T H ET H E

S P A N I S HS P A N I S H

R E F E R E N C ER E F E R E N C E

G U I D EG U I D E

By: Alan Watkins

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The Spanish Alphabet

a a j jota r ereb be, be larga k ka rr errec ce l ele s esech che ll elle t ted de m eme u ue e n ene v ve, ve corta,uvef efe – e–e w doble ve, uve dobleg ge o o x equish hache p pe y i griegai i q cu z zeta__________________________________________________________________Titles Of Address

The definite articles, el or la, must precede a title when talking about someone.

Es la doctora S‡nchez. She is Dr. S‡nchez.El profesor D’az es bueno. Professor D’az is good.

__________________________________________________________________Spanish Numbers

0 cero 13 trece 26 veintisŽis1 uno 14 catorce 27 veintisiete2 dos 15 quince 28 veintiocho3 tres 16 diecisŽis 29 veintinueve4 cuatro 17 diecisiete 30 treinta5 cinco 18 dieciocho 31 treinta y uno6 seis 19 diecinueve 40 cuarenta7 siete 20 veinte 50 cincuenta8 ocho 21 veintiuno 60 sesenta 101 ciento y 9 nueve 22 veintid—s 70 setenta uno10 diez 23 veintitrŽs 80 ochenta 154 ciento11 once 24 veinticuatro 90 noventa

cincuenta12 doce 25 veinticinco 100 cien y cuatro

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Notes:1) The number uno, even if it is tacked on (as in veintiuno) becomes un before masculine nouns and una before feminine nouns.

2) The numbers 16-29 are usually written as one word, but they may be written as three: diez y ocho, veinte y cinco, etc.

3) The numbers 30-99 must be written as three words.

4) Cien is an even hundred. Numbers from 100-199 are written as ciento and the remaining number: ciento y uno, ciento cincuenta y cuatro.

5) Mathematical Expressions: y/mas (+) menos (-) es/son (=) por (x) dividido por (/)__________________________________________________________________Subject Pronouns

Notes:1) Subject pronouns are usually omitted in Spanish but are often used for clarity, emphasis, or contrast.__________________________________________________________________The Verb SER (to be) - A Beginning

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Notes:1) Ser is used to define or identify. It is always used to express nationality or profession. Ser de is used to express origin.

Yo soy americano. I am American.ƒl es de Panam‡. He is from Panama.

__________________________________________________________________Present Tense of - AR Verbs

Notes:1) The present indicative of any Spanish verb has 3 possible English equivalents: { I buy new clothes

Compro ropa nueva { I am buying new clothes.{ I do buy new clothes.

2) As in English, a Spanish present-tense verb may have a future meaning.__________________________________________________________________Articles And Nouns : Gender And Number

Notes:1) Articles must agree in number (singular/plural ) and gender (masculine/feminine ) with the noun they accompany.

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2) Generally, nouns that end in -o are masculine, and those ending in -a, -dad, and -cion are feminine.

el cepillo the brushla universidad the universityla camisa the shirtla televisi—n the television

Some important exceptions are:la mano the hand el sistema the systemel d’a the day el tema the themeel problema the problem el mapa the mapel programa the program el poema the poemel drama the drama

3) Sometimes, the same noun is used for both genders. In these cases, the gender is determined by the article that is used before the noun.

el/la turista el/la periodistael/la dentista el/la artista

4) Many nouns, especially those ending in -e or a consonant, do not have predictable genders and must be memorized.

el suŽter the sweater el trajethe suitel viaje the trip la tarde the afternoon

5) All plural nouns end in -s or -es. Plurals are formed as follows:Singular nouns that end in a vowel form their plurals by adding -s.Singular nouns that end in a consonant for their plurals by adding -es.A final -z always changes to -c before adding -es.

