Table Of Content

o"". tt .." Collins Collins Spanish Crammar Harpercollins Publishers When you buy a Collins dictionary westerhill Road or thesaunrs and register on Bishopbriggs www.collinslanguage.com for the free CONTENTS clasgow online and digital services, you will not c64 2qT be charged by HarperCollins for access to Creat Britain Collins free online Dictionary content or Foreword for language teachers Collins free Online Thesaurus content on First Edition 2004 that website. However, your operator's lntroduction for students vi charges for using the intemet on your Reprint u 11 l.o 9 8 computer will apply. Costs vary from Glossary of grammar terms VIII o HarperCollins Publishers zoo4 roepseproantosri btloe ofpoer raantoy rc. hHaargrpese rlceovlileinds b yis onnolitne Nouns 1 service providers for accessing Collins free Using nouns 1 rsBN 978-o-oo -7 L96 4s-6 Online Dictionary or Collins free Oniine Cender 2 Ttresaurus on www.collinslanguage.com Forming plurals 7 Collins@ and Bank ofEnglish@ are using these seryices. registered trademarks of Articles 10 HarperCollins Publishers Limited HarperCollins does not warrant that Different types of article 10 the functions contained in www.collinslanguage.com www.collinslanguage.com content The definite article: el, la, los and las 11 will be uninterrupted or error free, The indefinite article: un, una, unos and unas 15 A catalogue record for this book is available that defects will be corrected, or that The article lo 17 from the British library www.collinslanguage.com or the server that makes it avaiiable are free ofviruses Adjectives 19 Typeset by Davidson Pre-Press, Clasgow or bugs. HarperCollins is not responsible Using adjectives 19 for any access difficulties that may be Making adjectives agree 20 Printed in Italy by experienced due to problems with network, Rotolito Lombarda SpA web, online or mobile phone connections. Word order with adjectives 24 Comparatives and superlatives of adjectives 26 Acknowledgements LPoUmBLaISKHnIiNgCh tDIRECTOR Demonstrative adjectives 30 we would Iike to thank those authors and Interrogative adjectives 32 publishers who kindly gave permission for EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Adlectives used in exclamations 34 WcooprydrWigehbt . mWaete wrioaul ltdo baels ou sleikde into tthhea CnkoIIins Michela clari Possessive adjectives (1 ) 35 Times Newspapers Ltd for providing MANAGING EDITOR Possessive adjectives (2) 37 valuable data. Maree Airlie Indefinite adlectives 39 All rights reserved. No part of this CONTRIBUTORS Pronouns 41 publication may be reproduced, stored in Cordelia Lilly Personal pronouns: subject 42 a retrieval system or transmitted, in any Jos6 Maria Ruiz Vaca Personal pronouns: direct object 46 form or by any means, electronic, Femando Le6n Solis mechanical, photocopying, recording or WendyLee Personal pronouns: indirect object 49 otherwise, without the pdor permission Di Larkin Order of object pronouns 52 of the publisher. This book is sold subject Jeremy Butterfield Further information on object pronouns 53 to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired We would like to give special thanks to Prohouns after prepositions 54 out or otherwise circulated without the Di Larkin, Foreign Languages Consultant, Possessive pronouns 56 publisher's prior consent in any form of and Irene Muir, Faculty Head, Belmont Indefinite pronouns 58 biti nisd pinugb liosrh ceodv earn odt hweirt hthoaunt ath saitm inila wrhich Hteoaucshein Sgc hporaolc, tifcoer ainll ttohdeairy 'sa dcvliacses roonom. Relative pronouns 61 condition including this condition being Their contributions have been invaluable Interrogative pronouns 65 imposed on the subsequent purchaser. in the writing of this book. Demonstrative pronouns 67 Entered words that we have reason to Verbs 69 believe constitute trademarks have been Overview of verbs 69 designated as such. However, neither the The oresent tenses 71 presence nor absence of such designation should be regarded as affecting the legal The present simple tense 72 status of anv trademark. ser and estar 80 The present continuous tense 84 The imperative 85 FOREWORD FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS Reflexive verbs 91 The future tense 97 The conditional 100 The preterite 104 The Eosy Leorning Spanish Grammqris designed to be used with both young The imoerfect tense 110 and adult learners, as a group reference book to complement your course The perfect tense 11s