Grammar Rules / Culture Insight / Plain learning

Question 1

Adjectives come after nouns in Spanish sentences.

Imagine that Juan has green eyes and we want to say so in Spanish. We need to write that he has “ojos verdes” (literally: eyes green) and not “verdes ojos.”

This rule applies to other adjective and noun combinations, not just green eyes. If Juan has long hair, we’d say he has “pelo largo” (literally: hair long) and if it’s short, it would be “pelo corto.”

Answer 1

Just to make things even more confusing, you also need to remember to make your adjectives agree. So if the noun is plural, the adjective needs to be plural too. For example, since ojos (eyes) is plural, that’s why we paired it with verdes (green – plural) and not the singular verde.

Question 2

Like in English, Spanish adverbs are used to describe verbs.

For example, “Juan lee rápidamente” (Juan reads quickly). How does he read? He reads quickly, which describes the verb “reads.” Good for Juan.

Here’s another example: “Juan canta mal” (Juan sings badly). Not so good for Juan.

Answer 2

Spanish adverbs can also move around in the sentence, similar to how they can in English. We could say:

Juan escribe lentamente. (Literally: Juan writes slowly)

Lentamente escribe Juan. (Literally: Slowly writes Juan)

Either way, we would be saying that Juan writes slowly. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on your point of view.

Question 3

To make most Spanish adverbs, just add “-mente” to the end of the adjective. If the adjective ends in “o” to describe a masculine noun, you’ll need to make sure that the letter before the “-mente” is “a” and not “o.“

Answer 3

rápido/rápida, → rápidamente
lento/lenta → lentamente
perfecto/perfecta → perfectamente

If the adjective doesn’t end in o/a, you can simple add “-mente.” For example, difícil (difficult) becomes difícilmente. Not so difícil after all!

Question 4

The addition of “-mente” in Spanish is similar to the addition of “-ly” to adjectives in English (“slow” becomes “slowly,” for example).

Answer 4

Unlike Spanish adjectives, Spanish adverbs do not convey gender and are the same whether we’re talking about a male or female.

Question 5

Of course, there are also a few adverbs that don’t follow the “add -mente” rule. The most common irregular adverbs are:

Answer 5

bueno → bien

malo → mal

Remember those two and you should have no problem making basic sentences with adverbs.

Question 6

To make a Spanish sentence negative, add “no” before the verb.

Answer 6

So “Juan escribe” (Juan writes) becomes “Juan no escribe” (Juan doesn’t write).

Question 7

Unlike in English, it is possible in Spanish to use double negatives.

Answer 7

For example, we could say “no me gusta nada,” which translates literally to, “I don’t like nothing,” but is completely correct grammatically in Spanish.

Question 8

Spanish Comparatives

and

Spanish Superlatives

Answer 8

Words that compare one thing to another (e.g., better, older) are called comparatives.

Words that put something at the top or bottom of the class, so to speak, (e.g., best, oldest) are called superlatives.

Question 9

When you want to compare the age (older, younger) or quality (better, best) of two things, you will use the comparative form of the adjective plus than.

Answer 9

For example:

mejor que- better than

peor que- worse than

mayor que- older than

menor que - younger than

Question 10

Ejemplos:

mi hermano es mayor que yo .
my brother is older than me.

la hermana de Gabriel es menor que él.
Gabriel’s sister is younger than him.

Answer 10

Ex)
El sombrero negro es mejor que el sombrero blanco.
The black hat is better than the white hat.

La primera banda fue mejor que la segunda.
The first band was better than the second.

Question 11

If you want to say that your sister is the oldest in your family, you will simply add the article “the” to the comparative form of the adjective.

Answer 11

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Question 12

Ejemplos:

Él es el mejor cantante del mundo.
He is the best singer in the world.

Ella es la peor estudiante de la clase.
She is the worst student in the class.

Answer 12

La señora es la mayor del barrio.
The lady is the oldest in the neighborhood.

Margarita es la hija menor.
Margaret is the youngest daughter.

Question 13

You will notice that the word de is often used with superlatives. When used after a superlative, de can mean “in” or “of.”

Answer 13

Ejemplos:

El jugador es el mejor de todos.
The player is the best of all.

Lupe es la mejor trabajadora del grupo.
Lupe is the best worker in the group.

Question 14

You can also form superlatives by talking about the strongest, coolest, fastest thing of all. Whereas you form these superlatives in English by adding an –est to the end of the adjective or adverb, you form them in Spanish by using the word más instead.

Answer 14

Más means most.

If you wish to talk about “the hottest day of the summer” in Spanish, you’ll have to say “the day most hot of the summer.”

Question 15

That’s exactly how it’s done in Spanish. All other superlatives will be formed using the sentence construction below.

noun + más + adjective or adverb + de + noun

Answer 15

In Spanish, then, the phrase “the hottest day of the summer” will become:

el día + más + caluroso + del + verano

Question 16

Ejemplos

Hoy es el día más caluroso del verano.
Today is the hottest day of the summer.

La primavera es la estación más lluviosa en mi región.
The spring is the wettest season in my region.

Answer 16

Estas son las flores más hermosas de mi jardín.
These are the most beautiful flowers of my garden.

Juan tiene la guitarra más cara del grupo.
John has the most expensive guitar in the group.

Question 17

In Spanish, there’s another way of expressing how something is just the “most-est.” You can intensify the meaning of any adjective by adding the ending -ísimo.

Answer 17

This is the English equivalent adding a “very” or “super” before the adjective.

Question 18

Ejemplos

La comida está riquísima.
The food is super delicious.

El atleta corrió rapidísimo en la competencia.
The athlete ran super fast in the competition.

Answer 18

La noche estuvo heladísima.

The night was super cold.

Question 19

Other comparisons you will make will be of the greater and lesser sort. In other words, you will say that something has more or less of a quality than the other thing.

Answer 19

Julie has more pens than Matt.

San Francisco has fewer people than
Los Angeles.

When it comes to shoes, Annette has more than her sister.

Question 20

Notice that the words “more” and “less” are followed by a “than.”

Answer 20

In Spanish, it’s just the same, but instead of talking about “more than” you will talk about más que.

más que = more (or greater) than
menos que = less (or fewer) than

Question 21

Ejemplos

Ricardo es más inteligente que José.
Richard is more intelligent than Joe.

Elena tiene menos dinero que Nadia.
Ellen has less money than Nadia.

Answer 21

Javier es más fuerte que su hermano.
Javier is stronger than his brother.

Pedro come menos que Miguel.
Peter eats less than Michael.

Question 22

You can also use comparatives to describe how similar two things are. For example, you might wish to say:

You’re as nice as your sister.
I have as many toys as you.

Answer 22

Expressions like tan … como and tanto … como help you do that.

Question 23

When you compare two things that are similar in English, you often use as … as, whether or not the word that the two things have in common is a noun, adjective, or adverb. In Spanish, however, there is a distinction.

Answer 23

Use tan … como for “as … as” when the characteristic in common is an adjective or adverb.

Use tanto … como for “as many … as” or “as much … as,” when the characteristic in common is a noun.

