Spanish examples

when to use por

- A physical transition such as traveling Viajé por Francia y España. (I traveled through France and Spain.) - An exchange of objects Pagaré $3 por este sandwich. (I will pay $3 in exchange for this sandwich.) - A duration of time Tengo que trabajar por ocho horas hoy. (I need to work for eight hours today.) - A motivation/reason for doing something Por su amor a los niños, quiere ser pediatra. (Because of her love for children, she wants to be a pediatrician.) Duration (for) Por expresses how long something takes to happen. Viajamos en coche por ocho horas. (We traveled by car for eight hours.) Estudié por cinco horas. (I studied for five hours.) Reason or Motive (because of) In this case, por gives a reason for why something happened. Por su amor al español, siempre lo estudiaba. (Because of his love for Spanish, he always studied it.) Por el número de gente que vino, pedí más comida. (Because of the number of people who came, I ordered more food.) Emotion (for) To express an emotion that you have for someone, use por. Tengo tanto amor por ti. (I have so much love for you.) La chica siente muchos celos por la estrella del cine. (The girl felt a lot of jealousy for the movie star.) Exchange (for) Por expresses the idea that one thing is given in exchange for another thing. Pagué $60 por estos zapatos. (I paid $60 for these shoes.) Te daré mi galleta por tu pastelito. (I'll give you my cookie for your cupcake.) Mode of Communication or Transportation/Movement (by, on, through) To express the manner in which something or someone travels, use por. Viajamos por tren a Italia. (We travel by train to Italy.) Hablamos por teléfono anoche. (We talked on the phone last night.) Caminamos por el parque hace 2 días. (We walked through the park 2 days ago.) Substitution (for, instead of) Substitution is very similar to "exchange" in that someone or something is taking the place of another person or thing. Hay una maestra sustituta por la Señora Martinez hoy. (There is a substitute teacher for Mrs. Martinez today.) Fui al supermercado por mi madre porque ella estaba enferma. (I went to the grocery store instead of my mother because she was sick.)

when to use para

- Physical locations Salgo para Chile mañana. (I leave for Chile tomorrow.) - People (recipients) Este regalo es para Adela. (This gift is for Adela.) - Deadlines Necesito la presentation para el viernes. (I need the presentation by/on Friday.) - Goals Trabaja mucho para ganar más dinero. (He works a lot in order to earn more money.) Purpose (in order to) Para can indicate a purpose, or a goal that will be achieved. Estudio el español para hablar con gente de Argentina. (I study Spanish in order to talk to people from Argentina.) Trabaja para ganar dinero. (He works in order to earn money.) Necesitamos hablar para discutir unas cosas importantes. (We need to talk in order to discuss some important things.) Recipient (for) In this case, para indicates the person at the end of an action, the person who will receive the action. Este pastel es para mi madre. (This cake is for my mother.) Juan usó el telefóno para llamarla. (Juan used the telephone to call her.) Anita trabaja para SpanishDict. (Anita works for SpanishDict.) Opinion (for, according to) It is helpful to state the speaker of an opinion with a phrase using para and the opinion-holder. Para mí, el español es más romántico que el italiano. (For me, Spanish is more romantic than Italian.) Para la profesora los estudiantes son el futuro. (The students are the future according to the teacher.) Destination (for) The destination or ending point for any object or person is indicated with para. Este cuadro es para un museo en Madrid. (This painting is for a museum in Madrid.) Salgo para Chile esta noche. (I leave for Chile tonight.) Deadline (for, by, on) To indicate when something is due, para indicates dates and times in the future. Esta tarea es para mañana. (This homework is for tomorrow.) La cita es para el jueves. (The appointment is on Thursday.) Standard (for) A standard is used to compare something or someone to differentiate it from others in its group. Para ser tan barata, esta hamburguesa es deliciosa. (This is delicious for a cheap hamburger.) Para ser una tortuga, es muy rápida. (For a turtle, he is very fast.)

the imperfect ar verb

-ar verbs aba abas aba ábamos abais aban example: hablar hablaba hablabas hablaba hablábamos hablabais hablaban

Preterite tense ar verbs

-ar verbs é aste ó amos asteis aron example: hablar hablé hablaste habló hablamos hablasteis hablaron ex: I called at 1:00. Llamé a la una.

Preterite tense er/ir verbs

-er verbs, -ir verbs examples: comer, vivir í iste ió imos isteis ieron comí comiste comió comimos comisteis comieron viví viviste vivió vivimos vivisteis vivieron ex:He lived there for 5 years. Él vivió allí por cinco años.

