If like me, you try to learn everything from the internet, and you have searched for easy-to-understand Spanish lessons, but have had trouble finding something good that doesn't try to get you to sign your checking account away, then maybe this post and some that follow can help you.
The following are lessons I wrote to help my brother and my pastor learn the basics of Spanish. I struggled for a long time with these basic concepts, until the past couple of months. In an effort to make things more understandable and to get them to stick, I have written these lessons.
They are FREE for the taking. Comment if you have any questions or corrections to my mistakes, and I may be able to help or point you to more resources. Thanks.
(These lessons assume that the reader knows how to pronounce basic Spanish, if not, I recommend clicking here, or searching for some audio that can help).
Lección 1: pronombres personales y conjugando verbos
Lesson 1: personal pronouns and conjugating verbs1. Personal Pronouns in Spanish, Pronombres Personales en español:
Spanish verbs are conjugated, or formed, according to the corresponding personal pronoun used with that word. (personal pronouns are words like me, I, you, them, us, him, her etc.).
For example, the word querer means to want, but when it is used in the phrase I want, it becomes yo quiero. When it is used with the pronoun him, as in he wants, it becomes el quiere. This is called conjugating the verb, when it changes according to its subject.
Because Spanish verbs are conjugated this way, it is not always necessary to include the personal pronoun of the subject in sentences. It is already implied by the way the verb is conjugated.
For example: the phrase I want to go with you, in Spanish = Quiero ir contigo. The Spanish word for the first person pronown I = yo. Notice that the personal pronoun yo was left out of the sentence, since it was already implied in the verb form quiero (I want).
Another example is the question Are you ready?, which becomes ¿Estás listo? The pronoun Tú, which means you in a familiar sense, has been left out of this sentence. Instead, it has been implied with the verb form Estás (You are). If the pronoun were included to add emphasis, the sentence would then say, ¿Tú estás listo? (Are YOU ready?).
This concept will become clearer shortly, as we learn how to conjugate Spanish verbs according to their corresponding pronouns.
The personal pronouns in Spanish are:
yo = me or I; tú = you (informal with familiarity); él, ella, usted = he, her, you (formal); nosotros, nosotras = us or we (masculine & feminine); ellos, ellas, ustedes = them (masculine), them (feminine), you (plural & formal).
Nota, : (There is also the pronoun vosotros, which means you in a non-formal plural sense, but it is not commonly used in most of Latin America (except for Argentina). It is, however, still used in some parts of the world and in the Bible. We will concentrate in these lessons on learning the most common plural form of you, which is ustedes.)
2. Conjugating the verb querer: to want
(yo) quiero = I want; (tú) quieres = you want; (él/ella/usted) quiere = (he/she/you formal) want; (nosotros/-as) queremos = we want; (ellos/ellas/ustedes) quieren = they want (and you all want).
Por ejemplo: Quiero ir con ellos. I want to go with them. ¿Dónde quieres ir? Where do you want to go? Él quiere ir al parque. He wants to go to the park. Quieren ir. They want to go. Queremos comer. We want to eat. Quieren ir ahora. They want to go now. María quiere ir al supermercado. Maria wants to go to the supermarket. Quiero un café, por favor. I want a coffee, please.
3. Conjugating the verb ir: to go
(yo) voy = I go; (tú) vas = you go; (él/ella/usted) va = (he/she/you formal) go; (nosotros/-as) vamos = we go; (ellos/ellas/ustedes) van = they go (and you all go).
Por ejemplo: ¿Adónde van? Where are they going? Vamos a la casa de Juan. We are going to John's house. ¿Adónde va ella? Where is she going? Va con nosotros. She is going with us. Voy aquí, vas allí. I'm going here, you're going there. Voy al supermercado. I'm going to the supermarket. ¡Vamos! Let's go! Vamos a tener que irnos. We are going to have to leave. (In this sentence, the word ir combines with the pronoun to make irnos. For voy its irme, for vas its irte, for va its irse, for vamos its irnos and for van its irse.)
Quiz: (Note: Some questions may require the use of a Spanish-English dictionary or words contained on the flash cards)
1. What is the Spanish word for me or I?
2. What are the various words for other people, personal pronouns?
3. What is the verb form for I want?
4. What are the words for to want and to go?
5. Ask your friend if he wants a water (Hint: a single water is often used with the masculine form un. This is an exception to the rule of using the feminine form una with feminine words).
