[...]... they (feminine) The English subject pronoun “it” does not have an equivalent subject pronoun in Spanish All nouns, in Spanish, have a gender, either masculine or feminine; therefore, “it” is translated either as él or ella 6 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs Note the following information about the Spanish subject pronouns: • There is a formal singular “you” (usted, abbreviated as Ud.) and an... neighbors are awake 10 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs The Spanish Tenses Spanish has seven simple tenses and seven compound tenses A simple tense uses one conjugated verb (for example, “I talk,” Yo hablo) The compound tenses are based on the seven simple tenses and require the use of an auxiliary, or helping, verb For example, “I have spoken” (Yo he hablado) In Spanish, the compound tenses use... five months ¿Desde cuándo estudias español? How long have you been studying Spanish? Estudio español desde hace dos años I have been studying Spanish for two years • Probability in the present with the construction deber de + infinitive: Deben de ser las dos It is probably two o’clock 16 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs • “Almost” or “nearly,” using the expression por poco Note that English... have to study hard No quepo en este auto I do not fit in this car 18 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs 3 Changes in the first person singular (yo) to keep the original sound of the verb: The verbs in the chart below undergo spelling changes only in the yo form and only to conform to the rules of Spanish pronunciation Verbs Ending In Change In Front Of Example: Yo form -ger or -gir g→j o, a coger... vamos vais van The verb ser is also used to form the passive voice The verb ir is also used to express future time with the expression ir + a + infinitive (English equivalent: “to be going to”) 20 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs Here are examples of these verbs in sentences: —¿Quién es él? —Es mi jefe Who is he? He is my boss —Es peruano, ¿verdad? —Sí Y es muy inteligente y amable He is Peruvian,... following verbs undergo the same spelling changes as the models in the chart above: Verbs like cerrar: apretar (to tighten, to squeeze), comenzar (to begin), despertar(se) (to wake up), empezar (to begin), pensar (to think, to plan), recomendar (to recommend), sentar(se) (to sit down) and nevar (to snow) which is conjugated only in the third person singular 22 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs Verbs... sentisteis pedisteis dormisteis sintieron pidieron durmieron The following verbs undergo the same spelling changes as those in the chart above: 26 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs Verbs like sentir: advertir (to warn), consentir (to consent, to pamper), divertir(se) (to amuse, to amuse oneself), mentir (to lie), preferir (to prefer) Verbs like pedir: competir (to compete), despedir(se) (to fire, to... school Alegría He went to a party Saturday night 28 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs la noche Dar and Ver The verbs dar (to give) and ver (to see) have the same endings as the -er and -ir regular verbs but without the accents Dar Ver di vi diste viste dio vio dimos vimos disteis visteis dieron vieron Here are examples of these verbs in sentences: El presidente dio una charla muy interesante... will have talked you will have talked they will have talked 14 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs Some notes about the moods and perfect tenses: • In English, the subjunctive mood is used after “if” or “wish” when the • • statement is contrary to reality The subjunctive mood is not used as widely as it is in Spanish In Spanish, the preterit perfect of indicative (pretérito perfecto de indicative)... and -ir verbs: -iendo Examples: caminar: camin- ando Ella está caminando She is walking 8 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs correr: corr- iendo abrir: abr- iendo Él estuvo corriendo aquí ayer Ellos están abriendo los regalos He was running here yesterday They are opening the gifts Some Spanish verbs have irregular present participles The following list shows common irregular present participles . x0 y0 w0 h0" alt="" 57 5+ Spanish Verbs by Elsa Pittman W EBSTER’S NEW W RLD ™ 57 5+ Spanish Verbs by Elsa Pittman W EBSTER’S NEW W RLD ™ Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs Copyright © 2004. it listed under its infinitive form. 6 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs 541579 Ch01.idd 6 12/30/03, 10:24:52 AM As in English, Spanish verbs are classified as either regular or irregular neighbors are awake . 03 541579 Ch01.idd 9 12/18/03, 12:33:52 PM 10 / Webster’s New World 57 5+ Spanish Verbs The Spanish Tenses Spanish has seven simple tenses and seven compound tenses. A simple tense