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How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

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How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

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How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

# data[].attributes.body
How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

# data[].attributes.body
How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

# data[].attributes.body
How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

# data[].attributes.body
How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

# data[].attributes.body
How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

# data[].attributes.body
How was it useful for you? How can it be useful for future Spanish students?

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Infinitives are useful to me because they express time or the length of an action.

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Infinitives
Summary:
This handout provides a detailed overview (including descriptions and examples) of gerunds, participles, and infinitives.

An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb (in its simplest "stem" form) and functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb. The term verbal indicates that an infinitive, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. However, the infinitive may function as a subject, direct object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. Although an infinitive is easy to locate because of the to + verb form, deciding what function it has in a sentence can sometimes be confusing.

To wait seemed foolish when decisive action was required. (subject)

Everyone wanted to go. (direct object)

His ambition is to fly. (subject complement)

He lacked the strength to resist. (adjective)

We must study to learn. (adverb)

Be sure not to confuse an infinitive-a verbal consisting of to plus a verb-with a prepositional phrase beginning with to, which consists of to plus a noun or pronoun and any modifiers.

Infinitives: to fly, to draw, to become, to enter, to stand, to catch, to belong

Prepositional Phrases: to him, to the committee, to my house, to the mountains, to us, to this address

An Infinitive Phrase is a group of words consisting of an infinitive and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the actor(s), direct object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the infinitive, such as:

We intended to leave early.

The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb intended.
to leave (infinitive)
early (adverb)

I have a paper to write before class.

The infinitive phrase functions as an adjective modifying paper.
to write (infinitive)
before class (prepositional phrase as adverb)

The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb agreed.
to give (infinitive)
me (indirect object of action expressed in infinitive)
a ride (direct object of action expressed in infinitive)

The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb asked.
me (actor or "subject" of infinitive phrase)
to bring (infinitive)
some food (direct object of action expressed in infinitive)

Everyone wanted Carol to be the captain of the team.

The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb wanted.
Carol (actor or "subject" of infinitive phrase)
to be (infinitive)
the captain (subject complement for Carol, via state of being expressed in infinitive)
of the team (prepositional phrase as adjective)

Actors: In these last two examples the actor of the infinitive phrase could be roughly characterized as the "subject" of the action or state expressed in the infinitive. It is somewhat misleading to use the word subject, however, since an infinitive phrase is not a full clause with a subject and a finite verb. Also notice that when it is a pronoun, the actor appears in the objective case ( me, not I, in the fourth example). Certain verbs, when they take an infinitive direct object, require an actor for the infinitive phrase; others can't have an actor. Still other verbs can go either way, as the charts below illustrate.

Verbs that take infinitive objects without actors:
Examples:
In all of these examples no actor can come between the italicized main (finite) verb and the infinitive direct-object phrase.

Verbs that take infinitive objects with actors:
Examples:

He reminded me to buy milk.

Their fathers advise them to study.

She forced the defendant to admit the truth.

You've convinced the director of the program to change her position.

I invite you to consider the evidence.

In all of these examples an actor is required after the italicized main (finite) verb and before the infinitive direct-object phrase.

Verbs that use either pattern:
Examples:

I asked to see the records.

I asked him to show me the records.

Trent expected his group to win.

Trent expected to win.

Brenda likes to drive fast.

Brenda likes her friend to drive fast.

In all of these examples the italicized main verb can take an infinitive object with or without an actor.

Punctuation: If the infinitive is used as an adverb and is the beginning phrase in a sentence, it should be set off with a comma; otherwise, no punctuation is needed for an infinitive phrase.

To buy a basket of flowers, John had to spend his last dollar.

To improve your writing, you must consider your purpose and audience.

Points to remember

1. An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb; it may be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

2. An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive plus modifier(s), object(s), complement(s), and/or actor(s).

3. An infinitive phrase requires a comma only if it is used as an adverb at the beginning of a sentence.

Split infinitives

Split infinitives occur when additional words are included between to and the verb in an infinitive. Many readers find a single adverb splitting the infinitive to be acceptable, but this practice should be avoided in formal writing.
Examples:

I like to on a nice day walk in the woods. * (unacceptable)
On a nice day, I like to walk in the woods. (revised)

I needed to quickly gather my personal possessions. (acceptable in informal contexts)
I needed to gather my personal possessions quickly. (revised for formal contexts)

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This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

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This is useful because it goes over what an infinitive verb is and what it is used for. You can also see examples of how an infinitive verb is used. Future Spanish students can find this helpful if they want to learn what an infinitive verb is or if they want to see examples of how its used.