book during classes, or as a recommended text for self-study and The pluperfect or past perfect tense 119 homework/coursework. The passive 122 The text specifically targets learners from sb initio to intermediate or CCSE The gerund 125 level, and therefore its structural content and vocabulary have been matched lmpersonal verbs 129 to the relevant specifications up to and including Higher GCSE. The subjunctive 134 The infinitive 144 The approach aims to develop knowledge and understanding of grammar and Prepositions after verbs 150 your learners' ability to apply it by: Verbal ldioms 154 o defining parts of speech at the start of each major section with Negatives 157 examples in English to clarify concepts r Questions 160 minimizing the use of grammar terminology and providing clear Asking questions in Spanish 160 explanations of terms both within the text and in the Glossary Adverbs 166 o illustrating points with examples (and their translations) based on How adverbs are used 166 topics and contexts which are relevant to beginner and intermediate How adverbs are formed 166 course content Comparatives and superlatives of adverbs 169 The text helps you develop positive attitudes to grammar learning in your Common adverbs 171 Position of adverbs 177 classes by: Prepositions 178 o giving clear, easy-to-follow explanations Using prepositions 178 r prioritizing content according to relevant specifications for the levels a, de, en, para and por 180 . sequencing points to reflect course content, e.g. verb tenses Some other common prepositions 188 o highlighting useful Tips to deal with common difficulties Conjunctions 192 Y, O, pero, porque and si 192 . summarizing Key points at the end of sections to consolidate Some other common conjunctions 194 learning Split conjunctions 195 In addition to fostering success and building a thorough foundation in Spanish Spelling 196 grammar, the optional Grammar Extra sections will encourage and challenge Stress 200 your learners to further their studies to higher and advanced levels. Numbers 206 Time and date 209 Main index 2"t2 Verb tables t-84 Verb index 85-91 The alphabet 92 Note on trademarks Entered words which we have reason to believe constitute trademarks have been designated as such. However, neither the presence nor the absence of such designation should be regarded as affecting the legal status of any trademark. INTRODUCTION FOR STUDENTS Ttp Don't forget to use personal a before indefinite pronouns Whether you are starting to learn Spanish for the very first time, brushing up referring to people when they are the object of a verb. on topics you have studied in class, or revising for your CCSE exams, the Eosy aViste a alguien? Did you see anybody? Leorning Spanish Crqmmar is here to help. This easy-to-use guide takes you No vi a nadie. I didn't see anybody. through all the basics you will need to speak and understand modern, everyday Spanish. Newcomers can sometimes struggle with the technical terms they come across Key points sum up all the important facts about a particular area of grammar, when they start to explore the grammar of a new language. fhe Easy Learning to save you time when you are revising and help you focus on the main Spanish Crommqr explains how to get to grips with all the parts of speech you grammatical points. will need to know, using simple language and cutting out iargon. The text is divided into sections, each dealing with a particular area of Key points grammar. Each section can be studied individually, as numerous cross- y' tike other adjectives, Spanish indefinite adjectives (such as references in the text guide you to relevant points in other sections of the otro and todo), must agree with what they describe. book for further information. ( _ They go before the noun to which they relate. Every major section begins with an explanation of the area of grammar covered on the following pages. For quick reference, these definitions are also collected together on pages viii-xii in a glossary of essential grammar terms. lf you think you would like to continue with your Spanish studies to a higher level, check out the Grammar Extra sections. These are intended for advanced students who are interested in knowing a little more about the structures they What is a verb? will come across beyond CCSE. A verb is a 'doing' word which describes what someone or something does, what someone or something is, or what happens to them, for example, be, sing, live. Grammar