Spanish grammar

The main rules of Spanish, each on one short page with tables and examples you can listen to. Use it to look something up, or read it alongside the course: every chapter links to the pages it uses.

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Start here: sounds and spelling

The Spanish alphabet and pronunciationThe 27 letters of the Spanish alphabet and their names, the five vowels, the sounds that differ from English, and where the stress falls.
Spanish in Spain and Latin AmericaHow the Spanish of Latin America differs from the Spain Spanish taught in this course: pronunciation, vosotros and ustedes, vos, past tenses and everyday words.

Beginner (A1)

Adjectives: agreement and positionSpanish adjectives match their noun in gender and number, and usually come after it. Learn the patterns and the exceptions.
Articles: el, la, los, las, un, unaThe Spanish words for “the” and “a”, and how they change with the gender and number of the noun.
Gustar: saying what you likeHow me gusta and me gustan work, how to say what other people like, and how to agree or disagree.
Nouns: gender and pluralEvery Spanish noun is masculine or feminine. Learn the patterns that tell you which, and how to make nouns plural.
Possessives: mi, tu, su, nuestro…How to say my, your, his, her, our and their in Spanish, and the longer forms mío, tuyo and suyo.
Questions and negationHow to ask yes/no questions and questions with question words, and how to say “not”, “never” and “nothing” in Spanish.
Ser and estar: two verbs for “to be”Spanish has two verbs for “to be”. Learn when to use ser, when to use estar, and the most useful rules of thumb.
Spanish numbers: from 0 to a millionCount from 0 to a million, say years, prices, phone numbers, times and dates, and use ordinals like primero and segundo.
Subject pronouns: yo, tú, usted, vosotros…The Spanish words for I, you, he, she, we and they, when to use tú, usted, vosotros and ustedes, and when to leave them out.
Tener and hayUse tener for “to have”, age and feelings like hunger, and hay for “there is” and “there are”.
The present tense of regular verbsHow to form the present tense of regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs, and what the present tense is used for.

Elementary (A2)

Comparisons: más… que, tan… como, mejorHow to compare people and things in Spanish: más and menos… que, tan… como, the irregular mejor, peor, mayor and menor, and el más…
Object pronouns: lo, la, le, lesHow to say “it”, “them”, “to him” and “to her” in Spanish with lo, la, los, las, le and les, and where the pronouns go.
Reflexive verbs: me llamo, me levantoWhat reflexive verbs are, how to use me, te, se, nos, os, and the everyday routine verbs you need.
The future: ir a and the future tenseTwo ways to talk about the future in Spanish: ir a + infinitive for plans, and the future tense (hablaré, haré) for predictions and promises.
The imperative: giving instructionsHow to tell someone to do something in Spanish with the tú and usted imperative, including the irregular forms ven, ve, haz and sal.
The imperfect: describing the pastHow to form the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), its three irregular verbs, and when to use it instead of the preterite.
The present perfect: he comido, has vistoHow to form the present perfect (pretérito perfecto) with haber, the irregular past participles, and when Spain uses it instead of the preterite.
The preterite: talking about the pastHow to form the preterite (pretérito indefinido) of regular and key irregular verbs, and when to use it.

Intermediate (B1)

Por and paraWhen to use por and when to use para, two Spanish words that can both mean “for”, with the most useful fixed expressions.
Relative pronouns: que, quien, lo que, dondeHow to join ideas with que, quien, lo que, donde and el que: the person who…, the thing that…, what…, the place where…
The conditional and if-clauses: haría, si tuvieraHow to form the Spanish conditional, how to use it for wishes, advice and polite requests, and how to build sentences with si.
The passive and se: fue construido, se vendeHow to say what is done without saying who does it: the passive with ser, passive se (se venden pisos) and impersonal se (se dice que).
The pluperfect and reported speech: había hechoHow to say what had already happened with había + participle, and how to report what someone said with dijo que.
The present subjunctive: que sea, que tengaHow to form the Spanish present subjunctive and when to use it: after no creo que, feelings, wishes, advice, para que and cuando.

Upper intermediate (B2)

All si clauses: si hubiera sabido, lo habría hechoThe pluperfect subjunctive and the conditional perfect, all types of Spanish si sentences, and how to express regrets about the past.
Discourse markers: sin embargo, por lo tanto, o seaThe connectors and markers that organise Spanish speech and writing: adding, contrasting, explaining, giving causes and results, and signposting.
More uses of the subjunctive: aunque, a menos que, alguien queThe Spanish subjunctive after aunque, after conjunctions like a menos que and con tal de que, and in relative clauses: busco a alguien que sepa.
Reported speech: dijo que vendríaHow to report what someone said in Spanish: tense changes after dijo que, reported questions and commands, and useful reporting verbs.
The imperfect subjunctive: hablara, tuviera, fueraHow to form the Spanish imperfect subjunctive, when it replaces the present subjunctive, and how it's used in wishes, proposals and como si.
Verb phrases: acabar de, volver a, seguir + gerundSpanish verb + infinitive and verb + gerund phrases that show when an action starts, stops, is repeated or continues: acabar de, volver a, dejar de…