Spanish - Grammar

By taking the time to understand how the Spanish language works, you'll be able to speak Spanish naturally, and read and write in Spanish. We know this can be one of the more challenging parts of your course, and we’re here to help! You can browse the topics, do a search in the top right corner of this page, or start a new conversation. Don’t be shy!

Let's go versus We are going

In English I make a distinction between these two. The first one is a request without having prior agreement. I would say "Let's go" to someone (or a group of people) when I am encouraging them to do something or to go somewhere with me. It coul...

4 replies - Last post by tocayo - June 28, 2007

english for spanish speakers

Ola. Tengo una amiga necisitando clases en ingles. Yo busco en la computadora pero no veo nada. Puede ayudahme por favor. gracias.

3 replies - Last post by C_Norita - June 28, 2007

Lo Se y No lo se

Un poco ayuda, por favor. I know that "No lo se" translates to "I don't know", but I've also heard (and used) "no se". What's the funtion of lo here, and is "no se" actually incorrect? And I've always wond...

2 replies - Last post by rodneyp - June 27, 2007

The word "Cual"

Hi all - just a quick question re the word "cual." When it is used in lesson 3.1, it translates as "which." eg Cual rubio? = Which blond? Then, in lesson 3.3, it translates as "what" eg Cual es el pronostico del tiempo pa...

2 replies - Last post by ozicoyote - June 25, 2007

Understanding Native Speakers

I've been on the Rocket Spanish program for about three months now and have learned quite a bit of Spanish. I continue to impress my Spanish freinds. However, I still find it difficult to fully understand native speakers. I, for example, like watching ...

2 replies - Last post by C_Norita - June 24, 2007

Translations

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read "Que Jesus Te Amo". I suppose this is one of those things that does not lend itself to literal translation. I thought "Te Amo" meant "I love you" and is something a person wo...

2 replies - Last post by C_Norita - June 24, 2007

Vos

Today I finally overcame being confused with 'vos'. :D At this link: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=8239, you will find very detailed information on the term. Also, one person stated that in Chile, 'vos' is used as a disrespectful '...

4 replies - Last post by C_Norita - June 24, 2007

Feminine or masculine?!

Hi everyone! I really want to learn Spanish, first i thought that it was so easy but it's not that easy. I don't know which words are feminine or masculine. I'm going to give you an example for what i mean. Example I live in Holland = Yo vivo en Holan...

1 reply - Last post by nohablo - June 13, 2007

Subjuntivo - Subjunctive Case

The significant other in mi vida is Puertoriqueña, and so I get a lot of opportunity to practice español. One of the things I keep getting messed up on is the subjunctive. Mi novia found a powerpoint presentation that explained it in detail and here is ...

1 reply - Last post by taalibeen - June 11, 2007

Using "lo" and "lo que"......I need more

As I listen and practice more and more, I often hear and/or read sentences that contain "lo que....." I'm still having trouble understanding exactly what this means. Is it referring to "something" or an abstract idea? Since I don't ...

8 replies - Last post by nohablo - June 4, 2007

Using the "was/were" past pattern

Someone please correct me if I'm off on this question about the "was/were" patterns..... I have a question about the "was/were" equivalent in spanish. Can estaba, estabas, estabamos, etc....be used the same way as estuve, estuviste,...

1 reply - Last post by nohablo - June 2, 2007

lejos

Is there a difference between: Como lejos de aqui? -and- Que tan lejos de aqui? I seen both in spanish writings?

2 replies - Last post by fanntax - May 28, 2007

Pronouns

Im having a little difficulty with the beginners book section on direct and indirect pronouns. I study it every day and Im still a little shaky. Does anyone know of any learning techniques that I could use to learn this material faster? P.S. It would b...

10 replies - Last post by dremelts - May 24, 2007

Indirect Object Pronouns requiring clarification

Maybe I'm missing something but in lesson 4.2 it says "...if it's unknown or unclear to whom the indirect object pronoun is referring, it's a good idea to use proper nouns in addition to the indirect object pronoun." This seems to defeat the ...

2 replies - Last post by dremelts - May 24, 2007

Where can I obtain some Spanish text books?

As a supplement, I would like to get some Spanish text books, like ones used in school. Anyone know where I could obtain some? Gracias!