Remember that the word tanto must reflect the gender and quantity of the noun it describes.

Question 24

Ejemplos

Tu auto es tan lento como un caracol.
Your car is as slow as a snail. (“slow” is an adjective)

Carlos es tan guapo como su hermano.
Charles is as handsome as his brother. (“handsome” is an adjective)

Answer 24

Tú tienes tantas ideas como yo.

You have as many ideas as I do. (“ideas” is a noun)

Question 25

Rules of Pluralization

Here we’ll perform magic, and with the blink of an eye, one will turn into many, and singular nouns will be transformed into their plural cousins.

Answer 25

In order to do that, you will have to change two things:

Change “el” → “los” or “la” → “las”
Change the noun into its plural form, according to the rules.

Question 26

A. If the noun ends in a vowel, add “s.”

El libro → los libros (books)
El gato → los gatos (male cats)
La casa → Las casas (houses)
La manzana → las manzanas (apples)

Answer 26

B. If the noun ends in a consonant, add “es.”

El papel → los papeles (papers)
El rey → los reyes (kings)
La ciudad → las ciudades (cities)
La estación → las estaciones (stations)

Question 27

C. If the noun ends in a “z,” change “z” → “c” and add “es.”

La actriz → las actrices (actresses)
La luz → las luces (lights)
La vez → las veces (times)

Answer 27

D. If the noun ends in “-ión,” add “es” (Don’t forget to drop the written accent on the “ó”!)

La sección → las secciones (sections)
La televisión → las televisiones (televisions)
La conversación → las conversaciones (conversations)

Question 28

E. When the group you are referring to contains a mix of both males and females, use the masculine plural form.

2 hermanos (brothers) + 2 hermanas (sisters) = 4 hermanos (siblings)

1 gato (male cat) + 9 gatas (female cats) = 10 gatos (cats)

Answer 28

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Question 29

Rules of Contraction and Conjunction

Answer 29

ADELANTE

Question 30

Contractions in Spanish involve two prepositions: “a” and “de.”

a = to, at, from, by, on, for, upon

de = of, about, on, because of, by, at

Answer 30

Here is the one rule for contractions:

When “a” or “de” comes before the masculine article “el,” the two are contracted.

a + el = al

de + el = del

Question 31

So if we want to say “John got on the train,” we have [Juan subió a] + [el tren], which together is:

Juan subió al tren.

Answer 31

Likewise, to say “It’s the neighbor’s car,” we’d have [Es el carro de] + [el vecino], which together is:

Es el carro del vecino.

Question 32

Now let’s move to conjunctions. These are words used to link other words, phrases and clauses. Here we’re interested in the Spanish words for “and” and “or”:

Answer 32

y (and)

o (or)

Question 33

Here are the rules:

A. If “y” is followed by a word that begins or sounds like “i,” then “y” changes to “e.” (This is for good reason, because “y” and “i” are so similar-sounding.)

[Padre y] + [hijo] is: Padre e hijo (Father and son)

[Cruel y] + [inhumano] is: Cruel e inhumano (Cruel and inhumane)

Answer 33

B. If “o” is followed by a word that begins or sounds like “o,” then the conjunction becomes “u.”

[Sujeto o] + [objeto] is: Sujeto u objeto (Subject or object)

[Ayer o] + [hoy] is: Ayer u hoy (Yesterday or today)

Question 34

Sino In Spanish

You may already know that the word pero, means but.

What you may not know is that there is another word for but in Spanish that has a slightly different meaning: sino!!.

Answer 34

pero
but, however

sino
but rather, on the contrary

Question 35

When to Use PERO

You will ordinarily use pero before a complete clause or statement, be it a negative one or a positive one. You will know that pero is the correct choice if you can substitute the word however and still convey the correct English meaning.

Answer 35

Ejemplos

Me gustan mucho las manzanas, pero los plátanos me gustan más.
I like apples very much, but I like bananas more.

El auto rojo está muy maltratado, pero el motor está super bueno.
The red car has been badly taken care of, but the motor is in great condition.

Question 36

When to Use SINO

When what follows the word but is NOT a complete clause or statement, you may need to use sino instead. If you can substitute but rather or on the contrary and still convey the correct English meaning, then you will know that sino is the correct choice.

Answer 36

Ejemplos

No sirven comida en el bar, sino en el restaurante.
They don’t serve food at the bar, but rather in the restaurant.

Question 37

If what follows sino is a conjugated verb or a subordinate clause (rather than an infinitive or a noun), you’ll need to use sino que.

Por ejemplo:

Not Only … But Also

Answer 37

Sino has another use. If you want to say that you not only won first place but also the grand prize, you will use the phrase no solo … sino.

The word también is frequently used with no solo … sino. También means too or also.

Question 38

Ejemplos

No me gusta hablar, sino cantar.
I don’t like talking, but rather singing.

Sarita no le gusta Orlando Bloom, sino Johnny Depp.
Sarita doesn’t like Orlando Bloom, but rather Johnny Depp.

Answer 38

No solo vamos a Irlanda sino a Escocia también.
We’re not only going to Ireland but to Scotland, too.

No solo comimos pastel sino helado también.
We didn’t just eat cake but ice cream also.

Question 39

Remember that if what follows is a subordinate clause (e.g., a conjugated verb), you need to use sino que.

Answer 39

Ejemplos

1. No sólo estoy enamorado de Silvia, sino que quiero casarme con ella.
   - I’m not only in love with Silvia, but also I want to marry her.
2. No sólo dices que tengo que cambiar, sino que les dices a todas tus amigas qué vago soy.
   - You don’t just tell me that I have to change, but you also tell all your friends how lazy I am.

Question 40

How to Say “A” or “An” in Spanish

Main teaching point:
unos and unas

Answer 40

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Question 41

In Spanish, there are four forms of the indefinite articles “a,” “an,” or “some.”

Answer 41

Masculine:

Singular: un
Ex: un lápiz - a pencil

Plural: unos
Ex: unos lápices - some pencils

Feminine:

Singular: una
Ex: una flor - a flower

Plural: unas
Ex: unas flores - some flowers

Question 42

Further examples:

Hay una flor en el florero.
There is a flower in the vase.

Necesito unos lápices para la escuela.
I need some pencils for school.

Answer 42

Un abrazo

A hug

Question 43

Spanish Direct Object Pronouns

Answer 43

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Question 44

In English, pronouns replace nouns previously mentioned to avoid unnecessarily repeating them. For example, in the sentence, “John did not come to work, because he was sick,” the pronoun he is used to replace the proper noun John.

Answer 44

We have seen that pronouns can be used in the same way in Spanish. For example, the above sentence in Spanish would be: Juan no vino a trabajar, porque él estaba enfermo. The pronoun él replaces the proper noun Juan.

Question 45

There is another way in which pronouns are used: to avoid unnecessarily repeating the direct object of a sentence. The direct object is the object that the action in the sentence is happening to.

For example, in the sentence, “The cat ate the mouse,” the “cat” is the subject, “ate” is the verb, and “mouse” is the direct object. If you wanted to replace the direct object noun with a pronoun, you could say, “The cat ate it.” The pronoun “it” would refer to the mouse.

