Exercises – Grammar

“Ojalá” in the present subjunctive to expresses hope for something to happen in the present or the future, e.g., "Ojalá que venga mi hermano hoy." (Hopefully, my brother will come today.)

“Ojalá” can also be used along with the imperfect subjunctive to express hope that something, that is unlikely or improbable, would happen in the present or the future, e.g., "Ojalá que viniera mi hermano hoy, pero siempre está ocupado." (I wish my brother would come today, but he is always busy.)
The the third person plural of the preterite is "pudieron", and the stem from that is "pudie-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

The third person plural of the preterite is "vivieron", and the stem from that is "vivie-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

The third person plural of the preterite is "hablaron", and the stem from that is "habla-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

“Ojalá” in the present subjunctive to expresses hope for something to happen in the present or the future, e.g., "Ojalá que venga mi hermano hoy." (Hopefully, my brother will come today.)

“Ojalá” can also be used along with the imperfect subjunctive to express hope that something, that is unlikely or improbable, would happen in the present or the future, e.g., "Ojalá que viniera mi hermano hoy, pero siempre está ocupado." (I wish my brother would come today, but he is always busy.)
The the third person plural of the preterite is "vinieron", and the stem from that is "vinie-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

It is common to use the imperfect subjunctive to make polite requests using the verb "quisiera".
The third person plural of the preterite is "quisieron", and the stem from that is "quisie-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

The third person plural of the preterite is "quisieron", and the stem from that is "quisie-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

Whereas the present subjunctive is used to express opinion, possibility, and feelings such as fear, doubt, hope, desire, etc., about something in the present or the future, the imperfect subjunctive can be used similarly, but when the hope, desire, feeling, etc. itself is in the past.

The stem used to form the imperfect subjunctive conjugation comes from the third-person plural form of the preterite rather than the infinitive, that is, the preterite that follows “ellos” or “ellas” minus “-ron.”
The the third person plural of the preterite is "quedaron", and the stem from that is "queda-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

Conditional statements that contain hypothetical or unlikely assumptions, such as “if I were you,” “if I were the president,” and “if I had a lot of money,” use the imperfect subjunctive.

The stem used to form the imperfect subjunctive conjugation comes from the third-person plural form of the preterite rather than the infinitive, that is, the preterite that follows “ellos” or “ellas” minus “-ron.”
The the third person plural of the preterite is "fueron", and the stem from that is "fue-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

Conditional statements that contain hypothetical or unlikely assumptions, such as “if I were you,” “if I were the president,” and “if I had a lot of money,” use the imperfect subjunctive.

The stem used to form the imperfect subjunctive conjugation comes from the third-person plural form of the preterite rather than the infinitive, that is, the preterite that follows “ellos” or “ellas” minus “-ron.”
The the third person plural of the preterite is "tuvieron", and the stem from that is "tuvie-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

The third person plural of the preterite is "fueron", and the stem from that is "fue-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

The third person plural of the preterite is "tuvieron", and the stem from that is "tuvie-", then we add one of two sets of endings.

Both endings are equally acceptable although the first group is more widely used. All verbs follow these conjugation rules and there are no irregular verbs.

If two actions took place in the past, the one that took place before is often described in the pluperfect.

The pluperfect indicative is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect + past participle

If two actions took place in the past, the one that took place before is often described in the pluperfect. 

The pluperfect indicative is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect + past participle

If two actions took place in the past, the one that took place before is often described in the pluperfect.

The pluperfect indicative is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect + past participle

If two actions took place in the past, the one that took place before is often described in the pluperfect. 

The pluperfect indicative is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect + past participle

If two actions took place in the past, the one that took place before is often described in the pluperfect.

The pluperfect indicative is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect + past participle

Note: You could also use "hubiese" instead of "hubiera".

The pluperfect in the subjunctive mood is used to describe an event that already happened in the past but we wish it did not happen or happened differently, or we want to discuss what would happen if we hypothetically changed that past event.

The pluperfect is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive+ past participle

Remember that there is another accepted but less common conjugation of “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive.

The pluperfect subjunctive is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive+ past participle

We use the pluperfect subjunctive to to describe a hypothetical or impossible past is using the expression “como si”, translated as “as if”.

The pluperfect subjunctive is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive+ past participle

Remember that there is another accepted but less common conjugation of “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive.

One use of the pluperfect in the subjunctive is similar to that in the indicative mood. The pluperfect in the indicative mood is used to describe the past before the simple past.

If doubt or hope is added to the action described in the pluperfect, the subjunctive mood should be used.

The pluperfect is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive+ past participle

Remember that there is another accepted but less common conjugation of “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive.

