Apuntes de Gramática Unidad Uno
I. Los Posesivos
 Possessive adjectives are used to indicate that something belongs to
someone or to establish a relationship between people or things.

my
your
his
her
its
The possessive adjectives in Spanish are:
Singular
Plural
Singular
mi
mis
nuestro(a)
tu
tus
su
su
sus
su
sus
su
Plural
nuestros(as)
sus
sus
our
your
their

Possessive adjectives are placed before the noun they modify
Ustedes ya conocen a su familia You already know his family
Nuestra casa es grande
Our house is big

Spanish possessive adjectives agree with what is possessed and not with the
possessor. Like other adjectives, possessive adjectives agree in number and
gender with the noun they modify.
Ella trabaja con sus padres
She works with her parents
Juan estudia con tus hijos
John studies with your children
Ellos salen con su hijo
They go out with their son

Another way of expressing possession in the third person in Spanish is with the
preposition de.
Su libro está en la mesa
His book is on the table
El libro de David está en la mesa
David’s book is on the table
Sus hijos son simpáticos
Her children are nice
Los hijos de ella son simpáticos
Su boda es el sábado
Their wedding is on Saturday
La boda de ellos es el sábado
II. Pronombres de Complemento Directo (DOP’s)

Direct Objects answer the questions What? / ¿Qué? or Who(m)? / Quién(es)
after the verb
We eat enchiladas.
Comemos enchiladas.

We eat what? ...
enchiladas = Direct Object
¿Qué comemos? ... enchiladas = objecto directo
Direct object pronouns replace the direct object to avoid repetition of the noun(s).
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Singular
Spanish – English
me
me
te
you (familiar)
lo
you (masculine formal)
la
you (feminine formal)
lo
him, it(masculine)
la
her, it (feminine)
Plural
Spanish – English
nos
us
los
las
los
las
you (masculine)
you (feminine)
them (masculine)
them (feminine)
1. Direct Object Pronouns are placed before conjugated verbs:
¿Me quieres?
Do you love me?
Sí, te quiero.
Yes, I love you.
2. With the future construction Ir + a + infinitive, the direct object pronouns
are:
either –
a) placed before the conjugated verb (IR)
or
b) placed after and attached to the infinitive
La voy a hacer ahora.
Voy a hacerla ahora.
I’m going to do it now.
3. With the Present Progressive ESTAR + -ndo, the direct object pronouns
are:
either a) placed before the conjugated verb (ESTAR)
or
b) placed after and attached to the –ndo verb form
***a written accent is always required when a pronoun is attached to
the –ndo verb form (on the ‘a’ in –ar verbs and on the ‘e’ in –er and –
ir verbs)***
Nos están mirando.
Están mirándonos.
Estoy haciéndola ahora.
They’re looking at us.
I am doing it now.
4. With commands, the DOP’s are attached to the affirmative command form:
Dime
Tell me
Pídelas
Order them
III. Pronombres de Complemento Indirecto (IOP’s)

What are indirect object nouns or pronouns?
Indirect object nouns and pronouns answer the questions TO WHOM? or FOR
WHOM? something is done. In English “to” and “for” are often omitted
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
What are indirect object pronouns used for?
Indirect object pronouns (pronombres de complemento indirecto) are used to
identify people without using or repeating their names

What are the indirect object pronouns in Spanish?
a mí
a ti
a él, a ella, a usted
a nosotros
a ellos, a ellas, a ustedes
me (to/for me)
te (to/for you)
le (to/for him, her, you)
nos (to/for us)
les (to/for them, you all)

How do you let the reader or listener clearly know whom you are
talking about?
Indirect Object Pronouns can be clarified or emphasized by using
“a + (name or pronoun)”
¿Les escribes a Mónica y a Alicia con frequencia?
Do you write to Monica and Alicia frequently?
 Where are indirect object pronouns placed in a sentence?
Usually the indirect object pronoun comes before the conjugated verb:
¿Te traigo un café?
Can I bring you a coffee?
 Where else can indirect object pronouns go?
* They can also go after and attached to an infinitive:
Voy a traerte el periódico.
I’m going to bring you the newspaper.
* They can also go after and attached to a present participle –ndo. ( if it is
attached to the –ndo a written accent is required):
Estoy escribiéndole una carta.
I am writing him a letter.