Answer 45

In Spanish, the construction of direct object pronouns is a bit different from English. The direct object comes before the verb, not afterwards.

Question 46

The direct object pronouns

Answer 46

me - me

te - you (informal)

lo - you (formal, masculine), him, it

la - you (formal, feminine), her

nos - us

os - you (familiar, plural)

los - you (formal, plural), them (masculine)

las - you (formal, plural), them (feminine)

Question 47

Ejemplos

Estela tiene el libro.
Estela has the book.

becomes

Estela lo tiene.
Estela has it.

Answer 47

Estoy comprando unos zapatos.
I am buying some shoes.

becomes

Los estoy comprando.
I am buying them.

Question 48

Spanish indirect object pronouns

Answer 48

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Question 49

The Spanish Indirect Object Pronouns are used to replace a word or phrase, which in the sentence, fulfills that function. They are usually placed before the verb, when this is conjugated. If the verb is not conjugated, then the indirect object pronoun is placed after the verb.

Answer 49

The indirect object pronouns in Spanish are:

Singular:

me - me

te - you

le - you, him, her, it

Plural:

nos - us

os - you

les - you all, them

Question 50

An indirect object is the person or thing for whom an action is being or has been performed, usually indicated in English by the words “to” or “for.”

Answer 50

Unlike in English, the indirect object pronouns go directly before the verb. If the sentence is negative (has a “no” in it), the indirect object pronoun still goes directly before the verb

Question 51

Ejemplos

Quiero comprar un regalo para Teresa.
I want to buy a gift for Teresa.

Becomes

Le quiero comprar un regalo.
I want to buy her a gift.

Answer 51

No voy a pedir a Pedro y Ernesto un favor.
I’m not going to ask Peter and Ernest for a favour.

Becomes

No les voy a pedir un favor.
I’m not going to ask them for a favour.

Lupe está hablando con nosotros
Lupe is talking with us.

Becomes

Lupe nos está hablando.
Lupe is talking with us.

Question 52

There is one case, however, in which the indirect object pronoun can be placed somewhere else. It can be attached to the end of an infinitive.

Answer 52

Ejemplos

The previous examples can be written as:

Quiero comprarle un regalo.
I want to buy her a gift.

No voy a pedirles un favor.
I’m not going to ask them for a favor.

Question 53

When you use the indirect pronouns le or les, you could be referring to anyone: you, him, her, them! English is much more specific than Spanish in that sense. For that reason, if it is unknown or unclear to whom the indirect object pronoun is referring, it’s a good idea to use proper nouns in addition to the indirect object pronoun.

Answer 53

Ejemplos

Jenny le está escribiendo una carta a su padre.
Jenny is writing a letter to her father.

Carlos quiere darles algo a ustedes.
Carlos wants to give you something.

Le voy a llamar a Juan mañana.
I’m going to call John tomorrow

Question 54

Spanish direct and indirect object pronouns

Answer 54

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Question 55

When you combine the direct and indirect object pronouns in a sentence, you have two potions.

• You can put the indirect object pronoun, followed by the direct object pronoun, as two separate words before the verb.
- such as, “Te lo voy a dar.” I’m going to give it to you.

Answer 55

• You can attach the indirect object pronoun and the direct object pronoun onto the end of an infinitive.
- such as, “Voy a dártelo.” I’m going to give it to you.

(Note that you must add an accent on the infinitive ending to preserve the correct pronunciation.)

Question 56

In English, you can switch the order of the direct and indirect objects.

For example:

I will give it to him
Or
I will give him it

Hector gave them to you
Or
Hector gave you them

Answer 56

In Spanish, on the other hand, the indirect object pronoun will ALWAYS come before the direct object pronoun.

Ejemplos

Mi profesor me enseña a hablar español.
My professor teaches me to speak Spanish.

Mi profesor me lo enseña.
My professor teaches it to me.

Nos arreglan los boletos de avión.
They arrange our plane tickets for us.

Nos los arreglan.
They arrange them for us.

Question 57

Why Does ‘Le’ Change to ‘Se’?

As with so many irregularities in the Spanish language, the change of the indirect object pronoun in the third person makes pronunciation easier.

Answer 57

Ejemplo

• Try saying, “Le lo voy a dar.”

• Now, try saying, “Se lo voy a dar.”
I’m going to give it to him.

• Can you hear why le changes to se?

Question 58

Más ejemplos

Les servimos la comida.
We serve them the food.

Se la servimos.
We serve them it.

Answer 58

Le muestra las casas.
He shows her the houses.

Se las muestra.
He shows her them.

Question 59

The word “se” can refer to any number of indirect pronouns: him, her, it, them, you…. Just as it is recommended to add a clarification after “le,” if your audience does not know to whom you are referring, it is also recommended to add a clarification after the use of “se” if the indirect object is not clear.

Answer 59

To do so, use “se” as you normally would, then append one of the following to the end of your sentence:

• a Ud.
• a él
• a ella
• a Uds.
• a ellos
• a ellas

Question 60

Ejemplos

¿A quién le servimos la comida?
To whom do we serve the food?

Se la servimos a él.
We serve it to him.

Answer 60

¿A quién les explicamos los chistes?
To whom do we explain the jokes?

Se los explicamos a Uds.
We explain them to you.

Question 61

Spanish relative pronouns

Answer 61

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Question 62

The Relative Pronouns in Spanish are a type of pronoun used to refer to a person, animal or thing that has already been named previously, and the pronoun is used in order to avoid repetition. The Relative Pronouns are also used to connect two sentences together, where the second clause qualifies the subject of the first.

Answer 62

The words that, which, and who are not just used in questions. They are used in statements, too. Examples include:

My coat, WHICH is blue, is hanging in your closet.
Mrs. Castle, WHO is a music teacher, knows how to play the piano.
The highway THAT extends to the north is the one you want to take.

When these words are used in statements, they are called relative pronouns.

Question 63

The most common relative pronoun is que. Notice that the relative pronoun que does NOT have an accent mark over the é like the question ¿qué? does.

Answer 63

Get used to using que. It has a variety of meanings, including that, which, who and whom. Whereas we often drop the word that in English, it must ALWAYS be included in Spanish.

I bought the shoes she wanted.
Compré los zapatos QUE ella quería.

We brought the car you asked for.
Trajimos el auto QUE pediste.

Luisa followed the road you told her to follow.
Luisa siguió el camino que usted le dijo que siga.

Question 64

Que can also be used together with the prepositions a, con, de, or en to form phrases like at which, in which, to which, etcetera.

Answer 64

a que - to which

con que - with which

de que - of which, about which

en que - in which, at which

Question 65

To use these expressions properly, you need to have a basic understanding of English grammatical rules governing prepositions. Spanish has a much more rigid grammatical structure than English in many cases. When it comes to prepositions, you can’t just let them dangle in Spanish. Compare the sentences below.

Answer 65

In Spanish, you MUST use the formal structure. It is impossible to form sentences in Spanish using the informal structure.

