The document provides information on Spanish grammar rules including: - Definite articles like el, la, los, and las which depend on the gender of nouns. - Basic gender rules for words ending in certain letters like -o, -a. - Un/una which translate to "a" in English. - The neuter form lo. - Tilde (ñ) pronunciation and importance. - Pronunciation of letters and common sounds. - Plural forms. - Numbers, days, months, questions words, and basic phrases.

1. GRAMMAR
Definite Article
Singular masculine: el
Singular feminine: la
Plural masculine: los
Plural feminine: las
The definite article in Spanish (the word that generally translates English "the" )
depends on the gender of the noun. All nouns in Spanish are generally either masculine
or feminine. In general:
BASIC GENDER RULES
Words Ending with...
Gender
Example
-o
Masculine
el libro (the book)
-a
Feminine
la barca (the barque)
-ista
Follows the gender
el/la pianista (the pianist)
of the person
-ión
Feminine
la habitación (the room)
-ad, -ud
Feminine
la actitud (the attitude)
-aje
Masculine
el equipaje (the luggage)
-ante
Usually masculine unless
referring to a female
-ie
Feminine
el desodorante (the deodorant)
la cantante (the female singer)
la serie (the series)

2. In standard Spanish, people always write la before feminine words that end with a
vowel (exception; el día (day), el mediodía (midday), el mapa (map), el panda (panda))
And write el before masculine words that end with o vowel (exception; la mano (hand))
***** "category" noun is hard to explain. So let's look at these example;
el (equipo) Barcelona ; Barcelona football team
even if you don't use the noun in brackets, the phrase keeps it's gender.
What about un/una?
Singular masculine: un
Singular feminine: una
Plural masculine: unos
Plural feminine: unas
What is the difference between el/la and un/una? As I said before el/la generally
translates English "the". And un/una translates English "a".
This is a dog = Esto es un perro.
*Feminine/Masculine rules are same.
Neuter Form
In Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine. But Spanish does have use for the
neuter form (not like German but quite similar).
Spanish's neuter form is that it is never used to refer to known objects or people, and
there are no neuter nouns or descriptive adjectives. Here, then, are the cases where
you'll see the neuter used:
el and la are known as the definite articles because they refer to definite things or
people (el libro or "the book" refers to a specific book). Spanish also has a neuter
definite article, lo, but you can't use it before a noun like you do el or la because there

3. are no neuter nouns. It is used before singular adjectives when they function as nouns,
usually referring to a concept or category, not to a single concrete object or a person.
There is no one way to translate lo in English.
Example;
Lo importante es amar / The important thing is love.
Normally, lo gives a meaning like "what is". But again, this is almost impossible to
translate it in English.
In such usages, lo is usually translated as "it".
Lo sé / I know it
Here, lo doesn't refer to an object, but to a statement that has been made earlier or
that is understood.
What is tilde?
Tilde looks like this: ñ and pronounce énye
In Spanish, it's called virgulilla. Most people forget to use tilde but here an example to
make you understand why it's so important;
feliz año nuevo means happy new year in Spanish. If you forget to use tilde and write
feliz ano nuevo, you mean happy new anus. Now, does not sound so cute, right?
We have 3 different types of tilde (agudas, llamas, esdrújulas) but it's so hard to
understand and explain. But don't worry, you don't have to learn them right now. You
just build your vocabulary.
Pronounce and Alphabet
Short and simple stories, songs and movies will help you to improve your pronunciation.
Now don't worry, it's really easy to learn, this is why people choose Spanish for a foreign
language.
First of all, you have to learn how each letter is pronounced. Here we go;
A - The Spanish a is pronounced much like the English "a" in words such as "father". It is
NOT pronounced like the "a" in words such as "fast". A in fast is sounds softer than