Useful Phrases that Trigger the Preterit

a esa hora at that time ayer por la tarde yesterday afternoon en ese momento at that moment anoche last night ayer por la noche last night hace (dos) años/días (two) years/days ago ante anoche the night before last el año pasado last year hoy por la mañana this morning ante ayer the day before yesterday el (lunes) pasado last (Monday) la semana pasada last week ayer al mediodía yesterday at noon el mes pasado last month una vez one time ayer por la mañana yesterday morning el otro día the other day durante (tres) siglos for (three) centuries ayer yesterday entonces then la semana pasada last week desde el primer momento from the first moment

Useful Phrases that Trigger the Imperfect

a menudo often frecuentemente frequently rara vez rarely a veces sometimes generalmente usually siempre always algunas veces at times mientras while tantas veces so many times cada día/semana/mes/año every day/week/month/year muchas veces many times todas las semanas every week con frecuencia frequently mucho nunca a lot never todos los años every year casi nunca almost never por lo general generally todos los días everyday de vez en cuando once in a while por un rato for a while todo el tiempo all the time en aquella época at that time varias veces several times

twelve common verbs that are irregular in the future tense.

caber yo cabré haber yo habré poder yo podré querer yo querré saber yo sabré poner yo pondré salir yo saldré tener yo tendré valer yo valdré venir yo vendré decir yo diré hacer yo haré

twelve common verbs that are irregular in the conditional tense.

caber yo cabría haber yo habría poder yo podría querer yo querría saber yo sabría poner yo pondría salir yo saldría tener yo tendría valer yo valdría venir yo vendría decir yo diría hacer yo haría

As with the present subjunctive, the following verbs are irregular

dar dé Ud. den Uds. estar esté Ud. estén Uds. ir vaya Ud. vayan Uds. ser sea Ud. sean Uds. saber sepa Ud. sepan Uds.

the six verbs that are irregular in the present subjunctive:

dar - to give dé des dé demos deis den estar - to be esté estés esté estemos estéis estén haber - to have (auxiliary verb) haya hayas haya hayamos hayáis hayan ir - to go vaya vayas vaya vayamos vayáis vayan saber - to know sepa sepas sepa sepamos sepáis sepan ser - to be sea seas sea seamos seáis sean

Irregular "tú" Commands The following eight verbs have irregular familiar commands in the affirmative:

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

the imperfect er verbs, -ir verbs

er/ir verbs ía ías ía íamos íais ían example: vivir vivía vivías vivía vivíamos vivíais vivían

when to use a

indicate motion (to) Fuimos a España. (We went to Spain.) Iremos al museo el martes. (We will go to the museum on Tuesday.) connect one verb to an infinitive (not translated directly) Vamos a bailar. (We are going to dance.) Empecé a leer. (I began to read.) indicate manner, how something is done (on, by, with) Vamos a pie. (We went on foot.) Lo hice a mano. (I did it by hand.) Escribe a lápiz. (He writes with a pencil.) introduce a person as a direct object - "Personal a" (not translated directly) ¿Conoces a Isabela? (Do you know Isabela?) Veo a mi madre. (I see my mother.) introduce an indirect object (to, for) Le di el regalo a Celia. (I gave the gift to Celia.) Compré los tomates a Anita. (I bought the tomatoes for Anita.) express time (at, is) Cenamos a las seis. (We eat dinner at six o'clock.) Estamos a martes. (It is Tuesday.)

when to use de

indicate possession (of) Atlanta es la capital de Georgia. (Atlanta is the capitol of Georgia.) El café de Manuel (Manuel's cafe) indicate cause (from, with) Estoy cansada de correr. (I am tired from running.) Estamos contentos de nuestro hijo. (We are happy with our son.) indicate origin (from, of) Ella es de Uruguay. (She is from Uruguay.) Sonia es la más inteligente de la familia. (Sonia is the most intelligent of the family.) describe a noun with another noun or infinitive (of) Un vaso de vino (A glass of wine) El jugo de naranja (Orange juice) compare (than) Juan es el más grande de todos los estudiantes del quinto grado. (Juan is the biggest of all 5th grade students.) Hay más de 10 personas en la clase de historia. (There are more than 10 people in the history class. and also in idioms De ahora en adelante (From now on) De pie (Standing)