Informal:
The person I went with was late.

Formal:
The person with whom I went was late.

Question 66

Compare these two direct translations into Spanish.

Answer 66

INFORMAL STRUCTURE:
La persona fui con estaba atrasada.

FORMAL STRUCTURE:
La persona con quien fui estaba atrasada.

The first sentence makes no sense in Spanish. The second sentence is correct.

Question 67

If it seems a bit confusing, remember that a similar grammatical rule governs the construction of questions in Spanish.

Answer 67

Informal:
Who am I speaking to ?

Formal:
TO WHOM am I speaking ?

Spanish:
¿Con quién hablo?

Informal:
Who are you going with?

Formal:
WITH WHOM are you going?

Spanish:
¿Con quién vas?

Informal:
Where are you going to?

Formal:
TO WHERE are you going?

Spanish:
¿A dónde vas?

Again, Spanish always uses the formal structure, and as a result you’ll never find a Spanish sentence that ends with a preposition.

Question 68

Quien is used to refer to people. It can mean who, whom, or that and is often used with the prepositions a, con, and de.

Answer 68

a quien - who, whom, to whom

con quien - with whom

de quien - about whom, that

Question 69

Remember that quien reflects the quantity of the subject to which it refers. If its object is plural, quien becomes quienes.

Answer 69

Por ejemplo :

Juan, a quien le regalé los zapatos, está muy contento.

Juan, to whom I gave the shoes, is very happy.

Las personas con quienes salimos anoche no han regresado.

The people with whom we went out last night have not returned.

Question 70

When what you are talking about ISN’T a particular noun but rather an idea, a wish, a situation, or something that happened in the past, you will need to use lo que. Lo que can mean that, what, or that which.

Answer 70

Aprendí todo lo que sé de computadoras en la escuela.

I learned all that I know about computers at school.

Lo que quise decir es que tienes razón.

What I meant to say is that you’re right.

Question 71

Spanish demonstrative adjectives

Answer 71

A demonstrative adjective is a word that is used to indicate a relation of place, expressing the proximity of the person with whom or of whom one speaks. They are always placed before the noun; otherwise, they would be pronouns. They should also match the gender and number of the nouns they accompany.

Question 72

When you want to point to something, you often use demonstrative adjectives or pronouns. For example, imagine that you are in a café in Spain. You are selecting un pan, or a bread roll, from a glass case. The waiter is waiting with his tongs to select the roll you want. He points to one, which isn’t the roll you want. “No,” you say, pointing to the one nearest you. “Not that roll, this one.”

Answer 72

While English only has two options—this for something close to you, and that for something farther away—Spanish has three: this, that, and that over there. The third option implies an even greater distance.

To get a better understanding of the difference between that and that over there, imagine yourself standing with a friend at a harbor. Your friend tells you, “I’d like to own that boat.” You point to one at the other end of the dock, asking, “That one?” “No,” he tells you. He indicates a boat on the horizon. “That boat, way over there.”

Question 73

Close proximity:
(this)

Masculine: este
Feminine: esta

Close proximity:
(These)

Masculine: estos
Feminine: estas

Farther away :
(That)

Masculine: ese
Feminine: esa

Farther away:
(Those)

Masculine: esos
Feminine: esas

Answer 73

At a distance:
That (over there)

Masculine: aquel
Feminine: aquella

At a distance:
Those (over there)

Masculine: aquellos
Feminine: aquellas

Question 74

Ejemplos :

¿Puedes ver aquel barco?
Can you see that boat over there?

Aquellas montañas me parecen muy altas.
Those mountains over there seem to me very tall.

Answer 74

Esos lápices son de Pamela.
Those pencils are Pamela’s.

Esta revista es interesante.
This magazine is interesting.

Question 75

You may also be interested to know that if you don’t know whether something is masculine or feminine, there is a neuter form:

esto
eso
aquello

Answer 75

Use these forms only if you’re referring to an abstract idea or an unknown object.

Question 76

Ejemplos

Qué es eso?
What is that ?

Esto no me gusta
I do not like this

Answer 76

Aquello fue una pesadilla
That was a nightmare

Eso fue solo un malentendido
That was just a misunderstanding

Question 77

A misplaced or missing accent mark can completely change the meaning of a word. For example, think of the words:

Answer 77

esta ésta está

The first (esta) is an adjective that means “this \_\_\_\_”
The second (ésta) is a pronoun that means “this.”
The third (está) is a verb that means “is.”

Question 78

Spanish possessive adjectives

Answer 78

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Question 79

Just like an ordinary adjective, you must match the gender (masculine or feminine) and quantity (singular or plural) of the stressed possessive adjective to the noun.

Answer 79

Singular :
mío/mía

Plural:
míos/mías

Translation:
mine, my

Singular:
tuyo/tuya

Plural:
tuyos/tuyas

Translation:
your, yours

Singular:
suyo/suya

Plural:
suyos/suyas

Translation:
his, her, hers, its, your, yours

Singular:
nuestro/nuestra

Plural:
nuestros/nuestras

Translation :
our, ours

Question 80

Ejemplos

El carro es mío.
The car is mine.

The handbag is hers.
La cartera es suya.

Answer 80

The apples are ours.

Las manzanas son nuestras.

Question 81

Is this seat yours?
- ¿Es este asiento suyo?

I don’t want to use yours.
- No quiero usar el tuyo

In the first sentence, “yours” is acting as an adjective. In the second sentence, “yours” is acting as a pronoun.

Answer 81

To use mío, tuyo, suyo, etc. as pronouns, all you have to do is add an el, la, los, or las in front.

For example, if you want to use “mine” as a noun (as in, “Mine is the best,” or, “You want mine”), you will use el mío, la mía, los míos, or las mías.

Question 82

Ejemplos

¿Tienes tú los libros de la biblioteca?
Do you have the books from the library?

– Sí, y también tengo los míos.
– Yes, and mine too.

¿Mi casa está muy desordenada, y la tuya?
My house is very messy, and yours?

– La mía está muy limpia.
Mine is very clean.

Answer 82

¡Las flores en mi jardín están todas secas!
- The flowers in my garden are all dry!

Las tuyas también, no?
Yours are too, aren’t they?

Question 83

Gustar in Spanish

Answer 83

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Question 84

Knowing whether to use Gusta or Gustan depends on the words that come after it (the things that you like).

If you want to say that you like doing something, then you use Gusta + Infinitive (verb)

A mí me gusta bailar (= I like to dance)
A nosotros nos gusta cocinar (= We like to cook)
A ellos les gusta ir al cine (= They like to go to the movies/cinema)
BUT when we talk about liking things, then we use GUSTA if that thing is in singular form

A mí me gusta el fútbol (= I like football/soccer)
A nosotros nos gusta la película (= We like the movie)
A ellos les gusta la canción (= They like the song)

Answer 84

We use GUSTAN if we like something that is in plural form

A mí me gustan los libros (= I like books)
A nosotros nos gustan las películas de terror (= We like horror movies)
A ellos les gustan las canciones (= They like the songs)

Question 85

You will notice that many times we have the prepositional phrase A + mí (or tí etc.) before the me gusta (o te gusta etc.). This is sometimes used to give more emphasis about the person who is liking the thing but also to clarify when they may be a doubt about who that person is.

