Authors: Julie Gutin
The Everything Spanish Grammar Book: All The Rules You Need To Master Espanol (Everything®) (13 page)
Together, person and number form the six basic forms of the verb within each tense. In this book (as in many others), conjugations will be presented as follows:
| first person/singular | first person/plural |
| second person/singular | second person/plural |
| third person/singular | third person/plural |
This way, if you need the verb in the
tú
form, you’ll need to use the second person/singular form. For
ustedes,
the third person/plural is the right form. The same works with subjects that are not expressed as pronouns.
La estudiante
(the student) will take on the third person/singular form;
Marisca y yo
(Marisca and I) the first person/plural form.
Verbal Voice
A verb may be in active voice or passive voice. Active-voice verbs express the action of the subject:
Yo hablo francés. Hablo francés.
I speak French.
Verbs in passive voice express the action done to the subject (in which the subject is passive):
En Quebec se habla francés.
French is spoken in Quebec. (In Quebec, people speak French.)
How passive voice works in Spanish is covered in greater detail in Chapter 9.
In the Mood
Spanish verbs are also conjugated by mood. Spanish grammar includes three moods (the same is true in English):
1.
Indicative mood
expresses the way things are:
Trabajo
mucho.
(I work a lot.)
2.
Subjunctive mood
expresses possibility or opinion, something that isn’t necessarily true but could be:
No quiero que mi
hijo trabaje.
(I don’t want my son to work.)
3.
Imperative mood
expresses commands and requests:
¡Abre
la puerta!
(Open the door!)
ESSENTIAL
Many people don’t realize that subjunctive mood does exist in English, even though it is not used frequently. For example, in the phrase “if I were a rich man,” the verb “were” is in the subjunctive mood. This is why “were” and not “was” is the correct verb here, even though normally we say “I was” when the phrase is in past tense.
It’s About Time
Verbs are also broken down by tense. Most languages have at least three basic tenses—the past, present, and future. Some tenses are simple, which means they are expressed with a one-word verb form. Others are compound tenses: These are made up of a conjugated auxiliary verb like
estar
(to be) or
haber
(to have), and another verb in a particular form (present or past participle):
Estoy cansada.
I’m tired.
¿Has comido?
Have you eaten?
Spanish grammar boasts ten tenses in the indicative mood, six tenses in the subjunctive, and one tense in the imperative.
Verbal Aspects
Finally, Spanish verbs may be subdivided into imperfect and perfect forms. Imperfect forms represent action that is being carried out, while perfect forms represent action that has been completed. In general, this is not an important distinction in Spanish because all simple (one-word) forms are imperfect and all compound forms are perfect. The one exception is the preterite (past) tense: it is a simple form that represents action that has been completed.
In the Infinitive
With so many verb conjugations to choose from, the “generic” form that simply identifies the verb is the infinitive. It is an impersonal form that is used in dictionaries and to talk about the verb without a particular tense or person.
In English, infinitives are verbs that are preceded by the particle “to”: to think, to walk, to have. In Spanish, infinitives may be recognized by one of the following three endings: –ar, –er, and –ir. For example,
hablar
(to speak),
vender
(to sell),
vivir
(to live). All Spanish verbs can be classified into one of these three groups, so any particular verb may be referred to as an –ar verb, –er verb, or –ir verb. Each group has its own set of regular endings.
The Present Tense
Generally the first tense students will learn in Spanish class is the present tense (in the indicative mood). In Spanish, this is a versatile tense that can be used in many situations. Most obviously, it may be used to indicate simple present tense, just as in English:
Tomo clases de salsa los viernes.
I take salsa lessons on Fridays.
Hace mucho frío.
It’s very cold (outside).
Whereas in English we use the present progressive form (I’m thinking, you’re going, etc.) to describe actions that are in the process of being completed now as opposed to in general, in Spanish the simple present tense may be used in both cases:
Cantas bien.
You sing well.
Canto en la lluvia.
I’m singing in the rain.
ESSENTIAL
To talk about something that began in the past but continues to the present, use the expression
hace +
(amount of time) +
que
+ (present-tense verb). For example:
Hace tres días que
no puedo dormir.
(I haven’t been able to sleep for three days.)
