Spanish Grammar For Dummies E-Book

Cecie Kraynak

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fremdsprachen
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 442

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

The tools you need to master Spanish grammar Spanish Grammar For Dummies is a logical extension and complement to the successful language learning books, Spanish For Dummies and 500 Spanish Verb For Dummies. In plain English, it teaches you the grammatical rules of the Spanish language, including parts of speech, sentence construction, pronouns, adjectives, punctuation, stress and verb tenses, and moods. Throughout the book, you get plenty of practice opportunities to help you on your goal of mastering Spanish grammar. * Grasp the grammatical rules of Spanish * Benefit from plenty of practice opportunities throughout the book * Use the Spanish language confidently and correctly Whether you're a student studying Spanish or a professional looking to get ahead of the pack by learning a second language, Spanish Grammar For Dummies is your hands-on guide to quickly and painlessly master the written aspect of this popular language.

Leseprobe

Spanish Grammar For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/spanishgrammar to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Starting with the Basics

Part II: Constructing Simple Sentences and Asking Questions

Part III: Beefing Up Your Sentences with More Description

Part IV: Talking about the Past or Future

Part V: Expressing Conditions and Giving Commands

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Starting with the Basics

Chapter 1: Spanish Grammar in a Nutshell

Recognizing the Parts of Speech

Nouns and pronouns

Articles

Verbs

Adjectives and adverbs

Prepositions

Conjunctions

Conjugating Verbs in the Present Tense

Identifying infinitives

Establishing subject-verb agreement

Composing a Simple Sentence

Asking Questions

Moving On to Other Verb Tenses

Preterit and imperfect

Future

Compound

Wondering “What If” with the Conditional Mood

Forming Simple Commands

Chapter 2: Sounding Out Spanish Words

Vocalizing Vowels

Conversing with Consonants

Doubling Up on Diphthongs

Stressing the Right Syllables and Adding Accents

Beginning with basic rules

Adding an accent mark to change a word’s meaning

Indicating interrogative words with accent marks

Accenting reflexive verbs in the present progressive

Adjusting Your Intonation

Answer Key

Chapter 3: Naming Things with Nouns and Articles

Determining Whether a Noun Is Masculine or Feminine

Identifying masculine nouns

Identifying feminine nouns

Making a masculine noun feminine

Recognizing some exceptions

Pluralizing Nouns

The basic rules

A few exceptions to the basic rules

Grasping Gender with Articles

Getting specific with definite articles

Generalizing with indefinite articles

Using articles to switch gender and meaning

Answer Key

Chapter 4: Describing Stuff with Adjectives

Making Adjectives Agree with the Nouns They Modify

Brushing up on some basic rules

Modifying two or more nouns with one adjective

Using two or more adjectives with one noun

Using a past participle as an adjective

Putting Adjectives in Their Proper Place

Placing an adjective after a noun

Placing an adjective before a noun

Shortening and changing the meaning of some adjectives based on their position

Dealing with Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives

Belonging with possessive adjectives

Noting location with demonstrative adjectives

Identifying Nationality with Adjectives

Using Adjectives as Nouns

Answer Key

Chapter 5: Dealing with Numbers, Dates, and Time

Counting from Zero to a Billion: Cardinal Numbers

Putting Things in Order with Ordinal Numbers

Talking about Days, Months, Seasons, and Dates

Days of the week

Months and seasons of the year

Specific dates

Telling Time

Answer Key

Part II: Constructing Simple Sentences and Asking Questions

Chapter 6: Writing in the Present Tense

Grasping Spanish Verb Fundamentals

Introducing infinitives

Conjugating verbs to agree with subjects

Conjugating Regular Verbs

Conjugating Regular Stem-Changing Verbs

Regular -ar and -er verbs whose stems change from e to ie

Regular -ar and -er verbs whose stems change from o to ue

An unusual stem-changing -ar verb: Jugar in the present tense

Regular -ir verbs whose stems change from e to i

Regular -ir verbs whose stems change from e to ie

Regular -ir verbs whose stems change from o to ue

Dealing with Regular Spelling-Changing Verbs

Verbs that end in a consonant plus -cer or -cir

Verbs that end in a vowel plus -cer or -cir

Verbs that end in -ger or -gir

Verbs that end in -guir

Verbs that end in -iar or -uar

Verbs that end in -uir

Examining Irregular Verbs

Verbs that are irregular only in the yo form

Verbs that are irregular in most or all of their present tense conjugations

Building Basic Sentences