4. father. For example; gusta
E - is much like the English "e" sound in word such as "test" but also the e is similar to
the vowel sound in English words such as "say" but softer. For example; está
I - is pronounced much like the "ee" in "bee" or the "ea" in "tea" Example; hijito
O - as a pronunciation similar to that of the "long", not like love Example; mucho
U - pronunciation of the vowel sound of "suit" and "moon". Example; cuandro
When it follows the q, the u is silent. Example; Qué
Y - the "y" sound in a word such as "yellow. For example, the word bien sounds
something like "byehn". Example; muy buen
When you use it as "and" i and y has same pronounce.
CH - (yeah I know what kind of letter is this?!?) it's basically the same as the "ch" in
English words such as "church" and "march." Example; chino
F - it is similar to the "f" sound of "fast". Example; fogón
K - k is pronounced basically the same as it usually is in English, except perhaps a bit
softer, often something like the "c" in "scatter."
M - m is pronounced basically the same as the "m" sound of English. Example; cómo
P - The p is Spanish is usually more like the "p" in "spot." Example; permiso
Q - que is pronounced something like "keh" would be in English and quien is
pronounced something like "kyen." Example; quo
S - the "s" sound in English words such as "see" and "bus" Example; está
T - the t is typically pronounced with the tongue touching the top teeth, while in English
the tongue typically touches the roof of the mouth. As a result, the Spanish t is softer or
less explosive than the "t" in English usually is. The "t" in a word such as "stop" is quite
close in sound to the t of Spanish. Example; cesta
W - Unlike most letters of the Spanish alphabet, the w (called the uve doble and
sometimes ve doble, doble ve or doble u) does not have a fixed sound. w is usually
pronounced similarly to its pronunciation in the word's original language. the sound the
letter has in words such as "water" and "witch." Example; watio

5. B and V - (share the same sounds) The sound of the English "v" such as in the word
"victory" does not exist in standard Spanish. Think of it something like the English "b"
but quite a bit softer. Because the v and b sound alike, spelling problems with these two
letters are very common among native Spanish speakers. And a few words — one of
them being ceviche or cebiche, a type of seafood dish — can be spelled with either
letter. When spelling out loud in Spanish, the b is sometimes referred to as be alta, be
grande or be larga in order to distinguish it from the v, sometimes called uve (which
became its official name a few years ago), ve baja, ve chica or ve corta.
C - The sound of the "c" in "scatter" or the "k" in "breaks" is basically the same as the
"hard c" of Spanish. In nearly all of Latin America, the c also has the "s" sound when it
comes before an e or an i (the same sound is heard in words such as "faces" and
"fanciful.") Example; cigarro
c and z 'sometimes' pronounce alike
Z - The Spanish z has the same sound as does the c before an e or i. So in most of Latin
America it has an "s" sound, and in most of Spain it has the unvoiced "th" sound.
Example; lápiz
D - the Spanish d is pronounced almost the same as the "d" in words such as "dog" and
"Adam." Example; adiós
G - g sound in Spanish is pronounced much like the "g" in "dog" or "figure". When g
comes before the letters e or i, the sound is the same as that of the Spanish j. The j
sound is one that doesn't exist in standard English. Example; gusto
J - The j sound is what is known as a voiceless velar fricative (Ikr, what a useless piece of
shit), which means that it is formed by forcing air through the slightly constricted back
part of the mouth. Example; trabajo
Better way to explain this word is laughing. in English, you write hahaha on the internet.
When it comes to Spanish, you write jajaja. They almost give the same sound.
L - "L" sounds occur in the word "little". the Spanish "L" is always pronounced with the
tongue at the front of the roof of the mouth similar to the "L" in words such as "love"
and "alike." It is never pronounced with the vowel-like sound found in words such as
"ball" or "cell." Example; hola
LL - is similar to the "y" of yellow. In some areas, the ll sounds like the lli in "million". It
can even have an "sh" sound (in South America, especially Argentina... what the fuck is
wrong with us, wtf is sho?!?!). Example; llave