__________________________________________________________________Present Tense Of -ER And -IR Verbs

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The Verb Hay The verb hay, from haber, doesn't take personal subjects. In the present indicative, it means there is or there are. In a question, ÀHay?, it means Is there? or Are there?__________________________________________________________________Days Of The Week, Months, And Seasons

1) The days of the week aren't capitalized in Spanish and are considered masculine :

lunes Monday viernes Friday martes Tuesday s‡bado Saturday miŽrcoles Wednesday domingo Sunday

jueves Thursday

2) The months (los meses) are the same way :

enero abril julio octubrefebrero mayo agosto noviembremarzo junio septiembre dicembre

Note: Dates (las fechas) are given using the following formula :

el (numero) de (mes) de (a–o)

3) The seasons :

el oto–o fall la primavera springel invierno winter el verano summer

4) To say something happens on a particular day, use a definite article. The preposition en is used to say something happens in a particular month or season.

No hay clases los s‡bados. There are no clases on Saturdays. Hay una fiesta el lunes. There is a party on Monday. Hace fr’o en enero. It's cold in January. En verano, me gusta nadar. In the summer, I like to swim.

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Four Irregular Verbs : Tener, Salir, Ir, Dar

Notes:1) When tener is followed by an infinitive, it becomes tener que and means to have to or must :

Tengo que comprar un coche. I have to (must) buy a car.

2) Ir a plus an infinitive has a future meaning :

Voy a hacerlo ma–ana. I'm going to (will) do it tomorrow.__________________________________________________________________Telling Time1) The word time in Spanish is hora, which is always feminine. To tell the hour, es is used ONLY with la una; otherwise, son followed by the hour is used.

ÀQuŽ hora es? What time is it?Es la una. It's one o'clock.Son las doce. It's twelve o'clock.

2) Minutes from the hour to the half hour are connected with y. Between the half hour and the next hour, minutes are subtracted from the hour and connected with menos.

2:24 Son las dos y veinticuatro. 12:42 Es la una menos dieciocho.

3) Cuarto means quarter hour, and media means half past (thirty) :

Yo salgo a las tres y media y I leave at 3:30 and vuelvo a las diez menos cuarto. return at quarter to ten.

4) To say something happens at a particular time, use a las (See #3 above).

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5) The phrase de la ma–ana/tarde/noche is only used when stating a specific time; otherwise use por in place of de.

Yo llego a las dos de la ma–ana. I arrive at 2 am.Yo llego por la tarde. I arrive in the afternoon.

__________________________________________________________________Verbs Of MotionVerbs of motion always use a to indicate movement to or arrival at a place and de to indicate movement from a particular place :

El lunes regreso de Espa–a a MŽxico. Monday I return from Spain to Mexico.__________________________________________________________________Adjectives : Number, Gender, And Position1) Masculine, singular adjectives ending in -o have four possible forms :

2) Neutral adjectives have only two possible forms :

3) Adjectives of nationality ending in a consonant add -a or -as to form the feminine adjectives and -es to form the masculine plural :

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4) The colors :

rojo, colorado red negro blackanaranjado orange gris grayamarillo yellow morado purpleverde green marr—n, pardo brownazul blue rosado pinkblanco white casta–o chestnut

Note: When colors function as adjectives, they follow the same rules as other adjectives. When they function as nouns, the masculine, singular form is used with the definite article.

El rojo es mi color favorito. Red is my favorite color.__________________________________________________________________Demonstrative AdjectivesDemonstrative adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they describe.

Notes:1) Less common demonstratives are aquel, aquella, aquellos, and aquellas which mean that/those and are used when the object is seen as being far away from the speaker.

2) By putting an accent over the first e in any of these changes the meaning. It's sort of like saying this/these/that/those one(s) as when pointing at something.

3) The forms of Žste are often user to mean the latter, and the forms of Žse or aquŽl mean the former.

4) You may also use esto, eso, and aquello as neuter demonstratives. They don't refer to a specific noun, but to something already mentioned, a general idea, or something unidentifiable to the speaker.