Extra! por is often combined with other Spanish prepositions and words, usually to Each grammar point in the text is followed by simple examples of real Spanish, show movement. complete with English translations, helping you understand the rules. Salt6 por encima de la mesa. She jumped over the table. Underlining has been used in examples throughout the text to highlight the Nadamos por debaio del puente. We swam under the bridge. grammatical point being explained. Pasaron por delante de Coneos. They went past the post office. ) In orders and instructions telling someone TO DO something, the pronoun joins onto the end of the verb to form one word. Finally, the supplement at the end of the book contains Verb Tables, where 83 important Spanish verbs (both regular and irregular) are conjugated in full. Ayudame. Help me. Examples show you how to use these verbs in your own work. lf you are Acomp6fianos. Come with us. unsure how a verb is conjugated in Spanish, you can look up the Verb Index on pages 85-9'l to find a cross-reference to a model verb. In Spanish, as with any foreign language, there are certain pitfalls which have to be avoided. Tips and Information notes throughout the text are useful We hope that you will enjoy using the Easy Leorning Sponish Crqmmor and find reminders of the things that often trip learners up. it useful in the course of your studies. GLOSSARY OF GRAMMAR TERMS phrases of a similar type or two parts for example, Wow!; How dore you!; of a sentence, for example, Diane and Whqt a surprise! I have been friends for years; I left FEMININE a form of noun, pronoun ABSTRACT NOUN a word used to refer BASE FORM the form of the verb because I wos bored. or adjective that is used to refer to a to a quality, idea, feeling or experience, without any endings added to it, for CONSONANT a letter that isn't a living being, thing or idea that is not rather than a physical object, for example, walk, hove, be, go. vowef, for example, b, f, m, s, v and so classed as masculine. exampfe, size, reoson, happiness. CARDINAL NUMBER a number used on. Compare with vowel. FUTURE a verb tense used to talk Compare with concrete noun. in counting, for example, one, seven, CONTINUOUS TENSE a verb tense about something that will happen or ACTIVE a form of the verb that is used ninety. Compare with ordinal number. formed using to be and the -lng form will be true. when the sublect of the verb is the CLAUSE a group of words containing of the main verb, for example, They're GENDER whether a noun, pronoun person or thing doing the action, for a verb. swimming (present continuous); or adjective is feminine or masculine. wexitahm ppales,s iIv ew.rote o letter. Compare wCOithM P-eAr RoAnT tIhVeE eannd aodfj eitc toivr em oorr ea dovre lrebss DHEe FwINosIT eEo tAinRgT (ICpaLsEt cthoen twinourodu sth).e. GenEdRinUgN iDn a-i nvge,r bfo fro remxa minp Elen,g leisohting, ADTECTIVE a 'describing'word that in front of it that is used to compare Compare with indefinite article. sleeping. tells you more about a person or people, things or actions, for example, DEMONSTRATIVE ADf ECTIVE one thing, such as their appearance, slower, less important, more corefully. of the words this, thot, these and those wIMhPeEnR gAiTvIinVgE othrdee rfso ramn do fi nas tvreurcbti ounsse,d colour, size or other qualities, for COMPOUND NOUN a word for a used with a noun to refer to particular for example, Shut the door!; Sit down!; example, pretty, blue, big. living being, thing or idea, which is peope or things, for example, this Don't go!; Let's eat. ADVERB a word usually used with made up of.two or more words, for women. thot doa. verbs, adjectives or other adverbs that example, tin-opener, roilwoy stotion. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN one IuMsePdE RtoF EtaClkT aobnoeu ot ft hthee pvaesrbt etesnpseecsially gives more information about when, CONCRETE NOUN a word that refers of the words this, thot, these and those in descriptions, and to say what was where, how or in what circumstances to an object you can touch with your used instead of a noun to point out happening or used to happen, for something happens or to what degree hand, rather than to a quality or idea, people or things, for example, Ihot example, It wos sunny of the weekend; shoomppeiltyh, inngo wis, etrxutree,m foelry ,e xvaermy,ple, quickly, fCoor mexpaamrep wlei,t hb ioallb, smtraapc, t onpopluens.. DIoIoRkEs CfuTn .OBfECT a noun or pronoun uWsee dw teor ew laivlikn