Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Grammar
Note: Before heading to the tutorial I would recommend to download any online
dictionary which could easily translate the words coming in your mind in
Spanish which will help learning the new words which are not provided in
this tutorial, if you have one so thats good if not then Ill personally prefer
BabelFish dictionary which is free so you dont need to buy it. The
download link is provided below:
Buenas tardes!
bway-nahs tard-ays
Good afternoon!
Buenas noches!
bway-nahs noh-chays
Good evening! / Good
night!
Hola! / Chao!
oh-lah / chow
Hi! / Bye!
Adis.
ah-dee-ohs
Good bye.
Por favor.
por fah-bor
Please.
Hasta pronto.
ah-stah prohn-toh
See you soon.
Hasta maana.
ah-stah mahn-yahn-ah
See you tomorrow.
(Muchas) Gracias.
(moo-chahs) grah-see-ahs
Thank you (very much).
De nada.
day nah-dah
You're welcome.
Bienvenidos
byen-veh-nee-dohs
Welcome
Lo siento
loh see-ehn-toh
I'm sorry
Vamos!
bah-mohs
Let's go!
Cmo ests?
koh-moh ay-stahs
How are you? (informal)
Qu tal?
kay tahl
How's it going?
S / No
see / noh
Yes / No
Cmo te llamas?
koh-moh tay yah-mahs
What is your name?
(informal)
Me llamo... / Mi nombre
es...
may yah-moh / mee nohmbreh ess
My name is...
Igualmente.
ee-guahl-mehn-tay
Same here. / Same to you.
De dnde es usted?
day dohn-day ehs oo-sted
Where are you from?
(formal)
De dnde eres?
day dohn-day eh-rehs
Where are you from?
(informal)
Yo soy de...
yoh soy day
I'm from...
Hablas ingls?
ah-blahs een-glehs
Do you speak English?
(informal)
(No) Hablo...
noh ah-bloh
I (don't) speak...
Entiende usted? /
Entiendes?
ehn-tyen-deh oo-sted / ehntyen-dehs
Do you understand? (formal /
informal)
(No) Entiendo.
noh ehn-tyen-doh
I (don't) understand.
Puede ayudarme?
pweh-deh ah-yoo-dar-meh
Can you help me? (formal)
Cmo?
koh-moh
What? Pardon me?
Aqu / Ah
ah-kee / ah-ee
Hay / Haba...
eye / ah-bee-ah
Here / There
Qu es esto?
keh ehs ehs-toh
What is that?
Qu te pasa?
keh teh pah-sah
What's the matter (with
you)?
No importa.
noh eem-por-tah
It doesn't matter.
Qu pasa?
keh pah-sah
What's happening?
Sin novedad.
seen noh-veh-dahd
Nothing much.
Buena idea!
bweh-nah ee-deh-ah
Good idea!
Pase!
pah-seh
Go ahead!
Estoy aburrido.
eh-stoy ah-boo-ree-doh
I'm bored.
No me importa.
noh meh eem-por-tah
I don't care.
No se preocupe.
noh seh preh-oh-koo-peh
Don't worry
Est bien.
ehs-tah bee-ehn
That's alright. / It's ok.
Me olvid.
meh ohl-vee-deh
I forgot.
Listo?
lees-toh
Ready?
Quizs / Depende.
kee-sahs / deh-pehn-deh
Maybe / It depends.
Todava no.
toh-dah-vee-ah noh
Not yet.
Qu chistoso!
keh chees-toh-soh
How funny!
Nos vemos!
nohs veh-mos
We'll see you!
Salud!
sah-lood
Bless you!
Felicitaciones!
feh-lee-see-tah-see-oh-nehs
Congratulations!
Buena suerte!
bweh-nah swehr-teh
Good luck!
Te toca a ti.
teh toh-kah ah tee
Callate!
kah-yah-teh
Te amo.
tay ah-moh
Shut up!
Notice that Spanish has informal and formal ways of speaking. This is because there is
more than one meaning to "you" in Spanish (as well as in many other languages.) The
informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The
formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone
for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.)