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Certain verbs undergo an e->ie, o->ue, or an e->ie vowel change in all forms, except nosotros and vosotros, whenever the stem vowel is stressed.

Notes:1) There is one verb in Spanish, JUGAR, that undergoes a u->ue change.

2) After a while, you will be able to tell which verbs should undergo a change simply by sounding out the choices.__________________________________________________________________Numbers Above 200200 doscientos 1.207 mil dos cientos y siete300 trescientos 2.000 dos mil400 cuatrocientos 12.032 doce mil treinta y dos500 quinientos 99.098 noventa y nueve mil noventa y ocho600 seiscientos 130.032 ciento treinta mil treinta y dos700 setecientos 500.000 quinientos mil800 ochocientos 1.000.000 un mill—n900 novecientos 12.000.000 doce millones1.000 mil 25.100.200 veintisŽis millones cien mil doscientos

Notes:1) If the numbers 200-900 precede a feminine noun, they end in -as.

307 camisas trescientas y siete camisas450 blusas cuatrocientas cincuenta blusas

2) Mil means one thousand or thousand. It is never preceded by un, and its plural is never used when counting.

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3) An even million is always expressed as un milli—n and its plural is millones. When a number above a million precedes a noun, it is always followed by de.

4.000.000 perros cuatro millones de perros

4) As seen above, periods instead of commas set off sets of three numbers.__________________________________________________________________Comparisons Of EqualityTanto (a,os,as)...como (as much/many...as ) is used to compare nouns. Tanto is the adjective and always agrees with the noun being compared.

Pago tanto alquiler como tœ, pero I pay as much rent os you do, but no pagas tantas cuentas como yo. you don't pay as many bills as I do.

Tan...como (as...as ) is used to compare adjectives or adverbs.

Esta falda es tan cara como esa falda. This skirt is as expensive as that skirt.__________________________________________________________________Tener Idioms An idiom is a group of words with a clear meaning in one language that makes no sense when translated into another.

This is a list of idioms with tener that are usually expressed with the verb to be in English.

tener calor to be hottener fr’o to be coldtener hambre to be hungrytener miedo de to be afraid oftener prisa to be in a hurrytener raz—n to be rightno tener raz—n to be wrongtener sed to be thirsty tener...a–os to be...years oldtener sue–o to be sleepytener que + infinitive to have to (do something)tener ganas de + infinitive to feel like (doing something)

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Hacer In Time Expressions To describe an action that began in the past and is still going on, use the following formula.

Hace + (time period) + que + (present tense verb)

Hace dos horas que trabajo. I have been working for 2 hours.

The English equivalent is:

to have been + (-ing verb) + (time period)__________________________________________________________________The Verb Estar Estar is used to tell where someone or something is located and to describe how someone is feeling or their condition. It's also used with the present participle to form the present progressive tense.

__________________________________________________________________Interrogative WordsÀC—mo? How?, What? ÀCu‡nto/a? How much?ÀCu‡l(es)? Which one(s)?, What? ÀCu‡ntos/as? How many?ÀCu‡ndo? When? ÀQuŽ?

What?, Which?ÀD—nde? Where? ÀQuiŽn(es)? Who?ÀPor quŽ? Why? ÀAd—nde? To where?

Notes:1) All interrogative words require a written accent. When they don't have one, they function as conjunctions or relative pronouns.

No sŽ d—nde vives I don't know where you live.Escucho mœsica cuando ando. I listen to music when I walk.

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2) ÀCu‡l(es)? meaning what is used instead of quŽ before the verb ser when the verb is followed by a noun, except when the definition of a word is being asked for.

ÀCu‡l es tu direcci—n? What's your address?ÀQuŽ es la biolig’a? What's biology?