Where do indirect object pronouns go when using an affirmative
command?
* With an affirmative command, the indirect object pronoun is ALWAYS placed
after and attached to the command form (a written accent is required for
command forms with two or more syllables):
¡Escríbeme pronto!
Dame el libro.

Write me soon!
Give me the book.
Where do indirect object pronouns go when using a negative
command?
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*With a negative command, the object pronoun is placed BEFORE the command
but after the NO:
No me digas eso.
Don’t tell me that!
IV. Las Palabras Interrogativas
¿Quién (es)?
¿Qué?
¿Cuál(es)?
¿Cómo?
¿Dónde?
Who?
What?
Which? What?
How? What?
Where?
¿Cuánto(a)?
¿Cuántos(as)?
¿Cuándo?
How much?
How many?
When?
¿Por qué?
Why?

All question words have written accents.

While most question words have only one form, quién and cuál have two:
singular and plural
¿Quién es tu actor favorito?
Who’s your favourite actor?
¿Quiénes son esas chicas?
Who are those girls?
¿Cuál es tu clase favorita?
Which is your favourite class?
¿Cuáles son tus clases favoritas?
What are your favourite classes?

When cuánto modifies a noun, it must agree in number and gender with that
noun. It has four forms: cuánto, cuánta, cuántos, cuántas.
¿Cuánto helado quieres?
How much icecream do you want?
¿Cuánta tarea tienes?
How much homework do you have?
¿Cuántos estudiantes hay?
How many students are there?
¿Cuántas horas estudias?
How many hours do you study?

When cuánto does not modify a noun, it has only one form
¿Cuánto es?
How much is it?
¿Cuánto cuesta?
How much does it cost?

Qué and cuál correspond to the English word what. They are not always
interchangeable:
Qué asks for a definition or an explanation:
¿Qué es un mariachi?
What is a mariachi?
¿Qué estás haciendo?
What are you doing?
Cuál asks for a selection:
¿Cuál es la capital de Perú?
¿Cuál es tu primo?
What is the capital of Peru?
Which (one) is your cousin?
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
¿Cómo? is used by itself to indicate disbelief or that the listener didn’t hear what
was said and wants it repeated. English usually uses What? in these instances.
What? But he’s only fourteen
years old!
¿Cómo? ¡Pero sólo tiene
catorce años!
V. El Pretérito de los verbos regulares (-ar verbs)

The preterite tense in Spanish tells what happened at a particular
moment in the past.

How do you form the preterite of –ar verbs?:
Add these endings to the verb stem:
Visitar
yo
tú
usted
él
ella

visité
visitaste
visitó
nosotros/as visitamos
ustedes
ellos
ellas
visitaron
The “nosotros” ending in the preterite tense is the same as in the
present tense. Look for clues in the sentence to help you determine
whether the verb is in the present or past tense
Acampamos anoche en el parque
We camped last night in the park
The word “anoche” tells you that the verb “acampamos” is in the
preterite tense, not the present.
VI. El Pretérito de los verbos irregulares
Ir
Hacer
Ser
Dar
Ver
Fui
Hice
Fui
Di
Vi
Fuiste
Hiciste
Fuiste
Diste
Viste
Fue
Hizo
Fue
Dio
Vio
Fuimos
Hicimos
Fuimos
Dimos
Vimos
Fueron
Hicieron
Fueron
Dieron
Vieron
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
Note that unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs in the preterite do not
have written accents:
Yo no fui al cine
I didn’t go to the movies
Vi tres películas
I watched three movies
Fue Elena al parque?
Did Elena go to the park?

The preterite forms of the verb Ser are identical to the preterite forms of
the verb Ir. The context will help you decide which verb is being used:
Él fue presidente por ocho años
He was president for eight years
No fue a la fiesta
He didn’t go to the party
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