Answer 85

For example if we say Le gusta comer, we don’t know if the person who likes to eat is a man, a woman or even you. So to clarify we had the prepositional phrase A + él (or ella, usted). Compare the difference:

A él le gusta comer (= he likes to eat)
A ella le gusta comer (= she likes to eat)
A usted le gusta comer (= you like to eat)

Question 86

Making a negative sentence with the verb gustar is simple. You just add NO between the prepositional phrase A + mí (or tí etc.) and the Indirect Object Pronoun (me, te, le etc.)

Answer 86

Affirmative: A mí me gustan los gatos. (= I like cats)
Negative: A mí no me gustan los gatos. (= I don’t like cats)
Affirmative: A ella le gusta cantar. (= She likes to sing)
Negative: A ella no le gusta cantar. (= She doesn’t like to sing)

Question 87

Prepositions of place

Answer 87

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Question 88

A preposition of place is used to show the relationship of two or more things in regards to location or position.

Answer 88

When translating To Be + Preposition in English (e.g. The dog is next to the tree), the verb Estar (in its correct form) is used before the preposition of place. (e.g. El perro está al lado del árbol).

Question 89

Prepositions in Spanish are always followed by an object (a noun or pronoun).

Answer 89

preposition of place + object

Question 90

Abajo de - below, underneath

El sótano está abajo de mi casa.
The basement is underneath my house.

Afuera de - outside of

El perro vive afuera de la casa. / The dog lives outside of the house.

Al lado de - next to / beside

El viejo roble está al lado de mi casa. The old oak is next to my house.

Arriba de - above

El cielo está arriba de mí. / The sky is above me.

cerca de = near / close to

La tienda de móviles está cerca de mi casa.
The cell phone store is near my house.

Answer 90

debajo de - below / under

Tus zapatos están debajo de ese mueble.
Your shoes are under that furniture.

delante de - in front of

El jardín está delante de mi casa.
The garden’s in front of my house.

Question 91

detrás de - behind

El jardín está detrás de mi casa.
The garden is behind my house.

En - in, on, at

Hay leche en la sopa
There’s milk in the soup.

La sopera está en la mesa.
The soup bowl’s on the table.

Estoy en la mesa.
I’m at the table.

Encima de - on top of

La gata ahora está encima de la mesa.
Now the cat’s on top of the table.

Enfrente de- facing, across from, opposite

El hospital está enfrente de la farmacia.
The hospital is across from the pharmacy.

Answer 91

Entre - between

La tienda está entre dos edificios más grandes.
The store is between two bigger buildings.

Lejos de - far from

Ellos viajarán lejos de aquí.
They will travel far from here.

Sobre - on / on top of

Hay una espada colgada sobre mi cabeza.
There’s a sword hanging over my head.

Question 92

Other expressions showing the position of something :

Answer 92

A la izquierda de – on the left / to the left

A la derecha de – on the right / to the right

En la parte superior – at the top

En el centro – in the middle

En la parte inferior – at the bottom

Question 93

Muy Vs Mucho

Answer 93

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Question 94

MUY

Muy means Very in English.

Muy is an adverb.

There is only one form of the word Muy. It has no masculine or feminine form and there is no singular or plural form either.

Muy + adjective

You normally use Muy before an adjective to increase the intensity of it.

Mi hermano es muy alto - (My brother is very tall)
Mi hermana es muy alta - (My sister is very tall)
Mis calcetines son muy sucios - (My socks are very dirty)
Tus amigas son muy locas - (You friends are very crazy)
Estoy muy enojado - (I am very angry)
Muy + Adverb

Answer 94

Muy + Adverb

Sometimes we use Muy before an adverb

Yo hablo muy despacio - (I speak very slowly)
Tú hablas español muy bien. - (You speak very well)
You never use the word Muy by itself. It always needs to be accompanied by an adjective or an adverb.

¿Estás cansado? - (Are you tired?)
– Sí, mucho (we cannot say: si, muy)
– Sí, muy cansado (you need to add an adjective though it may sound repetitive)

Question 95

MUCHO

Mucho means a lot - a lot of - much - many in English

Mucho can be used as an adjective or as an adverb.

When Mucho is used as an adjective, it must agree both in gender (masc/fem) and number (singular/plural) with the noun.

There are 4 ways of writing Mucho:

mucho – singular masculine - (a lot, a lot of, much)
mucha – singular feminine - (a lot, a lot of, much)
muchos – plural masculine - (a lot, a lot of, many)
muchas – plural feminine - (a lot, a lot of, many)

Mucho + Noun

Mucho (or its variation) normally goes before a noun.

Examples of mucho, muchos, mucha, muchas:

Tengo mucho trabajo - (I have a lot of work)
Hace mucho calor - (It’s really hot)
Hay mucha comida en la mesa - (There’s a lot of food on the table)
Ella tiene mucha paciencia - (She has a lot of patience)
Mi hijo tiene muchos zapatos - (My son has a lot of shoes)
Necesito muchos vasos para la fiesta - (I need many glasses for the party)
Mi hija tiene muchas amigas - (My daughter has many friends)
Hay muchas casas viejas en mi barrio - (There are a lot of old houses in my neighborhood)

Answer 95

Verbo + mucho

Sometimes mucho is used as an adverb and comes after the verb.

The form of Mucho is always the same and there is no change in gender or number.

Estoy muy satisfecho, he comido mucho - (I’m full, I have eaten a lot)
Mi hijo está muy cansado porque estudió mucho - (My son is very tired because he studied a lot)
Mi esposo trabaja mucho - (My husband works a lot)

Question 96

Muchísimo

You can use muchísimo to emphasize that something is MORE THAN a lot.

It is like saying “very, very” OR “lots and lots of” OR “many, many”.

Again, the word needs to agree both in gender and number:

Muchísimo – Muchísimos
Muchísima – Muchísimas

Esta mañana hace muchísimo frío. - (It’s very, very cold this morning)
Ese candidato necesita muchísimos votos para ganar. - (That candidate needs lots and lots of votes to win)
Tengo muchísima sed porque corrí 10 kilómetros. - (I’m very, very thirsty because I ran 10 kilometres)
Hubo muchísimas personas en el concierto. - (There were many, many people at the concert)
In English you can say “Very much” however in Spanish you cannot join those two words together and say Muy Mucho. You either use Muchísimo or just Mucho.

Answer 96

The Opposite of Mucho

The opposite of Mucho is Poco. Just like with Mucho, the adjective Poco also needs to agree both in gender and number.

Mucho – Poco
Muchos – Pocos
Mucha – Poca
Muchas – Pocas

Question 97

Reflexive Verbs

Answer 97

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Question 98

A reflexive verb is a verb that refers to something the subject does to itself. Any given day is full of tasks that you need to complete “upon yourself,” such as brushing your own hair or waking yourself up. These verbs reflect upon themselves, hence they’re known as “reflexive” verbs.