Constructing Compound Sentences with Conjunctions

Answer Key

Chapter 7: Expressing a State of Being with Ser and Estar

Comparing Ser and Estar

Knowing When to Use Ser

Identifying a person, place, or thing

Noting profession, origin, and essential qualities

Describing physical appearance and personality

Expressing the time, date, or days of the week

Showing possession

Knowing When to Use Estar

Putting feelings into words

Describing temporary conditions or traits

Establishing the location of a person, place, or thing

Using estar with present participles

Using estar with past participles

Discovering How an Adjective’s Meaning Can Change with Ser and Estar

Answer Key

Chapter 8: Talking about Action in Progress with the Present Progressive

Breaking Down the Structure of the Present Progressive

Forming Regular Present Participles

Forming the present participle of regular -ar verbs

Forming the present participle of regular -er and -ir verbs

Revealing Stem-Changing and Irregular Present Participles

Forming the present participle of verbs with stems that end in a vowel

Forming the present participle of stem-changing verbs

Looking at irregular present participles

Using the Present Progressive to Describe an Action in Progress

Forming the present progressive with estar

Forming the present progressive with verbs other than estar

Answer Key

Chapter 9: Replacing Nouns with Pronouns

Summoning Subject Pronouns

Introducing the subject pronouns

Placing subject pronouns in statements and questions

Deciding when to use a subject pronoun

Replacing Direct Objects with Pronouns

Introducing the direct object pronouns

Placing direct object pronouns

Replacing Indirect Objects with Pronouns

Introducing the indirect object pronouns

Placing indirect object pronouns

Answer Key

Chapter 10: Expressing Likes and Dislikes

Using Indirect Object Pronouns with the Verb Gustar

Noting the indirect object pronouns

Placing indirect object pronouns with the verb gustar

Applying a Few Rules for Expressing Likes with the Verb Gustar

Clarifying and Emphasizing Pronouns with Prepositional Phrases

Clarifying ambiguous pronouns

Emphasizing certain pronouns

Talking about What You Don’t Like

Asking What Someone Else Likes

Introducing Other Verbs That Work Like Gustar

Answer Key

Chapter 11: Handling Questions and Exclamations

Composing Yes or No Questions

Sticking with a statement and adding question marks

Adding a tag question to a statement

Trying variations of the inversion method

Replying to Yes or No Questions

Seeking More Specific Information with Interrogatives

Introducing Spanish interrogatives

Forming questions with interrogatives

Using ¿Cómo? in different ways

Determining when to use ¿Cuál? or ¿Qué?

Using prepositions with interrogatives

Answering an Interrogative Question

Getting Excited with ¡Exclamations!

Answer Key

Part III: Beefing Up Your Sentences with More Description

Chapter 12: Describing Action with Adverbs

Telling When, Where, How, How Many, How Much, and How Long

Getting to Know the Forms That Adverbs Take

Forming adverbs that end in -mente (-ly)

Meeting some adverbial expressions

Using adjectives as adverbs

Placing Adverbs in a Sentence

Adverbs that modify verbs

Adverbs that modify other adverbs

Adverbs that modify adjectives

Adverbs that modify the entire sentence

Making Comparisons with Adverbs

Making comparisons of inequality

Making comparisons of equality

Answer Key

Chapter 13: Modifying Meaning with Prepositions

Parading Simple Prepositions

Contrasting the personal a and the prepositional a

Comparing por and para

Designating possession with de

Expressing location with en

Considering con

Presenting Compound Prepositions

Recognizing and Using Some Verbs That Require Prepositions

The basics of verbs that require prepositions

Lists of verbs that require prepositions

Answer Key

Chapter 14: Acting on Oneself with the Reflexive

Getting to Know Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns

Checking out some common reflexive verbs

Introducing the reflexive pronouns

Forming Regular Reflexive Verbs

Conjugating Stem-Changing and Irregular Reflexive Verbs

Understanding the Uses of Reflexive Verbs

Describing actions of personal care and habitual routines

Becoming with the reflexive construction

Using the reflexive to change a verb’s meaning

Acting on each other: Expressing reciprocal actions with the reflexive form

Answer Key

Chapter 15: Using the Passive Voice

Setting Up Passive Voice with Ser

Forming the passive voice with ser and a past participle

Expressing an agent with por

Forming Passive Constructions with Se

Creating the passive voice with se

Forming expressions in the impersonal voice

Considering the Uses of Passive Voice

Answer Key

Chapter 16: It’s All Relative: Making Comparisons

Expressing Comparisons of Inequality

Saying “more than” or “less than”