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Introduction

The infinitive is the basic form of the verb and it can have three possible endings: -ar (cantar), -er (comer) or -ir (vivir). In Spanish grammar, the infinitive can function as a verb or a noun. It is used after certain verbs, adjectives and some expressions presented below.

Learn when to use the infinitive with Lingolia's list of words and expressions that take an infinitive. In the exercises, you can practise what you have learnt.

Example

Usage

Infinitive constructions are used with certain words, prepositions and phrases. The infinitive can refer to the subject or object, or to an impersonal construction. In the following lists we've gathered the most important words and phrases that require the infinitive.

Example:

Comer sano es muy importante.Eating healthily is very important.

Infinitive Without Preposition

Infinitive With Preposition

The infinitive is also used after certain verbs with the prepositions a, con, de, en, para and por. These verbs have to be learned along with their prepositions.

Example:

Tengo intención de aprender a jugar al tenis.I have the intention of learning to play tennis.

Example:

verb + con + infinitive

Example:

Sueño con ser un jugador profesional.I dream of being a professional player.

Shortened Dependent Clauses

The following prepositions and prepositional phrases + infinitive can be used to help shorten dependent clauses when the subject in the main clause and the dependent clause is the same.

temporal preposition + infinitive

Certain relative clauses can be shortened by using a temporal preposition + infinitive. However, in this case we also have to change the introductory section of the relative clause.

Example:

Hablaré con el profesor antes de que empiece el entrenamiento.I will speak with the teacher before the training begins.

→ Hablaré con el profesor antes de entrenar.I will speak with the teacher before the training.

Online exercises to improve your Spanish

Our online exercises for Spanish help you to learn and practice grammar rules in an interactive manner. To make sure that you understand the correct answers, our answer keys offer simple explanations as well as handy tips and tricks.

Infinitive - Exercises

Infinitivo - ejercicios adicionales

Become a Lingolia Plus member to access these additional exercises.

Infinitivo - preposiciones: para, por, con

A1Beginner A2Elementary B1Intermediate B2Upper intermediate C1Advanced

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The infinitive is the basic form of the verb, it can end in -ar, -er or -ir. In Spanish grammar, we can use the infinitive as a verb or a noun. It is used after certain verbs, adjectives and some expressions. Learn when to use the infinitive online with Lingolia's list of words and expressions that take an infinitive.

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This can be useful to me and others by letting us know how many Spanish speaking countries there are.

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The Spanish language is spoken in countries throughout the world. It is the majority language across 20 states and territories. This means that it is used as the primary language for communication across most of the population. Official documents are written in Spanish in these countries and territories, and it is taught to children in schools. Across these nations, there are over 442,000,000 people that speak Spanish.

Mexico is the Spanish-speaking nation with the highest population. As of 2014, Mexico has a population of over 120 million residents. It is the only country with a population of over 100 million that is primarily Spanish-speaking. Many Spanish-speaking countries are located around the world, most being located in South America, Latin America, and Europe.

All of the nations and territories that have Spanish as their majority language are (in alphabetical order): Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela

Some nations have minority populations of Spanish-speaking residents. While Spanish isn't the official language in these areas, most printed and broadcast media are also available in Spanish. The United States, while a primarily English-speaking country, has the largest population of Spanish-speaking residents among these nations. About 23% of the total population - or 52 million people - speak Spanish.

In addition to the United States, Andorra, Belize, and Gibraltar also have large populations of Spanish-speaking residents.

Spanish has also influenced creole languages spoken in areas around the world. Papiamento, which is based on Spanish, is spoken in Aruba, the Caribbean Netherlands, and Curacao. Chavacano is another Spanish-based creole language that is spoken throughout parts of the Philippines by over 600,000 people.

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The Spanish language is spoken in countries throughout the world. It is the majority language across 20 states and territories. This means that it is used as the primary language for communication across most of the population. Official documents are written in Spanish in these countries and territories, and it is taught to children in schools.

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Its a helpful tool because it gives you little notes on the side and it shows you how to use them.

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By now you know that the basic, non-conjugated form of a Spanish verb is called an "infinitive." You've probably already spent a good deal of time learning how to conjugate infinitives or change them so that they agree with their subjects. But we don't always conjugate our infinitives. There is a wide variety of non-verb situations in which we leave the infinitive unchanged.

But first of all, a quick reminder. Any verb that has a subject must be conjugated:

That's enough on conjugating. When can we leave our infinitives unconjugated?

Using Infinitives as Subjects

Note: Sometimes the article el is used with an infinitive to emphasize the fact that it is a subject.

When we want to use a verb as a noun in English, we use gerund ("-ing") form of the verb. We do not do this in Spanish. Instead of a gerund, we just use the infinitive. Resist the urge to use the present participle ("-ando" or "-iendo") form of the verb:

It may not look like it since they come later in the sentence, but infinitives used with verbs like gustar are actually subjects too:

Me gusta nadar y patinar sobre hielo.
I like to swim and ice skate. / Swimming and ice skating are pleasing to me.