Encantado, cansado, enfermo, and aburrido are the masculine forms of the words. If
the words refer to a woman or are spoken by a woman, then the final o changes to a:
encantada, cansada, enferma, and aburrida
In Spain, as well as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela,
the Spanish language is called castellano instead of espaol.
2. Pronunciation
Spanish Letter English Sound
a
ah
e
ay
i
ee
o
oh
u
oo
ll
y
v
b at beginning of word, real soft b between 2 vowels
ny (as in canyon)
r
almost like a d when in between 2 vowels
rr
r with a roll of the tongue
d
almost like a th when in between 2 vowels
j
hard h
g
g, sometimes a h
qu
k
ai / all / ay
eye
z
s
z, ce, ci
th (in northern Spain only)
The five vowels in Spanish are all pure vowels: [a], [e], [i], [o], [u] Be sure that you do
not pronounce a diphthong as we do in English (the extra yuh or wuh sound at the end).
Stress: Just as in English, Spanish stresses a certain syllable in a word. If a word ends in
a consonant, except s or n, the stress is on the last syllable. If a word ends in a vowel, or s
or n, the stress is on the second-to-last syllable. For words that do no follow these rules,
an accent is written over the vowel so that you will know to stress that syllable, as in el
pjaro (bird).
Please keep in mind that because Spanish is spoken in many countries, there are several
regional dialects and accents so pronunciation rules may not apply to all countries. This
tutorial is mostly concerned with thelanguage that is spoken in Mexico and Spain.
3. Alphabet
ah
hoh-tah
bay
kah
rr airr-ay
say
ay-lay
ay-say
ch chay
ll
ay-yay
tay
day
m ay-may
oo
ay
ay-nay
bay chee-kah
ay-fay
ayn-yay w
vay doh-blay
hey
oh
ah-kees
ah-chay p
pay
ee-gree-ay-gah
ee
koo
say-tah
air-ay
The Spanish language academy no longer considers the ch, ll or rr to be separate letters in
dictionaries, but they are still separate letters in the alphabet. In Spain, you can say oobay for v, but in Latin America most dialects just use bay and an adjective, such as chica
(Mexico and Peru) or corta (Argentina and Chile).
the
Masc.
Singular
Fem.
Singular
el (ail)
la (lah)
the
una (oon-
a, an un (oon)
las (lahs)
ah)
ohs)
ahs)
this este
esta
these estos
estas
that ese
esa
those esos
esas
that aquel
aquella
those aquellos
aquellas
El is also used with feminine nouns beginning with a or ha when the accent is on the first
syllable. Words that end in -o and -or are generally masculine, with a few exceptions: la
mano (hand), la foto (photo). Words that end in -a are generally feminine, with a few
exceptions: el mapa (map), el problema (problem). Other feminine words end in -cin,
-tad, -dad, or -tud.
Use the ese forms to mean that when what you are talking about is near the person you
are addressing. Use the aquel forms when what you are talking about is far from both
you and the person you are addressing. Esto and eso are the neuter forms of this and that.
They can be used in general and abstract ways. Demonstrative adjectives (listed above)
are used before a noun; if you want to use the demonstrative pronouns, which are used
before a verb, add an accent on all of the first e's: ste, sta, stos, stas, se, sa, sos,
sas, aqul, aqulla, aqullos, aqullas.
5. Subject Pronouns
noh-sohtrohs / nohsoh-trahs
boh-sohvosotros /
t
too
you (informal)
trohs / bohvosotras
soh-trahs
ail / ayay-yohs / ayl / ella /
he / she / it / ellos / ellas /
yah / ooyahs / oousted
you (formal) ustedes
sted
sted-ays
yo
yoh
nosotros /
nosotras
we
you all
they / they /
you (plural)
Vosotros is used only in Spain when speaking to more than one person with whom you
know well. Nosotras and vosotras refer to a group of all females, as well as ellas.
Ustedes is almost always used for saying "you all" in all Spanish speaking countries.
Usted can be abbreviated to Ud. Ustedes can also be abbreviated to Uds. Please note that
the subject pronouns are rarely used before verbs.