gto ins cShpoaoiln. Coot mthpea triem eto; I AGREE (to) in the case of adjectives CONDITIONAL a verb form used to used with verbs to show who or what preterite. wanodr dp reonndoinugh so, rt ofo hrmav ea ctchoer dcionrgre tcot toarl kw aobuoldu t bteh itnruges tuhnadte wr oceurldta ihnappen iisn aHcete wdr ootne bqy l ethttee r vaenrbd . HFeo rw eroxtaem mplee ,o IsMuPbjEeRctS iOs NitA, Lb uVt EwRhBe rae vthereb itw dhooesse whether what is referred to is conditions, for example, I would help Ietter, Ietter is the direct object. not refer to any specific thing, for you if I could. lt is also used to say Compare indirect object. wcimnah artisrhcycehiun lcgigna oesoe,e us f toew ftm hivtehien riabtnhcseet,, i o tpsonei. nrhgsaouvnlea rot hor ert hpfiolnurgmral; wdeCxihOfafaeNmtr IepyUnloeGtu, A e CwnTodEouiu nl(dlgtd osy ) oli akutceo cg ooigvrrievd n eimne gaee d vtt,hoe efrob brill? DstuhusIeRceh dEp CeainrsTss omtOeneaB ,dTo hEro iCmtfh Ta,i n PungsRo aumOnnNod sOt ott hU desNimtrae nacw dtwlhy ioincr hdfo irs IgepNxerDoaouEmppFlpe If NoeofI, rT a lEttdh' sjie nArcgDatisivTn eEiinsnC g Tau;I sVgletEe'sd n o1teo0nr a etola 'ocwlklfoa caayk, b.somuatll APOSTROPHE s an ending ('s) added whether you are referring lo l, you, affected by the action expressed by without saying who or what they are, to a noun to show who or what they and so on, and according to the verb. Compare with indirect for example, severol, oll, every. someone or something belongs to, for whether you are referring to the object pronoun. INDEFINITE ARTICLE the words o and example, Donielle's dog, the doctor's present, past or future, for example, / ENDING a form added to a verb, for on. Compare with definite article. wife, the book's cover. hove, she had, they will hove. example, go -> goe; and to INDICATIVE ordinary verb forms that ART|CIE a word like the, o and an, CONTUGATION a group of verbs adjectives and nouns depending on aren't subjunctive, such as the present, which is used in front of a noun. See which have the same endings as each whether they refer to masculine, preterite or future. Compare with also definite article indefinite article. other or change accifding to the feminine, singular or plural things. subjunctive. AUXILIARY VERB a verb such as be, same pattern. EXCLAMATION a word, phrase or INDEFINITE PRONOUN a small group hove or do used with a main verb to CONfUNCTION a word such as ond, sentence that you use to show you are of pronouns such as everything, nobody form tenses, negatives and questions. because or but that links two words or surprised, shocked, angry and so on, and something, which are used to refer to people or things in a general way, example, to sleep, to rise, to swim, ORDINAL NUMBER a number used to POSSESSIVE ADIECTIVE one of the without saying exactly who or what Compare with transitive verb. indicate where something comes in an words my, your, his, her, its, our or they are. INVARIABLE used to describe a form order or sequence, for example, first, their, used with a noun to show who INDIRECT OBf ECT a noun or pronoun which does not change. fifth, sixteenth. Compare with cardinal it belongs to. number. used with verbs to show who benefits IRREGULAR VERB a verb whose forms PO55E55|VE PRONOUN one of the or is harmed by an action. For PART OF SPEECH a word class, for words mine, yours, hers, his, ours or do not follow a general pattern. example, in I gove the carrot to the example, noLtn, verb, odjective, theirs, used instead of a noun to show Compare with regular verb. robbit, the rqbbit is the indirect object preposition, pronoun. who something belongs to. and the carrotis the direct object. MASCULINE a form of noun, pronoun PASSIVE a form of the verb that is PREPOSITION is a word such as of, Compare with direct object. or adjective that is used to refer to a used when the subject of the verb is for, with, into or from, which is usually TNDTRECT OB'ECT PRONOUN a living being, thing or idea that is not the person or thing that is affected by followed by a noun, pronoun or, in pronoun used with verbs to show who classed as feminine. the action, for example, we were told. English, a word ending in -ing. benefits or is harmed by an action. For NEGATIVE a question or statement PAST PARTICIPLE a verb form which Prepositions show how people and example, in I gave him the corrot and which contains a word such as not, is used to form perfect and pluperfect things relate to the rest of the I gave it to him, him is the