6. N - The most common sound for the n is similar to the "n" in words such as "nice" and
"dance." Example; buenos
Ñ - The Spanish ñ is pronounced similarly to — but not identically with — the "ny" sound
of "canyon" or the "ni" sound of "onion." Example; mañana
R - The single r can indeed sound a lot like the English "d". Spanish r" sounds like the
"tt" in "little" Example; pero
RR - RR is a trilled sound formed by a flapping of the tongue against the front roof of the
mouth, purring like a cat. Example; perro
X - Spanish x is pronounced basically like the English "ks" sound but softer or less
explosive. When a word begins with x (there aren't many such words, and most are
English cognates), it is usually given the "s" sound, not the "z" sound of English. a word
like xenofobia sounds the same as if it were spelled senofobia.
Plurals
Hombre = Hombres (Men)
Alumno = Alumnos (Students)
Casa = Casas (Houses)
Chica = Chicas (Girls)
Caja = Cajas (Boxes)
Mujer = Mujeres (Women)
Razon = Razones (Reasons)
I believe you understand the rules, there is no big difference between English and
Spanish plural forms but there is one thing you have to be careful about; z
Pez = Peces (Fishes)
Abbreviations/Abreviaturas
Mister = Señor
Mistress = Señora
Miss = Señorita

7. Signature = Firma
Name = Nombre
Surname = Apellido
La chica joven = Young lady
Caballero = Sir
Camarero = Waiter
Numbers/Números
0 (cero)
1 (uno)
2 (dos)
3 (tres)
4 (cuatro)
5 (cinco)
6 (seis)
7 (siete)
8 (ocho)
9 (nueve)
10 (diez)
20 (veinte)
30 (treinta)
40 (cuarenta)
50 (cincuenta)
60 (sesenta)
70 (setenta)

8. 80 (ochenta)
90 (noventa)
100 (cien)
200 (doscientos)
250 (doscientos cincuenta ) (I know so fucking stupid, right?)
1000 (mil)
1500 (mil quinientos)
2000 (dos mil)
10000 (diez mil)
100000 (un millón)
Ordinal Numbers/Números Ordinales
First = Primero
Second = Segundo
Third = Tercero
Fourth = Cuanto
Fifth = Quinto
Twelfth = Duodécimo
Twentieth = Vigésimo
Questions
Qué = What
Cuyo = Whose
Cuántos = How many
Quién = Who
Con quién = with whom
Quién es = Who is..

9. Por qué = Why (I think we all know what por qué means, thank you Mou!) (Btw, por qué and
porque are completely different! Por qué means why and porque means because)
Cuál = Which
Cuántas veces = (How) many times
Cómo = How
A dónde = Where
Cuánto = How much
Quién = Whom
De dónde = Whence
Qué pasc = What happened
Basics
Sí = Yes
No = No
Perdón = Sorry
Buen día = Good day/Have a good day
Hola = Hello
Por favor = Please
Buenos días = Good morning
De dónde sois = Where are you from
De dónde es = Where is he/she (formal)
De dónde eres = Where is he/she
Soy de... = I am from....
Gracias = Thank you
De nada = You're welcome
Gracias por su ayuda = Thanks for your help

10. Buenos tardes = Good afternoon
Cómo estás = How are you
Excelente = Excellent
Bien = Good
Mal = Bad
Bueno = Okay
Estoy seguro = I'm sure
Verdad = True
Nunca = Never
Ciertamente = Certainly
Buenos noches = Good night
Hasta la vista = Bye-Bye!
Hasta luego = See you later!
Adiós = Goodbye
Vamos = Let's go, come on
Es posible = Is it possible?
Puede ayudarme = Can you help me?
Con alegría = Gladly
Cómo se llama = What's your name (formal)
Cómo te llama = What's your name
Me llamo... = My name is....
Se llama... = Her name is...
Mi apellido = My surname is...
Encantado/a de conocerte = Nice to meet you
Estoy bien = I am fine

11. Qué hora es = What time is it
*** Son las + number
Es la una (1:00) (this is an exception, we will use son las except this one)
Son las dos (2:00)
Son las tres (3:00)
Son las cuatro (4:00)
Son las cinco (5:00)
Son las seis (6:00)
Son las siete (7:00)
Son las ocho (8:00)
Son las nueve (9:00)
Son las diez (10:00)
Son las once (11:00)
Son las doce (12:00)
*** Son las + number + y + minute
(... past....)
Son las tres y dos (3:02)
Son las siete y doce (7:12)
*** Son las + number + y media
( ....half past)
Son las dos y media (2:30)
Son las oche y media (8:30)
*** Son las + number + menos + minute (...to...)
Son las coatro menos veinte.
Son las diez menos ocho.
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? (be careful, h is voiceless here; hoy); What is the date today?