2 replies - Last post by Kiernan46 - May 13, 2007

Rolling the R

Any suggestions for rolling the "r"? I have a difficult time trying to pronounce anything with an "r". Thanks :D

1 reply - Last post by Antonio - May 4, 2007

Think Spanish expensive, yet cool, magazine sm

Has anyone heard of the Think Spanish hard copy w/ audio CD magazine? It's EXPENSIVE as heck. \n\nOkay, here's the deal, if anyone is getting this magazine in both hard copy and CD format, I want to make you a deal : ) I'm willing to buy past issues from ...

8 replies - Last post by nohablo - April 30, 2007

Al

In general I understand what is meant by Al. But what is its meaning in this context David Galván fue el mejor mexicano *al* llegar en quinto sitio Thxs Nev

6 replies - Last post by mamasita - April 6, 2007

here or here?

I learned that there are two Spanish words for "here" - aqui and aca. While recently visiting with a friend from Mexico, I noticed that he never used the word "aqui," and when I used it in conversation (as in "aqui en mi casa&quo...

2 replies - Last post by mamasita - April 6, 2007

I Need a Hard Copy Vocabulary from Rocket Spanish

Hello, I am in the middle of the Rocket Spanish Course. I am scheduled to travel to the Yucatan this coming April and I was wondering if there was a hard copy of vocabulary and grammar, I could obtain to take with me on my trip. I know there will be mom...

1 reply - Last post by nohablo - March 20, 2007

Using "ya"

Could you tell me when and how you would use "ya" in a sentence. It seems to be used in different contexts. Thanks

1 reply - Last post by nohablo - March 18, 2007

Audio for Advanced Spanish

I have just finished Beginners Spanish by Maurico and am now ready to proceed to Advanced Spanish. Can anyone tell me if there are audio courses that follow along with the Advanced eBook?

3 replies - Last post by Mauricio - March 13, 2007

Algo, algun, alguin, etc

I having trouble with the meanings of these. How do I use them corectly? Examples, por favor... W.J.

3 replies - Last post by C_Norita - March 9, 2007

Mistake in lesson 3.2? "Estoy casada"

At the 17 minute mark of lesson 3.2 in the interactive program Amy says: "I'm tired - Estoy cansada. I'm married - Estoy casada." This is during the section when they are explaining the difference between _cansado(a)_ and _casado(a)_. ...

3 replies - Last post by nohablo - March 3, 2007

tener que + infinitive

Tengo que ir al banco. or Tengo que para ir al banco. If the second sentence is correct, how does "para" improve the sentence?

4 replies - Last post by Mauricio - February 21, 2007

Tomar and food

In Maragarita Madrigal's "Magic Key to Spanish" she states: [quo]*Quote:* In Spanish the verb "to take" is used to express eating and drinking. We say, "I took dinner," instead of, "I had dinner," "I took c...

8 replies - Last post by navenr - January 12, 2007

Spanish Resource Books

I just wanted to pass along a couple of resources that I use daily: "The Big Red Book Of 555 Fully Conjugated Spanish Verbs" "English Grammar For Students of Spanish" Cory Hughes

0 replies - Last post by cchughes - January 7, 2007

Biligual America

Do you know anyone who has tried the Spanish Power course offered by *Bilingual America*, namely: (1) the course materials (incl. The Real Spanish path - dealing with verb tenses); and (2) the quality of the tutoring offered? If so, I would appreciate any...

1 reply - Last post by litlmike - January 6, 2007

Indicative Perfect?

I am using Pimsleur at the same time as rocket. In Pimsleur they are using Indicative Perfect(he,has,ha etc.) at the beginner level. I cant find this tense in the Rocket advanced or beginners books. Why is this? Can someone tell me more about this tense s...

12 replies - Last post by nohablo - January 2, 2007

People in Espanol....sm

Hi Everyone, I wanted a magazine in Spanish and ended up getting People in Espanol (as well as, Think Spanish). I've heard that the People in Espanol isn't too difficult for a beginner and also good for Intermediate level. I intend to read it w/ my el...

0 replies - Last post by Esoterica1 - December 31, 2006

Pronouns

Hola, * Lo quiero ver. Quiero verlo. I want to see * Is this correct, Why can't I do this to all the verbs?

3 replies - Last post by litlmike - December 28, 2006

agree

How do you say: I can't agree more with you ! ( as in : I agree 101 % with you ) Or maybe it should be: I couldn't agree more with you sorry: I am not perfect in English

2 replies - Last post by Antonio - December 17, 2006

Online Newspaper: La Semana del Sur

I accidentally stumbled on this US based newspaper: __http://www.lasemanadelsur.com/__ What's interesting and useful (maybe not for everybody) is that most articles have both the Spanish and English versions. I find that the grammar is ...