__________________________________________________________________Present Participles And The Present Progressive Tense1) In English, the present participle is the -ing form of a verb. In Spanish, it is formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding -ando to -ar verbs and -iendo to -er and -ir verbs.

estudiar : estudiando studyingcorrer : corriendo running

2) There are irregularities. The -iendo ending becomes -yendo whenever the stem of the infinitive ends in a vowel.

leer : leyendo readingtraer : trayendo bringing

3) Present participles of stem-changing -ir verbs undergo a one-vowel change, e to i or o to u.

durmiendo siguiendo repitiendo pidiendomuriendo diciendo sirviendo vistiendo

4) The present progressive tense is formed with estar and a present participle.

Ella est‡ estudiando. She is studying.

5) In Spanish, the present progressive tense is used to talk about something that is happening at the moment. In English, it may be used to talk about the future: I am going tomorrow. In Spanish, you would used the present indicative tense to say this: Voy ma–ana.

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Absolute SuperlativeTo express a high degree of something (extremely, exceptionally, or very, very), add the ending -’simo(a,os,as) to the singular form of an adjective. Final vowels are always dropped.

interesante interesant’simo (a,os,as)

Whenever the singular form of an adjective ends in -co/a or -go/a, a spelling change occurs in the superlative form: c becomes qu and g becomes gu.

rico riqu’simo largo larguisimo__________________________________________________________________Saber vs. Conocer

Notes:1) Conocer is always used when speaking of knowing a person or being familiar with a place or thing.

2) Saber is used when speaking of knowing factual information. When saber is followed by an infinitive, it means to know how to do something.__________________________________________________________________Ser vs. Estar Ser is used: 1) With adjectives to describe physical attributes, personality, and inherent characteristics. 2) To identify people or things. 3) To express origin and nationality. 4) To tell what material something is made of. 5) To tell time. 6) With impersonal expressions. 7) To indicate location of events (meaning to take place ).

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Estar is used: 1) With adjectives to describe temporal evaluation of states of being behavior, and conditions. 2) To indicate location of people and things. 3) To form the progressive tense.__________________________________________________________________Comparisons Of InequalityWith the exception of four irregular forms, comparisons are made with m‡s and menos. M‡s is the comparative of superiority, and menos is the comparison of inferiority. The form is :

m‡s/menos + (adjective/noun/adverb) + que

Mi hermana es m‡s loca que tœ. My sister is crazier than you.Mi coche es menos caro que tœ coche. My car is less expensive than your car.

The four irregular comparitives are:

mayor older mejor bettermenor younger peor worse

ÀQuiŽn es mayor? Who is older?Soy menor que ella.I am younger than her.

__________________________________________________________________Prepositions

Simple Compounda to, at antes de beforecon with cerca de nearde of, from debajo de underen in, at detr‡s de behindentre between delante de in front ofpor for, by en frente de facing, oppositepara for, by lejos de far fromsobre on, above al lado de next to, beside

despuŽs de aftera la derecha (de) to the right (of) a la izquierda (de) to the left (of)

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Possessive AdjectivesUnlike English, possessive adjectives in Spanish must agree in number with the person, place, or thing possessed. Nuestro and vuestro must also agree in gender.

Usually the context will clarify any confusion that may result from using su/sus. If the context still doesn't help, one of the following combinations of de + pronoun is used instead of su/sus:

de usted yourde Žl hisde ella herde ustedes yourde ellos theirde ellas their

__________________________________________________________________ End of Part 1

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Direct/Indirect Object Nouns And PronounsDirect object nouns and pronouns answer the question whom? or what? in relation to the verb of the sentence. Direct object pronouns replace direct object nouns. The direct object pronouns are:

Singular Pluralme me nos usyou (tœ ) te os you all (vosotros )him, it, you (ud., mas.) lo los them, you (uds., mas.)her, it, you (uds., fem.)la las them, you (uds., fem.)

Indirect object pronouns answer the question to whom/what? or for whom/what? in relation to the verb. The indirect object pronouns are:

Singular Pluralto/for me me nos to/for usto/for you (tœ ) te os to/for you all (vosotros )to/for her, him, you (uds. ) le les to/for them, you (uds., fem.)

