Spanish Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

As someone who has surpassed the beginning level of Spanish, you consider yourself rather proficient in the language and want to discover more. So, here you are, eager to jump up to a higher level and perfect your skills. That’s fantastic! You can use the following set of articles as a reference to help you practice and become a more proficient Spanish speaker.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Spanish verbs fall into different groups, and each group is conjugated a little differently. If you’re going to master Spanish verbs like ir, 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 in a sentence), spelling-changing (has consonant-spelling changes in some forms to follow pronunciation rules), or reflexive (reflects the action back on the subject of the sentence). But then there are those verbs that refuse to be lumped into a category: the irregulars. Other popular irregular Spanish verbs include ser, tener, dormir, and hacer. Ir (eer) (to go) is the ultimate irregular -ir verb; that’s all it is, i and r! It doesn’t follow most normal ending patterns, so your best bet is to just memorize its conjugations. Here it is in the present tense: The Present Tense of Ir Conjugation Translation yo voy I go tú vas You (informal) go él/ella/ello/uno va He/she/one goes usted va You (formal) go nosotros vamos We go vosotros váis You all (informal) go ellos/ellas van They go ustedes van You all (formal) go The following examples show you ir in action: Nosotros vamos al teatro a veces. (We go to the theater sometimes.) Mi madre va al supermercado ahora. (My mother is going to the supermarket now.) The following table shows you ir in the preterit tense. Think you’ve seen these conjugations before? You probably have; it just so happens that they’re also the preterit forms of the verb ser (to be). It may be confusing, but look on the bright side: It’s one fewer set of verbs you have to memorize. The Preterit Tense of Ir Conjugation Translation yo fui I went tú fuiste You (informal) went él/ella/ello/uno fue He/she/one went usted fue You (formal) went nosotros fuimos We went vosotros fuisteis You all (informal) went ellos/ellas fueron They went ustedes fueron You all (formal) went You use the preterit tense like this: Los turistas fueron al museo. (The tourists went to the museum.) ¿Fueron ustedes al baile? (Did you go to the dance?) Ir is one of only three irregular imperfect verbs. Here’s that conjugation; notice that, like regular verbs, the first-person and third-person singular forms (yo and usted) are the same. The Imperfect Tense of Ir Conjugation Translation yo iba I used to go tú ibas You (informal) used to go él/ella/ello/uno iba He/she/one used to go usted iba You (formal) used to go nosotros íbamos We used to go vosotros ibais You all (informal) used to go ellos/ellas iban They used to go ustedes iban You all (formal) used to go Here are some examples of the imperfect tense: Yo iba a Europa cada año. (I used to go to Europe every year.) Nosotros íbamos a Chicago. (We used to go to Chicago.) Good news! Ir is regular in the future tense, so you can apply the regular verb endings here. The Future Tense of Ir Conjugation Translation yo iré I will go tú irás You (informal) will go él/ella/ello/uno irá He/she/one will go usted irá You (formal) will go nosotros iremos We will go vosotros iréis You all (informal) will go ellos/ellas irán They will go ustedes irán You all (formal) will go The following samples put the future tense to work: Nosotros iremos a Orlando. (We will go to Orlando.) Yo iré a tu casa esta tarde. (I will go to your house this afternoon.)

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

Spanish grammar covers a lot of territory. To start writing grammatically correct sentences in the present tense, you need to know about masculine and feminine nouns, adjectives, and regular verbs in Spanish.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-14-2022

Spanish is a language that requires verb conjugation according to the person you’re speaking to and speaking about, so starting with present and past participles and the range of subject pronouns, you can talk about doing things all day long — and all day yesterday as well. In learning any language, the ABCs come in handy as does the proper form for all the questions you’ll be asking.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-04-2022

Spanish verbs are generally easier to deal with than English ones because regular Spanish verbs use consistent rules whether you’re forming simple tenses or moving into participles. To highlight the contrast, the Spanish verbs for speak, eat, and live are often used as examples of regular Spanish verbs, and there’s nothing regular about any of these verbs in English!

