A = ah, B = beh, C = seh, D = deh, E = eh, F = eh-feh, G = heh, H = ah-cheh, I = ee J = hoh-tah, K = kah, L = eh-leh, M = eh-meh, N = eh-neh, Ñ = eh-nyeh, O = oh P = peh, Q = koo, R = eh-reh, S = eh-seh, T = teh, U = oo, V = -beh W = doubleh-beh, X = eh-kees, Y = ee gryeh-gah and Z = theh-tah. [2] X Research source Note that the only letter in the Spanish alphabet that does not exist in English is the letter Ñ, pronounced eh-nyeh. It is a completely separate letter from the letter N. It’s closest approximation in English would be the “ny” sound in the word “canyon. "
ca, co, cu = kah, koh, koo. ce, ci = theh, thee or seh, see ch sounds like English ch ga, go, gu = gah, goh, goo. ge, gi = heh, hee h does not sound. Hombre is pronounced ohmbreh hua, hue, hui, huo = wah, weh, wee, woh ll sounds like English y or like English j. Calle is kah-yeh or kah-jeh. r at the beginning of a word and rr in the middle of a word are rolled. See How to Roll Your “R"s r in the middle of a word is like tt in butter in an American accent. Loro = lohttoh. que, qui = keh, kee v sounds like b, mostly in Spain. In South America, it depends on the country, it’s usually something in between a v and a b. y sounds like English y or like English j. Yo is yoh or joh. See How to Pronounce Spanish Letters and Certain Sounds.
One = Uno, Two = Dos, Three = Tres, Four = Cuatro, Five = Cinco, Six = Seis, Seven = Siete, Eight = Ocho, Nine = Nueve, Ten = Diez. Be aware that the number one – “uno” – changes when it’s used in front of either a masculine or feminine noun. For example, the term “one man” is “un hombre”, while the term “one girl” is “una chica”.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to use cognates - words that share a similar meaning, spelling and pronunciation in both languages. Learning Spanish cognates of English words is a great way to rapidly increase your vocabulary, as 30%-40% of English words have a Spanish cognate. [5] X Research source For words without cognates, try using one of the following memorization methods: When you hear a word in English, think of how you would say it in Spanish. If you don’t know what it is, jot it down and look it up later. It’s handy to keep a little notebook on you at all times for this purpose. Alternatively, try attaching little Spanish labels to items around your house, such as the mirror, the coffee table and the sugar bowl. You’ll see the words so often that you’ll learn them without realizing it! It is important to learn a word or phrase from ‘Spanish to English’ as well as ‘English to Spanish. ’ That way you will remember how to say it, not just recognize it when you hear it.
Hello! = ¡Hola! Yes = Sí[7] X Research source No = No Thank you! = ¡Gracias! – pronounced “grah-thyahs” or “grah-syas” Please = Por favor What is your name? = ¿Cómo se llama usted?[8] X Research source My name is. . . = Me llamo. . . Nice to meet you = Mucho gusto See you later! = ¡Hasta luego! – pronounced “ahs-tah lweh-goh” Goodbye = ¡Adiós! – pronounced “ah-dyohs”
Verbs ending in “-ar”. Hablar is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to speak. " To change the verb into the present tense, all you need to do is drop the “-ar” and add a different ending, which varies depending on the subject pronoun. [10] X Research source For example: “I speak” becomes yo hablo “You speak (informal)” becomes tú hablas “You speak (formal)” becomes usted habla “He/she speaks” becomes él/ella habla “We speak” becomes nosotros/as hablamos “You all speak (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habláis “You all speak (formal)” becomes ustedes hablan “They speak” becomes ellos/ellas hablan As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for every single regular verb that ends in “-ar”, such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work). Verbs ending in “-er”. Comer is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to eat. " To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-er” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell). Verbs ending in “-ir”. Vivir is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to live”. To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-ir” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive). Once you have mastered the present tense, you can move on to conjugating verbs in other tenses, such as the future tense, the preterite and imperfect past tenses and the conditional tense. The same basic method used to conjugate the present tense is also used for each of these tenses - you simply take the stem of the infinitive verb and add a particular set of endings, which vary depending on the subject pronoun.