Notes:1) Direct/indirect object pronouns must be placed directly in front of a conjugated verb, however, it may follow and be attached to an infinitive or a present participle.

2) Whenever the object is a specific person or persons, an a is always placed before it. The a is never translated into English.

3) Both the indirect object noun and pronoun may be included in a sentence for emphasis or clarity when using le or les. The preposition a always precedes the indirect object noun, but isn't translated into English.

4) When object pronouns are used with affirmative commands, they also follow and are attached to the verb.

5) When both a direct and an indirect object pronoun are in a sentence, the two pronouns must always be together with the indirect preceding the direct.

Nothing can separate them! However, if both pronouns begin with the letter 'l', the indirect pronoun changes to se.

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6) If an attached pronoun changes the accent of a word, a written accent is put over where the accent would occur without the attachment. Ex: S’rvanosla

7) If a pronoun comes after most prepositions, the following demonstratives are used:

m’ me nosotros/as usti you (familiar) vosotros/as you (familiar)Žl him ellos themella her ellas themUd. you (formal) Uds. you (formal)s’ himself/herself/yourself (formal) s’ themselves/yourselves (formal)

8) After entre, come, and que, the subject pronouns are used. After con, the pronouns m’, ti, and s’ change form: con + m’/ti/s’=conmigo/contigo/consigo.__________________________________________________________________Irregular - go Verbs

Tener Salir Hacer Traer Poner Decir Venir Oirtengo salgo hago traigo pongo digo vengo o’gotienes sales haces traes pones dices vienes oyestiene sale hace trae pone dice viene oyetenemos

salimos hacemos

traemos ponemos

decimos venimos

o’mos

tenŽis sal’s hacŽis traŽis ponŽis dec’s ven’s o’stienen salen hacen traen ponen dicen vienen oyen__________________________________________________________________The Verb Gustar The verb gustar means to be pleasing to and is equivalent to like in English. The forms of gustar are always preceded by an indirect object pronoun. Gustar's form will be determined by what is liked, not whom or what likes it.__________________________________________________________________Weather Expressions1) Hacer, estar, and hay are commonly used to describe weather conditions. Some examples are:

ÀQuŽ tiempo hace? What's the weather like?Hace mucho fr’o. It's really cold.S’, pero no hace viento. Yes, but it's not windy.Est‡ lloviendo. It's raining.

Hay neblina hoy. There's fog today.

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2) The verb tener is used to describe how a person feels as a result of the weather.

ÀTienes fr’o? Are you cold?Tengo calor. I'm hot.

3) The verb estar is used to describe someone's condition as a result of the weather.

Estoy sudando. I am sweating.Est‡ enfermo. He is sick.

__________________________________________________________________Mucho And Poco Mucho and poco can describe a noun or verb. When describing a noun, they act like adjectives and have to agree in number and gender with the noun being described.

Hay muchas tiendas, There are many stores,pero poco dinero. but little money.

When mucho and poco describe a verb, they are adverbs and their forms do not vary.

Ando mucho en mi casa. I walk a lot in my house.Como poco en mi coche. I eat little in my car.

__________________________________________________________________Reflexive VerbsA verb is called reflexive if the subject gets the action of the verb. A reflexive pronoun, which must agree in person and number with the subject of the verb, always accompanies the reflexive verb.

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Notes:1) Reflexive pronouns precede a conjugated verb and are attached to infinitives, present participles, and affirmative commands.

2) Many verbs can be made reflexive by adding the pronoun se.

3) Accents may have to be added to keep stress on the right syllables.__________________________________________________________________Por and Para The prepositions por and para have many English equivalents, but are not synonymous.