Using Infinitives as Objects of a Verb

Note: It's possible to string together many infinitives: Me gustaría poder saber apreciar el arte.

What's an "object of a verb"? It's a fancy way of describing an infinitive that comes immediately after a conjugated verb. Deber (to should), poder (to be able to), querer (to want to), and soler (to usually) are verbs which are commonly followed by an infinitive. They are sometimes referred to as "modal verbs." Modal verbs need to be followed by another verb because they don't make much sense on their own. Some examples:

Other verbs that are often followed by infinitives are decidir (to decide to), esperar (to hope to), intentar (to try to), preferir (to prefer to), and saber (to know how to). Some examples:

Intentamos mover la piedra.
We tried to move the stone.

Using Infinitives with Sensory Verbs

Note: The infinitive must immediately follow the sensory verb.

Infinitives can also be used directly after sensory verbs:

Using Infinitives as Objects of a Preposition

Note: When used with an infinitive, al means "upon."

When following a preposition, verbs should be left in the infinitive. Again, resist the urge to use the present participle like we do in English:

Ten cuidado en revisar tu informe.
Be careful in revising your report.

Note: When used with an infinitive, para means "in order to."

The words por and para are also prepostions are used with infinitives. Some examples:

The rules for using por and para are long and complex. Read more about them at .

Using Infinitives in Special Expressions

There are many special infinitive constructions in Spanish that use a bewildering variety of prepositions (like a, de, en, and con). Some of them are somewhat logical. Others make no sense whatsoever. You'll be much better off just memorizing which verbs go in which category than trying to figure out why.

The first category:

Verb + a + Infinitive

Note: When used with an infinitive, volver a means "to do something again."

Why do we need to put an a before some infinitives? We just do. Verbs commonly appearing in this category are aprender, ayudar, comenzar, empezar, enseñar, ir, and volver. Some examples:

You may occasionally hear expressions like "a ver" or "a leer" meaning "let's see" or "let's read." All that's happening here is that " ir + a + infinitive" expression has been shortened by removing the vamos.

The next category on the list:

Verb + de + Infinitive

Note: When used with an infinitive, acabar de means "to just have done something."

Why do we need to put a de before some infinitives? We just do. Verbs that fall into this category are acabar, dejar, tratar, tratarse. Some examples:

Then comes:

Verb + en + Infinitive

Insistir and pensar are the main verbs in this category. Some examples:

This is followed by the strangest category yet:

Verb + con + Infinitive

Acabar, bastar, contar, and soñar are the verbs to worry about in this category. Some examples:

As you can see this is a weird category because the word con, which is usually translated "with," inexplicably becomes "to," "on," and "about."

And the last category:

Verb + que + Infinitive

Note: When used with an infinitive, both tener que and haber que mean "to have to" or "to be necessary to."

The verbs to remember here are tener and haber. Some examples:

Using Infinitives as Impersonal Commands

You should conjugate your commands according to the subject (the person you're commanding). But that's not always possible. For example, if you hang a sign in a store with a command on it, you have no idea who is going to be reading it. Because of this, non-conjugated infinitives are often published as impersonal commands:

¡Ojo!

After learning the subjunctive you may be tempted to overuse it. Remember, if the subject doesn't change from one clause to the next, use an infinitive, not a subjunctive verb:

Yo quiero visitar Machu Picchu.
Not: Yo quiero que yo visite Machu Picchu.
I want to visit Machu Picchu.

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By now you know that the basic, non-conjugated form of a Spanish verb is called an "infinitive." You've probably already spent a good deal of time learning how to conjugate infinitives or change them so that they agree with their subjects. But we don't always conjugate our infinitives.

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It was useful for me because it helped me know how to pronounce the letters.  This can help future Spanish speaking students by giving them tip on pronunciation.

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Spanish Grammar Articles and Lessons | SpanishDictionary.com

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Expert articles and interactive video lessons on how to use the Spanish language. Learn about ‘por’ vs. ‘para’, Spanish pronunciation, typing Spanish accents, and more.

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It helps because it gives you a chart on how to use it.

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The verb ser means " to be" in English and is one of the most commonly used verbs in the Spanish language. Ser can most easily be understood as relating to "a permanent state of being."

pretty flowers

Conjugating the Spanish Verb Ser

Ser is an irregular verb and therefore does not follow the regular "er" verb conjugation rules. Most beginners memorize the present tense form of ser before moving onto other tenses. Use the tables below to review the conjugations of ser:

Additional Examples with Ser

Miguel es un hombre honesto. -- Miguel is an honest man.

