Spanish grammar rules

Are you just starting to learn Spanish and don't know which are the basic Spanish grammar rules you need to master? At donQuijote Spanish school we can help you with that.

Spanish is a rich and structured language and has clear grammar rules that can help you build correct and understandable sentences. That's why, below, we explain 10 essential Spanish grammar rules that every beginner should know before signing up for an intensive Spanish course.

You can also read this article in Spanish, French, Italian or Dutch.

1. Spanish nouns have gender and number

In Spanish, nouns are classified into several categories, but if there is something to keep in mind about them, it is their gender and number. Each noun has its gender, masculine or feminine, and its number, that is, they can be singular or plural.

For example:

• El árbol / Los árboles (The tree / The trees)
• La casa / Las casas (The house / The houses)
• El perro / Los perros (The dog / The dogs)
• La silla / Las sillas (The chair / The chairs)

However, there are some nouns that are genderless, that is, they are used for both masculine and feminine. For example: el/la artista (the artist), el/la estudiante (the student), la/el paciente (the patient), la/el testigo (the witness) or la/el modelo (the model).

Also, you must keep in mind that, if the noun is accompanied by an adjective or article, these must agree with the gender and number of the noun they accompany. For example:

• El perro marrón / Los perros marrones (The brown dog / The brown dogs)
• La casa bonita / Las casas bonitas (The beautiful house / The beautiful houses)
• El libro antiguo / Los libros antiguos (The old book / The old books)
• La silla azul / Las sillas azules (The blue chair / The blue chairs)

2. Basic sentence structure in Spanish

The basic sentence structure in Spanish is subject + verb + object/complement. With this simple structure you can build clear and understandable sentences. For example:

• “María come una manzana” (Maria eats an apple). The subject is “Maria”, the verb is “come” (eat) and the object is “una manzana”.
• “Ellos tienen cita en el dentista” (They have an appointment at the dentist). The subject is “ellos”; the verb is “tienen” and the complement is “cita en el dentista”.

Although, sometimes, the subject can be omitted and need not be included in the sentence. In the example above, “Ellos tienen cita en el dentista”, the subject can be omitted, and the sentence would have the same sense and meaning: “Tienen cita en el dentista”.

If you want to learn more about it, you can visit our post Spanish sentence structure.

3. Questions in Spanish always have the same structure

As with sentences, questions in Spanish also have a clear order. Most questions usually start with interrogative words such as: qué (what), quién (who), cómo (how) or dónde (where). Also, note that interrogative particles always have accent.

However, in Spanish you can ask questions without the interrogative particle, simply add the question marks “¿?” and pronounce the phrase with the intonation of a question.

For example:

• ¿Quién es el vecino que toca la guitarra? (Who is the neighbor who plays the guitar?)
• ¿Me puedes decir qué hora es? (Can you tell me what time it is?)
• ¿Cómo puedo llegar al metro desde el teatro? (How can I get to the subway from the theater?)
• ¿Hablas español? (Do you speak Spanish?)
• ¿Me prestas tu bolígrafo? (Can I borrow your pen?)

4. Negative sentences in Spanish are easy and simple

In Spanish, to turn an affirmative sentence into a negative one, you simply need to add the word no to it. You can add this particle before the verb or, if it is a question, add it at the beginning of the question.

Some examples:

• Juan estudia español -> Juan no estudia español -> (Juan studies Spanish/Juan doesn’t study Spanish)
• ¿Sabes cómo llegar al metro? -> No sé cómo llegar al metro (Do you know how to get to the subway? / No, I don't know how to get to the subway)
• Mi tía sabe hablar tres idiomas -> Mi tía no sabe hablar tres idiomas (My aunt can speak three languages / My aunt can't speak three languages)
• ¿Quieres pescado para cenar? -> No quiero pescado para cenar (Do you want fish for dinner? / I don't want fish for dinner)

5. Verbs are conjugated according to person, tense and mood

A peculiarity of Spanish and one of the most complex aspects is the conjugation of verbs. Because in Spanish verbs change form according to the person performing the action, the time in which it occurs (present, past, future) and the mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative).

 Examples of various verb tenses in Spanish:

• “Presente” indicative: Yo hablo. Tú hablas. Él/Ella habla. Nosotros/as hablamos. Vosotros/as habláis. Ellos/as hablan.
• “Pretérito pluscuamperfecto” indicative: Yo había cantado. Tú habías cantado. Él/Ella había cantado. Nosotros habíamos cantado. Vosotros habíais cantado. Ellos habían cantado.
• “Presente” subjunctive: Yo coma. Tú comas. Él/Ella coma. Nosotros comamos. Vosotros comáis. Ellos coman.
• “Futuro simple” subjunctive: Yo saliere. Tú salieres. Él/Ella saliere. Nosotros saliéremos. Vosotros saliereis. Ellos salieren.

6. Personal pronouns are optional

Personal pronouns (yo, tú, él/ella, nosotros/as, vosotros/as and ellos/as) are often optional in Spanish. This is because the conjugation of the verb already indicates the person.

For example:

• Yo estudio español -> Estudio español (I study Spanish)
• Nosotros comemos paella los domingos -> Comemos paella los domingos (We eat paella on Sundays)
• Ellos salen de fiesta el viernes -> Salen de fiesta el viernes (They go out to party on Friday)

In the examples above, both forms are correct, with or without personal pronouns and the meaning is the same, it does not vary. Depending on the context and the conversation, personal pronouns can be omitted.

7. Adjectives go after the noun

In Spanish, adjectives are generally placed after the noun they describe. This order is different in other languages such as English. For example:

• Un coche rojo (A red car)
• Una camisa amarilla (A yellow shirt)
• La taza rosa (The pink mug)
• El libro viejo (The old book)

But there is an exception in some adjectives, such as “bueno” or “grande”, which can come before in certain contexts. For example: “Un buen día” (a good day) or “Un gran tamaño” (a great size).

8. Pronouns precede the verb (almost always)

There are several types of pronouns in Spanish (personal, reflexive, direct and indirect) that are placed before the verb. For example:

• Me dio el libro (She gave me the book)
• Se levanta tarde (He gets up late)
• Le gusta la pasta (He likes pasta)

In addition, in compound verb forms or with infinitives, pronouns can be attached to the verb. For example:

• Voy a dártelo (I'm going to give it to you)
• Siéntate, por favor (Please sit down)
• ¿Puedes coserme el pantalón? (Can you sew my pants?)

9. Adverbs are very flexible

The placement of adverbs is very versatile, and they can be used in different positions within the same sentence. Some Spanish adverbs are: cerca (near), aquí (here), allí (there), rápidamente (quickly), etc.

For example:

• María come rápidamente una manzana
• Rápidamente, María come una manzana
• María come una manzana rápidamente

All these forms are correct and convey the same idea, regardless of where the adverb is placed.

10. Words with accent have specific rules

The Spanish accent or tilde is used to indicate the tonic syllable in a word or to differentiate words that are spelled the same way. Thus, we distinguish two methods to put a tilde on Spanish words:

In Spanish, the accent serves to mark emphasis. For example: lámpara (lamp), rápido (fast), canción (song), camión (truck).

While the diacritical tilde is used to differentiate words that are spelled the same:

• tú (pronoun) and tu (possessive)
• sí (affirmation) and si (conditional)
• él (pronoun) and el (article)
• más (adverb/adjective) and mas (conjunction)

With these 10 Spanish grammar rules, the language becomes more accessible to students, especially if you are a beginner. So don't forget to practice the simplest structures and concepts that are key to rapid improvement in Spanish language.