Verbs ending in “-ar”. Hablar is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to speak. " To change the verb into the present tense, all you need to do is drop the “-ar” and add a different ending, which varies depending on the subject pronoun. [10] X Research source For example: “I speak” becomes yo hablo “You speak (informal)” becomes tú hablas “You speak (formal)” becomes usted habla “He/she speaks” becomes él/ella habla “We speak” becomes nosotros/as hablamos “You all speak (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habláis “You all speak (formal)” becomes ustedes hablan “They speak” becomes ellos/ellas hablan As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for every single regular verb that ends in “-ar”, such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work). Verbs ending in “-er”. Comer is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to eat. " To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-er” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell). Verbs ending in “-ir”. Vivir is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to live”. To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-ir” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive). Once you have mastered the present tense, you can move on to conjugating verbs in other tenses, such as the future tense, the preterite and imperfect past tenses and the conditional tense. The same basic method used to conjugate the present tense is also used for each of these tenses - you simply take the stem of the infinitive verb and add a particular set of endings, which vary depending on the subject pronoun.
Verbs ending in “-ar”. Hablar is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to speak. " To change the verb into the present tense, all you need to do is drop the “-ar” and add a different ending, which varies depending on the subject pronoun. [10] X Research source For example: “I speak” becomes yo hablo “You speak (informal)” becomes tú hablas “You speak (formal)” becomes usted habla “He/she speaks” becomes él/ella habla “We speak” becomes nosotros/as hablamos “You all speak (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habláis “You all speak (formal)” becomes ustedes hablan “They speak” becomes ellos/ellas hablan As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for every single regular verb that ends in “-ar”, such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work). Verbs ending in “-er”. Comer is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to eat. " To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-er” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell). Verbs ending in “-ir”. Vivir is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to live”. To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-ir” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive). Once you have mastered the present tense, you can move on to conjugating verbs in other tenses, such as the future tense, the preterite and imperfect past tenses and the conditional tense. The same basic method used to conjugate the present tense is also used for each of these tenses - you simply take the stem of the infinitive verb and add a particular set of endings, which vary depending on the subject pronoun.
Verbs ending in “-ar”. Hablar is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to speak. " To change the verb into the present tense, all you need to do is drop the “-ar” and add a different ending, which varies depending on the subject pronoun. [10] X Research source For example: “I speak” becomes yo hablo “You speak (informal)” becomes tú hablas “You speak (formal)” becomes usted habla “He/she speaks” becomes él/ella habla “We speak” becomes nosotros/as hablamos “You all speak (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habláis “You all speak (formal)” becomes ustedes hablan “They speak” becomes ellos/ellas hablan As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for every single regular verb that ends in “-ar”, such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work). Verbs ending in “-er”. Comer is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to eat. " To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-er” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell). Verbs ending in “-ir”. Vivir is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to live”. To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-ir” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive). Once you have mastered the present tense, you can move on to conjugating verbs in other tenses, such as the future tense, the preterite and imperfect past tenses and the conditional tense. The same basic method used to conjugate the present tense is also used for each of these tenses - you simply take the stem of the infinitive verb and add a particular set of endings, which vary depending on the subject pronoun.
Verbs ending in “-ar”. Hablar is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to speak. " To change the verb into the present tense, all you need to do is drop the “-ar” and add a different ending, which varies depending on the subject pronoun. [10] X Research source For example: “I speak” becomes yo hablo “You speak (informal)” becomes tú hablas “You speak (formal)” becomes usted habla “He/she speaks” becomes él/ella habla “We speak” becomes nosotros/as hablamos “You all speak (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habláis “You all speak (formal)” becomes ustedes hablan “They speak” becomes ellos/ellas hablan As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for every single regular verb that ends in “-ar”, such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work). Verbs ending in “-er”. Comer is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to eat. " To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-er” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell). Verbs ending in “-ir”. Vivir is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to live”. To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-ir” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive). Once you have mastered the present tense, you can move on to conjugating verbs in other tenses, such as the future tense, the preterite and imperfect past tenses and the conditional tense. The same basic method used to conjugate the present tense is also used for each of these tenses - you simply take the stem of the infinitive verb and add a particular set of endings, which vary depending on the subject pronoun.
Verbs ending in “-ar”. Hablar is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to speak. " To change the verb into the present tense, all you need to do is drop the “-ar” and add a different ending, which varies depending on the subject pronoun. [10] X Research source For example: “I speak” becomes yo hablo “You speak (informal)” becomes tú hablas “You speak (formal)” becomes usted habla “He/she speaks” becomes él/ella habla “We speak” becomes nosotros/as hablamos “You all speak (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habláis “You all speak (formal)” becomes ustedes hablan “They speak” becomes ellos/ellas hablan As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for every single regular verb that ends in “-ar”, such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work). Verbs ending in “-er”. Comer is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to eat. " To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-er” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell). Verbs ending in “-ir”. Vivir is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb “to live”. To change the verb into the present tense, drop the “-ir” and add the endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. For example: “I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive). Once you have mastered the present tense, you can move on to conjugating verbs in other tenses, such as the future tense, the preterite and imperfect past tenses and the conditional tense. The same basic method used to conjugate the present tense is also used for each of these tenses - you simply take the stem of the infinitive verb and add a particular set of endings, which vary depending on the subject pronoun.