Ellos estarán en casa todo el día. -- They will be home all day long.

Keep Practicing

Ser is a commonly misused verb and can cause a lot of confusion for the non-native speaker due to its various uses. However, with a little practice and memorization of its functions and conjugations, the Spanish beginner will soon be able to use ser naturally in their everyday Spanish conversation.

See How to Use the Spanish Verb Ser for more tips on remembering when to use ser.

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The verb ser means " to be" in English and is one of the most commonly used verbs in the Spanish language. Ser can most easily be understood as relating to "a permanent state of being." pretty flowers Ser is an irregular verb and therefore does not follow the regular "er" verb conjugation rules.

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Conjugated verbs are useful to me because the verbs tend to change their forms to match the subject of the sentence.

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Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Whether it's to pass that big test, qualify for that big promotion or even master that cooking technique; people who rely on dummies, rely on it to learn the critical skills and relevant information necessary for success.

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Conjugating the Irregular Spanish Verb Ser (to Be) - dummies

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Spanish verbs fall into different groups, and each group is conjugated a little differently. If you're going to master Spanish verbs like ser, you need to be able to identify which group a verb belongs to: regular (follows regular conjugation rules for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs), stem-changing (morphs depending on how you use it [...]

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I found this link and i think it can help because it shows you how to pronounce the letters.

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Ask any second-grader how many letters there are in the alphabet and they'll tell you there are 26 and maybe even sing you a song:

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z
(Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me?)

Ask several Spanish-speakers how many letters there are in the alphabet and you'll get several different answers (with or without a song). Not everyone in the Spanish-speaking world agrees on what the alphabet looks like. For many years this was the official Spanish alphabet:

a, b, c, ch, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z

So in older Spanish dictionaries words beginning with "ch" are listed in a separate section after the rest of the "c" words, and words beginning with "ll" are listed after the rest of the "l" words. However, in 2010 the Real Academia Española, which is basically in charge of the official Spanish language, decided that "ch" and "ll" should no longer be considered distinct letters. This leaves us with a 27-letter alphabet:

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z

To confuse the issue, some Spanish-language sources consider "rr" a separate letter and others don't count the "k" or the "w" since they almost always appear in words that originated outside of the Spanish language.

Fun Fact: The letter "e" is the most common letter in both English and Spanish.

Fun Fact: The letter "w" is the least used letter in Spanish.

So how many letters are there? Officially there are 27, but you may find answers anywhere between 25 ("ñ," but no "k" or "w") and 30 (the 26 you're used to plus "ch," "ll," "ñ," and "rr.") Just to cover all the bases let's work with a 30-letter alphabet.

Below are a list of letters, their names in Spanish, and a pronunciation guide:

Letter

Spanish

English

Pronunciation

hache

ah-chay

always silent

erre

ay-rray

strongly trilled

uve doble

oo-vay do-blay

like the English w

ye

yay

Notes on Spanish Letters

The letter "e" is also pronounced at times more like the "e" in "pet," especially when at the beginning of a word, or when spoken quickly.

When a "g" precedes an "e" or an "i" in a word it is pronounced like an "h" but with a slight rasping sound, almost like clearing one's throat.

Due to the limited usefullness of the letter "h," some (including noted Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Márquez) have called for it to be removed from the Spanish language entirely.

The letter "i" was once called i latina to distiguish it from the letter "y," known as i griega. (Latin and Greek i's respectively.)

Words beginning with "k," "w," and "x" were adopted into Spanish from other languages and are therefore very rare.

The letter "ñ" is not a variation of "n," but a distinct letter. The word pino will appear before the word piña in a dictionary because "n" comes before "ñ" in the alphabet.

Words beginning with "r" are usually trilled as if they began with "rr" (e.g. rojo = rrojo).

The letter "v" is officially uve but it is also called ve. Because ve and be sound so similar, "b" is sometimes called be grande, be alta, or be larga and "v" is calledve chica, ve pequeña, or ve corta. It's not uncommon in some Latin American countries to see signs with spelling errors involving "b" and "v" such asSe Bende instead Se Vende.

There are at least four ways to say the letter "w" in Spanish: doble ve, doble u, doble uve, or uve doble. The "w" is extremely rare in Spanish.

There are many Spanish words borrowed from indigenous languages where the "x" is pronounced like the English "h" (e.g. México).

The letter "y" is officially called ye as of 2010, but many people know it as i griega.

The pronunciation of the letter "z" (as well as "c" when followed by an "e" or an "i") varies widely.

In regions of Spain, "c" and "z" are pronounced more like "th" (e.g. Barcelona = Barthelona).

Other Notes

Spanish letters are all feminine: la a, la be, la ce, etc.