6. To Be & to Have
ser - to be
present
soy
I am
eres
you are
es
he/she/it is
somos we are
sois
you are
son
they are
past
fu
I was
fuiste
you were
fu
he/she/it was
fuimos
we were
fuisteis
you were
fueron
they were
estar - to be
present
past
estoy
I am
estuve
I was
ests
you are
estuviste you were
est
he/she/it is estuvo
he/she/it was
estamos we are
estuvimos we were
estis
you are
estuvisteis you were
estn
they are
estuvieron they were
tener - to have
present
past
tengo
I have
tuve
I had
tienes you have
tuviste
you had
tiene
he/she/it has tuvo
he/she/it had
tenemos we have
tuvimos we had
tenis you have
tuvisteis you had
tienen they have tuvieron they had
ser
sers
ser
seremos
seris
sern
future
I will be
you will be
he/she/it will be
we will be
you will be
they will be
future
estar
I will be
estars
you will be
estar
he/she/it will be
estaremos we will be
estaris
you will be
estarn
they will be
future
tendr
I will have
tendrs
you will have
tendr
he/she/it will have
tendremos we will have
tendris you will have
tendrn they will have
El edificio es un templo.
La casa es grande.
Carlos es pobre.
Es carpintero.
Son las tres.
Los libros son de Juan.
Es necesario.
El telfono fue inventado por
Bell.
Uses of Estar
Location/position
Temporary condition/state
State of health
Form progressive tense
Sometimes changing the verb can completely change the meaning: ser aburrido means
to be boring, while estar aburrido means to be bored. Others include: ser bueno - to be
nice, estar bueno - to be in good health; ser callado - to be discrete, estar callado - to be
silent; ser moreno - to have brown hair, estar moreno - to be tan.
Many common expressions using the verb "be" in English use the verb "tener" in Spanish
(but not all):
to be afraid
tener miedo
to be in a hurry
to be against
estar en contra
to be jealous
tener celos
to be at fault
tener la culpa
to be lucky
tener suerte
to be careful
tener cuidado
to be patient
tener paciencia
to be cold
tener fro
to be sleepy
tener sueo
to be successful
tener xito
tener sed
to be hot
tener calor
to be tired
estar cansado/a
to be hungry
tener hambre
7. Question Words
what
qu
which
who
quin(es)
how
cmo
when
cundo
whom
a quin(es)
whose
de quin(es)
where dnde
why
por qu
cul(es)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1000
cero
uno
dos
tres
cuatro
cinco
seis
siete
ocho
nueve
diez
once
doce
trece
catorce
quince
diez y seis
diez y siete
diez y ocho
diez y nueve
veinte
veinte y uno
veinte y dos
treinta
cuarenta
cincuenta
sesenta
setenta
ochenta
noventa
cien(to)
mil
say-roh
oo-noh
dohs
trays
kuah-troh
seen-koh
says
see-ay-tay
oh-choh
new-ay-vay
dee-ays
ohn-say
doh-say
tray-say
kah-tor-say
keen-say
dee-ays ee says
dee-ays ee see-ay-tay
dee-ays ee oh-choh
dee-ays ee new-ay-vay
bayn-tay
bayn-tay ee oo-noh
bayn-tay ee dohs
trayn-tah
kuar-ain-tah
seen-kuain-tah
say-sain-tah
say-tain-tah
oh-chain-tah
noh-bain-tah
see-ain-(toh)
meel
first
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
eighth
ninth
tenth
eleventh
twelfth
thirteenth
fourteenth
fifteenth
sixteenth
seventeenth
eighteenth
nineteenth
twentieth
twenty-first
twenty-second
thirtieth
fortieth
fiftieth
sixtieth
seventieth
eightieth
ninetieth
hundredth
thousandth
primero
segundo
tercero
cuarto
quinto
sexto
sptimo
octavo
noveno
dcimo
undcimo
duodcimo
dcimo tercero
dcimo cuarto
dcimo quinto
dcimo sexto
dcimo sptimo
dcimo octavo
dcimo noveno
vigsimo
vigsimo primero
vigsimo segundo
trigsimo
cuadragsimo
quincuagsimo
sexagsimo
septuagsimo
octogsimo
nonagsimo
centsimo
milsimo
If you are just saying 100, you use cien. If it's over 100, you use ciento. So 101 is ciento
uno and 156 would be ciento cincuenta y seis. Also you can use diecisis, diecisiete,
dieciocho, and diecinueve for 16, 17, 18, and 19, respectively. They are pronounced the
same but are combined into one word. Additionally, 21-29 can be written as one word
(veintiuno, veintids, veintitrs, etc.), but you need to use y for the rest of the numbers.