POR PARA1. By, by means of 1. In order to2. Through, along, on 2. For : compared with in relation to others 3. Because of 3. For : intended for, to be given to4. During, in 4. For : in the direction of, toward5. For : in place of, in exchange for5. For : by a specified time6. For : for a period of time 6. For : in one's opinion__________________________________________________________________Preterite Of Regular VerbsThe preterite is used to describe an act that has already occurred. It focuseson the beginning, the end, or the completed aspect of an act. The preterite istranslated in English as the simple past or as did + verb.

Notes:1) All stem-changing -ar and -er verbs in the present tense are regular in the preterite.

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Preterite Of Verbs With Spelling ChangesTo keep the constant sound of the infinitive, verbs that end in -car, -gar, and -zar undergo a spelling change in the preterite, and actually in any situation where this occurs.

-car : c changes to qu in front of e-gar : g changes to gu in front of e-zar : z changes to c in front of e

Notes:1) Whenever an unstressed i occurs between two vowels, it becomes y. NOT lei— -> ley—__________________________________________________________________Preterite of Ir, Ser, Decir and Hacer

__________________________________________________________________Impersonal SeIn English, certain subjects such as you, one, and they are often used in ageneral sense and don't refer to a specific person. These impersonal subjectsare expressed in Spanish with se and a verb in the third person singular. Thisstructure is common in ads, recipes, and on signs.

Se aquila apartamento. Apartment for rent Se necesita secretaria. Secretary wanted Se habla espa–ol. Spanish spoken Se prohibe fumar. No smoking

Also, to say that something is done without mentioning by whom, use se plus the third person singular or plural. This is the same as the passive in English.

Se venden manzanas. Apples are sold there

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Adverbs Derived From Adjectives1) Adverbs are commonly made from adjectives by adding -mente to the feminine form. This is equivalent to the -ly form in English. Written accents are only required if they appear on the adjective form.

tranquilo/a tranquilamente tranquillyrapido/a r‡pidamente rapidly

2) Adjectives that are neutral add -mente to the singular form.

igual igualmente equally

3) When two or more adverbs occur in a series, only the last one has the -mente ending; the others use the feminine form of the adjectives.

4) Remember that adverbs are normally placed before the adjective or after the verb they modify.__________________________________________________________________Negative And Indefinite Expressions

nada nothing algo something, anythingnadie no one, nobody alguien someone, anyoneninguno none, not any alguno some, anynunca never alguna vez somejam‡s never tambiŽn alsoo...o either...or ni...ni neither...nortampoco neither

Notes:1) Alguno and ninguno are adjectives and must agree with the words they modify. As with all numbers ending in -uno, the -uno becomes -un when it precedes a masculine, singular noun : algœn, ningœn.

2) A double negative construction is often used in Spanish. Whenever a negative word follows the verb, another negative, usually no, must precede the verb.

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Irregular Verbs In The Preterite

i-stem verbs

hacer hic- querer quis- -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieronvenir vin-

u-stem verbs

anadar anduv-estar estuv-haber hub-poder pub- -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieronponer pus-saber sup-tener tuv-

j-stem verbs

decir dij-producir produj- -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -erontraer traj-

Notes:1) The preterite of hay is hubo (there was, there were ). As in the present indicative, it has only one form for both singular and plural.__________________________________________________________________Preterite Of Stem-Changing -IR Verbs-Ir verbs whose stem changes in the present indicative have a stem change in the third person singular and plural forms of the preterite. The vowel changes: e ->i or o->u. For example, dormir, which has a stem change, has the following third person preterite conjugation:

singular: durmi— plural: durmieron

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Imperfect Of Regular And Irregular VerbsThere are no stem-changing verbs in the imperfect!!

The imperfect of hay is hab’a (there was, there were, there used to be ),from haber. Also, there are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect: ser, ir, and ver.

The imperfect has several English equivalents:

I worked every day.Trabajaba todos los d’as. I was working every day. I used to work every day. I would work every day.

