Grammar Summary

Spanish 1 Unidad 3 Etapa 2

Talking About Playing a Sport or Game with jugar
The forms of jugar are unique. In some of them the u changes to ue. When you use jugar with the
name of a sport, use jugar + a + sport: Juegoal bisbol.
JUGAR - to play a sport or game
I play = juego

We play = jugamos

You (fam.) play = juegas

You (fam.pl.) play = jugis

He,she,it,You (formal) play = juega

They, you (pl.) play = juegan

Stem-Changing Verbs (E --> IE)

When you learn one of these "stem-changing verbs" the change is indicated in parentheses after the
verb. For example: cerrar (ie) - to close. In stem-changing verbs it is always the next-to-last syllable
that changes, but only when the STRESS falls on that syllable. For example with cerrar, yo cIErro,
but nosotros cerrAmos. These are sometimes called "boot" verbs, because when you look at the
conjugation chart, the forms that have a spelling change would look like a boot if you drew a line around
them:
CERRAR - to close
I close = cierro

We close = cerramos

You (fam.) close = cierras

You (fam.pl.) close = cerris

He,she,it,You (formal) close = cierra

They, you (pl.) close = cierran

Stem-Changing (e-->ie) Verbs in This Lesson:

cerrar

to close

empezar

to begin

entender

to understand

merendar

to have a snack

perder

to lose

preferir

to prefer

querer

to want

pensar

to think, to plan (to plan

when followed by an
infinitive)

Saying What You Know with saber

You already know how to say "I know (a person or place):" Conozco a (person). Saber is used when you
want to say "I know (facts, information or how to...)." Like conocer, it has an irregular yo form.
SABER - to know (facts, info, how to)
I know = s

We know = sabemos

You (fam.) know = sabes

You (fam.pl.) know = sabis

He,she,it,You (formal) know(s) = sabe

They, you (pl.) know = saben

Using Two Verbs Together

To say that someone knows how to do something, use saber + infinitive: Yo s patinar - I know how to
skate. Notice that when two verbs are used together, the first verb is conjugated and the second is in its
infinitive form. Usually this is obvious from the English meaning of "to...." as in the sentence "I want to
eat. = Yo quiero comer."

Using "a" for Action When Using Two Verbs Together

Another useful thing to remember about using two verbs together is that a conjugated verb that involves
an "action" will usually have the word "a" between it and the infinitive. Verbs that don't involve an
"action" (such as "I know" or "I plan") do not. Usually these NOT verbs involve something "inside your
head."
ACTION

No ACTION

I'm going to play = Voy a jugar

I'm planning to play = Pienso jugar

I'm beginning to play = Empiezo a jugar

I want to play = Quiero jugar

I'm coming to play = vengo a jugar

I prefer to play = prefiero jugar

I'm teaching to play = enseo a jugar

I know how to play = s jugar

I'm preparing to play = preparo a jugar

I can play = Puedo jugar

Phrases for Making Comparisons

There are several phrases for making comparisons.
MORE THAN

LESS THAN

AS...AS (EQUAL)

ms + adjective + que

menos + adjective + que

tan + adjective + como

more tall than = ms alto que

less tall than = menos alto que

as tall as = tan alto como

ms + de + number

menos + de + number

more than 50 = ms de 50

less than 50 = menos de 50

ms + noun + que...

menos + noun + que...

tantos + noun + como + noun

There are more boys than girls = Hay ms chicos

que chicas

There are less boys than girls = Hay menos

chicos que chicas

There are as many boys as girls = Hay tantos

chicos como chicas

IRREGULAR

IRREGULAR

older = mayor

younger = menor

better = mejor

worse = peor

tanto + como + noun

I like soccer as much as baseball= Me gusta futbol
tanto como beisbol