indirect never or nothing, and is used to say tenses and passives, for example, sentence, for example, She's at home; object and the cqrrot and lf are the that something is not happening, is wotched, swum. Some past participles o tool fpt cutting grass; lt's from David. direct objects. Compare with direct not true or is absent, for example, are also used as adjectives, for PRESENT a verb form used to talk object pronoun. I never eot meot; Don't you love me? example, a broken wotch- about what is true at the moment, INDIRECT QUESTION a question that Compare with positive. PAST PERFECT see pluperfect. what happens regularly, and what is is embedded in another question or NOUN a 'naming' word for a living PERFECT a verb form used to talk happening now, for example, [r o instruction such as Con you tell me being, thing or idea, for example, about what has or hasn't happened, student; I trovel to college by train; whqt time it is?; Tell me why you did it. womoh desk, hoppiness, Andrew. for example, I've broken my glosses; I'm studvinq lanouooes. AHles oo sukseedd m foer wrehpyo Ir tdeidd ist.peech such as wNoOrUd No rG gRroOuUpB o fN wOoUrdNs PthHaRtA aScEts A as PWEeR hSoOvNe no'tn sep ookfe tnh eo bthoruete i tc.lasses: the PERngElSisEhN eTn dPiAnRgT IiCn IP-iLnEg , afo vr eerxba fmoprmle, in INDIRECT SPEECH the words you use the subject or object of a verb, or as first person (/, we), the second person eoting, sleeping. to report what someone has said when the.object of a preposition, for (you singular and you plural), and the PRETERITE a verb form used to talk you aren't using their actual words, for example, my older sister; the mqn next third person (he, she, it and they). about actions that were completed eoxuaf.m Aplsleo, cHaell esda idre tphoatr theed wsopse egcohin.g door; thot big house on the corner. gPrEoRuSpO oNf AwLo PrdRsO inNcOluUdNin go nle, yoofu t haend cino rtrhees ppoansdt sin t oS pthaen isohr.d ilnt aorfyte pnast tense INFINITIVE a form of the verb that NUMBER used to say how many they which are used to refer to you, in English, for example, I bought o new hasn't any endings added to it and things you are referring to or where the people you are talking to, or the bike; Mary went to the shops on Fridoy; doesn't relate to any particular tense. something comes in a sequence. See people or things you are talking about. I typed two reports yesterday. wIni tEhn fgqlis has t hine foin fsipneitoivke, tios euostu.ally shown anlusom oberdr.i nAalsl on uthmeb ceorn adnitdio cna ordf ibneailng PusLeUdP EtoR FdEeCscTr iboen es oomf tehteh invge rbth taetn sheasd PinRstOeaNdO oUfN a an owuonr,d w whheinc hy oyuo ud ous neot INTERROGATIVE ADJECTIVE a singular or plural. happened or had been true at a point need or want to name someone or question word used with a noun, for OBTECT a noun or pronoun which in the oast. for example. l'd forqotten something directly, for example, if, example, What instruments do you refers to a person or thing that is to finish my homework Also called past yoq none. ploy?; Which shoes do you like? affected by the action described by perfect. PROPER NOUN the name of a person, INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN one of the verb. Compare with direct objecl, PLURAL the form of a word which is place, organization or thing. Proper the words who, whose, whom, whot indirect object and subject. used to refer to more than one person nouns are always written with a capital and which when they are used instead OBTECT PRONOUN one of the set of or thing. Compare with singular. letter, for example, Kevin, Glosgow, of a noun to ask questions, for pronouns including me, him and them, POSITIVE a positive sentence or Europe, London Eye. example, Ibsls thot?; Who's coming? which are used instead of the noun as instruction is one that does not QUESTION WORD a word such as INTRANSITIVE VERB a type of verb the object of a verb or preposition. contain a negative word such as not. why, where, who, which or how which that does not take a direct obiect, for Compare with subject pronoun. Compare with negative. is used to ask a ouestion- RADICAL-CHANGING VERBS in the verb, for example, My cat doesn't NOUNS Spanish, verbs which change their drink milk. Compare with object. stem or root in certain tenses and in SUBJECT PRONOUN a word such as /, certain persons. he, she and they which carries out the What is a noun? REFLEXIVE PRONOUN a word ending action described by the verb. A noun is a 