We use the pluperfect subjunctive to describe a hypothetical or impossible past. The pluperfect tense in such expressions is often preceded by the conditional “si” (if).

The pluperfect subjunctive is formed as follows: “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive+ past participle

It is not uncommon to hear “habría” replaced with “hubiera” in informal conversation, e.g., “Si mi abuelo no hubiera muerto, hubiera pasado tiempo con él.” According to the RAE, this sentence is considered grammatically acceptable.

The two examples have identical English translations and use the same transitive verb, “buscar” (to search or look for). One of the two examples, however, differs in two ways:

1. The direct complement is person(s) preceded by the personal “a”, which makes the subject lacking from a grammatical point of view.

2. The third-person verb is in the singular form.

The example with the characteristics above uses the impersonal “se”, whereas the other uses the reflexive passive “se”.

Notice that we sometimes use the subject pronouns (we, they, it, and one) to convey a general meaning. For instance, the subject “we” in the sentence “We work better as a team” does not necessarily refer to the speaker(s) but rather refers to the general fact that humans work better as a team rather than individually. In other words, work is better as a team.
Notice also that the verbs “to work” and “to sleep” are intransitive, meaning that they do not need an object for the meaning to be complete.
On the other hand, “to feel,” “must,” and “to be” are copular verbs, meaning they connect a subject to an adjective, adverb, noun, or phrase. Examples of copular verbs include: seem, feel, appear, look, become, taste, get, sound, turn, grow, and find.
In Spanish, there is a special way to express such observations or statements using the singular third-person conjugation of the verb, followed by “se” which is separated from the verb by a hyphen. Because the subject is undefined, we call this construction impersonal.

One way to construct the passive voice in Spanish is by using the reflexive passive “se” with transitive verbs.
The basic formula consists of the third-person verb in singular or plural, depending on the noun which follows the verb, preceded by “se.”

This is the passive construction you are likely to encounter in ads, commercials, cookbook instructions, or when the performer of the action is unknown or not as important.

Notice that ONLY transitive verbs can be used to construct sentences using the reflexive passive “se,” and the noun that follows the third-person verb can represent thing(s) or person(s).

Notice that we sometimes use the subject pronouns (we, they, it, and one) to convey a general meaning. For instance, the subject “we” in the sentence “We work better as a team” does not necessarily refer to the speaker(s) but rather refers to the general fact that humans work better as a team rather than individually. In other words, work is better as a team.
Notice also that the verbs “to work” and “to sleep” are intransitive, meaning that they do not need an object for the meaning to be complete.
On the other hand, “to feel,” “must,” and “to be” are copular verbs, meaning they connect a subject to an adjective, adverb, noun, or phrase. Examples of copular verbs include: seem, feel, appear, look, become, taste, get, sound, turn, grow, and find.
In Spanish, there is a special way to express such observations or statements using the singular third-person conjugation of the verb, followed by “se” which is separated from the verb by a hyphen. Because the subject is undefined, we call this construction impersonal.

One way to construct the passive voice in Spanish is by using the reflexive passive “se” with transitive verbs.
The basic formula consists of the third-person verb in singular or plural, depending on the noun which follows the verb, preceded by “se.”

This is the passive construction you are likely to encounter in ads, commercials, cookbook instructions, or when the performer of the action is unknown or not as important.

Notice that ONLY transitive verbs can be used to construct sentences using the reflexive passive “se,” and the noun that follows the third-person verb can represent thing(s) or person(s).

Notice that we sometimes use the subject pronouns (we, they, it, and one) to convey a general meaning. For instance, the subject “we” in the sentence “We work better as a team” does not necessarily refer to the speaker(s) but rather refers to the general fact that humans work better as a team rather than individually. In other words, work is better as a team.
Notice also that the verbs “to work” and “to sleep” are intransitive, meaning that they do not need an object for the meaning to be complete.
On the other hand, “to feel,” “must,” and “to be” are copular verbs, meaning they connect a subject to an adjective, adverb, noun, or phrase. Examples of copular verbs include: seem, feel, appear, look, become, taste, get, sound, turn, grow, and find.
In Spanish, there is a special way to express such observations or statements using the singular third-person conjugation of the verb, followed by “se” which is separated from the verb by a hyphen. Because the subject is undefined, we call this construction impersonal.

One way to describe something in the passive voice is to move the noun acted upon to the beginning of the sentence to emphasize it, and use “to be” verb followed by the adjective or the past participle.

The performer of the action in the above example, denoted by “por …” (by …), can be omitted as it is deemed not to be of great significance.

To form the diminutive for words that end in “o”, “a”, or a consonant other than “n” or “r”, we offten add the ending “-ito” for masculine and “-ita” for feminine at the end of the word.

amigo + -ito = amiguito

In the case of words ending with “o” or “a”, remove the “o” or “a” to avoid the double vowel.