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-01-2022

Speaking Spanish requires you to keep tabs on all sorts of topics: essential words and phrases, basic Spanish questions, and the proper gender of articles. Plus, if you intend to travel, you want to be able to get help and give warnings in the case of an emergency. Refer to this Cheat Sheet for your Spanish essentials.

Article / Updated 01-14-2022

Spanish verbs fall into different groups, and each group is conjugated a little differently. If you’re going to master Spanish verbs like leer (to read), 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 in a sentence Spelling-changing: Has consonant-spelling changes in some forms to follow pronunciation rules Reflexive: Reflects the action back on the subject of the sentence Leer (leh-ehr) is a regular -er verb, so its conjugation is pretty straightforward. Other popular irregular Spanish verbs include ser, estar, hacer, tener. Present tense conjugation The Present Tense of Leer Conjugation Translation yo leo I read tú lees You (informal) read él/ella/ello/uno lee He/she/one reads usted lee You (formal) read nosotros leemos We read vosotros leéis You all (informal) read ellos/ellas leen They read ustedes leen You all (formal) read The following examples show you leer in action: Nosotros leemos muchas novelas en el verano. (We read many novels in the summer.) Ellas leen el periódico. (They read the newspaper.) Need to know how to conjugate leer in another tense? The following tables show you the preterit, imperfect, and future forms. Preterit tense conjugation The Preterit Tense of Leer Conjugation Translation yo leí I read tú leíste You (informal) read él/ella/ello/uno leyó He/she/one read usted leyó You (formal) read nosotros leímos We read vosotros leísteis You all (informal) read ellos/ellas leyeron They read ustedes leyeron You all (formal) read You use the preterit tense like this: Yo leí una bonita poesía ayer. (I read a nice poem yesterday.) Ellos leyeron un libro de historia. (They read a history book.) Imperfect tense conjugation The Imperfect Tense of Leer Conjugation Translation yo leía I used to read tú leías You (informal) used to read él/ella/ello/uno leía He/she/one used to read usted leía You (formal) used to read nosotros leíamos We used to read vosotros leíais You all (informal) used to read ellos/ellas leían They used to read ustedes leían You all (formal) used to read Here are some examples of the imperfect tense: Los estudiantes leían el periódico en clase todos los días. (The students used to read the newspaper in class every day.) Juana leía novelas en el verano. (Juana used to read novels in the summer.) Future tense conjugation The Future Tense of Leer Conjugation Translation yo leeré I will read tú leerás You (informal) will read él/ella/ello/uno leerá He/she/one will read usted leerá You (formal) will read nosotros leeremos We will read vosotros leeréis You all (informal) will read ellos/ellas leerán They will read ustedes leerán You all (formal) will read The following samples put the future tense to work: ¿Leerán los niños sus libros en clase? (Will the children read their books in class?) Sí. Los niños leerán sus libros, y yo leeré el periódico. (Yes. The children will read their books, and I will read the newspaper.)