'naming' word for a living being, thing or idea, for example, in -self or -selves, such as myself or Pronouns stand in for nouns when it is womqn, desk, hoppiness, Andrew. themselves, which refers back to the clear who is being talked about for subject for example, He hurt himself: example, My brother isn't here ot the Tqke care of ypaaelf. moment. He'll be bock in on hour. Using nouns Compare with object pronoun. REFLEXIVE VERB a verb where the subject and object are the same, and SUB,UNCTIVE a verb form used in ) In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. This is called their where the action 'reflects back' on the certain circumstances to indicate some gender. Even words for things have a gender sreufblelexcivt.e Ap rroefnleoxuivne svuecrhb a iss musyesedl fw, ith a swohret tohfe fre esolinmge, thoirn tgo wshilol wha dpopuenb t oarbout l Whenever you are using a noun, you need to know whether it is masculine yourself, herself, for example, whether something is true. lt is only or feminine as this affects the form of other words used with it, such as: I wqshed myself; He shoved himself. used occasionally in modern English, o adjectives that describe it REGULAR VERB a verb whose forms for example, If I were you, I wouldn't o articles (such as el or una) that go before it follow a general pattern or the normal bother; So be it. rules. Compare with irregular verb. SUPERIATIVE an adjective or adverb + For more information on Articles and Adjectives, see pqges 10 qnd 19. RltihnEakLt A,t wTwIoVh oEp aoPrrt Rsw OohNifc aOh ,Us weNnh teae nnwc ieot ridtso gusesuetchdhe trao.s wceleoxiatmahsmp ti-aonerl seeffr. ooptnnhet ion thopnelefe si,tet .tnt hhmdian ootgs fsit s i otou uorsi crea kdcml vttio.oo slnet soo,s rtfor l Ydthioceut io ocnra aqnr ytfh.in aWdt hgineofneo srym woauitti hoc noitm ateob oahucertlo pgs sey onadu ne rere wbm yen mloouobnke,ir n agitlsw t ahgyeesn w dleeoarr.rdn uthpe i nw oard for REPORTED SPEECH see indirect interesting. o el or un before a noun tells you it is masculine speech. o SYLLABLE consonant+vowel units that la or una before a noun tells you it is feminine SusEuNaTllyE NhCasE aa vgerrobu pa nodf aw sourdbsje wcth. iIcnh emxaakmep ulep, tchoe- thsoeu-dnrdasl o(3f asy wlloobrleds,) ,for l We refer to something as singular when we are talking about just one writing, a sentence begins with a im-po-ssi-ble (4 syllables). of them, and as plural when we are talking about more than one. The capital and ends with a full stop, singular is the form of the noun you will usually find when you look a noun question mark or exclamation mark. TENSE the form of a verb which up in the dictionary. As in English, nouns in Spanish change their form in shows whether you are referring to the the plural. SIMPLE TENSE a verb tense in which past, present or future. the verb form is made up of one word, ) Adjectives, articles and pronouns are also affected by whether a noun is rather than being formed from to hove TRANSITIVE VERB a type of verb singular or plural. and a past participle or to be and an that takes a direct object for example, -ing form; for example, She plsys to spend, to roise, to woste. Compare rq tennis; He wrote a book. with intransitive verb. SINGULAR the form of a word which VERB a 'doing'word which describes Remember that you have to use the right word for the, o and is used to refer to one person or thing. what someone or something does, is, so on according to the gender of the Spanish noun. Compare with plural. or what happens to them, for exampfe, be, sing, live. STEM the main part of a verb to which endings are added. VOWEL one of the letters 4 e, i, o or u. Compare with consonant. SUBTECT a noun or pronoun that refers to the person or thing doing the action or being in the state described by 2 Nourus Nouls 3 Gender tr Nouns referring to people Note that a noun ending in -o is usually masculine, and a noun L Most nouns referring to men and boys are masculine. ending in -a is usually feminine. el hombre the man t) el rey the king For more information on Mqsculine ond feminine forms of words. see poge 5. ) Most nouns referring to women and girls are feminine. la mujer the woman e Nouns referring to animals la reina the queen } ln English we can choose between words like bull or cow, depending on the ) When the same word is used to refer to either men/boys or women/girls, sex of the animal. In Spanish too there are sometimes separate words for gender usually changes depending on