Notes:1) Like the preterite, the imperfect is used to talk about something that has already occurred. However, the imperfect focuses on the continuance of an act or on an act in progress rather than a completed act. Continuance includes repeated, habitual action; background action; actions in progress; and certain physical, mental or emotional states.

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Preterite Vs. Imperfect

Preterite ImperfectFocus on beginning. Focus on continuance.Focus on ending. Habitual or customary acts.Focus on completed acts. Series of habitual acts.Series of completed acts. Certain physical or mental states.__________________________________________________________________

End of Part 2

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CommandsCommands are used to order someone to do or not to do something. Tœ commands are used with people with whom you are familiar or whom you address as tœ. In general, the affirmative tœ command is identical to the 3rd person singular of the present indicative. Object and reflexive pronouns always follow and are attached to affirmative commands. The placement follows this order : reflexive, indirect, direct. There are eight irregular affirmative tœ forms.

decir di salir sal tener ten ser sŽ venir ven hacer haz poner pon ir ve

Notes:1) Accents may be needed to maintain the original stress2) To form a negative tœ command, drop the final -o from the 1st person singular of the present indicative and add -es to -ar verbs and -as to -er and -ir verbs. Reflexive and object pronouns must precede the verb in negative commands.3) To form usted and ustedes commands, use the 3rd person singular and plural, respectively, in the subjunctive form (See pg. 26).4) Nosotros commands use the subjunctive nosotros form.5) Vosotros commands are formed by replacing the -r on an infinitive with -d.6) The form ÁA + Infinitive! may be substituted for ANY command.__________________________________________________________________Past Participles Used As AdjectivesThe past participle of most verbs in English is formed by adding -ed to the verb. In Spanish, they are formed by adding -ado to the stem of -ar verbs and -ido to the stem of -er and -ir verbs.

caminar to walk caminado walkedsalir to leave salido left

Frequently used irregular past participles include :

abrir abierto morir morido cubrir cubiertoponer puesto decir dicho resolver resueltoescribir escrito romper roto hacer hechover visto imprimir impreso volver vuelto

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Notes:1) Verbs whose stem ends in -a, -e, or -o require a written accent : leer le’do2) Past pasticiples may be used as adjectives and must agree in gender and number with the modified noun.3) The past participle is often used as an adjective with the verb estar.__________________________________________________________________Present PerfectAs in English, the present perfect tense in Spanish is a compound past tense. It is formed by combining the present indicative, present subjunctive, or imperfect of haber with the past participle. You may also form other 'perfect' tenses by changing the tense of haber.

__________________________________________________________________Present SubjunctiveThe subjunctive tense is used for statements that reflect doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty. The endings are as follows :

Notes:1) The subjunctive tense usually occurs in a secondary clause which is often introduced by que. The verb in the main clause is usually in the indicative.

Main Clause (Indicative) + QUE + Dependent Clause (Subjunctive)

2) The endings are added to the yo form of the verb minus the -o, so even verbs

whose yo forms end in -go follow the rule.

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3) Whenever the verb in the main clause expresses a request, a suggestion, a command, or a judgement, the verb in the second, dependent clause is expressed in the subjunctive, provided there is a subject change. Expressions of certainty do not use the subjunctive.4) The expressions ojal‡, quiz‡(s), and tal vez are always followed by the subjunctive when the speaker wishes to express doubt about something, and que isn't necessary.5) The verbs creer and pensar are followed by the indicative only when used affirmatively.__________________________________________________________________Present Subjunctive Of Stem-Changing VerbsStem-changing -ar and -er verbs follow the same stem changes in the present subjunctive as in the present indicative, so, the stems of nosotros and vosotros do not change. Stem-changing -ir verbs follow the same pattern in the present subjunctive, except for nosotros and vosotros. These change e->i or o->u.