The easiest way to recognize an infinitive (unconjugated) reflexive verb is that, rather ending with –ar, –ir, or –er, it’ll end with –se. For example:

lavar — to wash
lavarse — to wash yourself

Answer 98

The reflexive verb pattern could be explained as referring to an instance when the subject completes action on itself.

On the other hand, with a regular verb the subject completes an action on another subject or object.

Question 99

Most reflexive verbs are simply regular verbs with a se added to them to indicate that the subject and object are the same. Some, however, are unable to be anything except reflexive. Consider the verb “repent” in English. Only the subject can repent, for themselves. The subject can’t repent for someone else.

Answer 99

Therefore, in Spanish, arrepentirse (to repent) can’t be used without the se or reflexive element. The same can be said of quejarse (to complain).

Question 100

1. Know Your Pronouns

To understand how to use reflexive verbs, you’ll need to understand pronouns. Pronouns are those pesky, two- or three-letter words that reflexive verbs need to make sense. They’re the equivalents of “myself,” “yourself” and so on.

Reflexive pronouns are almost the same as indirect object pronouns.

There’s just one key difference: Instead of le or les for the third person singular and plural, reflexive pronouns use se.

Answer 100

SINGULAR

1st person (yo): me
2nd person (tú): te
3rd person (él/ella/usted): se

PLURAL

1st person (nosotros): nos
2nd person (vosotros): os
3rd person (ellos/ellas/ustedes): se

Question 101

Let’s see that in action!

The reflexive verb lavarse could be conjugated as:

Me lavo las manos (I wash my hands)
Te lavas las manos (You wash your hands)

When the subject is yo, the pronoun me is used. When the subject is tú, the pronoun te is used and so forth.

Answer 101

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Question 102

2. Place Your Pronouns

One of the hardest parts of learning reflexive verbs is knowing where to place a pronoun.

They’re often the most confusing part about reflexive verbs for non-Spanish speakers, but if you know the key rules it won’t seem so hard anymore! Soon it will become second nature.

Answer 102

Here are the 3 big rules that you need to remember about placing pronouns..

Usually, a pronoun goes before a reflexive verb:
Formula: subject + pronoun + verb + object

Example: Yo me peino el pelo. (I brush my hair.)

Yo (subject) me (pronoun) peino (verb) el pelo (object)

If you have two verbs next to one another, the pronoun placement is more flexible.
Formula: subject + verb + reflexive verb + pronoun

Example: Ella está peinándose. (She is brushing her hair.)

Ella (subject) está (verb) peinándo (reflexive verb) se (pronoun)

*Note that there’s an accent placed on the a. The accent should be placed on the a in –ando (in –ar verbs) and the e in –iendo (in –er and –ir verbs) when the verb and the pronoun are merged into one word.

With a gerund like peinando, the reflexive pronoun can go before or after the verb. You could equally say:
Formula: subject + pronoun + verb + reflexive verb

Example: Ella se está peinando. (She is brushing her hair.)

Ella (subject) se (pronoun) está (verb) peinando (reflexive verb)

Question 103

So, when must the pronoun go at the end of the verb?

Answer 103

An infinitive reflexive must always have the pronoun at the end.
Quiero ducharme (I want to wash myself)

Antes de vestirme (before I get dressed)

In a positive command, the pronoun must always go at the end of the conjugated reflexive verb.
¡Vístete! (Get dressed!)

In a negative command, the pronoun must always go before the conjugated reflexive verb.
¡No te levantes! (Don’t get up!)

Question 104

3. Get Those Negatives Right

The no always goes before the pronoun. Imagine the formula like this:

Formula: No + pronoun + conjugated reflexive verb

Example: No me ducho. ( I don’t shower myself)

No (no) me (pronoun) ducho (conjugated reflexive verb)

Answer 104

The no may only go immediately before the pronoun in this case. When the pronoun is at the end of the verb, things look a little different. Consider the following.

Formula: No + verb + reflexive verb + pronoun (In this formula the reflexive verb and pronoun are merged into one word)

Example: Ella no está peinándose. (She isn’t combing herself)

Example: Ella no va a peinarse. (She isn’t going to comb her hair)

Question 105

4. Nail Objects and Ownership

The articles of objects involved in reflexive verb actions don’t change to become owned by the subject. In English we’d say “I wash my hands.”The article before hands is changed to the first person, so that the listener knows that the hands belong to us. The same could be said of many other sentences.

Answer 105

In Spanish, however, changing the ownership via the article isn’t necessary. You’ll instead see sentences like:

Me lavo las manos. (I wash my hands).

Look carefully, las manos hasn’t been changed to mis manos. That’s because, thanks to the reflexive verb, it’s very clear in Spanish that the subject is washing their own hands. Remember that in all constructions of Spanish sentences with reflexive verbs it’s unnecessary to reiterate ownership through articles in front of objects.

Question 106

5. Conjugate with Confidence

Conjugate a reflexive verb just as you would a regular verb.

Remember that the subject is doing the verb to themselves, so you would conjugate in that form. For example, in me peino (I comb myself) the conjugation of peino is in the first person singular as is the pronoun.

Answer 106

Remember:

Reflexive verbs are usually regular in their conjugation and the key rules of pronoun placements never change. If a verb refers to a subject completing an action upon themselves, it’s reflexive!

Just add se!

Question 107

Gerunds

Answer 107

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Question 108

The gerund is a verb form that expresses continuous action, or an action that’s currently happening. It’s equivalent to the –ing form of a verb in English.

Estoy cenando. (I am eating dinner.)

It’s formed by dropping the infinitive ending of a verb and adding –ando for –ar verbs and –iendo for –er and –ir verbs.

Answer 108

Ejemplos

Infinitive—gerund

-ar

Bajar—bajando

Cantar—cantando

-er

Comer—comiendo

Llover—lloviendo

-ir

Abrir—abriendo

Salir—saliendo

Question 109

Of course, what fun would it be if there were no exceptions to the rule? Several verbs, those that end in two vowels, take –yendo to form the gerund.

Infinitive—gerund

Caer—cayendo

Creer—creyendo

Leer—leyendo

Oír—oyendo

Traer—trayendo

Answer 109

And then there are the real funky ones, the stem-changers, that don’t really follow any easy rule and you just have to learn.

Infinitive—gerund

Decir—diciendo

Dormir—durmiendo

Morir—muriendo

Pedir—pidiendo

Sentir—sintiendo

Question 110

The gerund in progressive constructions

In the progressive tenses the gerund is almost always paired with the verb estar to express an action in motion. In the present, it’s something that’s currently happening, right now, at this moment.

Ronaldo está quejándose. (Ronaldo is complaining.)

Javier Bardem me está seduciendo. (Javier Bardem is seducing me.)

Answer 110

The progressive construction can be paired up with just about any verb tense. Just remember that it means that the action is/was/will be continuously happening.

Things can get pretty complex quickly, but don’t worry, we’re not here to learn all the progressive tenses. Remember that the progressive tenses aren’t used with venir, ir and estar. So no double estar. Here’s an example of each progressive construction:

Past progressive: Estuve trabajando como espía en Rusia por diez años. (I was working as a spy in Russia for ten years.)