Including numbers

Making Comparisons of Equality

Rising to the Highest Degree with Superlatives

Investigating Irregular Comparatives

Going from good to best and from bad to worst

Describing age

Using a special suffix to express “really”

Answer Key

Chapter 17: Just Say “No”: Negative Words and Expressions

Introducing Negative Words and Expressions

Naming the negative words and putting them to use

Identifying some common negative expressions

Piecing together your sentences with pero and sino

Pointing Out the Differences between Spanish and English Negatives

Answer Key

Part IV: Talking about the Past or Future

Chapter 18: Looking Back with the Preterit

Forming the Preterit Tense of Regular Verbs

Forming the preterit of -ar verbs

Forming the preterit of -er and -ir verbs

Dealing with Stem-Changing, Spelling-Changing, and Irregular Verbs

Stem-changing verbs

Spelling-changing verbs

Irregular verbs

Using the Preterit Tense

Completing an action or a series of actions in the past

Being specific about a past action

Changing Verb Meanings in the Preterit

Answer Key

Chapter 19: Describing Ongoing Past Action with the Imperfect

Forming the Regular Imperfect Tense

Forming the imperfect of regular -ar verbs

Forming the imperfect of regular -er and -ir verbs

Recognizing Some Irregular Imperfect Verbs

Using the Imperfect Tense in Certain Ways

Describing past conditions or states of mind

Describing continuing or ongoing past actions

Describing repeated or habitual past actions

Expressing “would”

Describing simultaneous activities in the past

Describing actions that were occurring when something else happened

Comparing the Preterit and Imperfect Tenses

Knowing when to use the preterit

Knowing when to use the imperfect

Answer Key

Chapter 20: Projecting Forward with the Future Tense

Forming the Regular Future Tense

Meeting Some Irregular Future Verbs

Getting More Specific with Futuristic Adverbs

Exploring Additional Simple Ways to Talk about the Future

Using the present tense

Using ir + a + an infinitive

Putting the Future Tense to Use

Describing an action that will happen or is likely to happen

Expressing conjecture, supposition, or probability in the present

Describing a future cause-effect relationship

Answer Key

Chapter 21: Forming Compound Tenses with the Helping Verb Haber

Forming Past Participles

Irregular past participles: Group 1

Irregular past participles: Group 2

Constructing and Using the Present Perfect

Discovering the present tense forms of the verb haber

Forming the present perfect

Knowing when to use the present perfect

Constructing and Using the Pluperfect

Conjugating the verb haber in the imperfect tense

Forming the pluperfect

Employing the pluperfect

Constructing and Using the Future Perfect

Conjugating the verb haber in the future tense

Forming the future perfect

Knowing when to use the future perfect

Answer Key

Part V: Expressing Conditions and Giving Commands

Chapter 22: Wondering “What If” with the Conditional Mood

Forming the Conditional of Regular Verbs

Dealing with Irregular Conditional Verbs

Knowing When to Use the Conditional

Describing hypothetical actions or events in the present or future

Communicating the probability of a past action or event

Indicating the future within a past tense expression

Answer Key

Chapter 23: Taking Command with the Imperative Mood

Giving Commands to Individuals

Constructing informal singular commands with regular verbs

Creating formal singular commands with regular verbs

Checking out verbs with stem changes in the singular imperative

Introducing verbs with spelling changes in the singular imperative

Handling verbs with stem and spelling changes in the singular imperative

Dealing with irregular verbs in the singular imperative

Issuing Commands to Two or More People

Constructing informal plural commands with regular verbs

Creating formal plural commands with regular verbs

Checking out verbs with stem changes in the plural imperative

Introducing verbs with spelling changes in the plural imperative

Handling verbs with stem and spelling changes in the plural imperative

Dealing with irregular verbs in the plural imperative

Using Subject Pronouns with Commands

Forming “Let’s” Commands

Answer Key

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 24: Ten Common Spanish Grammar Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Forgetting to Change the Gender of “cientos” When Describing Feminine Nouns

Adding “un” or “una” to “otro” or “otra”

Overusing Subject Pronouns

Repeating the Preposition in Verbs That Already Include a Preposition

Using Possessive Adjectives to Refer to Body Parts or Clothing with Reflexive Verbs

Assuming Spanish Words That Look Like English Words Mean the Same Thing

Translating Idioms Word for Word

Confusing Definite and Indefinite Articles

Mixing Up “pedir” and “preguntar” and “conocer” and “saber”

Confusing Different Types of Movement

Chapter 25: Ten Useful Spanish Idioms

Ir al grano

Estar para comerte

Estar como un flan

Estar chupado

Estar como un queso

Estar como una cabra

Faltar un tornillo

Tomar el pelo

Importarse un pimiento

Es de toma pan y moja

Cheat Sheet

Spanish Grammar For Dummies®

by Cecie Kraynak, MA

Spanish Grammar For Dummies®

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

ISBN 978-1-118-02380-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-22201-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-23576-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-26065-4 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Cecie (Mary) Kraynak is a Spanish teacher, ESL coordinator, and author/editor of numerous Spanish books, including Spanish For Dummies and Spanish Verbs For Dummies (both published by Wiley).

