Webster's New World: Spanish Grammar Handbook

By Gail Stein

This definitive guide to Spanish grammar covers all aspects of spoken and written Spanish from essential vocabulary to tense and mood conjugations.
 
Webster’s New World: Spanish Grammer Handbook is an essential resource for any Spanish language learner. Divided into fifteen chapters, it covers everything from basic necessities such as numbers, dates, and weather, to more complex forms of expression such as comparisons, idioms, and the subjunctive mood. Covering vocabulary, conjugation, tenses, moods, and much more, this complete guide will help you hone your Spanish speaking and writing skills.
 
Organized so you can proceed at your own pace and review as needed, Webster's New World Spanish Grammar Handbook helps you progress from vocabulary to proficiency so you can communicate confidently in both social and business situations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Oct 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9780544189010

Gail Stein

Gail Stein is a retired New York City junior and senior high school foreign language instructor. During her more than thirty-three years of service, she assisted in a revision project of the French curriculum for the New York City Board of Education; served as an adjunct professor to St. John’s University in its Early Admission Extension Program; gave presentations and demonstrations at numerous citywide foreign language conferences; appeared on the Barry Farber radio program promoting the study of French; and had her lessons videotaped by the New York City Board of Education for national distribution. Gail is a multi-time honoree in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. In addition to Mind Over Bladder, Gail is the author of over forty well-known French and Spanish textbooks, phrase books, guides, handbooks, and a crossword puzzle book. She currently resides in Long Island, New York.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

As our society becomes increasingly multicultural, learning a foreign language becomes more and more of a necessity for all of us. Webster’s New World Spanish Grammar Handbook is a valuable resource for those who wish to acquire proficiency in a widely spoken language whose popularity is ever-increasing. This book is for people from all walks of life: students, tourists, and businesspeople who want to be able to effectively and confidently communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings in Spanish.

Webster’s New World Spanish Grammar Handbook is an essential, comprehensive guide that is completely user friendly and was designed to carefully and clearly present all the topics and tools necessary for a complete understanding and mastery of Spanish grammar. The book is divided as follows:

The 15 parts present all the essential elements of Spanish grammar.

Appendix A presents verbs charts that illustrate the conjugations of regular, stem-changing, spelling-change, and irregular verbs.

Appendix B presents thematic vocabulary that will facilitate communication.

The Glossary lists and defines grammatical terms.

Webster’s New World Spanish Grammar Handbook is organized in a thoughtful, logical manner, proceeding from the simpler elements to the more complex structural explanations and rules of Spanish grammar. Words, phrases, and expressions that are used on a daily basis in a wide variety of situations are presented at the very beginning. These are followed, part by part, in sequential order, by the elements needed to construct coherent sentences from start to finish: nouns and pronouns; simple verb tenses and moods; progressive tenses; compound tenses and moods; commands; verb infinitives; prepositions and conjunctions; interrogatives and exclamations; negatives, indefinites, and relative pronouns; reflexive verbs; adjectives, adverbs, and comparisons; and the passive voice. All topics are explored in depth, and all explanations are followed by clear, concise examples that illustrate each and every rule. More detailed grammatical points are highlighted in sidebars throughout the text. Exceptions to rules, irregularities, and rules unique to Spanish are noted, explored, discussed at length, and exemplified. Each part of the book is broken down into small, easily manageable divisions and subdivisions that will allow you to work as slowly or as quickly as you like. You can use Webster’s New World Spanish Grammar Handbook to develop and perfect your communicative skills at a comfortable pace, one that will permit you to use the Spanish language to its best advantage.

It is absolutely essential to make use of the appendices included in Webster’s New World Spanish Grammar Handbook. Appendix A presents a simple-to-read, comprehensive list of verb charts that will enable you to use regular, stem-changing, spelling-change, and irregular verbs with the utmost confidence and ease. Arranged by infinitives, each chart identifies the Spanish infinitive, its English meaning(s), the gerund, the past participle, and the imperative forms. Reflexive verbs, with their accompanying reflexive pronouns, are also fully illustrated. Each verb is shown in its simple and compound tenses in both the indicative and subjunctive moods.

Appendix B presents a mini-dictionary of thematic vocabulary charts that provide you with a large selection of words you can use in conjunction with the rules of grammar so that you can form creative, personalized sentences, thoughts, and ideas. These high-frequency, everyday topics include the family, the house, animals and insects, foods, quantities, parts of the body, places in town, the classroom, subjects and activities, professions, leisure time, clothing, materials, colors, jewelry, travel and transportation, car parts, countries, the continents, and weather.

Finally, the Glossary presented at the end of the book defines all the grammatical terms you’ll need to know to successfully learn the material in this book.

Webster’s New World Spanish Grammar Handbook explains and illustrates all that is necessary for you to successfully master the Spanish language. The rest is up to you. If you make a commitment to learn and practice a small amount each day, if you study on a regular basis, and if you persevere without getting discouraged or distracted, you will learn Spanish in a relatively short period of time. Take the time, make the effort, and before long, you’ll be proficient enough to chat in both social and business situations. You can do it all with Webster’s New World Spanish Grammar Handbook.