Primero and tercero drop the final -o when used directly before a noun.
lunes
loo-nays
Tuesday
martes
mar-tays
Wednesday
mircoles
mee-air-coh-lays
Thursday
jueves
hway-bays
Friday
viernes
bee-air-nays
Saturday
sbado
sah-bah-doh
Sunday
domingo
doh-ming-oh
day
el da
dee-ah
week
la semana
say-mahn-ah
weekend
el fin de semana
today
hoy
oy
tonight
esta noche
es-tah noh-chay
last night
anoche
ah-noh-chay
yesterday
ayer
eye-yair
tomorrow
maana
mahn-yahn-ah
my birthday
mi cumpleaos
mee coom-play-ahn-yohs
next
last
pasado / pasada
pah-sah-doh / dah
ahn-teh-eye-yair
pasado maana
pah-sah-doh mahn-yahn-ah
el da siguiente
dee-ah see-gwee-ehn-teh
la vspera
vees-peh-rah
Days of the week are all masculine in gender and they are not capitalized in writing. The
definite article is not used after the verb ser, but at all other times it is required and there
is slight change in meaning if it is singular or plural: el lunes = on Monday but los lunes
= on Mondays
enero
ay-nair-oh
February
febrero
fay-bray-roh
March
marzo
mar-soh
April
abril
ah-breel
May
mayo
mi-oh
June
junio
hoo-nee-oh
July
julio
hoo-lee-oh
August
agosto
ah-gohs-toh
September
septiembre
sayp-tee-aim-bray
October
octubre
ohk-too-bray
November
noviembre
noh-bee-aim-bray
December
diciembre
dee-see-aim-bray
month
el mes
mais
el ao
ahn-yoh
decade
la dcada
deh-kah-dah
century
el siglo
see-gloh
millennium
el milenio
mee-leh-nee-oh
The preposition en is used with months: en abril = in April. Also notice that primero is
used for the first of the month, but the rest of the days are referred to using the regular
cardinal numbers: el primero de junio but el dos de julio. Months of the year are also all
masculine and not capitalized in writing.
Cual es la fecha de hoy? What is today's date?
Hoy es el primero de agosto. Today is August 1st.
11. Seasons
spring
la primavera
in spring
en primavera
summer el verano
in summer en verano
winter
in winter
el invierno
autumn el otoo
in autumn en otoo
12. Directions
to the right
en invierno
a la derecha
to the left
a la izquierda
straight ahead
todo derecho
north el norte
northeast el noreste
south el sur
northwest el noroeste
east
southeast el sureste
el este
west el oeste
southwest el suroeste
rojo / roja
circle
el crculo
pink
rosado / rosada
square
el cuadrado
orange
anaranjado /
anaranjada
rectangle
el rectngulo
yellow
amarillo / amarilla
triangle
el tringulo
green
verde
oval
el valo
blue
azul
cube
el cubo
light blue
celeste
sphere
la esfera
purple
morado / morada
cylinder
el cilindro
violet
violeta
cone
el cono
brown
marrn
octagon
el octgono
black
negro / negra
box
la caja
gray
gris
pyramid
la pirmide
white
blanco / blanca
golden
dorado / dorada
dark
oscuro / oscura
silver
plateado / plateada
light
claro / clara
All adjectives in Spanish are placed after the noun that they describe and they agree in
gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun. Notice
that some colors do not change for gender (marrn) or number (gris). To change an
adjective to the feminine form, you usually just change the final -o to -a. To make an
adjective plural, simply add an -s.
a red house = una casa roja
14. Time
Qu hora es?
Es la una.
It's one.
It's two/three/four...
Es medioda.
It's noon.
Es medianoche.
It's midnight.