Cecie inherited her love of the Spanish language and culture from her mother, Jo Anne Howard, who cultivated Cecie’s innate interest and encouraged her to travel and study abroad. From the heartland of Crawfordsville, Indiana, Cecie first set out to study at the University of the Americas in Cholula, Mexico, and later spent her junior year abroad at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and secondary education in 1980 and her master’s degree in Spanish literature in 1983 from Purdue University. During her grad school years, Cecie taught Spanish to undergraduates and served as the graduate assistant for Purdue’s summer study program in Mexico City.

Dedication

In memory of my father, Frank Howard, who never lost his sense of adventure.

Author’s Acknowledgments

Thanks to my acquisitions editor, Michael Lewis, for choosing me to work on Spanish Grammar For Dummies and for working closely with me during the initial stages to formulate the vision for this book. Thanks also to my project editor, Georgette Beatty, for carefully shaping the manuscript and shepherding the text through production and to my copy editor, Amanda Langferman, for purging the manuscript of any typos and ugly grammatical errors. Thanks also to the technical reviewers, Diane de Avalle-Arce and Greg Harris, for their expertise and careful attention to detail. Last but not least, thanks to my husband, Joe, who assisted in preparing the manuscript.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Vertical Websites

Senior Project Editor: Georgette Beatty

Acquisitions Editor: Michael Lewis

Copy Editor: Amanda M. Langferman

Assistant Editor: David Lutton

Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen

Technical Editors: Diane de Avalle-Arce, Greg Harris

Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker

Editorial Assistant: Alexa Koschier

Cover Photo: © iStockphoto.com/artvea

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Sheree Montgomery

Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Joyce Haughey, Christin Swinford

Proofreader: Tricia Liebig

Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry

Special HelpDanielle Voirol

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher

Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director

Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Part I

Starting with the Basics

In this part . . .

Consider this part the lighter side of Spanish grammar — strictly beginner stuff. Here, you get up to speed in a hurry with a brief overview of Spanish grammar; discover how to pronounce Spanish words so you can sound like you know what you’re talking about; figure out how to deal with nouns, articles, and adjectives in terms of number and gender; master the art of counting and telling time; and practice working with dates, days of the week, and months of the year.

If you’re ready to get your head in the game of Spanish grammar, you’ve come to the right place!

Chapter 1

Spanish Grammar in a Nutshell

In This Chapter

Getting to know your parts of speech

Taking a quick look at conjugating verbs in different tenses

Slapping together a simple sentence

Asking questions, posing conditions, and giving orders

Spanish grammar is fairly complex, so many people benefit from getting an overall picture of everything that’s involved — the framework on which all the details ultimately find their place — before they jump into any one part. This chapter presents this framework, bringing you up to speed in a hurry on Spanish grammar basics and rooting that framework in what you already know — English.

Luckily for everyone, the Spanish language is very phonetic, which makes speaking it fairly simple. Even so, you need to be aware of the importance of pronunciation when you’re learning Spanish to make sure that what you’re saying not only conveys the meaning you intended but also sounds grammatically correct. Skip to Chapter 2 for everything you need to know about Spanish pronunciation.

Recognizing the Parts of Speech

Learning a second language is a whole lot easier if you know a little something about your own language, especially when the languages are as similar as Spanish and English. To grasp the fundamentals of either of these languages, you need to know your parts of speech — the various categories that describe what purpose different types of words serve and how those different types of words relate to one another.

Don’t worry if you can’t recall your parts of speech. The following sections provide a quick review.

Nouns and pronouns

A nombre or sustantivo (noun) is a person, place, or thing that can serve as a subject, direct object, or indirect object:

Subject: Whoever or whatever performs the action

Direct object: What or whom the action is performed on

Indirect object: To or for whom or what the action is performed

For example, in Paco le dijo a María una mentira (Paco told María a lie), Paco is the subject because he’s performing the action (telling), una mentira (a lie) is the direct object (what Paco is telling), and María is the indirect object (the one to whom the lie is told). Chapter 3 introduces Spanish nouns in more detail.