Present Participle ar verbs

infinitive stem present participle -AR verbs hablar habl- hablando

Present Participle er/ir verbs

infinitive stem present participle -ER verbs tener ten- teniendo -IR verbs vivir viv- viviendo ex : Él estaba leyendo. (He was reading.) Sigo pensando en ti. (I keep thinking about you.)

when to ser

1. Description For description, think of what you would say if someone asked you "How would you describe____?" These are the essential qualities that define a person or thing and probably won't change any time soon. These descriptions can be names, physical descriptions, personality or characteristic descriptions, occupations, religions, and even relationships to other people Yo soy Raúl. (I am Raúl.) Yo soy alta, morena, y delgada. (I am tall, dark-skinned, and thin.) Amalia es inteligente, atrevida, y amable. (Amalia is intelligente, daring, and friendly.) Soy profesora de español. (I am a Spanish teacher.) Andrés es católico. (Andrés is Catholic.) Lynne es mi madre. (Lynne is my mother.) 2. Origin The place a person is from or the material something is made from is an origin. The origin of someone or something is not going to change when we use ser. Celia es de España. (Celia is from Spain.) Las sillas son de madera. (The chairs are made of wood.) 3. Time Time includes days, dates, and hours. For hours, use es for one o´clock and son for all other hours. Hoy es miércoles. (Today is Wednesday.) Ayer fue mi cumpleaños. (Yesterday was my birthday.) Ahora es la una y media. (Right now it is one thirty.)

when to us estar

1. Locations These can be a physical position or posture or simply where something is (temporarily, permanently, or even conceptually). Mi abuela está sentada. (My grandmother is sitting down/seated.) El baño está a la derecha de la sala. (The bathroom is to the right of the living room.) Estamos en el café ahora y estaremos en el cine en 20 minutos. (We are at the café right now and we will be at the movie theatre in 20 minutes.) Mi abuelo está en la luna. (My grandfather is out of it/lost.) *Exception! The location of an event or party is described using Ser, not Estar. La fiesta es en mi casa. (The party is at my house.) 2. Conditions These can be physical, mental, or emotional states. Things that are likely to vary over several hours, days, or even years can be conditions. Estoy tan cansada esta mañana. (I am so tired this morning.) Mis niños están enfermos hoy. (My children are sick today.) Mi padre está un poco loco. (My father is (acting) a little crazy.) Estoy triste. (I am sad.) Ella está contenta porque recibió unas flores de su novio. (She is happy because she received some flowers from her boyfriend.)

when to use the preterite tense

1. To Indicate a Single Event that Took Place in the Past These actions began and ended in the past. They are usually verbs that communicate an instant change in the action. Compré un coche nuevo. (I bought a new car.) Ben y Cristina se casaron. (Ben and Cristina got married.) Roberto nació. (Roberto was born.) 2. To Indicate an Action that Happened at or for a Specific Amount of Time These actions are completed at a definite moment in the past. They are easy to spot since they usually have a time frame in the sentence. Regresé anoche a la medianoche. (I returned last night at midnight.) Vivió en Perú por tres meses. (He lived in Peru for three months.) Leíste este libro cinco veces. (You read this book 5 times.) 3. To Narrate Individual Events This is common in relating a story line where there are multiple actions presented. Me levanté, me vestí, y salí para la fiesta. (I got up, got dressed, and left for the party.) Tú entraste, bebiste un vaso de agua y comiste una hamburguesa. (You came in, drank a glass of water, and ate a hamburger.) 4. To Indicate the Beginning or End of an Action in the Past Empezó a nevar. (It began to snow.) La película terminó con una sorpresa. (The movie ended with a surprise.)

the subjunctive fit into the acronym WEIRDO:

: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt/Denial, and Ojalá.

General Imperfect Uses

Generally used for actions in the past that do not have a definite end. These can be actions that are not yet completed or refer to a time in general in the past. They can be actions that were repeated habitually, actions that set the stage for another past tense event, for time and dates in the past, for telling a person's age in the past, to describe people (characteristics) in the past, and to communicate mental or physical states in the past. For descriptions, think of describing what people used to be like in a photograph. Cuando era niña, jugaba con muñecas. (When I was a child, I played with dolls.) Los chicos hablaban en español. (The boys used to speak in Spanish.) Estaba durmiendo cuando el teléfono sonó. (I was sleeping when the telephone rang.) Cuando tenía tres años, era muy pequeño. (When he was three years old, he was very small.)