You may be wondering about letters with accents like á, é, í, ó, and ú or the rare dieresis,ü. These are not considered separate letters.

"Alphabet" is el alfabeto in Spanish, but you can also say el abecedario which is a word made up of the first three letters of the alphabet (like saying "ABCs").

Alfabetizar means "to alphabetize" but it can also mean "to teach reading and writing."

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Ask any second-grader how many letters there are in the alphabet and they'll tell you there are 26 and maybe even sing you a song: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z (Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me?)

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This is helpful to me and can be to others by letting us know what are and how to say common greetings and farewells.

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There are, of course, different ways of greetings and farewells in any language. The fact is that not all greetings or farewells are verbal since we can just wave our hand, wink the eye, shake one's hand, or give him/her a hug. However, how to say Hi or Goodbye in different contexts or situations, at a different time of the day, and to different people? Here in this article, we will show you different ways of saying hello and goodbye in Spanish.

How to say Hi and Goodbye in Spanish?
Greetings in Spanish

There are many words, phrases, and expressions that you can use to say hello or say hi in Spanish.

Hi - hola (informal)
This is one of the most common ways of greeting in Spanish. It can be used at any time of a day

Good morning - Buenos días

Good afternoon - Buenas tardes

Good evening - Buenas noches

Have a nice day - ¡Qué tengas un buen día! / Qué te vaya bien! / Qué tenga un buen día! / ¡Qué le vaya bien!

Check out to see how to say Have a nice day in Spanish.

It's nice to see you - Que gusto de verte (informal)

I'm glad to see you - Que gusto de verlo (formal)

Long time no see - Tanto tiempo sin verte

How are you? - ¿Cómo estás (tú)? (informal)

How are you? - ¿Cómo está Usted? (formal)

What's up? - ¿Qué tal?

How's everything been going? - ¿Cómo te ha ido?

How's it going? - ¿Cómo te va? (informal)

How are things going for you? - ¿Cómo le va? (formal)

Greetings in a business letter

There are some common formulas for greetings in a business letter in Spanish.

Sir - Señor

Madam - Señora

Miss - Señorita

Muy señor mío Dear Sir

Estimados señores/señoras = Dear Sir/Madam

Abbreviation Estimado Sr./Sra., Estimados Sres./Sras

Dear Mr. Rodríguez, - Estimado Sr. Rodríguez

Dear Mrs./Ms. Cruz - Estimada Sra. Cruz:

Dear Miss González - Estimada Srta. González

Dear Roberto, - Querido Roberto,

Dear Ana, - Querida Ana,

Dear Juan and Lisa, - Queridos Juan y Lisa,

Note: Since all Spanish nouns are either feminine or masculine, "querido" is used for male, "querida" is used for female, the word "queridos" is used if the recipients include people of both sexes.

You can check out to learn more about gender rules in Spanish nouns.

Farewells in Spanish

Some common words, phrases, and expressions that can be used to say goodbye in Spanish:

Goodbye - Adiós (good bye)

See you later - Hasta luego

See you tomorrow - Hasta mañana

See you soon - Hasta pronto

See you on Friday - Hasta el Viernes

Until we see each other again - Hasta la vista

See you - Nos vemos

How to end a letter in Spanish?

In English, we often end a letter with "Sincerely" or "Yours truly". Spanish offers a greater variety of ending a letter.

Yours truly - Un cordial saludo

Yours faithfully/sincerely - Atentamente/Muy atentamente

Sincerely - atentamente / le saluda atentamente / les saluda atentamente

Lots of hugs - Muchos abrazos

I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully - En espera de su respuesta, le/les saludo atentamente

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Most common Spanish greetings and farewells | SpanishDictionary

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There are, of course, different ways of greetings and farewells in any language. The fact is that not all greetings or farewells are verbal since we can just wave our hand, wink the eye, shake one's hand, or give him/her a hug.

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This can be helpful to new Spanish speaking students because it explains a little about what a Spanish adjective is. It gives you examples on how they use them, a video to watch, and even lets you practice.

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Beginner Spanish Grammar Lesson
Los adjetivos

Lesson - how to use adjectives in Spanish

Adjectives describe or modify nouns; for example words like big, blue, late, lazy, etc.

In Spanish the adjective typically comes after the noun whereas in English adjectives may occur before or after.

Spanish adjectives change their endings to 'agree' in gender and number with the noun or noun phrase that they are modifying. For example:

ventana abiert a
open window

caso abiert o
open case

ventanas abiert as
open windows

casos abiert os

open cases

Masculine adjectives end in -o and adjectives that end in -a are generally feminine.

