LA GRAMTICA BSCIA DE LA LENGUA ESPAOLA Why

LA GRAMÁTICA BÁSCIA DE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA

Why study grammar? • You have a highly-developed, complex grammar. • You will learn a second language (L 2) more quickly by understanding grammatical terms and applying them to your language learning than by immersion (where grammar is not specifically taught, much like when a child first learns language…correction, feedback, modeling, etc. ) • Knowing the terms will help in this class and others (English 111)

Subject pronouns • A subject pronoun replaces the name/title of a person or thing • It acts as the subject of a verb (the verb is changed/conjugated for the subject) • This subject-verb relationship is extremely important otherwise the sentence will not make sense – I goes to the store (although we can comprehend the sentence, it does not sound right because the subject and verb do not agree)

Person • First person – yo, nosotros/nosotras • Second person – tú, usted; vosotros/vosotras; ustedes • Third person – él, ella; ellos/ellas

Second person singular In Spanish, there are two subject pronouns for the second person (you). • Tú is familiar, where you know a person well (family member, friend, or younger person) • Usted (Ud. ) is formal. It is used to address a distance, someone you don’t really know, a supervisor, older person…

Second & third person, plural • In Latin America, you all is expressed using Ustedes (Uds). • In Spain, it is expressed using vosotros or vosotras • We is expressed using nosotros or nosotras in both hemispheres • There is no Spanish equivalent of the neuter it. Generally, it is not expressed in Spanish – Es una bebida – Es un zapato feo

LOS VERBOS Y LA CONJUGACIÓN

Verbs • The verb in its unconjugated form is called the infinitive. In English, the preposition to is added to the infinitive. – To be, to walk, to run, to ride, to do homework, to read, to joke, to hide, to study…. • Just like in English, Spanish verbs must be conjugated to agree with its subject.

The verb SER • SER (to be) is actually an irregular verb- it does not follow regular patterns that most verbs follow. • SER is used to identify people and things, expresses possession and to talk about where a person is from

The forms of SER Plural forms Singular forms SER SBJ Pronoun Conjugation Translation Yo Soy Eres I am Tú You (familiar) are Ud, él, ella Es You (formal), he, she is Nosotros/as Somos Sois We are Vosotros/as Uds, ellos, ellas son You all are (Spain) You all are (formal, Lat. Amer. ), they are