__________________________________________________________________Present Subjunctive Of Irregular Verbs

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Comparatives And SuperlativesIn English, the superlative is formed by adding -est to adjectives or by using the most or the least to describe something. In Spanish, add the definite article el, la, los, or las before m‡s/menos, mayor/menor, and menor/peor.__________________________________________________________________Future Tense Of Regular VerbsIn English, the future is usually expressed with the auxillary verbs will or shall. The future tense in Spanish is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive of most verbs :

__________________________________________________________________Future Tense Of Verbs With Irregular StemsInstead of the infinitives, use the following stems for the associated verbs :

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Subjunctive In Adverb ClausesIn Spanish, certain conjunctions are always followed by the subjunctive. Note that they are used to relate events that may or may not happen, therefore, they require the subjunctive.

en caso (de) que in case sin que withoutcon tal (de) queprovided (that) antes (de) que beforea fin de que so that a no ser que

unlesspara que so that a menos que unlessa condici—n (de) queon the condition that a que so that

Certain adverbial conjunctions may be followed by either the subjunctive or the indicative. The subjunctive follows these expressions when describing a future or hypothetical action or something that hasn't ocurred yet. The indicative is used to describe habitual or known facts.

aunque although en cuanto as soon ascuando when tan pronto como as soon asdonde (adonde)where as’ que as soon asdespuŽs (de) que after hasta que untilmientras (que) while a la vez que at the same timecomo as; however segœn as; according to__________________________________________________________________Conditional Of Regular And Irregular VerbsThe conditional is used to state conditions under which an action may be completed. In English, the conditional is expressed with would : I would go if... In Spanish, the conditional is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive of most verbs :

As far as irregular forms go, they are the same ones as in the future tense, except they use the endings shown above.

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Past SubjunctiveThe past subjunctive of all verbs is formed by removing the -ron ending from the ustedes form of the preterite and adding the past subjunctive verb endings :

Note that the nosotros form requires a written accent on the vowel before the ending. You may also see an alternative form of the past subjunctive endings :

These are mostly used in Spain and literary writing.__________________________________________________________________Conditional Sentences With Si-ClausesIn Spanish, as in English, conditional sentences that express hypothetical conditions usually begin with an if-clause. Since the actions are hypothetical, the past subjunctive is used in the if-clause.

Ir’a a MŽxico si tuviera el dinero. I'd go to Mexico if I had the money.

Notes:1) Never use the present subjunctive in an if-clause. Use either the present indicative or future tense if you need to.

Se me invitas, irŽ contigo. If you invite me, I'll go.

2) Use the past subjunctive whenever willing, emotion, or uncertainty are expressed in the main clause of a sentence in the past tense. It is used in the subordinate clause.

Yo dudŽ que Žl viniera. I doubted that he would come.

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Present Subjunctive In Adjective ClausesWhen a clause is used as an adjective to describe a person, place, or thing, the verb of that clause may be in the subjunctive or in the indicative. If the person, place, or thing isn't known to exist, the verb must be in the subjunctive. If the person, place, or thing is known to exist, the verb in the adjective clause must be in the indicative.

Busco a alguien que hable ruso. I'm looking for someone who speaks Russian. (Not known to exist)

Contratamos a un secretario We hired a secretary who knows shorthand.

que sabe taquigraf’a.

Notes:1) Since negative antecedents always refer to the nonexistant, the modifying verb is always in the subjunctive.

No hay nadie que estŽ dispuesto a trabajar. There isn't anyone who is willing to work.

2) In this context, the personal a isn't usually used before an indefinite object, however, nadie and alguien always take the personal a when used as direct objects.__________________________________________________________________Past Subjunctive In Adjective ClausesWhen narrating in the past, adjective clauses describing indefinite or negative antecedents require a verb in the past subjunctive. Those describing definite antecedents require one in an indicative past tense (preterite or imperfect ).

Buscaba una persona I was looking for a person whoque me ayudara. would help me.

No encontrŽ a nadie que I didn't find anyone who wantedquisiera hacerlo. to do it.

Antes, la persona que me Before, the person that helpedayudaba era ella. me was her.