It's 5:05
It's 8:15
It's 9:45
It's 8:50
It's 3:30
de la maana
in the morning / AM
de la tarde
in the afternoon / PM
de la noche
in the evening / PM
en punto
exactly / sharp
A qu hora?
At what time?
15. Weather
Qu tiempo hace?
Hace fro.
It's cold.
Hace calor.
It's hot.
Hace sol.
It's sunny.
Hace viento.
It's windy.
Hace fresco.
It's chilly.
Est nublado.
It's cloudy.
Hay niebla.
It's foggy.
Hay neblina.
It's misty.
Hay humedad.
It's humid.
Hay granizo.
It's hailing.
Llueve.
It's raining.
Nieva.
It's snowing.
Truena.
It's thundering.
Llovizna.
It's sprinkling.
at, to
al lado de
con
with
alrededor de around
16. Prepositions
beside, alongside of
contra against
cerca de
near, close to
de
of, from
lejos de
far from
en
in, on
delante de
in front of
entre
between, among
debajo de
below, under
hacia
towards, about
en frente de opposite
para
for, in order, by
detrs de
behind
por
encima de
above, on top of
sobre
on, over
hasta
till, until
sin
without
desde
from, since
There are two prepositional contractions with definite articles. A and el combine to form
al, and de and el combine to form del.
la familia
grandfather
el abuelo
baby
parents
los padres
grandmother
la abuela
teenager
grandparents
los abuelos
boy
el nio
grandson
el nieto
girl
la nia
boys &
girls
los nios
husband
wife
el marido / el
esposo
la mujer / la
esposa
la madre /
mam
el hijo
la hija
los hijos
el hermano
el beb
el
adolescente
grandchildren
los nietos
man
el hombre
uncle
aunt
aunts & uncles
nephew
el to
la ta
los tios
el sobrino
woman
adult
twins (m)
twins (f)
la mujer
el adulto
los gemelos
las gemelas
sister
brothers &
sisters
only child
(m)
only child
(f)
la hermana
niece
nieces &
nephews
la sobrina
dog
el perro
los sobrinos
cat
el gato
el hijo nico
cousin (m)
el primo
bird
el pjaro
la hija nica
cousin (f)
la prima
fish
el pez
kid / boy
el muchacho
cousins
los primos
gold fish
la muchacha
el medio
half-brother
hermano
la media
half-sister
hermana
relatives
los parientes
horse
la carpa
dorada
el caballo
stepfather
el padastro
goat
la cabra
stepmother
la madrastra
pig
el cerdo
father-in-law el suegro
stepbrother
cow
la vaca
rabbit
el conejo
los hermanos
kid / girl
mother-inlaw
brother-inlaw
sister-in-law
son-in-law
daughter-inlaw
el
hermanastro
la
hermanastra
la suegra
stepsister
el cuado
stepson
el hijastro
turtle
la tortuga
la cuada
el yerno
stepdaughter
godfather
la hijastra
el padrino
mouse
deer
el ratn
el ciervo
la nuera
godmother
la madrina
duck
el pato
Initial Forms
singular
plural
my
mi
mis
your
tu
tus
your/his/her/its su
sus
nuestro /
nuestros /
our
nuestra
nuestras
vuestro /
vuestros /
your
vuestra
vuestras
your/their
su
sus
Terminal Forms
singular
plural
mo / ma
mos / mas
tuyo / tuya
tuyos / tuyas
suyo / suya
suyos / suyas
nuestro /
nuestros /
nuestra
nuestras
vuestro /
vuestros /
vuestra
vuestras
suyo / suya
suyos / suyas
Remember that vuestro forms are only used in Spain (just as the vosotros subject
pronoun & verb conjugations are only used in Spain).
Because su and sus can have so many meanings, the definite article may be used instead
of su with these expressions following the noun: de Ud., de l, de ella, de Uds., de ellos
and de ellas.
los libros de ellos their books
The terminal forms are placed after the noun, and the noun must be preceded by the
definite article, except in direct address. When used with the indefinite article, it
corresponds to the English "of mine, of yours," etc.
el libro mo my book
Qu haces, hijo mo? What are you doing, my son?
un amigo mo a friend of mine