A comprehensive Spanish grammar

681 Pages·1995·18.188 MB·English

by  Jacques de Bruyne

Blackwell Reference Grammars
General Editor: Glanville Price
The Blackwell Reference Grammars are essential companions for students of
modern languages at senior secondary school and undergraduate level. The volumes
provide a comprehensive survey of the grammar of each language and include
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Adapted, with additional material, by Christopher J. Pountain
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A Comprehensive
Spanish Grammar
Jacques De Bruyne
Adapted with additional material
by Christopher J. Pountain
Blackwell
' w j Publishing
English version © 1995 by Jacques De Bruyne and Christopher Pountain
BLACKWELL PUBLISHING
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108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK
550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
The right of Jacques De Bruyne and Christopher Pountain to be identified as the Authors
of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs,
and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.
First published in Dutch as Spaanse Spraakkunst by Uitgeverij De Sikkel, N.V. 1979
Second edition 1985
First published in English by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1995
Reprinted 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bruyne, Jacques De.
[Spaanse spraakkunst. English]
A comprehensive Spanish grammar./Jacques De Bruyne: adapted, with additional
material, by Christopher J. Pountain.
p. cm. - (Reference grammars)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-631-16803-6 (hbk) — ISBN 0-631-19087-2 (pbk)
I. Spanish language - Grammar. 1. Pountain, Christopher J.
II. Title. III. Series: Blackwell reference grammars.
PC4112.B7913 1995 94-46863
468.2’421-dc20 CIP
A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
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Contents
Foreword page xii
Abbreviations page xiv
Pronunciation
The Alphabet paragraphs 1 1
Pronunciation 2-17 2
Punctuation 18-22 20
Capital Letters 23-24 23
The Article
The Definite Article 25 25
Forms 26-28 25
Usage 29-70 28
The Indefinite Article
Forms 71-72 53
Usage 73-85 54
The Noun
Gender 86-87 64
Gender Associated with Meaning 88-100 64
Gender Associated with Ending 101-123 68
Number: Plural Formation 124-147 82
Special Cases 148-150 92
The Adjective
Agreement 151 95
Formation of the Feminine 152-160 95
Formation of the Plural 161-165 99
vi Contents
The Place of the Adjective and its Effect 166-180 101
Degrees of Comparison
The Comparative 181-184 113
The Superlative 185-189 115
Other Intensifying Elements 190-198 118
Adverbial Use of the Adjective 199-203 120
Numerals
Cardinal Numerals 204-224 124
Ordinal Numerals 225-232 133
Fractions, Multiples and Collectives 233-237 137
Personal Pronouns
Forms 238-239 141
Meaning and Usage
Subject Forms 240-263 142
Clitic Pronouns 264-283 154
Personal Pronouns after a Preposition:
Special Forms 284-289 164
Reflexive and Reciprocal Pronouns 290-297 165
Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives
Forms 298-301 169
Meaning and Use 302-313 170
Constructions Involving Demonstratives 314-319 176
Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives
Forms 320 179
Usage
Series I Forms (Adjectives) 321-328 180
Series II Forms 329-341 184
Relatives
Forms 342 190
Que, el que, etc. 343-349 190
Other Relatives 350-364 194
Interrogative and Exclamatory Pronouns and Adjectives
Forms 365-377 202
Contents vii
Indefinite Pronouns and Adjectives
Uno 378-383 207
Alguno, ninguno, alguien, algo, nadie, nada 384-429 210
Cualquiera 430-435 222
Todo 436-449 224
Más and menos 450-451 228
Mucho and poco 452-457 229
Otro 458-468 232
Demás 469-473 236
Cada 474-477 237
Bastante, demasiado, tanto, varios 478-495 239
Mismo 496-513 243
Tal 514-529 249
Fulano 530-533 252
Sendos 534-535 254
Impersonal Expressions
Introduction 536 255
Use of the Reflexive Pronoun sc 537-538 255
Use of the Third Person Plural 539-540 257
Use of a Second Person Singular 541 257
Use of the First Person Plural 542 258
Use of uno 543-544 258
El personal 545 260
The Adverb
Forms 546 261
Adverbs Derived from Adjectives 547-553 261
Adjectives as Adverbs 554-555 264
Sequences of Adverbs 559 265
Adverbs of Manner 560 267
Special Uses of some Adverbs of Manner 561-569 268
Adverbs of Degree and Quantity 570 271
Special Uses of some of these Adverbs 571-596 271
Adverbs of Time 597 280