PART I

EVERYDAY NECESSITIES

Numbers

We use two different types of numbers on a daily basis: cardinal and ordinal numbers. Numbers are vitally important to everyday communication because they have so many applications. It is, therefore, essential to commit both sets of numbers to memory.

Writing Numbers

Numbers are written slightly differently in the Spanish-speaking world than in the English-speaking world: Put a small hook on the top of the number 1 so that it almost looks like a 7. To differentiate between a 1 and a 7, put a line through the 7, so that it looks like this: 7.

Cardinal Numbers

Cardinal numbers are used for counting—1, 2, 3, 4, and so on—and we use them throughout the day, every day of our lives, to communicate prices, dates, times, ages, and personal and professional statistics. The following table lists the Spanish cardinal numbers:

Punctuating Numerals

In numerals and decimals, Spanish generally uses periods where English uses commas and vice versa:

Spanish cardinal numbers follow these rules:

Uno is used when counting. Use Un to express one, a, or an before a masculine noun and use una before a feminine noun:

Uno may also be used in the sense of a neuter pronoun:

Use the conjunction y (and) only for numbers between 16 and 99. Y is not used between a number over 100 and the number that follows:

The numbers 16 through 19 and 21 through 29 are generally written as one word. Put an accent on the last syllable for the numbers 16, 22, 23, and 26:

When used before a masculine noun, veintiún has an accent on the last syllable:

In compounds of ciento (for example, doscientos, trescientos), there must be agreement with feminine and masculine nouns:

Before nouns and before the numbers mil and millones, the cien form is used in place of ciento.Ciento is used before all other numbers:

Un is used before millón but not before cien(to) or mil. When millón is followed by a noun, de is used between millón and the noun:

Common arithmetic functions require the following words:

Examples:

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers are used to express numbers in a series:

Spanish ordinal numbers follow these rules:

Ordinal numbers are used only through tenth. After that, cardinal numbers are used:

Ordinal numbers are masculine or feminine according to the nouns they modify. Change the final o of the masculine form to an a to arrive at the feminine form:

The final o is dropped from primero and tercero before a masculine singular noun:

The abbreviations for ordinal numbers take this form:

Cardinal numbers replacing ordinal numbers are always masculine because it is presumed that número precedes the number:

Primero is the only ordinal number used in dates. In all other cases, the cardinal number is used:

Cardinal numbers precede ordinal numbers:

Fractions

With the exception of one half and one third, the numerator of a fraction uses a cardinal number and the denominator uses an ordinal number, through tenths:

After tenths, -avo is added to the cardinal number to form the fraction:

Fractions follow these rules:

The adjective medio (half) becomes media before a feminine noun. The noun la mitad (de) expresses half of something:

Fractions are masculine nouns. A fraction is placed either before or after a noun, depending on where it makes logical sense and sounds best:

When a quantity is divided, the fraction may be expressed with the feminine noun parte, except if a unit of measure is used:

Multiples

Multiples, which express the number of times of an event takes place, use the cardinal number followed by the feminine singular noun vez (veces in the plural):

Example:

The multiples solo (sola), doble, triple, and so on may be used as adjectives, as nouns, or as adverbs:

Dates and More

Expressing dates in Spanish requires knowledge of the names of the days of the week and the months of the year and a good command of cardinal numbers.

Days

When a person asks "¿Qué día es hoy? he or she is asking for the day of the week. The appropriate answer begins with Hoy es . . . (Today is . . . ") followed by the day:

Using Lowercase

The Spanish days of the week and months of the year are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence. The Spanish calendar starts with Monday. Use the masculine, singular definite article el + singular day of the week to express on a particular day:

Use the masculine, plural definite article los + plural day of the week to express on when speaking about the day in a general sense:

Months

The months are easy to learn because they closely resemble the names of the months in English:

The preposition en expresses in with the name of a month:

Dates

When someone asks "¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?" or "¿A cuántos estamos?" he or she is asking for the date. Use the following formula to give an appropriate reply:

Es (Estamos a) day + (el) + cardinal number (except for primero) + de + month + de + year

Example:

The following rules pertain to dates:

Use Es or Estamos a (It is) + date before the date.

Use primero only for the first of the month. For all other days, use cardinal numbers:

Use el to express on a specific date:

Expressing Dates

Whereas in English dates are generally expressed in hundreds, in Spanish years are expressed in thousands and hundreds:

Dates are written with the day before the month:

Words and Expressions Pertaining to Dates

The following words and expressions will help you effectively communicate information about the date so that you can make appointments and plans:

The Weather

If you haven’t looked out the window and are curious about the weather conditions for the day, you might ask someone "¿Qué tiempo hace? (What’s the weather?").

Weather Conditions

If you are listening to el pronóstico (the forecast), you will find the following weather expressions useful in helping you decide how to plan your day and what to wear so that you are comfortable:

Temperature

If you would like to know the temperature, you would ask, "¿Cuál es la temperatura?" An appropriate response would contain a cardinal number followed by