The simple present tense in Spanish can also be used to indicate actions that will actually happen in the future, but which are planned in the present:
Venimos a la fiesta a las diez.
We’ll come to the party at ten.
(We’re coming to the party at ten.)
Voy de compras mañana.
I’m going shopping tomorrow.
Regular Conjugations
To conjugate regular verbs in the present tense, all you need to do is drop the infinitive ending of the verb, and choose the correct ending based on the verb’s group (whether it’s an –AR, –ER, or –IR verb), person, and number.
| –AR Endings | –ER Endings | –IR Endings | | | |
| –o –amos | –o –emos | –o –imos | | | |
| –as –áis | –es –éis | –es –ís | | | |
| –a –an | –e –en | –e –en | | | |
As examples, let’s take the verbs
hablar
(to speak),
vender
(to sell), and
vivir
(to live):
(yo) hablo, vendo, vivo
(nosotros, nosotras) hablamos, vendemos, vivimos
(tú) hablas, vendes, vives
(vosotros, vosotras) habláis, vendéis, vivís
(él, ella, usted) habla, vende, vive
(ellos, ellas) hablan, venden, viven
Hablo alemán.
I speak German.
Clarisa vende flores en la calle.
Clarisa sells flowers on the street.
(Clarisa is selling flowers on the street.)
¿Vivís aquí?
Do you live here?
Practice Makes Perfect
Add the correct present-tense conjugation of the regular verbs (in parentheses):
1.
Ellos
__________________
(hablar) inglés.
2.
Nosotras
__________________
(vivir) en Madrid.
3.
Usted
__________________
(abrir) la puerta.
4.
Vosotros
__________________
(vender) frutas en el mercado.
5.
Elena
__________________
(preparar) el desayuno.
6.
Ustedes
__________________
(decidir) que hacer.
Translate into English:
1.
El profesor arregla los papeles.
________________________________________
2.
Yo ayudo a mis padres con las tareas de la casa.
________________________________________
3.
Nosotros entramos por la puerta de atrás.
________________________________________
4.
Ella limpia su casa cada semana.
________________________________________
5.
Tú necesitas ayuda.
________________________________________
6.
Ellos queman hojas en el jardín.
________________________________________
Translate into Spanish:
1. You (informal) dance well.
________________________________________
2. You (plural) wash the dishes.
________________________________________
3. We send letters to our friends.
________________________________________
4. They teach classes in the mornings.
________________________________________
5. I drink a lot of water each day.
________________________________________
6. He watches a movie.
________________________________________
To check your answers, refer to the answer key in Appendix D.
C
HAPTER
8
Irregular Present
Indicative Forms
WHEN IT COMES TO CONJUGATING Spanish verbs, most will simply follow the basic rules: drop the infinitive ending and add the one appropriate to the verb’s subject, tense, and mood. However, there are some verbs that, for one reason or another, do not conform to this simple behavior. We call these verbs irregular verbs. Some verbs are only irregular in a few conjugations, while others reliably refuse to conform in any situation.
Quite a number of verbs are irregular in the present indicative tense, and they deserve a chapter of their own. Verb irregularities in other tenses will be covered in the chapters that introduce those particular tenses.
There Is an Explanation
Sure, there are a few irregular verbs that simply defy explanation. There’s no obvious reason to explain why it is that the infinitive form
i r
(to go), turns into
voy
(I go) in the first person singular of the present tense. But exceptions like this are rare among Spanish verbs. More often than not, there’s a logical explanation for why a verb cannot behave regularly. Often, this has to do with the verb’s pronunciation or spelling.
FACT
One explanation for irregular verbs that defy explanation is their Latin origin. Whereas most verbs evolved along with the Spanish language, a few retained their old forms that seem irregular to students of modern Spanish.
Retaining Correct Pronunciation
One common irregularity that is actually fairly regular is a change in spelling to make sure the pronunciation remains the same. If this sounds like a paradox, pay attention. Take the words “mice” and “cold” in English. The letter “c” changes its pronunciation depending on the letter that follows it. It’s pronounced like “s” before “e,” “i,” and “y,” and like “k” in all other instances. The same is true of “g”—it’s pronounced like “dzh” before “e,” “i,” and “y,” and like a hard “g” (the “g” in “go”) in all other instances.