles is used in South America, whereas
las judías is used in Spain.
| tomar - to take or drink | |
| tomo |
tomamos |
| tomas | tomáis |
| toma | toman |
When tomar means to drink, it usually refers to alcohol. In Mexico, tomar
can be intransitive, as beber is almost never used. In Spain, tomar
is always transitive, such as tomar una copa - to have a drink and tomar
un café - to have a coffee.
To form commands, drop the final -s on the present tense conjugation for the tú form and change the final -r of the infinitive to -d for the vosotros form. The other imperative conjugations (for Usted, Ustedes, and nosotros) use the present subjunctive forms. (More about the Subjunctive at #70.) You use the nosotros form when you mean Let's + infinitive. Negative commands use no + the present subjunctive conjugations for all forms. So the only forms that differ between affirmative and negative commands are tú and vosotros. Verbs that end in -car, -gar and -zar have the following changes in commands as well: c becomes qu, g becomes gu, and z becomes c.
| Affirmative | Negative | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ar | -er or -ir | -ar | -er or -ir | ||
| tú | -a | -e | -es | -as | |
| Usted | -e | -a | -e | -a | |
| nosotros | -emos | -amos | -emos | -amos | |
| vosotros | -ad | -ed / -id | -éis | -áis | |
| Ustedes | -en | -an | -en | -an | |
¡Habla! = Speak! (tú form)
¡Comed! = Eat! (vosotros form)
¡No comáis! = Don't eat! (negative vosotros form)
¡Beba! = Drink! (Usted form)
¡Coman! = Eat (Ustedes form)
¡No beban! = Don't drink! (negative Ustedes form)
There are 8 irregular verbs in the imperative, but they are only irregular for the tú form. The rest of the commands follow the pattern above.
| infinitive | tú form |
| decir hacer ir poner salir ser tener venir |
di haz ve pon sal sé ten ven |
There are several irregular stems that appear in the present subjunctive, and therefore in the imperative.
| infinitive | imperative stem |
| dar | d- |
| decir | dig- |
| estar | est- |
| haber | hay- |
| hacer | hag- |
| ir | vay- |
| poder | pued- |
| poner | pong- |
| querer | quier- |
| saber | sep- |
| salir | salg- |
| ser | se- |
| tener | teng- |
| traer | traig- |
| venir | veng- |
To make sentences negative, you place no before the verb. Other negatives may precede or follow the verb, but if they follow, they must follow a negative verb (a double negative). The word order is either no + verb + negative or negative + verb. Nunca means ever when it follows a comparative; jamás means ever when it follows an affirmative verb. Ya no + verb means the same thing as no + verb + más (no more, no longer).
| más | no more, no longer |
| nada | nothing, (not) anything |
| nadie | nobody, (not) anybody |
| ninguno (a) | no, none |
| tampoco | neither, either |
| ni | nor |
| ni...ni | neither... nor |
| ni siquiera | not even |
| nunca, jamás | never, ever |
No bailas nunca. = Nunca bailas. You never dance.
No juego más. = Ya no juego. I no longer play.
| Feliz Navidad | Merry Christmas |
| Feliz Año Nuevo | Happy New Year |
| Feliz Cumpleaños | Happy Birthday |
| Feliz Pascua | Happy Easter |
Spanish National Anthem: Marcha Real
There are no words to the Spanish national anthem; it is completely instrumental.
Mexican National Anthem: Mexicanos, al Grito de Guerra
by Francisco González Bocanegra
Mexicanos, al grito de guerra Ciña ¡oh patria! tus sienes de oliva ¡Guerra, guerra sin tregua al que intente Antes, patria, que inermes tus hijos ¡Patria! ¡patria! Tus hijos te juran Mexicanos, al grito de guerra |
Mexicans, at the cry of battle Your forehead shall be girded, oh fatherland, with olive garlands War, war without truce against who would attempt Fatherland, before your children become unarmed Fatherland, fatherland, your children swear Mexicans, at the cry of battle |

