1. Grammar Book
Estrella Gerber

2. Table of Contents
1. Nationalities
2. Stem Change
3. Para
4. IOP
5. Pronoun Placement
6. Gustar
7. Affirmative & Negative Word
8. Superlativos
9. Reflexivos
10. Affirmative tu commands
11. Negative tu commands
12. Sequencing Events
13. Preterits
14. Trigger words for preterits
15. -car, -gar, -zar
16. Deber + Infinitive
17. Modal Verbs
18. Present Progressives
19. Adverbs

3. Nationalities
• Guineana Salvadorena
• Peruana Estadounidense
• Costarricense Hondurena
• Paraguaya Norteamericana
• Venezolana Guatemalteca
• Uruguay Colombiana
• Panamena Nicaraguense
• Dominicana Argentina
• Espanola Ecuatoriana
• Cubana Mexicana
• boliviana

4. Stem-Changers
Dormir (o > ue) Preferir (e> ie)
yo duermo Nosotros dormimos yo prefiero Nosotros preferimos
Tu duermes Tu prefieres
El/ella/ud. Ellos/ellas/uds. El/ella/ud. Ellos/ellas/uds.
duerme duermen prefiere prefieren
Jugar ( u > ue) Pedir (e >i)
yo juego Nosotros jugamos yo pido Nosotros pedimos
Tu juegas Tu pides
El/ella/ud. Ellos/ellas/uds. El/ella/ud. Ellos/ellas/uds.
juega juagan pide piden

5. Para
• Use para to indicate:
- Recipient of items: Compro un regalo
para mi mama.
- Purpose: Vamos al café para comer.
- Implied purpose: Tengo dinero para
(comprar) algo.

6. Indirect Object Placement
Indirect object pronouns me nos
are given to represent
who the action is to.
– I gave money to her.
Indirect object pronouns te
are different for who is
receiving the action
and are placed before
the verb. le les

7. Object Pronoun Placement
• 1. Attach the pronoun to the infinitive.
• 2. Attach the pronoun to a progressive
• 3. Attach the pronoun to an affirmative
command
• 4. Place the pronoun before the
conjugated verb

8. Gustar
Me: gusta Nos: gusta
• Gustar means to like.
However, instead of or gustan or gustan
conjugating gustar as you
would a usual verb, it
stays the same in all
Te: gusta
forms. It changes or gustan
between gusta and
gustan depending on how
many objects a person Le: gusta Les: gusta
likes. or gustan or gustan

9. Affirmatives and Negatives
Algo Something Nada Nothing
Alguien Someone Nadie No one
Alguno/a Some Ninguno/a None, not
any
También Also Tampoco Either,
neither

10. Superlatives
• Added to adjectives and adverbs. It is the same
as saying very or extremely.
• Example: Malo becomes malismo or muchas becomes muchismas.
• Adjectives and adverbs ending in c, g, or z
change to qu, gu, and c.
• Example: rico becomes riquisimo, larga becomes larguiisima, and feliz becomes
felicisimo.
• Adjectives and adverbs ending in n or r, add
cisimo.
• Example: joven becomes jovencisimo.

11. Reflexives
• Reflexive pronouns are used
with reflexive verbs to indicate Me: To me Nos: To us
that the subject of the
sentence receives the action of
the verb.
• Many verbs can be used with
or without reflexive pronouns. Te: To you
Without a reflexive pronoun,
the person doing the action
does not receive the action.
• When you use the infinitive
form of a reflexive verb after a Le: To him Les: To
conjugated verb, you have to
use the correct reflexive or To her them
prounoun.

12. Affirmative Tu Commands
• In affirmative decir di
commands, put the hacer haz
verb in it’s tu form and
ir ve
then drop the “s.”
• Example: caminar becomes iCamina! poner pon
salir sal
ser se
tener ten
vener ven

13. Negative tu commands
tener No tengas
• 1. Put the verb in it’s vener No vengas
yo form
dar/decir No des/digas
• 2. Change the vowel
(ar > e; er, ir > a) ir No voyas
• 3. Add an “s.” ser No seas
Example: hablar > hablo > iNo hables!
hacer No hagas
estar No estés
saber No sepas,
salgas

14. Sequencing Events
primero Entonces Luego/des Por fin Antes de/ Por la Los lunes,
pues despues manana/ etc.
de tarde/
noche
First Then Later/after Finally Before/afte In/during On
r the (no mondays
specific
time given

15. Preterits
AR ER/IR
-é -amos -í -imos
Hablé Hablamos Comí comimos
-aste -iste
Hablaste comiste
-Ó -aron -ió -iron
Habló Hablaron comió Comiron

16. Trigger words for preterits
• Ya
• Una vez
• A las
• Ocho
• Dos veces
• Un día
• Anteayer
• A noche
• El cinco de “ “
• Por fin
• Ayer
• El mes pesado
• Hace un ano

17. -car, -gar, -zar
Jugar Tocar comenzar
jugué toqué comencé
jugaste tocaste comenzaste
jugó tocó comenzó
jugamos tocamos comenzamos
jugaron tocaron comenzaron

18. • Deber means should Debo Debemos
or ought to.
• You put deber in front
of an infinitive without debes
changing the form of
the infinitive, only
deber. debe deben

19. Modal Verbs
• When verbs are used deber Should,
in modal verb form, ought to
only the first verb is desear To desire
conjugated.
Soler Usually,
used to
saber To know
Querer To want
Poder Can, could
Necesitar To need

20. Present Progressives
• When you use a present
progressive, you use the word Verb: Irregular
estar, followed by a gerand (-
ando or iendo). Present
• If you use a pronoun with the Participle:
present progressive, you can
put it before the conjugated Leer Leyendo
estar, or attached to the
present participle. Traer Traendo
• Some verbs have irregular
present participle forms. Pedir Pidiendo
• When the stem of an –er or –ir
verb ends in a vowel, change Servir Sirviendo
the –iendo to –yendo.
Decir Diciendo
Dormir Viniendo

21. Adverbs cuidadosamente
especialmente
• To describe how fácilmente
something is done, use
adverbs. felízmente
• When an adjective ends
in z, e, or l, just add – frecuentemente
mente to the end. If it
ends in o, change the o to lentamente
an a. normalmente
• If two adverbs are used,
only add the mente to the rápidamente
second one.
recientemente
KEEP ACCENTS!
tranquilamente

22. Irregular Adverbs
Muy- very Tan – so Mal – bad
Mucho – a lot Peer – worse Siempre –
always
Nunca – never Ya – already Bastante – quite
Desiado – too Poco – little Bien - good