Adjectives that end in -e can be used with feminine and masculine nouns; the article indicates gender. For example: la casa verde - the green house, el vidrio verde - the green glass.

When the adjective modifies a plural noun, add -s to the adjective. For example: Las casas verdes, los vidrios verdes.

If a masculine or feminine adjective ends in a consonant, add -es to make the adjective plural. For example: El marido fiel - Los maridos fieles. - The faithful husbands

If a masculine or feminine adjective ends in a "z", add -ces to make the adjective plural. For example: El niño feliz - Los niños felices. - The happy children.

Details and examples of Spanish adjective use

Adjectives tell you something about the noun or noun phrase, for example:

La alumna colombiana. The Colombian student.

El profesor venezolano. The Venezuelan teacher.

Adjectives that end in -o are masculine:

Masculine plurals end in -os:

Adjectives that end in -a are usually feminine:

Feminine plurals end in -as:

Some adjectives end in -e and the plural form ends in -es:

El curso interesante. The interesting course. Las clases interesantes. The interesting classes.

La alumna inteligente. The intelligent student. Los alumnos inteligentes. The intelligent students.

Some adjectives in Spanish end in a consonant and the plural is formed with -es:
El curso difícil - Los cursos difíciles.

Interactive Grammar Exercise on Spanish Adjectives

Complete these sentences with the correct form of the adjective according to the gender and number of the noun.
Ejercicio. Completa las oraciones con la forma correcta del adjetivo de acuerdo con el género y número del sustantivo.

2. El curso de historia es .

3. Las clases de español son .

11. El clima es muy .

Covered in this Lesson

Adjectives in Spanish, rules for adjective formation in Spanish, Spanish nouns and adjectives, masculine and feminine adjectives, gender and number in adjectives, rules for adjectives and nouns in Spanish

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Los adjetivos Adjectives describe or modify nouns; for example words like big, blue, late, lazy, etc. In Spanish the adjective typically comes after the noun whereas in English adjectives may occur before or after. Spanish adjectives change their endings to 'agree' in gender and number with the noun or noun phrase that they are modifying.

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This was useful for me because it shows feminine and masculine adjectives and how to use them. It can be useful for future students by showing them how to use the adjectives in a sentence.

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What are describing words, let alone Spanish describing words? Let's take a look first at how we use describing words in English:

Did you see the amazing sunset yesterday?

This house is so cozy.

My friend is hilarious.

That book was insightful.

Being able to describe things, concepts, people, and situations is key to communicating in any language. These "describing words" are called adjectives and they are the words we use to describe nouns (people, places, and things).

The italicized words above are adjectives: amazing, cozy, hilarious, insightful. Each modifies its own noun: amazing sunset, cozy house, hilarious friend, and insightful book.

Learn more about Spanish nouns: Everything a Beginner Wants to Learn About Spanish Nouns.

Ready to learn all the useful details about describing words in Spanish?

This user-friendly beginner's guide to using adjectives in Spanish will equip you with 100 common Spanish describing words you can use in your conversations!

Spanish Describing Words Require Adjective Agreement

For a smooth conversation in Spanish, you want to pay attention to adjective placement and agreement.

Unlike in English, Spanish adjectives usually follow the noun. Rather than saying "the white house," you say la casa blanca ("the house white").

In Spanish, nouns are either masculine ( el) or feminine ( la). Adjectives must agree with the noun (or pronoun) they describe in gender and in number.

For example, the noun las manzanas (the apples) is plural and feminine, so adjectives that describe it must also be plural and feminine.

O Adjectives

Adjectives that end in - o in the masculine singular form make up the majority of adjectives in Spanish. The -o may change to - a, -as, or -os, depending on the gender and number of the noun it is modifying. For example:
Masculine singular: Feminine singular: Masculine plural: Feminine plural:
Adjectives ending in -e or -ista do not change according to gender, only for number. Inteligente (intelligent), verde (green), caliente (hot), grande (big), and amable (kind/friendly) are examples of adjectives that end in -e.
Masculine singular: Feminine singular: Masculine plural:
Spanish describing words ending in -ista include perfeccionista (perfectionist), materialista (materialistic), alarmista (alarmist), and extremista (extremist).
Feminine singular: Masculine singular: Masculine plural:
Mis profesores son idealistas.
My teachers are idealistic.

Consonant Adjectives

Like the adjectives in the previous category, most adjectives that end in a consonant don't change according to gender but do change for number, which case you add an -es.

Some of these include genial (great), gris (gray), cortés (polite), and marrón (dark brown).
Feminine singular: Masculine singular: Plural: Masculine singular: Feminine plural: Feminine singular: Feminine plural:
Pro Tip: For adjectives that end in -z in the singular form, change the -z to -c in the plural form.

