Apuntes de Clase

Acentos—Accent Marks: In Spanish, there are definite rules for determining where
an accent mark falls. Usually, this helps us to determine how we pronounce things,
but often, these accents distinguish words that would otherwise sound identical.
This is very similar to the way that English distinguishes between produce (to make)
and produce (fresh vegetables and fruits) or present (a gift or the current time) or
present (to demostrate or show). Of course, there are some exceptions that will
need to be memorized. Luckily, these are few and far between.

Reglas de Énfasis:
1. If a word ends in a vowel, an –s or an –n, then the next to last syllable
(penultimate) is pronounced.
a. cosa c. italiano
b. examen d. mujeres
2. If a word ends in any other consonant than –s or –n, the last syllable is
stressed
a. español c. universidad
b. trabajador d. enseñar
3. If a word breaks any of the above rules, then an accent mark is needed to
indicate the stressed syllable. The mark always falls over the stressed
vowel.
a. también c. lápiz
b. bolígrafo d. exámenes
4. At times, accents are used to distinguish words apart that would
otherwise be identical. These must be memorized, but are very few and
far between.
a. tú (you) vs. tu (your) c. ensenó (He taught) vs. enseño (I teach)
b. él (he/him) vs. el (the) d. qué (what?) vs. que (what/that,
preposition)

Adjectives—Adjetivos: In Spanish, adjectives must agree in both number and

gender of the things they modify. There are instances, most adjectives ending in a
consonant for example, that change only with number.
1. Ending in –o: These change according to number and gender.
a. alto vs. alta
b. listos vs. listas
2. Ending in –e or most consonants: These change according to number.
Exceptions (such as trabajadora vs. trabajador) must be memorized.
a. amable vs. amables
b. fiel vs. fieles
3. Nationality: Most nouns indicating nationality change according to number
and gender, regardless of ending.
a. alemá n vs alemana c. españ oles vs. españ olas
b. inglés vs. inglesa d. puertorriqueñ o vs. puertorriqueñ a
 c. Please note that for such adjectives ending in a consonant, use –es to
convert them into a plural masculine form.
d. These adjectives are not capitalized.
e. The names of many languages follow the male singular form of the
adjective. Languages are always masculine
i. el alemá n iii. el españ ol
ii. el inglés iv. el francés
Position of Adjectives—Posició n de los Adjetivos
A. Quantity, ¿Cuánto/a /Cuántos/as?: These precede the noun
a. dos sillas
b. ¿Cuá nto dinero necesitas?
B. Descriptions of quality, distinguishing characteristics: These follow
the noun
a. un estudiante listo
b. una mujer morena
C. Bueno/malo: These may either precede or follow the noun. When
preceding a masculine singular noun, they shorten to buen and mal. This
contraction is not optional
a. un buen día c. una buena idea
b. un perro bueno d. una noche mala
D. Grande: This may also precede or follow a noun. Again, if it precedes a
singular noun (masculine or feminine), it shortens to gran. This
contraction is not optional.
a. Before the noun: meaning is great or impressive (una gran casa)
b. After the noun: meaning is large or big (una casa grande)

Possessives: In Spanish, we have specific adjectives to indicate possession, which

change with number and gender (nosotros form only), depending on the thing they
describe.
Yo: mi, mis Nosotros/Nosotras: nuestro/nuestra,
Tú: tu, tus nuestros/nuestras
*Él/ella/Ud.: su, sus *Ellos/ellas/Uds: su, sus
*Please note that the third person singular (él/ella/Ud.) and the third person
plural (ellos/ellas/Uds) are identical.
a. mis libros d. nuestros horarios
b. tus libros e. tu idea
c. nuestras clases f. sus familias

Uses of Ser—Usos del verbo Ser: In Spanish, ‘ser’ is used with adjectives that
describe basic, inherent qualities. It is also used for possession, origin, and
profession. Other uses include generalizations (Es posible…) or intended recipient.
a. Es mi libro. d. Mis estudiantes son muy listos.
b. Elena es españ ola. e. El coche es viejo.
c. Ella es abogada. f. El libro es para mi cuñ ado.
Regular –ER and –IR Verbs: The conjugations of these verbs are similar, and are
formulated the same way as regular –AR verbs. The endings are just different.

Regular –ER Verbs

yo: –o nosotros: –emos
tú: –es
él/ella/Ud: –e ellos/ellas/Uds: –en

Regular –IR Verbs

yo: –o* nosotros: –imos
tú: –es*
él/ella/Ud: –e* ellos/ellas/Uds: –en*
*Please note that all forms except the nosotros form of –ER/–IR verbs are
identical.

Other things to note:

1. The verb deber is usually followed by an infinitive (another verb
that isn´t conjugated
2. Aprender + a + verb in infinitive means to learn to do something
a. Aprender a hablar español.
3. If two verbs are used one after the other, the second needs to
remain in the infinitive/unconjugated
a. Necesito estudiar.
b. Debo pagar la matrícula.
c. Deseo vivir en Francia.

Expression of Age: In Spanish, age is expressed by how many years someone has.
yo: tengo nosotros: tenemos
tú: tienes
él/ella/Ud: tiene ellos/ellas/Uds.: tienen
Example: Yo tengo veintitrés añ os. Mi suegra tiene cincuenta y cuatro añ os.

When to clarify with Subject Pronouns:

A. Third person singular/plural when context doesn’t indicate
a. É l vive allí vs. Ella vive allí.
b. Uds. son listos vs. Ellos son listos.
B. Emphasis: If you want to stress a subject, then use the pronoun
a. ¡Tú necesitas estudiar!
C. Contrast:
a. É l bebe mucha cerveza; yo tomo muy poco.
Nombre: __________________________________________________________________________
TareaDue Friday
1. Choose three family members and give a brief description. (ej: Mi esposo es
moreno, alto, y simpático).
a. ____________________________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________________________
c. ____________________________________________________________________________

2. Choose two more family members and give their ages:

a. ____________________________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________________________

3. Divide the following words into syllables, and underline the emphasized
syllable in the following words. If an accent mark is needed, please place one
where it should go.

a. mujer d. boligrafo g. simpatica

b. suegra e. cuñ ada h. medica

c. mediodia f. periodico i. aleman

j. examen

4. Please translate the following:

1. The car is old: ________________________________________________________________________

2. My brother-in-law is 21 years old: _________________________________________________

3. My cousins are blonde: _____________________________________________________________

4. Their grandson is young: ___________________________________________________________

5. You should study!: ___________________________________________________________________

6. The professor is Colombian: ________________________________________________________

7. Anita doesn’t speak German: _______________________________________________________

8. The city is old and big: ______________________________________________________________

9. Emilio needs to attend class: _______________________________________________________

10. We want to learn to speak Spanish: _______________________________________________