the sex of the person it refers to. male and female animals. el toro the bull el estudiante the (male) student la vaca the cow la estudiante the (female) student elbelga the Belgian (man) D Sometimes, the same word with different endings is used for male and female animals. la belga the Belgian (woman) el perrq the (male) dog la perra the (female) dog, bitch Orammar Extra! el gatq the (male) cat Some words for people have only one possible gender, whether they refer to a male or la gata the (female) cat a female. la persona the (male or female) person T'P la victima the (male orfemale) victim When you do not know or care what sex the animal is, you can usually use the masculine form as a general word. ) In English, we can sometimes make a word masculine or feminine by changing the ending, for example, Englishngn and EnglishWpmgnor prince L Words for other animals don't change according to the sex of the animal. and princess. In Spanish, very often the ending of a noun changes Just learn the Spanish word with its gender, which is always the same. depending on whether it refers to a man or a woman. el sapo the toad el camarerq the waiter el hdmster the hamster la camarera the waitress la cobaya the guinea pig la tortuga the tortoise el empleado the employee (male) la empleada the employee (femole) tr Nouns referring to things el ingl6s the Englishman } ln English, we call all things - for example, table, cor, book, opple -'if . ln la inglesa the Englishwoman Spanish, however, things are either masculine or feminine. As things don't divide into sexes the way humans and animals do, there are no physical clues to help you with their gender in Spanish. Try to learn the gender as you learn the word. ) There are lots of rules to help you. Certain endings are usually found on For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii, masculine nouns, while other endings are usually found on feminine nouns. 4 Nourus Noutrts 5 ) The following ending is usually found on masculine nouns. Grammar E><tra! Masculine ending Examples Some words have different meanings depending on whether they are masculine or feminine. el libro the book el ped6dico the newspaper Masculine Meaning Feminine Meaning BUT: el capital the capital (meaning money) la capital the capital (meaning clty) la mano the hand el cometa the comet la cometa the kite la foto the photo el cura the priest la cura the cure la moto the motorbike la radio the radio (although in parts of Lotin el guia the guide (man) la guia the guidebook; the guide (woman) America, it ls el radio) Invirtieron mucho capital. They invested a lot of capital. The following types of word are also masculine. Viven en la capital. They live in the capital. . names of the days of the week and the months of the year Te ver6 el lunes. l'll see you on Monday. E Masculine and feminine forms of words . the names of languages ) Like English, Spanish sometimes has very different words for males and el ingl6s English females. el espafiol Spanish el hombre the man Estudio el espafrol. l'm studying Spanish. la mujer the woman o the names of rivers, mountains amd seas el rey the king el Ebro the Ebro la reina the queen el Everest Everest L Many Spanish words can be used to talk about men or women simply by elAtl6ntico the Atlantic changing the ending. For example, if the word for the male ends in -o, you l The following endings are usually found .on feminine nouns. can almost always make it feminine by changing the -o to -a. el amigo the (male) friend Feminine ending Examples la amiga the (female) friend la casa the house el hermano the brother la cara the face BUT: la hermana the sister el dia the day el empleado the (male) employee el mapa the map la empleada the (female) employee el planeta the planet el tranvia the tram el viudo the widower and many words ending in -ma (el problema la viuda the widow the problem, el programa the programme, el sistema the system, el clima the climate) @ Note that some words referring to people end in -a in the -clon la lecsi6n the lesson masculine as well as in the feminine. Only the article (el or la, un -slon la estaci6n the station or una) can tell you what gender the noun is. la expresi6n the expression el dentista the (male) dentist -dad la ciudad the city la dentista the (female) dentist -tad la libertac! freedom -tud la multitud the crowd el deportista the sportsman la deportista the sportswoman For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages viii-xii.