Article / Updated 11-19-2021

Spanish verbs fall into different groups, and each group is conjugated a little differently. If you’re going to master Spanish verbs like dormir (to sleep), 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 in a sentence Spelling-changing: Has consonant-spelling changes in some forms to follow pronunciation rules Reflexive: Reflects the action back on the subject of the sentence Present tense conjugation In the present tense, dormir (dohr-meer) has an o-to-ue stem change in all but the nosotros and vosotros forms. Other popular irregular Spanish verbs include leer, venir, querer, ser. Here’s the present tense conjugation: The Present Tense of Dormir Conjugation Translation yo duermo I sleep tú duermes You (informal) sleep él/ella/ello/uno duerme He/she/one sleeps usted duerme You (formal) sleep nosotros dormimos We sleep vosotros dormís You all (informal) sleep ellos/ellas duermen They sleep ustedes duermen You all (formal) sleep The following examples show you dormir in action: ¿Duermes bien, José? (Do you sleep well, José?) Sí. Yo duermo bien todas las noches. (Yes. I sleep well every night.) Preterit tense conjugation In the preterit, dormir undergoes an o-to-u stem change in the third-person singular and third-person plural forms only. All the other forms conjugate normally. Take a look. The Preterit Tense of Dormir Conjugation Translation yo dormí I slept tú dormiste You (informal) slept él/ella/ello/uno durmió He/she/one slept usted durmió You (formal) slept nosotros dormimos We slept vosotros dormisteis You all (informal) slept ellos/ellas durmieron They slept ustedes durmieron You all (formal) slept You use the preterit tense like this: La profesora durmió. (The professor slept.) Cristina y María durmieron en mi casa. (Cristina and María slept in my house.) Imperfect tense conjugation You’re off the hook with the stem change in the imperfect and future forms; dormir conjugates normally in these tenses. Check out the following tables and examples. The Imperfect Tense of Dormir Conjugation Translation yo dormía I used to sleep tú dormías You (informal) used to sleep él/ella/ello/uno dormía He/she/one used to sleep usted dormía You (formal) used to sleep nosotros dormíamos We used to sleep vosotros dormíais You all (informal) used to sleep ellos/ellas dormían They used to sleep ustedes dormían You all (formal) used to sleep Here are some examples of the imperfect tense: Mi padre dormía y roncaba. (My father used to sleep and snore.) ¿Dormíais vosotros en clase? (Did you used to sleep in class?) Future tense conjugation The Future Tense of Dormir Conjugation Translation yo dormiré I will sleep tú dormirás You (informal) will sleep él/ella/ello/uno dormirá He/she/one will sleep usted dormirá You (formal) will sleep nosotros dormiramos We will sleep vosotros dormiréis You all (informal) will sleep ellos/ellas dormirán They will sleep ustedes dormirán You all (formal) will sleep The following samples put the future tense to work: ¿Dormirán ustedes junto al lago? (Will you sleep near the lake?) No. Dormiremos en la cabina. (No. We will sleep in the cabin.)

Article / Updated 10-15-2021

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 in a sentence), spelling-changing (has consonant-spelling changes in some forms to follow pronunciation rules), or reflexive (reflects the action back on the subject of the sentence). But then there are those verbs that refuse to be lumped into a category: the irregulars. Ser (sehr) (to be) is an irregular -er verb; it doesn’t follow most normal ending patterns, so your best bet is to just memorize its conjugations. Other popular irregular Spanish verbs include estar, leer, tener, querer. The present tense of ser Here is the Spanish verb ser in the present tense: Conjugation Translation yo soy I am tú eres You (informal) are él/ella/ello/uno es He/she/one is usted es You (formal) are nosotros somos We are vosotros sois You all (informal) are ellos/ellas son They are ustedes son You all (formal) are The following examples show you ser in action: La boda es el veintisiete de junio. (The wedding is the 27th of June.) Ellos son mis abuelos. (They are my grandparents.) The preterit tense of ser The following table shows you ser at work in the preterit tense. Conjugation Translation yo fui I was tú fuiste You (informal) were él/ella/ello/uno fue He/she/one was usted fue You (formal) were nosotros fuimos We were vosotros fuisteis You all (informal) were ellos/ellas fueron They were ustedes fueron You all (formal) were You use the preterit tense like this: Fuimos al baile anoche. (We went to the dance last night.) Fui a verte en tu casa. (I went to see you at your house.) Think you’ve seen these conjugations before? You probably have; it just so happens that they’re also the preterit forms of the verb ir (to go). It may be confusing, but look on the bright side: It’s one fewer set of verbs you have to memorize. The imperfect tense of ser Ser is one of only three irregular imperfect verbs. Here’s that conjugation; notice that, like regular verbs, the first-person and third-person singular forms (yo and usted) are the same. Conjugation Translation yo era I used to be tú eras You (informal) used to be él/ella/ello/uno era He/she/one used to be usted era You (formal) used to be nosotros éramos We used to be vosotros erais You all (informal) used to be ellos/ellas eran They used to be ustedes eran You all (formal) used to be Here are some examples of the imperfect tense: Eramos futbolistas. (We used to be soccer players.) Shakespeare era un gran escritor. (Shakespeare was a great writer.) The future tense of ser Good news! Ser is regular in the future tense, so you can apply the regular verb endings here. Conjugation Translation yo seré I will be tú serás You (informal) will be él/ella/ello/uno será He/she/one will be usted será You (formal) will be nosotros seremos We will be vosotros seréis You all (informal) will be ellos/ellas serán They will be ustedes serán You all (formal) will be The following samples put the future tense to work: María sera una gran bailarina. (Maria will be a great dancer.) Ustedes serán bienvenidos. (You will be welcome.)