6. Say I want to go to the supermarket.
7. Say We are going to the supermarket.
8. Say They want to go there.
9. Ask your friend (singular, familiar pronoun) where she is going?
10. Conjugate both verbs for to want and to go?
*Bonus: Read a verse from the Spanish Bible and pronounce every word accurately (use a pronunciation guide if necessary).
Homework:
1. Memorize one verse from the Spanish Bible and quote it out loud in a natural voice.
For example, the word querer means to want, but when it is used in the phrase I want, it becomes yo quiero. When it is used with the pronoun him, as in he wants, it becomes el quiere. This is called conjugating the verb, when it changes according to its subject.
Because Spanish verbs are conjugated this way, it is not always necessary to include the personal pronoun of the subject in sentences. It is already implied by the way the verb is conjugated.
For example: the phrase I want to go with you, in Spanish = Quiero ir contigo. The Spanish word for the first person pronown I = yo. Notice that the personal pronoun yo was left out of the sentence, since it was already implied in the verb form quiero (I want).
Another example is the question Are you ready?, which becomes ¿Estás listo? The pronoun Tú, which means you in a familiar sense, has been left out of this sentence. Instead, it has been implied with the verb form Estás (You are). If the pronoun were included to add emphasis, the sentence would then say, ¿Tú estás listo? (Are YOU ready?).
This concept will become clearer shortly, as we learn how to conjugate Spanish verbs according to their corresponding pronouns.
The personal pronouns in Spanish are:
yo = me or I; tú = you (informal with familiarity); él, ella, usted = he, her, you (formal); nosotros, nosotras = us or we (masculine & feminine); ellos, ellas, ustedes = them (masculine), them (feminine), you (plural & formal).
Nota, : (There is also the pronoun vosotros, which means you in a non-formal plural sense, but it is not commonly used in most of Latin America (except for Argentina). It is, however, still used in some parts of the world and in the Bible. We will concentrate in these lessons on learning the most common plural form of you, which is ustedes.)
2. Conjugating the verb querer: to want
(yo) quiero = I want; (tú) quieres = you want; (él/ella/usted) quiere = (he/she/you formal) want; (nosotros/-as) queremos = we want; (ellos/ellas/ustedes) quieren = they want (and you all want).
Por ejemplo: Quiero ir con ellos. I want to go with them. ¿Dónde quieres ir? Where do you want to go? Él quiere ir al parque. He wants to go to the park. Quieren ir. They want to go. Queremos comer. We want to eat. Quieren ir ahora. They want to go now. María quiere ir al supermercado. Maria wants to go to the supermarket. Quiero un café, por favor. I want a coffee, please.
3. Conjugating the verb ir: to go
(yo) voy = I go; (tú) vas = you go; (él/ella/usted) va = (he/she/you formal) go; (nosotros/-as) vamos = we go; (ellos/ellas/ustedes) van = they go (and you all go).
Por ejemplo: ¿Adónde van? Where are they going? Vamos a la casa de Juan. We are going to John's house. ¿Adónde va ella? Where is she going? Va con nosotros. She is going with us. Voy aquí, vas allí. I'm going here, you're going there. Voy al supermercado. I'm going to the supermarket. ¡Vamos! Let's go! Vamos a tener que irnos. We are going to have to leave. (In this sentence, the word ir combines with the pronoun to make irnos. For voy its irme, for vas its irte, for va its irse, for vamos its irnos and for van its irse.)
Quiz: (Note: Some questions may require the use of a Spanish-English dictionary or words contained on the flash cards)
1. What is the Spanish word for me or I?
2. What are the various words for other people, personal pronouns?
3. What is the verb form for I want?
4. What are the words for to want and to go?
5. Ask your friend if he wants a water (Hint: a single water is often used with the masculine form un. This is an exception to the rule of using the feminine form una with feminine words).
6. Say I want to go to the supermarket.
7. Say We are going to the supermarket.
8. Say They want to go there.
9. Ask your friend (singular, familiar pronoun) where she is going?
10. Conjugate both verbs for to want and to go?
*Bonus: Read a verse from the Spanish Bible and pronounce every word accurately (use a pronunciation guide if necessary).
Homework:
1. Memorize one verse from the Spanish Bible and quote it out loud in a natural voice.
[Check out these FREE basic lessons on how to pronounce Spanish available at StudySpanish.com. Use the left sidebar to find the sections on the site.]
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