“I speak” becomes yo hablo “You speak (informal)” becomes tú hablas “You speak (formal)” becomes usted habla “He/she speaks” becomes él/ella habla “We speak” becomes nosotros/as hablamos “You all speak (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habláis “You all speak (formal)” becomes ustedes hablan “They speak” becomes ellos/ellas hablan As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for every single regular verb that ends in “-ar”, such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work).
“I speak” becomes yo hablo “You speak (informal)” becomes tú hablas “You speak (formal)” becomes usted habla “He/she speaks” becomes él/ella habla “We speak” becomes nosotros/as hablamos “You all speak (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habláis “You all speak (formal)” becomes ustedes hablan “They speak” becomes ellos/ellas hablan As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for every single regular verb that ends in “-ar”, such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work).
“I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell).
“I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell).
“I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell).
“I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell).
“I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell).
“I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell).
“I eat” becomes yo como “You eat (informal)” becomes tú comes “You eat (formal)” becomes usted come “He/she eats” becomes él/ella come “We eat” becomes nosotros/as comemos “You all eat (informal)” becomes vosotros/as coméis “You all eat (formal)” becomes ustedes comen “They eat” becomes ellos/ellas comen These six endings will be the same for every regular “-er” verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell).
“I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive).
“I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive).
“I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive).
“I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive).
“I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive).
“I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive).
“I live” becomes yo vivo “You live (informal)” becomes tú vives “You live (formal)” becomes usted vive “He/she live” becomes él/ella vive “We live” becomes nosotros/as vivimos “You all live (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vivís “You all live (formal)” becomes ustedes viven “They live” becomes ellos/ellas viven These six verb endings will be the same for every regular “-ir” verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive).
Ser. The verb “ser” is one of two verbs in Spanish which can be translated as “to be”. “Ser” is used to describe the essential characteristics of something - for example, it is used for physical descriptions, for time and dates and for describing characters and personalities, amongst other things. It is used to describe what something is. [12] X Research source The present tense of the verb is conjugated as follows: “I am” becomes yo soy “You are (informal)” becomes tú eres “You are (formal)” becomes usted es “He/she is” becomes él/ella es “We are” becomes nosotros/as somos “You all are (informal)” becomes vosotros/as sois “You all are (formal)” becomes ustedes son “They are” becomes ellos/ellas son Estar. The verb “estar” also means “to be” but is used in a different context from “ser”. “Estar” is used for states of being - for example, it is used to describe conditional states such as feelings, moods and emotions, as well as a person or thing’s location, amongst other things. It is used to describe how something is. The present tense of the verb is conjugated as follows: “I am” becomes yo estoy “You are (informal)” becomes tú estás “You are (formal)” becomes usted está “He/she is” becomes él/ella está “We are” becomes nosotros/as estamos “You all are (informal)” becomes vosotros/as estáis “You all are (formal)” becomes ustedes están “They are” becomes ellos/ellas están Ir. The verb “ir” means “to go”. It is conjugated in the present tense as follows: “I go” becomes yo voy “You go (informal)” becomes tú vas “You go (formal)” becomes usted va “He/she goes” becomes él/ella va “We go” becomes nosotros/as vamos “You all go (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vais “You all go (formal)” becomes ustedes van “They go” becomes ellos/ellas van Haber. The verb “haber” can be translated as either “I have” or “I have done”, depending on context. The present tense of the verb is conjugated as follows: “I have (done)” becomes yo he “You have (done)(informal)” becomes tú has “You have (done) (formal)” becomes usted ha “He/she has (done)” becomes él/ella ha “We have (done)” becomes nosotros/as hemos “You all have (done) (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habéis “You all have (done) (formal)” becomes ustedes han “They have (done)” becomes ellos/ellas han
“I am” becomes yo soy “You are (informal)” becomes tú eres “You are (formal)” becomes usted es “He/she is” becomes él/ella es “We are” becomes nosotros/as somos “You all are (informal)” becomes vosotros/as sois “You all are (formal)” becomes ustedes son “They are” becomes ellos/ellas son
“I am” becomes yo soy “You are (informal)” becomes tú eres “You are (formal)” becomes usted es “He/she is” becomes él/ella es “We are” becomes nosotros/as somos “You all are (informal)” becomes vosotros/as sois “You all are (formal)” becomes ustedes son “They are” becomes ellos/ellas son