Article / Updated 10-07-2021

Spanish verbs fall into different groups, and each group is conjugated a little differently. If you’re going to master Spanish verbs like venir (to come), 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 in a sentence Spelling-changing: Has consonant-spelling changes in some forms to follow pronunciation rules Reflexive: Reflects the action back on the subject of the sentence But then there are those verbs that refuse to be lumped into a category: the irregulars. Present tense conjugation In the present tense, venir (bvehn-eer) has an e-to-ie stem change in all but the yo, nosotros, and vosotros forms. The yo form is completely irregular. Other popular irregular Spanish verbs include: hacer, querer, venir and ser. Here’s the present tense conjugation: The Present Tense of Venir Conjugation Translation yo vengo I come tú vienes You (informal) come él/ella/ello/uno viene He/she/one comes usted viene You (formal) come nosotros venimos We come vosotros venís You all (informal) come ellos/ellas vienen They come ustedes vienen You all (formal) come The following examples show you venir in action: Rodolfo y Marisol vienen de la playa. (Rodolfo and Marisol are coming from the beach.) Yo vengo del auditorio. (I am coming from the auditorium.) Preterit tense conjugation In the preterit, venir has an irregular stem: vin-. Notice also that it doesn’t have the accent marks regular verbs use in the preterit. Take a look: The Preterit Tense of Venir Conjugation Translation yo vine I came tú viniste You (informal) came él/ella/ello/uno vino He/she/one came usted vino You (formal) came nosotros vinimos We came vosotros vinisteis You all (informal) came ellos/ellas vinieron They came ustedes vinieron You all (formal) came You use the preterit tense like this: Nosotros vinimos tarde a la fiesta. (We came to the party late.) ¿Vinieron ustedes temprano? (Did you come early?) Imperfect tense conjugation You’re off the hook with the stem change in the imperfect; venir conjugates normally in this tense. Check out the following table and examples. The Imperfect Tense of Venir Conjugation Translation yo venía I used to come tú venías You (informal) used to come él/ella/ello/uno venía He/she/one used to come usted venía You (formal) used to come nosotros veníamos We used to come vosotros veníais You all (informal) used to come ellos/ellas venían They used to come ustedes venían You all (formal) used to come Here are some examples of the imperfect tense: Veníamos al estadio por la mañana. (We used to come to the stadium in the morning.) Vine sin mi pasaporte. (I came without my passport.) Future tense conjugation Venir also has an irregular stem in the future tense: vendr-. However, it does use the normal future endings: The Future Tense of Venir Conjugation Translation yo vendré I will come tú vendrás You (informal) will come él/ella/ello/uno vendrá He/she/one will come usted vendrá You (formal) will come nosotros vendremos We will come vosotros vendréis You all (informal) will come ellos/ellas vendrán They will come ustedes vendrán You all (formal) will come The following samples put the future tense to work: Ellos vendrán a nuestra casa para la recepción. (The will come to our house for the reception.) ¿Vendrás tú con tus padres? (Will you come with your parents?)