Present perfect continuous: Hemos estado hablando y decidimos que tu blusa es fea. (We’ve been talking and we decided that your blouse is ugly.)

Future perfect continuous: Elena habrá estado saliendo con Juan por cinco meses en junio. (In June, Elena will have been dating Juan for five months in June)

Pluperfect subjunctive: Si hubieras estado prestando atención en la prepa, esto ya lo habrías sabido. (If you had been paying attention in high school, you would have already known this.)

Question 111

You don’t always need to use a main verb.

There are a number of instances when you can use the gerund all by its lonesome without even worrying about estar or having to conjugate anything.

Answer 111

To express an action in motion

Just like we just learned, the gerund is used to express that something is in the process of happening. Only this time, you don’t need the main verb.

And here’s the best thing: it can refer to the present, past or future. So long, conjugations!

¿Qué haces? –Nada, relajándome un poquito. (What are you doing? Nothing, relaxing a bit.)

¿Y Paz? ¿Qué hacía? –Tomando un té. (And Paz? What was she doing? Drinking tea.)

Question 112

To express how something has been achieved

Similar to the construction in English, by + -ing, you can use the Spanish gerund to describe how something is done or carried out.

Viajando, conocí muchos países, mucha gente y a mi esposa. (By traveling, I got to know many countries, people and my wife.)

Comiendo mucho, me engordé. (By eating a lot, I got fat.)

Answer 112

To describe

You can use the independent gerund to describe pictures and situations.

Mi hijo, ganando el premio Nobel. (My son, winning the Nobel Prize.)

¿Dónde está la escuela? –Saliendo del metro a la izquierda. (Where’s the school? On the left when you get off the metro.)

Question 113

As exclamations and interrogatives

Here’s a great use of the gerund that’ll make you sound like you really know your stuff. It’s easy too.

Use the gerund when you want to say that you think someone spends too much time doing one thing. Use this with expressions like siempre or otra vez.

¡Otra vez comiendo McDonalds! (Eating McDonalds again? (with all these delicious tapas around?))

¡De nuevo estudiando! (Studying again! (Get outside!))

Answer 113

As sarcasm

Of course you want to learn how to be sarcastic in Spanish. You can use the independent gerund for situations in which it’s obvious what’s going on. You can ask questions that don’t require a response this way.

¿Qué? ¿Comiéndote mi tortilla? (Eating my tortilla, I see.)

Question 114

To give orders

Could it be any easier than this? You can use the gerund to give orders.

¡Vamos a perder el bus! ¡Corriendo! (We’re going to miss the bus. Run!)

Nunca vas a terminar. Trabajando. (You’re never going to finish. Get to work.)

Answer 114

Although you can use the gerund in a whole bunch of awesome ways, there are a few things you should be careful (ojo) of as well. First, the gerund isn’t a noun like in English. In Spanish, you must use the infinitive form of the verb if you want the action to act as a noun.

Me gusta nadar. Nadar es divertido. (I like swimming. Swimming is fun.)

The gerund isn’t an adjective either in Spanish. Instead, use a past participle or restructure the sentence.

Question 115

Comparison Between the English and Spanish Subjunctive

While English speakers often have a lot of trouble with the subjunctive, English does actually have a subjunctive mood; however, it is far less common than in Spanish, and more associated with formal speech and writing. Nevertheless, it is similar enough that it should provide a basis for understanding the Spanish subjunctive.

Answer 115

Think about the following pairs of sentences:

“If I were in your position, I would call the police.” “I was in your position, and I called the police.”
“The important thing is that you be here.” “You are here, and that is the important thing.”
“I wish I were a little bit taller.” “I am now a little bit taller.”

The first sentences in each pair are subjunctive. This allows them to communicate doubt or conditionality. In the second sentence of each pair the outcome is already determined, and the subjunctive is not necessary.

Question 116

While it preserves the same basic moods of doubt etc., the Spanish subjunctive is used for a far wider variety of purposes than the English.

Answer 116

The Spanish subjunctive expresses sentiment or wishes, doubt about a future event, or conditionality. All verbs require a specific conjugation in the Spanish subjunctive, whereas only a handful require different conjugations in English.

Question 117

The Trigger Method

It is nice to keep this idea of uncertainty, doubt or desire in mind but, if you’re like most people, you’ll learn to use the subjunctive by learning certain “triggers” that tell you your sentence is about to be shot headfirst into the subjunctive.

Answer 117

The subjunctive mood often occurs in subordinate clauses that begin with que. For example:

“Es probable que salgamos tarde”. (It’s likely we’ll leave late.)
“Es bueno que tengas tiempo libre”. (It’s good that you have free time.)

In the first sentence, the subjunctive verb expresses a probable, but indefinite, outcome. In the second, it expresses a subjective opinion about whether it is good or bad to have free time.

With the sense of uncertainty or desire removed, these sentences would be:

“Salimos tarde”. (We left late.)
“Tienes tiempo libre”. (You have free time.)

Question 118

Spanish Subjunctive Triggers

es importante que …
it’s important that …

dudar que …
to doubt that …

es bueno que …
it’s good that …

es malo que …
it’s bad that …

esperar que …
to hope/wish that …

es mejor que …
it’s better that …

es raro que …
it’s strange that …

es posible que …
it’s possible that …

Answer 118

es probable que …
it’s likely that …

es necesario que …
it’s necessary that …

hasta que …
until …

ojalá que …
hopefully …

no es cierto que …
it’s not certain that …

mientras que …
meanwhile/while …

sin que …
without …

Question 119

The Two Most Common Subjunctive Triggers in Spanish

There are a couple of subjunctive triggers that deserve their own separate explanation.

The first trigger is a change in person. This happens with a number of verbs. Take querer: to want. If the verb following querer agrees with the subject of querer, you have not got a subjunctive sentence. If the verb following querer is different to the subject of querer, you’ve got yourself a subjunctive sentence.

For example:

“Yo quiero ir a la piscina” (I want to go to the swimming pool) is not subjunctive. Whereas
“Yo quiero que vayas a la piscina” (I want you to go to the swimming pool) is subjunctive.

Answer 119

The same change happens with the verb esperar:

“Yo espero llegar pronto” (I hope to arrive soon) is not subjunctive. Whereas
“Yo espero que él llegue pronto” (I hope he arrives soon) is subjunctive.

The second trigger is the idea of wishing a certain experience on someone. That’s a weirdly complex way to express the general rule, but it’s basically the equivalent of when you say “Have a safe trip,” or “Have a nice day.” In English this is obviously an imperative sentence. You’re telling someone to have a nice day whether they want to or not. In Spanish the phrase is “Que tengas un buen dia.” Or “Que te vayas bien.” These are subjunctive statements.

Together, these are the two most common ways you’ll encounter the subjunctive in everyday conversation. So they’re worth understanding.

Question 120

How to tell time !

I learned how to tell time straight from Spanishpod101 absolute beginner lesson 5.

Answer 120

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Question 121

JP: So telling time.

