Spanish Grammar
Grammar rules explained with examples and tables. Pick a topic below and move on to practice.
Este, ese, aquel: Spanish demonstratives by distance
Where English has just “this” and “that”, Spanish has three demonstratives, and you pick one by distance. Este means this — the thing near the speaker. Ese means that — the thing near the listener ...
The se pronoun in Spanish: every main use explained
Se is not one word with one meaning. It is a single spelling that does several different jobs, and the trick is to recognize which job it is doing in the sentence in front of you. The main uses are ...
Spanish rr pronunciation: how to roll your R's
Spanish has two different r sounds, and position decides which one you use. A single r between vowels is a quick tap — close to the fast tt or dd in American English butter and ladder ( pero, cara ) ...
Le vs lo in Spanish: direct and indirect object pronouns
The split is about the job the pronoun does in the sentence. Use lo and la (plural los / las ) for the direct object — the thing or person that directly receives the action: him, her, it, them. Use le ...
Spanish imperative commands: telling someone what to do
A Spanish command changes shape for two reasons: who you are talking to and whether you are telling them to do something or not to do it. Address one friend with the informal tú, one stranger or ...
Spanish adjective placement: before or after the noun?
The default is the opposite of English: most Spanish adjectives go after the noun, so you say un coche rojo, not un rojo coche. Descriptive adjectives that distinguish one thing from another (color ...
Un vs una in Spanish: which 'a' to use
Spanish has two words for “a” or “an”. Use un with masculine nouns and una with feminine nouns. The choice follows the gender of the noun, exactly like the definite article el and la, so the best ...
Tan vs tanto in Spanish: 'so' and 'so much'
Both words intensify, but they attach to different things. Use tan before an adjective or adverb (“so tall”, “so quickly”). Use tanto with a noun or after a verb (“so much money”, “works so much”) ...
También vs tampoco in Spanish: 'too' and 'neither'
These two words let you agree with what someone just said. Use también to agree with a positive sentence (“me too”, “also”). Use tampoco to agree with a negative sentence (“me neither”, “not either”) ...
Spanish stress rules: where to put the emphasis
Spanish stress is predictable. Two default rules cover most words, and a written accent marks every exception. The defaults: if a word ends in a vowel, -n or -s, stress the second-to-last syllable; if ...
Spanish plural rules: how to make nouns plural
Spanish plurals follow three reliable patterns. Add -s when the word ends in a vowel, add -es when it ends in a consonant, and change a final -z to -ces. The article and any adjective then change to ...
Qué vs cuál in Spanish: which question word
Both can translate as “what” or “which”, but they ask different things. Use qué to ask for a definition or an explanation, and directly before a noun. Use cuál (plural cuáles ) to pick one or more ...
Mi, tu, su in Spanish: possessive adjectives
Mi means “my”, tu means “your” and su means “his”, “her”, “your” (formal) or “their”. The key rule is that these words agree with the thing owned, not the owner, and they change for number only ...
El vs la in Spanish: which 'the' to use
Spanish has two words for “the” in the singular. Use el with masculine nouns and la with feminine nouns. The noun’s gender decides, not the thing itself, so the safest habit is to learn each noun ...
De vs del in Spanish: when 'de' becomes 'del'
There is no difference in meaning: del is simply de + el joined into one word. The contraction is required whenever de is immediately followed by the masculine singular article el. With la, los, las ...
A vs en in Spanish: 'to', 'at' and 'in'
The short rule: use a for movement toward a place and for clock time, and use en for a fixed location and for “in”, “on” or “at” when nothing moves. Think of a as an arrow pointing to a destination ...
Bueno vs bien in Spanish: good or well?
Use bueno when you need an adjective meaning “good”. It describes a noun and changes form: bueno, buena, buenos, buenas, and buen before a masculine singular noun. Use bien when you need an adverb ...
Por vs para in Spanish: the practical difference
Both por and para can translate as “for”, but they point in different directions. Use para when the sentence looks forward to a goal: purpose, destination, recipient, deadline or intended use. Use por ...
Ser vs estar in Spanish: how to choose
Spanish has two everyday verbs for “to be”. Use ser for identity, origin, time, dates, material and defining traits: what something is. Use estar for location, a state right now, the result of a ...