“I am” becomes yo estoy “You are (informal)” becomes tú estás “You are (formal)” becomes usted está “He/she is” becomes él/ella está “We are” becomes nosotros/as estamos “You all are (informal)” becomes vosotros/as estáis “You all are (formal)” becomes ustedes están “They are” becomes ellos/ellas están
“I am” becomes yo estoy “You are (informal)” becomes tú estás “You are (formal)” becomes usted está “He/she is” becomes él/ella está “We are” becomes nosotros/as estamos “You all are (informal)” becomes vosotros/as estáis “You all are (formal)” becomes ustedes están “They are” becomes ellos/ellas están
“I go” becomes yo voy “You go (informal)” becomes tú vas “You go (formal)” becomes usted va “He/she goes” becomes él/ella va “We go” becomes nosotros/as vamos “You all go (informal)” becomes vosotros/as vais “You all go (formal)” becomes ustedes van “They go” becomes ellos/ellas van
“I have (done)” becomes yo he “You have (done)(informal)” becomes tú has “You have (done) (formal)” becomes usted ha “He/she has (done)” becomes él/ella ha “We have (done)” becomes nosotros/as hemos “You all have (done) (informal)” becomes vosotros/as habéis “You all have (done) (formal)” becomes ustedes han “They have (done)” becomes ellos/ellas han
For people it is possible to make an educated guess as to whether a noun is masculine or feminine. For instance, the word for “girl” is feminine, la chica, while the word for “boy” is masculine, el chico. This is called natural gender. Very few words for people have a grammatical gender. For example, el bebé (the baby) is masculine and la visita (the visitor) is feminine. This is also valid for female babies and male visitors. In addition, nouns that end in the letter “o”, like el libro (book), are usually masculine and words that end in the letter “a”, like la revista (magazine) are usually feminine. However, there are many nouns that do not end in either “a” or “o”, so this is not always helpful. Any adjectives used to describe nouns must also agree with the gender of the noun, so adjectives will change their form depending on whether a noun is masculine or feminine.
For example, to refer to “the male cat” in Spanish, you would need to use the definite article “el” - “el gato”. When referring to “the male cats”, the definite article changes to “los” - “los gatos”. The definite article changes again when referring to the feminine form of cat. “The female cat” uses the definite article “la” - “la gata”, while “the female cats” uses the definite article “las” - “las gatas”. The four forms of indefinite article are used in the same way - “un” is is used for the masculine singular, “unos” is used for the masculine plural, “una” is used for the feminine singular and “unas” is used for the feminine plural.
If you have a Spanish-speaking friend who is willing to help, that’s great! Otherwise, you can place an ad in the local paper or online or investigate whether there are any pre-existing Spanish conversation groups in the area. If you can’t locate any Spanish-speakers nearby, try finding someone on Skype. They might be willing to exchange 15 minutes of Spanish conversation for 15 minutes of English.
Look out for language courses advertised at local colleges, schools or community centers. If you’re nervous about signing up for a class by yourself, drag a friend along. You’ll have more fun and also someone to practice with between classes!
If you’re feeling particularly proactive, try pausing the video after a simple sentence and repeat what has just been said. This will lend your Spanish accent an air of authenticity! If you can’t find any Spanish films to buy, try renting them from a movie rental store, which often have foreign language sections. Alternatively, see if your local library has any Spanish films or ask if they would be able to source some for you.
Get a Spanish radio app on your phone, so you can listen on the go. Try downloading Spanish podcasts to listen to while exercising or doing housework. Alejandro Sanz, Shakira and Enrique Iglesias are some good Spanish singers.
Be aware that every Spanish-speaking country has a different accent, different slang, and sometimes even different vocabulary. For example, Chilean Spanish is extremely different from Mexican Spanish, from the Spanish of Spain, and even Argentine Spanish. In fact, as you advance in your Spanish proficiency, you may find it helpful to focus on one particular flavor of Spanish. It could be confusing if your lessons continually shift among word meanings and pronunciations for each country. However only about 2% of Spanish vocabulary is different in each country. You must concentrate on the remaining 98%.
Spanish uses the Subject-Object-Verb word order, just like English. This means that it’s easier to translate directly from English to Spanish, without having to worry about rearranging the structure of the sentence. Spanish spelling is very phonetic, so it’s usually quite easy to pronounce a word correctly, just by saying it like it’s spelled. This is not the case in English, so Spanish learners of English have a much harder time pronouncing words correctly when reading! As mentioned before, about 30% to 40 % of words in Spanish have an English cognate. This is because of their shared Latin roots. As a result, you already have an extensive Spanish vocabulary before you even get started - all it needs is a few tweaks and a Spanish twang!