General Preterit Uses

Generally, the preterit is used for actions considered completed, actions that have definite beginning and end points. These can be actions that can be viewed as single events, actions that were part of a chain of events, actions that were repeated a very specific number of times, or actions that specifically state the beginning and end of an action. Fui al baile anoche. (I went to the dance last night.) Caminé al mercado, compré unos plátanos, y regresé a casa. (I walked to the market, bought some bananas, and returned home.) Te llamó tres veces. (He called you three times.) Hablé con mi madre de las dos hasta las tres. (I spoke with my mother from two o'clock until three o'clock.)

the Indicative mood is objective and certain.

It is used to talk about actions, events, or states that are believed to be facts or true. It is very typical in speech for making factual statements or describing obvious qualities of a person or situation.

the subjunctive mood is subjective and possible (but not certain).

It is used to talk about doubts, wishes, the abstract, emotions, and other unknown and non-factual situations. It is commonly used in making recommendations, giving commands, and talking about how things make you feel. It is also used to express opinions about another action.

The Future Tense ar/er/ir verbs

Regular verbs in the future tense are conjugated by adding the following endings to the infinitive form of the verb: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án. hablaré hablarás hablará hablaremos hablaréis hablarán ¿Quieres ir a la tienda? Will you go to the store?

classwork

TIPS FOR TIPPING IN BUENOS AIRES 1. Restaurants In restaurants, 10% gratuity is considered the norm. Going over 10% is rare and considered pretty generous. Leaving less (or leaving nothing) if the service was particularly bad, is also quite common. At fine-dining restaurants, where you are almost guaranteed to receive great attention, there should be no reason not to tip. Large parties or big groups of people (8+) will usually leave a little extra, but beyond that, 10% is a pretty golden standard. In some instances, restaurants will charge a cubierto which is a "cutlery" charge anywhere from 10-20 pesos - a clever way of charging something for nothing. Not to be confused with a "service charge," the cubierto money goes directly to the restaurant and is not part of the tip nor does it go to the waitstaff. Restaurants do not have a "tip" section on credit card receipts so, if you are planning on paying for the meal with plastic, be sure to bring cash to pay the tip separately. When paying for the bill or tipping in a restaurant, be sure not to leave the large amounts of money on the table and walk away, especially if you are dining outside. It is quite possible that it will be snagged by someone other than your server. 2. Cafés If you receive table service at a café (which is most common), again 10% is normal: for the person behind the counter taking orders or making drinks like a Buenos Aires barista, usually nothing. Keep in mind, "to-go" coffee is uncommon in Argentina and lidded paper cups don't really exist - more than likely you'll be seated a café with a suit-and-tie wearing server and a tip is customary. 3. Bars Tipping in Buenos Aires bars is becoming more common. Don't worry, you won't be snubbed or ignored for the rest of the night or have something fishy floating in your vodka tonic if you don't tip, but bartenders will appreciate it. The barkeeps will give you exact change, down to the dime, and don't necessarily want your coins scattered on their bar. If you want to leave a tip there is usually a jar available. Again, try not to leave money lying around hoping the bartender will see it - more likely sticky fingers will find it first. Better to put it directly into his or her hand. If you are drinking high-end specialty cocktails that require some serious panache or knowhow, tipping is appreciated. Disponible: http://landingpadba.com/tipping-and-gratuities-in-argentina/ Referenced 3/25/15

Informal Commands - Tú Commands er/ir verbs

The affirmative informal (tú) commands are formed the same way as the present indicative Ud. form: (comer - er + e = come) (escribir - ir + e = escribe) Come (tú) la cena. (You) Eat the dinner. Escribe (tú) la carta. (You) Write the letter.

Informal Commands - Tú Commands ar verbs

The affirmative informal (tú) commands are formed the same way as the present indicative Ud. form: (hablar - ar + a = habla)Habla (tú) más lentamente. (You) Speak more slowly.

when to use en

This common preposition can mean in, on, at, about, or by depending on the context. It can be used to: indicate location (in, on, at) Está en mi mochila. (It is in my backpack.) Pon el cuadro en la pared. (Put the painting on the wall.) Ellos están en la iglesia. (They are at church.) to indicate time (in) Fui a Perú en el verano. (I went to Peru in the summer.) Vienen en una hora. (They are arriving in one hour.) to indicate manner, how something is done (by) Vamos a Italia en tren. (We go to Italia by train.) Me voy al doctor en coche. (I go to the doctor by car.) idioms (see compound prepositions below) En broma (As a joke) En serio (Seriously) En vivo (Live)

Conditional ar/er/ir verbs

To conjugate regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs in the conditional, simply add one of the following to the infintive: ía ías ía íamos íais ían hablar hablaría hablarías hablaría hablaríamos hablaríais hablarían comer comería comerías comería comeríamos comeríais comerían vivir viviría vivirías viviría viviríamos viviríais vivirían ex: Estaríamos ocupados cuando llamaste. We were probably busy when you called.