When necessary, orthographic changes are applied to maintain the correct pronunciation sounds and spelling rules. Here, the “g” is changed to “gu”.

In Spanish, we use suffixes, such as: “-ón/-ona”, “-azo/-aza”, “-ote/-ota”, “-udo/-uda”, and “-achón/-achona”, to form augmentatives.

casa + -ona = casona

Unfortunately, there are no rules to guess which suffix to use. Practice is the only way.

To form the diminutive for words that end in “o”, “a”, or a consonant other than “n” or “r”, we offten add the ending “-ito” for masculine and “-ita” for feminine at the end of the word.

mano + -ita = mantita

In the case of words ending with “o” or “a”, remove the “o” or “a” to avoid the double vowel.

Notice that “mano” takes the suffix “-ita” because it is a feminine noun, even though it ends with an “o”.

In Spanish, we use suffixes, such as: “-ón/-ona”, “-azo/-aza”, “-ote/-ota”, “-udo/-uda”, and “-achón/-achona”, to form augmentatives.

hombre + -ón = hombrón

Unfortunately, there are no rules to guess which suffix to use. Practice is the only way.

To form the diminutive for words that end in “o”, “a”, or a consonant other than “n” or “r”, we offten add the ending “-ito” for masculine and “-ita” for feminine at the end of the word.

poco + -ito = poquito

In the case of words ending with “o” or “a”, remove the “o” or “a” to avoid the double vowel.

When necessary, orthographic changes are applied to maintain the correct pronunciation sounds and spelling rules. Here, the “c” is changed to “qu”.

To form the diminutive for words that end in “e”, “n”, or “r”, add the ending “-cito” for masculine and “-cita” for feminine at the end of the word.

café + -cito = cafecito

To form the diminutive, some words don't follow the standard rules when adding the diminutive suffix.

To form the diminutive for words that end in “o”, “a”, or a consonant other than “n” or “r”, we offten add the ending “-ito” for masculine and “-ita” for feminine at the end of the word.

casa + -ita = casita

In the case of words ending with “o” or “a”, remove the “o” or “a” to avoid the double vowel.

The verb "quedar" describes a change that is the result of a process or an accident, regardless of whether it is permanent or temporary, and regardless of whether it is voluntary or involuntary.

In Spanish, selecting the proper verb to describe a change can be tricky. This depends on the nature of change in a state or emotion:

The verb "hacerse" describes permanent and voluntary, regardless of whether it is sudden or the result of a process. It is usually used to refer to change in religion, beliefs, or ideology.

While this is the best translation, "Se volvió socialista."  can also be acceptable in some contexts.
In Spanish, selecting the proper verb to describe a change can be tricky. This depends on the nature of change in a state or emotion:

The verb "convertirse en" describes a change that is the result of a process that leads to an important change, regardless of whether it is permanent or temporary, and regardless of whether it is voluntary or involuntary.

In Spanish, selecting the proper verb to describe a change can be tricky. This depends on the nature of change in a state or emotion:

The verb "llegar a se" describes a change that is the result of a process that involved effort to achieve the goal, regardless of whether it is permanent or temporary, and regardless of whether it is voluntary or involuntary.

While this is the best translation, "se volvió" and "se convirtió en" can alos be acceptable.

In Spanish, selecting the proper verb to describe a change can be tricky. This depends on the nature of change in a state or emotion:

The verb "ponerse" describes temporary, involuntary, and sudden changes especially in emotions.
In Spanish, selecting the proper verb to describe a change can be tricky. This depends on the nature of change in a state or emotion:

The verb "volverse" describes permanent, involuntary, and sudden changes. It usually describes changes into a negative state of mind.

In Spanish, selecting the proper verb to describe a change can be tricky. This depends on the nature of change in a state or emotion:

The “r” from the infinitive "comer" is removed, and an accent is added to the last vowel to stress the last syllable.

The pronoun “vos” is used instead of “tú”. There are only three irregular verbs in "voseo": "ser", "ir", and "haber".

The “r” from the infinitive "tener" is removed, and an accent is added to the last vowel to stress the last syllable.

Remember that, unlike in English, this expression uses "tener"  in Spanish.

The only irregular case using “vos” in the imperative is the verb “ir”, which has the imperative form “andá”.

The pronoun “vos” is used instead of “tú”. There are only three irregular verbs in "voseo": "ser", "ir", and "haber".

The pronoun “vos” is used instead of “tú”. There are only three irregular verbs in "voseo": "ser", "ir", and "haber".

The “r” from the infinitive "venir" is removed, and an accent is added to the last vowel to stress the last syllable.

Conjugation of the imperative mood in the negative using “vos” is identical to that using “tú”.