The Grammar Book...                              

  Grammar Formulas are formulas that are used to help teach students the position of words in sentences.  Students can memorize these formulas to help them learn how not only to write but also to recognize patterns while reading in the target language.  This is a compilation of some of these formulas. 

  To give the date:

el + number + de + month   

Ex: El tres de marzo = The third of March.

Note: Primero is used when speaking of the first of the month.

Ex. El primero de mayo = the first of May  -   

  Formation of yes/no questions:  

            ¿ verb + subject (if expressed) + rest of sentence?

Or         ¿ verb + rest of sentence + subject (if expressed)?

  Note:

• In yes/no questions the voice raises at the end of the sentence. 
• Informal yes/no questions may be formed by adding ¿verdad? (right?) at the end of the sentence.

EX: María habla español ¿verdad?

  Question to obtain information:

            ¿ question word + verb + subject (if used) + rest of sentence?

  Expressions with tener:  

Tener + number + años = to tell age

Tener ganas de + infinitive = to feel like

Tener que + infintive = to have to

  Personal  a

- After most verbs, nouns designating persons are preceded by the personal a.

                EX: María visita a un amigo = María visits a friend. 

- Ser and tener are two verbs that do take the personal a .

Present Progressive Tense.

-  to emphasize that an action is in progress you may use the present progressive tense.  This corresponds to the English “to be doing (something) right now, but it is less frequently used. 

Present tense of estar + present participle

-  the present participle is formed by adding –ando  to –ar verbs and –iendo to ir/er verbs. 

Tomar = tomando

Comer = comiendo

-  In the present progressive construction, estar changes to agree with the subject.

-  The present participle does not change.  

The Immediate Past:

      -To express an event which has just taken place, you may use the following construction:

                                                Present tense of acabar + de + infinitive

  -Acabar is a regular –ar verb which aggress with the subject.  By itself it means to finish, to

end.   

  The duration of an action:

-To express the duration of an action or a situation which began in the past and is       

still going on, you may use the construction:

Hace + period of time + que + subject + verb in the present 

Ex: Hace tres años que Carlos vive en México = It has been three years that Carlos has been living in Mexico. 

            Note also the interrogative expression:

¿Cuánto tiempo hace que + verb (in the present tense)?

Ex: ¿ Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias español? = How long have you been studying Spanish?

  Conocer and Saber

            -    In Spanish there are two verbs which mean “to know”, Conocer and Saber.

-    Conocer and saber have irregular yo (first person singular) forms.  All other

present tense forms have regular –er endings.

-     Although Conocer and Saber both correspond to the English verb “to know”

their meanings and their uses are quite different.  Conocer and saber may not

be substituted for one another.

Uses of the two verbs

Conocer  + places, people, things

Saber + que, si, interrogative expressions

Saber +  a fact

Saber + infinitive

               -     Conocer means to know in the sense of to be acquainted or familiar with.  It is almost alway used with nouns (or pronouns) designating people and places.  It may sometimes be used with nouns designating objects or facts. 

-    Saber means to know in the sense of to have information, to know a fact.  It is followed by nouns designating facts and by clauses. 

-    Saber may also be followed by an infinitive. It then means to know how to do something .

        EX: ¿Sabes nadar?  = Do you know how to swim?  

  Construction of verb + infinitive:

  -When a Spanish verb is followed by another verb, the second verb is usually an infinitive.   The most common    pattern is:

Verb + infinitive  

Common verbs + infinitives.

Deber                            Debo trabajar.                I should work.

Desear                          Deseo trabajar.               I wish to work.

Esperar                         Espero trabajar               I hope to work.

Necesitar                      Necesito trabajar.            I need to work.

Pensar                          Pienso trabajar.              I plan to work.

Poder                            Puedo trabajar.              I can work.

Preferir                          Prefiero trabajar.            I prefer to work.

Querer                          Quiero trabajar.               I want to work.

Saber                            Sé trabajar.                    I know how to work.

  Some verbs follow the pattern:

Verb + preposition + infinitive         

Common Verb + preposition + infinitive

Aprender a                  Aprendo a trabajar                  I am learning to work.

Empezar a                    Empiezo a trabajar.                   I began to work.

Ir a                                Voy a trabajar.                         I am going to work.

Salir a                           Salgo a trabajar                        I go out to work.

Venir a                          Vengo a trabajar.                      I come to work.

Acabar de                     Acabo de trabajar.                     I have just worked.

Dejar de                        Dejo de trabajar                        I stop working.

Olvidarse de                  Me olivido trabajar.                    I forgot to work.

Tartar de                       Trato de trabajar.                      I try to work. 
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