Stem changes in the preterit

sentir (to feel) pedir (to order) dormir (to sleep) sentí sentimos pedí pedimos dormí dormimos sentiste sentisteis pediste pedisteis dormiste dormisteis sintió sintieron pidió pidieron durmió durmieron ¡Ojo! Reír and sonreír also fall into this category even though the ending is ír. reír (to laugh) sonreír (to smile) reí reímos sonreí sonreímos reíste reísteis sonreíste sonreísteis rio rieron sonrió sonrieron In addition to stem-changing -IR verbs in the present tense that have spelling changes, there are several groups that exchange letters in their stem for other letters. UV (andar, estar, tener) - these verbs will exchange their stem vowel for uv andar anduve anduviste anduvo anduvimos anduvisteis anduvieron estar estuve estuviste estuvo estuvimos estuvisteis estuvieron tener tuve tuviste tuvo tuvimos tuvisteis tuvieron U (caber, haber, poder, poner, saber) - these vowels will exchange their stem vowel for u caber cupe cupiste cupo cupimos cupisteis cupieron haber hube hubiste hubo hubimos hubisteis hubieron poder pude pudiste pudo pudimos pudisteis pudieron poner puse pusiste puso pusimos pusisteis pusieron saber supe supiste supo supimos supisteis supieron Caber, poner, and saber also have spelling changes. Caber: b->p Poner: n->s Saber: b->p I (hacer, querer, venir) - these verbs will exchange their stem vowel for i hacer hice hiciste hizo* hicimos hicisteis hicieron querer quise quisiste quiso quisimos quisisteis quisieron venir vine viniste vino vinimos vinisteis vinieron * In the 3rd person singular for hacer, the c changes to a z to maintain pronunciation. J (conducir, decir, traducir, traer) - these verbs will exchange their letter c and j conducir conduje condujiste condujo condujimos condujisteis condujeron* decir dije dijiste dijo dijimos dijisteis dijeron* traducir traduje tradujiste tradujo tradujimos tradujisteis tradujeron* traer traje trajiste trajo trajimos trajisteis trajeron* * Since traer does not have a c in its stem, it simply adds a j at the end of the stem. * The 3rd person plural of the J group is -eron and not -ieron.

three verbs are irregular in the imperfect:

ser era eras era éramos erais eran ver veía veías veía veíamos veíais veían ir iba ibas iba íbamos ibais iban

Preterite: ser, ir, dar, hacer

ser fui fuiste fue fuimos fuisteis fueron ir fui fuiste fue fuimos fuisteis fueron dar di diste dio dimos disteis dieron hacer hice hiciste hizo hicimos hicisteis hicieron

Spanish Commands: Formal Commands er/ir verbs

the present subjunctive: Start with the yo form of the present indicative. Then drop the -o ending. Finally, add the following endings: -er and -ir verbs: -a (for Ud.), -an (for Uds.) ex: Coma Ud. la cena. Coman Uds. la cena. Eat the dinner.

Spanish Commands: Formal Commands ar verbs

the present subjunctive: Start with the yo form of the present indicative. Then drop the -o ending. Finally, add the following endings: -ar verbs: -e (for Ud.), -en (for Uds.) ex: Hable Ud. más lentamente. Hablen Uds. más lentamente. Speak more slowly.

The Present Subjunctive ar verbs

these three steps: Start with the yo form of the present indicative. Then drop the -o ending. Finally, add the following endings: ar verbs: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, en Regular -ar verbs like hablar (yo hablo). hablo - o = habl habl + e = hable habl + es = hables habl + e = hable habl + emos = hablemos habl + éis = habléis habl + en = hablen

The Present Subjunctive er/ir verbs

these three steps: Start with the yo form of the present indicative. Then drop the -o ending. Finally, add the following endings: -er and -ir verbs: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an Regular -er verbs like comer (yo como). como - o = com com + a = coma com + as = comas com + a = coma com + amos = comamos com + áis = comáis com + an = coman