12. Qué día es hoy? ; What day is today?
Mes
Month
Enero
January
Febrero
February
Marzo
March
Abril
April
Mayo
May
Junio
June
Julio
July
Agosto
August
Septiembre
September
Octubre
October
Noviembre
November
Diciembre
December
Día
Day
Lunes
Monday
Martes
Tuesday
Miércoles
Wednesday
Jueves
Thursday
Viernes
Friday
Sábado
Saturday
Domingo
Sunday
*** el + day + de + month

13. el seis de octubre (October 6)
el cuatro de enero (January 4)
el diez de julio (July 10)
el cinco de mayo (May 5)
Las Estaciones
Seasons
la primavera
Spring
el vereno
Summer
el otoño
Fall
el invierno
Winter
Also;
Mañana = Tomorrow
Ayer = Yesterday
Hoy = Today
Todos los días = Everyday
La semana próxima = Next week
_________________________________________________________
Entiendo = I understand
Puedo leer = I can read
Sé un poco = I know a little
No le entiendo = I don't understand you
No entendí = I did not understand
Puedo repetir por favor = Can you repeat, please?

14. Cuántos años tiene = How old are you
Tengo veinte años. (I'm 20 year old)
Yo tengo + number + años
_________________________________________________________
Te quiero = I like you (Spanish is a romantic language, it means both "I like you"(more than just
a friend) or "I want you" (physically).In Argentina, te quiero can be used in a romantic
relationship that hasn´t yet reached the stage of te amo. It's all about attitude. But don't say it
to people you just started to know, it's like saying "I love you, let's get married" on first date...
creepy).
Te amo = I love you
Muy guapa = Very pretty (You can use it like, "Sara es muy guapa! (Sara is very pretty)) ( and it
doesn't mean beautiful, "bonita" means beautiful.)
Mi querido = My dear (masculine)
Mi querida = My dear (feminine)
Mi amor = My love
_________________________________________________________
Mejores deseos = Best wishes
Felicidades = Congratulations (but it's a very versatile word, Felicitaciones also means
congratulations)
Buena suerte = Good luck
Feliz cumpleaños = Happy birthday
Bien hecho = Well done
_________________________________________________________
Es muy delicioso = It is very delicious
Desayuno = Breakfast
Almorzar = Lunch
Cena = Dinner
Buen provecho = Bon appetit

15. __________________________________________________________
Amarillo = Yellow
Azul = Blue
Blanco = White
Negro = Black
Roja = Red
Rosado = Pink
Verde = Green
Gris = Grey
Esta mesa es roja.
Esta es una mesa roja.
¿De qué color es .... ? (What colour is it?)
¿De qué colores son .... ? (plural)
¿De qué color es esta chaqueta?
Es azul.
Prepositions
a
-
to, at, in, into
al
-
to the, at the etc1
al lado de
-
next to; compared to
a partir de
-
starting from, upwards of
alrededor de -
around
antes de
-
before
a través de
-
through, across

16. bajo
-
under
cerca de
-
como -
as, like
con
with; of, containing (un vaso con água = a glass of water)
-
near
contra -
against
de
-
of; made of; used to make compounds in Spanish
de
-
from (when expressing movement)
de
-
(in time expressions) by, in the (morning, day etc)
del
-
of the, in the etc1
desde from, since (used instead of de when stressing notion of movement, or
with times, prices, values)
después de
-
after
detrás de
-
behind
durante
-
during, for (a period of time)
en
in, on2, at
-
en lugar de
-
en medio de -
instead of
in the middle of
entre -
between, among
en vez de
-
instead of
fuera de
-
outside
hacia -
towards3
hasta -
until, up to
para
(in time phrases) around, by
-
para for: expressing destination, direction, recipient ("brought it for me"),
opinion ("for me, it seems...")