Exceptions

Another exception is that most adjectives ending in - or, -ón, or -ín do have feminine forms. For example:

Now, let's dive into the Spanish describing words for people, places, and things. At the bottom of each section, I've included several example sentences to help you learn to use these words in conversation.

Spanish Describing Words: Adjectives for People

Human beings are complex and wonderful creatures! Check out the following adjectives to describe them in all their glory. I divided these Spanish describing words into the categories of personality, appearance, and emotional states.

Personality

sincero/a - honest

deshonesto/a - dishonest

sensible - sensitive

insensible - insensitive

alegre - joyful

malo/a - mean

gracioso/a - funny, amusing

serio/a - serious

tímido/a - shy

valiente - brave

loco/a - crazy

Hand-picked for you: Spanish Personality Traits: 100+ Ways to Describe Someone

Appearance

bajo/a - short

alto/a - tall

gordo/a - fat

delgado/a - thin

joven - young

viejo/a - old

lindo/a - pretty

bonito/a, guapo/a - good-looking

rubio/a - blonde

moreno/a - dark-haired

pelirrojo/a - red-haired

pelón - bald

grande - big, large

pequeño/a - small

Emotional States

emocionado/a - excited

alegre, feliz - happy

paciente - patient

contento/a - pleased

orgulloso/a - proud

relajado/a - relaxed

deprimido/a - depressed

dolido/a - hurt

triste - sad

infeliz - unhappy

preocupado/a - worried

incómodo/a - uncomfortable

Example Sentences

For more Spanish adjectives to describe people, see

Spanish Describing Words: Adjectives for Places

The Spanish adjectives in this section are perfect for describing both natural and manmade places in detail. The categories are general place adjectives, weather-related descriptors, and atmosphere describing words.

General Place Adjectives

bueno/a - good

bello/a, hermoso/a - beautiful, picturesque

abierto/a - open

cerrado/a - closed

limpio/a - clean

sucio/a - dirty

ancho/a - wide

estrecho/a - narrow

lejano/a - far

cercano/a - close

rugoso/a - rugged

Weather-related Adjectives

caluroso/a - hot

frío/a - cold

mojado/a - wet

húmedo/a - humid

soleado/a - sunny

nublado/a - cloudy, foggy

lluvioso/a - rainy

nevado/a, nevoso/a - snowy

Atmosphere-related Adjectives

tranquilo/a - tranquil

caótico/a - chaotic

silencioso/a - quiet

ruidoso/a - loud, noisy

natural - natural

artificial - artificial

festivo/a - festive

aburrido/a - boring

oscuro/a - dark

brillante - bright, brilliant

casual - casual

formal - formal

Example Sentences

El paisaje es rugoso y el clima es caluroso.
The landscape is rugged and the climate is warm

Colors are also describing words in Spanish! Read our Vibrant Guide to Colors in Spanish with Phrases and Practice.

See also: How to Describe the World in Spanish: A Fun Guide for Explorers

Spanish Describing Words: Adjectives for Things

Use the adjectives in this section to describe "things"-a broad category that encompasses everything from personal belongings to objects to concepts and ideas.

General Thing Adjectives

caro/a - expensive

barato/a - cheap

nuevo/a - new

antiguo/a - old, antique

pesado/a - heavy

ligero/a - light

lleno/a - full

vacío/a - empty

suave - smooth

áspero/a - rough

blando/a - soft

duro/a - hard

Example Sentences

Spanish Adjectives for Concepts and Ideas

maravilloso/a - marvelous, amazing

repugnante - disgusting

injusto/a - unfair

justo/a - fair

rápido/a - fast

lento/a - slow

fácil - easy

simple - simple

complicado/a - complicated

difícil - difficult

importante - important

increíble - incredible

Example Sentences

Use Spanish Describing Words in Conversation!

Now that you know how to use Spanish adjectives to describe people, places, things and ideas, it's time to practice using your newfound skills! To improve your Spanish ability in a fun and effective way, book a free trial class with one of our friendly, native Spanish-speaking teachers and have a conversation about the fascinating people, places and things in your life. You'll be amazed by how quickly you can learn Spanish through personalized, one-on-one online classes!

Want to learn Spanish vocabulary? Check out these posts!

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100 Spanish Describing Words: Adjectives for People, Places, and Things

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What are describing words, let alone Spanish describing words? Let's take a look first at how we use describing words in English: Did you see the amazing sunset yesterday? This house is so cozy. My friend is hilarious. That book was insightful. Being able to describe things, concepts, people, and situations is key to communicating in any language.

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YouTube had a lot of videos on Spanish speaking countries so if a person doesn't like reading they can watch videos like this.

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Spanish speaking countries Incredible facts

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Ser Conjugation: Present and Future Tense.