1 reply - Last post by Esoterica1 - December 3, 2006

Numbers

P. 26 of Primer Curso spells the number 25: veinticinco, but p. 63 of conversation course spells it: veinte y cinco. Are they both right? Gracias por su ayuda. Claude

2 replies - Last post by Antonio - November 20, 2006

Me gustaría

'Me gustaría' was introduced in Lesson 1.2 and knowing so little about Spanish my mind accepted it with ease! As I've progressed to Lesson 5.1 I researched some rules of grammar and found 'me' was either a direct object, indirect object or reflexive pr...

2 replies - Last post by DreamU - November 17, 2006

Lo Siento?

I'm new to Espanól, and I can't figure out where the "lo" comes from. Shouldn't 'I am sorry" start with a YO or an ESTOY or MI or something? ------ this forum is GREAT

7 replies - Last post by mdietrich - November 15, 2006

La hora

I started the course last week. Quiero hacer una pregunta. Dice: "Son las cinco para las dos" o "Son cinco par las dos"? (Ejercicio numero cinco __versus __Primer Curso p. 32) Muchas gracias for su contestacion Claude p.s. Lo siento...

2 replies - Last post by Chamel - November 14, 2006

Difference between alli / alla / aquel ?

Can someone tell me the difference between alli / alla /aquel. Could you used them in a sentence for me (en espanol). Will (a newbe) P.S. I don't know how to get accent marks over the vowels from my PC keyboard?

5 replies - Last post by fanntax - November 11, 2006

Again_otra vez/de nuevo

How is otra vez and de nuevo used as in meaning again?

6 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 31, 2006

Spanish Lessons

At about.com, you can subscribe to receive email lessons. I subscribed to "Word of the Day", and "Dichos, refranes y citas". If you are interested, click: http://spanish.about.com/od/tipsforlearningspanish/a/email_lessons.htm, then...

0 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 28, 2006

Vocabulary and Pronunciation

The following site has dozens of Spanish words spoken aloud so you can learn how to pronounce them: __http://businessspanish.com/Topics.htm__ Tony

2 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 28, 2006

Free online course in Business Spanish

I discoverd the following site and it's really quite good with audio examples of key sentences. It's billed as "business Spanish" but it's really a basic course on Spanish conversation. And it's free! Here is the link: __http://busines...

1 reply - Last post by C_Norita - October 28, 2006

Gateway to Spanish television

Here is what I think is a great website for watching different Spanish shows to help one better understand spoken Spanish, and for entertainment: http://www.jumptv.com/. You can preview shows and decide if you want to subscribe to a channel. In addition, ...

10 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 27, 2006

Haber y Ser

Along with a few other verb forms, I read that the verb forms for HABER and SER are irregular in the affirmative singular imperative (tú form only). Can someone give me some examples of how to use haber(hé) and ser(sé) in the imperative command?

6 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 24, 2006

Es por eso

Por eso significa "that's why" en inglés, ¿pero qué significa es por eso en inglés? "It's for that", or basically the same thing as por eso? Or am I just wrong? :?

2 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 24, 2006

teléfono / telefónico

When do you use _teléfono_ and when do you use _telefónico_? I notice your course teaches _número de telefónico_. I looked it up in my dictionary and it says the word for telephone is _teléfono_, but in example sentences it uses _telefónico_. It doesn'...

3 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 22, 2006

Que tengas....

In lesson 6.3 (also an earlier lesson) Mauricio tells Amy "Que tengas un buen viaje." Why is the 'que' in the front of the sentence? I see that the subjuntive form of tener is used, does this mean there is an implied 'espero' or something simi...

3 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 21, 2006

Pa Bajo?

I have heard "Vamos pa bajo" to mean let's go downstairs or pa arriba. Is this correct grammar and if not, what is the correct word in place of "pa"? para? or should it be "a" bajo?

5 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 20, 2006

Para vs. Por

I am confused about the grammer rules regarding the use of por and para. Im not sure what to use when. Any feedback will be appreciated. Gracias :roll:

2 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 20, 2006

Grammer questions....

Do these have slightly different meanings or perhaps get used in different situations? Are they examples of variations between countries? 1. Cinco para las tres versus tres menos cinco 2. Número telefónico versus número de teléfono 3. Me gustaría ver...

5 replies - Last post by C_Norita - October 20, 2006

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