17. por
for: in most other senses ('because of', 'on behalf of', 'in exchange
for/per', 'to the value of', 'instead of')
por
-
(indicating place) via, through; throughout; around
según -
according to, depending on
sin
without, -less
-
sobre -
on, on top of, above2
tras
behind, from behind; (with time phrases) after, subsequent to
-
In Latin America;
abajo de
-
underneath
adentro de
-
inside
afuera de
-
outside
atrás de
-
behind
luego de
-
after
hasta -
(mainly Mexico) not until, not before
Subject pronouns (pronombres usados como
sujetos)
Singular;
yo (I)
tú (You) (familiar)
usted (You) (formal)
él (He)
ella (She)
Plural;
nosotros, nosotras (We)

18. vosotros, vosotras (You)
ustedes (You)
ellos (they) (masculine)
ellas (they) (feminine)
______________________________________________________________________
Now we are gonna learn simple phrases;
Esto (this), eso (that)
Este (masc. this), Esa (fem. this)
Ese (masc. that), Esa (fem. that)
Aquel (masc. that), Aquella (fem. that)
Esto (-) This
Eso (-) That (by you)
Aquello (-) (away from both of us)
Mostly we are gonna use esto and eso because these are not masculine or feminine. So you can
use them with every phrase (except plurals).
Let's start...
Question;
¿Qué es esto? (What is this?)
¿Qué es eso? (What is that?)
¿Qué es aquello? (What is it?)
Answer;
Esto + es + un/una ________ (This is a __________)
As you can see, it's very similar to English
Esto = This
Es = Is
Un/Una = A (don't forget, una is feminine, un is masculine)

19. Examples; Esto es una mesa. ( This is a table)
Esto es una casa. (This is a house)
Esto es un sombrero. (This is a hat)
You don't have to use qué all the time. For example;
¿Es esto un/una __________? (Is this a table?)
¿Esto es un paraguas? (Is this an umbrella?)
Sí, (esto) es un paraguas. (Yes, this is an umbrealla)
No, (esto) no es un paraguas. (No, this is not an umbrella)
Positive;
Sí + esto (you don't have to use it, if you want) + es + un/una + noun
Negative;
No, + esto (again, you don't have to use) + no + es + Un/una + noun
"Or"
¿Es (esto) una casa o una escuela? (Is this a house or school?)
Es una casa. (You can't use sí or no)
Es + esto/eso/aquello + un/una + noun + o + un/una + noun?
As you can see 'o' means 'or'.
Singular
Plural
Este (M)
Estos
Esta (F)
Estas
Esto (-)
-
Ese (M)
Esos
Esa (F)
Esas

20. Eso (-)
-
Aquel (M)
Aquellos
Aquella (F)
Aquellas
Aquello (-)
-
es
son
*** If your phrase is plural, you can't use esto, eso or aquello. But you don't have to use them, if
you don't want to.
(Estos) son (unos) libros.
Plural and Negative
¿Qué son estos? Son carteras.
¿Qué son esos? Esos son barcos.
¿Qué son aquellos? Son pájaros.
Son + (estos) + unos/unas + noun
(Estos) no son (unos) libros.
Sí, son (unos) libros.
No, no son (unos) libros.
Adjetivos/Adjectives
una mesa grande
As you can see, in Spanish, we use adjectives after nouns.
*Masculine > Feminine
Un hombre alto (masc)
Un mujer alta (fem)
¿Son viejos aquellos paraguas?

21. ¿Son + adj + Estos/Estas/Esos/Esas/Aquellos/Aquellas + noun?
Esta casa es vieja /or/ (Es) un/el libro nuevo.
Esta/Esto... + es + adj /or / (es) un/una/el/la + noun + ajd