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Ser Conjugation: Present and Future Tense.

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This is very. helpful because the video breaks everything down for you so you're able to fully understand. This can be useful for a Spanish student if they want to learn how to conjugate the verb 'Ser.'

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This chart shows how useful it can be because its giving you examples

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ER and IR verb conjugations in the present tense are almost identical. Below, comer (to eat), a common -er verb, and vivir (to live), a common -ir verb are divided by their stems (com-, viv-) and their conjugation endings, which change with the subject.

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the reason it helps is that it shows me somthing in span ish about the verb ser

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DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES IN SPANISH

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DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES IN SPANISH

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I found this website helpful because it showed me just like English, Spanish has a definite article and the concept remains the same.

The difference between the definite article and the indefinite article is that the former talks about a specific noun, and the latter talks about a generalized noun.

Please buy me a bike.

Please buy me the blue bike.

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What is an article in Spanish? Artículo Definido e Indefinido

An article is a word that is used with a noun (person, animal, thought or thing) to help define it. In English, the definite article is "the" and the indefinite articles are "a/an", depending on the noun.

The same concept applies in Spanish. However, the difficulty comes from having to remember gender because the gender of the article must match the gender of the noun.

Just like English, Spanish has a definite and an indefinite article and the concept remains the same.

Ready to study Spanish? Check our Online Spanish Classes

Whats is difference between the definite article and the indefinite article?

The difference between the definite article and the indefinite article is that the former talks about a specific noun, and the latter talks about a generalized noun.

As you can see, the definite article " the" describes the specific blue bike, while the indefinite article "a" describes a bike in general.

Definite and Indefinite Articles in Spanish

The definite article is used to refer to something specific. In English the article would be 'the'. In Spanish, you have 4 options depending on the gender and the number.
Examples:

1. la naranja - I want the orange. In this instance, we are referring to one orange, so we use the singular form and is feminine, so the correct definite article to use is 'la'.

2. El cielo - the sky is blue. In this case we are referring to the sky as a whole and therefore use the singular for and cielo is masculine, so the correct definite article is 'el'.

3. Los libros - the books are red. In this instance we are still talking about something in particular, but there is more than one so we use the plural form of the noun and the corresponding plural form article, so the correct definite article is 'los'. Note also that the adjective changes from singular to plural to correspond with the noun.

4. Las camisetas - the shirts are black. Again, here you see we are talking about more than one short so we use the plural form of the noun and corresponding plural form of the article, 'las'.

Of course, most rules have exceptions and this rule is no different.

When a feminine and singular noun begins with a stressed á, a, or ha, the masculine definite article is used instead, to aide in pronunciation. When the same noun is plural, the regular feminine article is used.

When you use the indefinite article, you are not referring to a specific person or thing. The English indefinite articles are 'a', 'an' or 'some' and as with the definite article, you have 4 options depending on the gender and the number.
Examples:

1. una galletita - I want a biscuit. In this instance, it's not a specific biscuit. It could be any sort of biscuit and I only want one. Galletita is feminine, so we use the 'una' as the indefinite pronoun.

2. Quiero leer un libro - I want to read a book. 'Un' is the indefinite article as libro is singular and masculine.

3. Mi novio compró unas flores - My boyfriend bought (some) flowers. 'Unas' was used because flores is plural and feminine.

4. unos lápices para mis clases - I need ( some) pencils for my classes. 'Unos' was used because lápices is plural and masculine.

Consider this:
The definite article 'el' is different to the pronoun 'él' which means he. "Él" will always appear on its own but "el" will always be followed by a noun. Look at the following sentence:

Él compró el diario hoy. He bought the paper today.

If you want to know more, check out our other blogs posts. Here is one about Por vs Para:

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Definite and Indefinite Articles in Spanish | Vamos Spanish Academy

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What is the difference between definite and indefinite articles in Spanish? The difference between the definite article and the indefinite article is that the former talks about a specific noun, and the latter talks about a generalized noun. What is an article in Spanish?

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This helps because everything for Los I can memorize
los always used for plural, masculine words. For example:

Los libros - The books

Los colores - The colors

Los niños - The boys

Los gatos - The cats

Los celulares - The cellphones

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An indefinite article , called an artículo indefinido in spanish, makes a noun refer to a nonspecific item or items of its class. In English, there are only two indefinite articles, "a" and "an." In spanish, there are four articles un, una, unos, and unas

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yo — I

tú — you (singular familiar)

usted — you (singular formal)

él, ella — he, she.

nosotros, nosotras — we.

vosotros, vosotras — you (plural familiar)

ustedes — you (plural formal)

ellos, ellas — This helped me because I can remeber the 12 prounouns of spanish