Fernando: Tell us about that.

JP: Okay. First of all, there’s a difference between telling the current time and telling like a schedule, okay? So when we tell the current time, we’re always going to use the verb: ser, okay?

Fernando: Right.

Answer 121

JP: For example, if I want to say, “It’s 4 o’clock.”

Fernando: Son las cuatro.

JP: Son las cuatro. Okay. You heard that, son, that’s the verb: ser, in the third person plural, Son las cuatro. How about it’s 3 o’clock?

Fernando: Son las tres.

JP: Son las tres. How about it’s 2 o’clock?

Fernando: Son las dos.

JP: And it’s 1 o’clock.

Fernando: Es la una.

JP: Es la una. Okay. Now, we all understand that it’s: Es la una, because: la una, is singular.
Fernando: Right.

JP: So you’re going to use: es.

Fernando: Yes.

JP: Okay.

Fernando: For all other time, you want to use a plural.

JP: Right. When it’s 2 or 3 or 4 or 12.
Fernando: Exactly.

Question 122

JP: Okay, cool. Es la una, son las dos, son las tres. Okay. So that’s the answer. Now, the question again was…

Fernando: ¿Qué hora es?

JP: ¿Qué hora es? Now that is the standard proper way to ask for the time, right?

Fernando: Yes, and you’ll still hear people say ¿Qué horas son?

JP: Okay. So now we know how to tell time on the hour, right?

Fernando: Yes.

Answer 122

JP: But let’s talk a little bit, what if we want to tell time on the half hour, like it’s 3:30?

Fernando: Son las tres y media.

JP: Son las tres y media. Now, what’s that word: media?

Fernando: Media: half, literally translated.

JP: Okay. So like in English, we say, “It’s half past 3:00.”

Fernando: Right.

JP: Okay. So what if I want to say it’s 3:20, it’s not quite 3:30, it’s 3:20?

Fernando: Son las tres y veinte.

JP: Son las tres y veinte. Okay, that’s the classical textbook thing. Now, Fernando, you say other things because I listen to you and when you tell me the time, it’s not always that classical textbook way.

Fernando: Yes. I say: tres veinte or…

JP: Tres veinte, 3:20.

Fernando: Yes, or Tres con veinte.

JP: Okay, 3 with 20.

Question 123

JP: Tres veinte. Now, what if it’s 3:40?

Fernando: Es veinte para las cuatro.

JP: Es veinte para las cuatro. Wait a second, now in the dialogue, it was: Es veinte para las tres, right?

Fernando: Exactly.

JP: Okay. So that should have been 2:40.

Fernando: 2:40.

Answer 123

JP: Okay. Es veinte para las tres.
2:40. Okay. Anyway, what’s happening is there are some subtraction going on, right, so there’s 3 o’clock and 20 minutes before that is 2:40.

Fernando: Yes, Es veinte para las cuatro.

JP: That would be 3:40.

Fernando: 3:40.

JP: Okay. Okay. So Fernando, when you tell the minutes, you just add the minutes, so you say, Son las tres veinte, right?

Fernando: Son las tres veinte.

JP: And then you get 3:30.

Fernando: Tres y media.

JP: And after 3:30, you’re going to say, “It’s 20 to 4:00,” right?

Fernando: Es veinte para las cuatro.

JP: Okay. And then 15 to 4:00 or quarter to 4:00?

Fernando: Cuarto para las cuatro.

Question 124

ITO and ITA

Spanishpod101

Answer 124

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Question 125

JP: Morenita, okay. So ITO and ITA. If you see those on the end of an adjective you know that there’s some kind of affection or, you know, cuteness that is going along with it. So when Diego calls Adrianna, morenita, we kind of know that he’s interested in her.

Fernando: Yeah, from the get-go.

JP: From the get-go.

Answer 125

Fernando: Guy moves fast. And these can all be applied to: alta, alto, chistoso, chistosa.

JP: So if I want to be affectionate about a woman that’s tall?

Fernando: Altita.

JP: Altita.

Fernando: Está altita. that’s right.

JP: She’s a little tall. She’s tally-tall. How about if you want to be affectionate about a woman that’s funny?

Fernando: Es bien chistosita.

JP: Es bien chistosita.

Fernando: But you could also use that to be
sarcastic: Que chistosito ehh.

JP: Oh, “you’re funny now?”

Fernando: Yeah, “you’re funny now?”

JP: Yeah, that’s pretty funny.

Question 126

What are some other ways we can ask for something?
Karen: Good question. Another common way to ask for something would be “Me da, plus, the item”.
Jessi: Me da, so that uses the reflexive verb “darse”, to give someone.
Karen: That’s right, so it’s like, you’re asking, Can you give me blank?

(Spanishpod101 Absolute beginner)

Answer 126

Jessi: Can we hear an example?
Karen: Sure. For example, at a restaurant, you could say, “Me da una servilleta.”
Jessi: “Could you give me a napkin?”
Karen: That form is used for strangers. If you were to ask a friend, you would use “tú form”, das. “Me das una servilleta”.

Question 127

Jessi: One of the many ways to talk about price is by using the form of the verb “ser”. In Spanish-speaking countries, “son” is often used to tell the price of something. We can say: Son, plus, the price. How was it used in the dialogue?
Karen: In the dialogue, Paco asked about the cover charge and the security guard responded with: Son cien pesos.
Jessi: Which is?
Karen: “It is a 100 pesos.”
Jessi: So, “son” here means: it is.
Karen: Yes. When talking about prices, that’s what it means.
Jessi: And again, “son” here is the third person plural of the verb: ser. Let’s give them some more examples using “son”.

(Spanishpod101 Absolute Beginner)

Answer 127

Karen: Sure. For example, Son cuarenta dolares por los dos.
Jessi: And that means, “It is 40 for both.”
Karen: Yes. What about: Son ciento-veinte dólares, por los impuestos.
Jessi: It is 120 for the taxes.
Karen: That’s right.

Question 128

Jessi: Also, something important to note, “son” is only used if the amount is more than one, that is more than one dollar, one peso, one unit of currency.
Karen: That’s correct, good point.
Jessi: If the price is just one dollar or one peso, what would we use, Karen?
Karen: “Es”, this is the third person singular of: ser.

(Spanishpod101 Absolute Beginner)

Answer 128

Jessi: Let’s hear an example.
Karen: Es un dolar.
Jessi: It’s one dollar.

Question 129

what’s another common way to give the price of something in Spanish?
Karen: Well, there’s a verb that Spanish people use to tell the price of something. “Costar”
Jessi: Which means “the cost.”
Karen: Right and we will use it in the third person singular, “cuesta”.
Jessi: So, it’s like saying, “it cost, amount.”

(Spanishpod101 Absolute Beginner)

Answer 129

Let’s give some examples.
Karen: Sure.
Jessi: La cartera cuesta cien dólares.
Karen: And it’s translated as: The purse costs 100.
Jessi: One more example would be…
Karen: El juguete cuesta docientos dólares.
Jessi: And that means, the toy costs 200. That’s one expensive toy.
Karen: Muy caro, very expensive.