Details of Usage of some Adverbs of Time 598-610 280
Adverbs of Place 611 285
Details of the Use of some Adverbs of Place 612-620 285
Adverbs of Confirmation and Negation 621 288
Details of the Use of some of these
Adverbs 622-630 288
viii Contents
Adverbs of Doubt 631 291
Adverbial Expressions 632-633 291
Degrees of Comparison 634-636 292
Special Constructions in Spanish 637 293
Comparative Constructions
More ... than. Less ... than 638-649 294
Comparison of Equality 650-657 299
Prepositions
A 658-664 303
Other Meanings Associated with a 665-678 309
Ante 679-683 314
Bajo 684-685 315
Cabe 686 315
Con 687-691 316
De 692-714 317
Desde 715-717 325
En 718-729 326
Entre 730-734 332
Hacia 735-736 333
Hasta 737-739 334
Para 740-752 335
Por 753-779 339
Sin 780-781 350
So 782-783 350
Sobre 784-787 351
Tras 788-789 351
Other Prepositions 790-794 352
Constructions with Verbs and Nouns
Verbs with a Dependent Infinitive
No Preposition between Verb and
Dependent Infinitive 795-801 358
Verbs Taking a with a Dependent Infinitive 802-804 364
Verbs Taking de with a Dependent Infinitive 805-808 369
Verbs Taking en with a Dependent Infinitive 809 371
Verbs Taking con with a Dependent Infinitive 810 372
Verbs Taking para with a Dependent
Infinitive 811-813 373
Contents ix
Verbs Taking por with a Dependent Infinitive 814 373
Verbs with a Dependent Gerund 815 374
Nouns with a Dependent Infinitive 816 375
Verbs with a Prepositional Object 817-822 375
Conjunctions
Forms 823 378
Details of the Use of some Conjunctions 824-856 379
The Verb: Conjugation
Differences between Peninsular and
Latin-American Spanish 857 393
Regular Verbs 858 393
Simple Tenses of the Indicative 859-868 393
Simple Tenses of the Subjunctive 869-876 395
Compound Tenses of the Indicative 877-882 397
Compound Tenses of the Subjunctive 883-885 399
Perfect Infinitive 886 400
The Imperative 887-897 400
The Gerund and Past Participle 898-902 404
Irregular Verbs 903 405
Irregular Verbs which do not Form a Class
with any Other Verb: haber, tener, ser, estar 904-914 405
Irregular Verb Types 915-934 409
Irregular Forms 935-955 422
Orthographic-changing Verbs 956-969 431
Formation of the Passive 970 435
Use of the Tenses
Present Indicative 971-977 437
Imperfect and Preterite Indicative 978-987 440
Other Uses of the Imperfect and Preterite 988-991 445
Perfect and Preterite 992-995 447
Pluperfect and Past Anterior 996-998 448
Future and Future Perfect Indicative 999-1004 449
Conditional and Conditional Perfect 1005-1013 451
Sequence of Tense with the Subjunctive 1014-1016 454
Future and Future Perfect Subjunctive 1017 458
x Contents
The Passive
The Passive Idea 1018 460
Ser + Past Participle 1019 462
Estar + Past Participle 1020-1021 463
The Reflexive 1022-1023 464
Use of the Moods
General 1024 467
Use of the Subjunctive
The Subjunctive in Independent or
Main Clauses 1025-1029 468
The Subjunctive in Subordinate Clauses 1030-1076 471
The Impersonal Forms of the Verb
Introduction 1077 498
The Infinitive 1078 498
The Infinitive as a Noun 1079-1083 499
The Infinitive as a Verb 1084-1090 503
Special Constructions 1091 506
Constructions which have the Value of a
Subordinate Clause 1092-1116 507
Infinitives with the Value of an
Independent or Coordinate Clause 1117-1121 517
Use of the Infinitive as an Imperative 1122-1136 519
The Gerund 1137-1156 523
Special Constructions 1157-1174 534
The Past Participle 1175-1188 544
The Past Participle with haber 1189-1195 552
Ser as an Auxiliary 1196 554
(Semi-) Auxiliary + Past Participle 1197-1211 555
The Past Participle Without
an Auxiliary Verb 1212-1229 562
Suffixes with Past Participles 1230 569
Special Problems with Spanish Verbs
Ser and estar 1231-1232 570
The Basic Meanings and Functions of ser 1233-1238 571
The Basic Meanings and Functions of estar 1239-1255 573
Haber 1256-1262 582
Contents xi
The Expression of Becoming’ 1263-1269 586
Deber 1270-1272 591
Poder 1273-1275 594
Subject-Verb Concord
General Rule 1276-1278 597
Special Cases 1279-1290 598
Syntax of Negative Elements
General 1291-1292 604
Other Negative Elements 1293 605
Other Negative Contexts 1294-1298 605
Word Order
Introduction 1299-1300 608
Declarative Sentences 1301 608
Unmarked Word Order 1302-1303 609
Marked Word Order 1304-1312 612
Interrogative Sentences 1313-1317 617
Set Expressions 1318 619
Affective Suffixes
General 1319 620
Forms 1320-1324 620
Meaning 1325-1328 626
Social Contexts in which Diminutive
Suffixes are Used 1329-1332 630
Notes page 632
Bibliography page 652
Word Index page 669