Core Grammar of Spanish

The core rules of Spanish

Spanish grammar has a few core rules, and two of them carry more marks than any amount of extra vocabulary. First, every noun has a gender: masculine nouns take el for the and un for a, while feminine nouns take la and una. Second, an adjective agrees with its noun in gender and number and usually comes after it, so a red book is un libro rojo and a red house is una casa roja. Third, and this is the part learners find hardest, Spanish has two verbs for to be: ser for what something permanently is, and estar for where it is and how it feels right now. So yo soy alto means I am tall, while estoy en casa means I am at home. To make a verb negative you simply put no in front of it. This module drills gender and articles, adjectives, the present tense, negatives, and ser against estar.

Spanish grammar words

Learn what each of these does before you use it.

Ser against estar

Spanish has two verbs for to be, and the choice turns on permanent against temporary.

Two rules that carry Spanish

Two habits will carry you a long way. First, when you reach for the verb to be, ask one question: permanent or temporary. Choose ser for what something lastingly is, such as identity or a fixed quality, and choose estar for where it is and for a feeling at the moment. Second, make every adjective agree with its noun in gender and number, and place it after the noun rather than before it. When you build a sentence, pick the right verb for to be, then check each adjective matches its noun and follows it. Get those two right and the sentence reads as Spanish rather than as English with Spanish words.

Match the Spanish word

Ser or estar?

You want to say I am tired, describing how you feel right now. Which verb for to be do you use?

• estar, giving estoy cansado, because it is a temporary state
• ser, giving soy cansado, because ser is used for everything
• neither, because Spanish has no verb for to be
• both at once, because they mean exactly the same

Build the sentence

Build the Spanish for I have a red book. Remember that tengo means I have, and that the adjective rojo comes after the noun libro and agrees with it.

Which two are right?

Select the TWO phrases that put the adjective in the Spanish position and make it agree.

• un libro rojo
• una casa roja
• un rojo libro
• una casa rojo

Match the pronoun

Complete the Spanish grammar

Spanish has two verbs for to be. For a permanent quality, such as being tall, you use _____. For a location or a feeling at the moment, you use _____. To make a verb negative, put the word _____ in front of it. A Spanish adjective comes after its noun and agrees with it, so with the masculine noun libro the colour word takes the form _____.

Order the negative sentence

Put these four words in order to make correct Spanish for I do not have a book.

• no
• tengo
• un
• libro

A short answer, marked

Question: write two or three sentences in Spanish about yourself. Model answer: Yo soy alto. Estoy en casa. Tengo un libro rojo. Look at what earns the marks. The first uses ser for a permanent quality. The second uses estar for a location. The third puts the adjective rojo after the noun libro and makes it agree. Three short accurate sentences beat one long one with mistakes, because accuracy is what is assessed here.

Spot the grammar error

Three of these are correct Spanish. Select the ONE that is not.

• Yo soy alto.
• Un rojo libro.
• Tengo un libro.
• Una casa roja.

Get the grammar right

You are writing a few sentences in Spanish. Work through the choices.

• You want to say I am a student, giving your identity. Which verb for to be do you use?
• You want to say I am at school right now, giving a location. Which verb do you use?
• You want to say a red house. The noun casa is feminine. What is correct?
• You want to make hablo, meaning I speak, into I do not speak. What do you do?