Sermo
a
| PRACTICE |
MAKES
PERFECT |
selec!
OMS SOIS st
= Complete Guide to Spanish Grammar
De tM)
= More than 3,500 Lively Exercise Questions
and Answers
= Includes Extensive Glossaries and Verb Tables
hubistels hudi
atrayendo cay,
contrayendo ¢
has ha hemovw,
Bee no)
raul Ieee
sliz fuerte gris
nile Cuan
iucho ningun
Fetter
jismo éque?
pant tse
EVAKe es ey
egunialgo na
die siempre
ORs Morea]
Wando?:pril
lequndo terce
thube he
ro. vues
|
nese ce
‘ite
PENT a sto)
facil fata
niciafelee=tel iaPRACTICE
MAKES
PERFECT
Gilda Nissenberg, Ph.D.
www. interesant.net
McGraw Hill
New York Chicago Sanfrancisco Lisbon Londen Madrid Mexico City
Milan New Delhi Sanjuan Seoul Singapore Sydney TorontoCopyright © 2004 by Gilda Nissenberg, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United
States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or
retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
0-07-144260-%
The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-142270-6.
All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use
names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of inffingement of the trademark. Where such
designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps.
McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. For
more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at
[email protected] or (212) 904-4069.
TERMS OF USE
This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is
subject to these terms, Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not
decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or
sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other
use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.
THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR
COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA
HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the
work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or
anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no
responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for
any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them
has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause
arises in contract, tort or otherwise.
DOI: 10.1036/007144260%tau Professional
Want to learn more?
We hope you enjoy this
McGraw-Hill eBook! If
you'd like more information about this book,
its author, or related books and websites,
please click here.Contents
For more information about this title, click here.
Introduction ix
UNIT 1.
UNIT 2.
UNIT 3.
UNIT 4.
UNIT 5.
UNIT 6.
The Present Tense of Regular Verbs, Irregular Verbs,
and Verbs with Spelling Changes 1
Regular Verbs in the Present Tense 2
When Is the Present Tense Used in Spanish? 4
Irregular Verbs in the Present'Tense 8
Verbs with Spelling Changes in the Present Tense 12
Dar, Haber, Hacer, and Tener in Expressions with a Special
Meaning 14
The Present Tense of Verbs with Stem Changes 18
Verbs Ending in-ar and-er 18
Verbs Ending in -ir 22
Verbs Ending in -uir 24
Ser and Estar 27
Similarities and Differences Between Ser and Estar 27
When Is Ser Used in Spanish? 28
When Is Estar Used in Spanish? 30
Adjectives That Change Their Meaning When Used with
Either Ser or Estar 32
Expressions with Estar 33
The Preterit Tense 35
Regular Verbs in the Preterit 35
When Is the Preterit Used in Spanish? 36
Verbs with Spelling Changes in the Preterit 39
Stem-Changing Verbs in the Pretenit 42
Irregular Verbs in the Preterit 44
Verbs with a Special Meaning im the Preterit 47
The Imperfect Tense 49
Formation of the Imperfect 49
Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect 51
When Is the Imperfect Used in Spanish? 52
The Imperfect and the Preterit in the Same Sentence 56
More About the Preterit and the Imperfect 59
Summary and Contrast of the Preterit and the Imperfect 59
Verbs with a Special Meaning: Ponerse, Volverse, and
Hacerse 65
iiiiv
Contents
UNIT 7.
UNIT 8
UNIT 9.
UNIT 10.
The Future and the Conditional
The Future Tense 67
Irregular Verbs in the Future Tense 69
When Is the Future Tense Used in Spanish? 71
Other Ways of Expressing the Future in Spanish 73
The Conditional Mood 74
Irregular Verbs in the Conditional 76
When Is the Conditional Used in Spanish? 77
Other Uses of the Conditional: Conjecture im the Past and
the Conditional in Contrary-to-Fact [Clauses 79
Reflexive Verbs and Reflexive Constructions
Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns 82
More Reflexive Verbs 83
Reflexive Constructions with Stem-Changing and _ Irregular
Verbs 84
The Use of Reflexive Verbs in Spanish 85
Verbs That Change Meanmg When Used as _ Reflexive
Verbs 86
The Commands in Reflexive Constructions 88
The Infinitive and Present Participle in Reflexive
Constructions 389
Reflexive Constructions in Reciprocal Actions 91
How to Express to Become in Spanish 92
The Reflexive Construction in Other Tenses 94
The Progressive Tenses
The Forms of the Present Participle in Regular, Irregular,
and Stem-Changing Verbs 95
Placement of Reflexive Pronouns and Other Object
Pronouns with the Present Participle 98
When Is the Present Progressive Used m Spanish? 99
The Progressive Forms in Other Tenses 100
Verbs of Motion in Progressive Tenses 101
Present Participle: Spanish Compared to English 102
Compound Tenses: The Present Perfect and the Past Perfect
The Present Perfect 104
Past Participles Ending in -ido and = Irregular Past
Participles 106
When Is the Present Perfect Tense Used in Spanish? 109
The Past Perfect or Pluperfect 110
When Is the Past Perfect Used in Spanish? 111
Other Compound Tense Forms: The Preterit Perfect 113
When Is the Preterit Perfect Tense Used in Spanish? 113
Haber + a Participle: The Spanish Equivalent of the Perfect
Infinitive 114
When Is the Infinitive of Haber + a Participle Used in
Spanish? 114
67
81
95
104UNIT 11.
UNIT 12.
UNIT 13.
UNIT 14.
UNIT 15.
Contents v
Compound Tenses: The Future Perfect
and the Conditional Perfect 15
The Future Perfect 115
When Is the Future Perfect Used in Spanish? 117
The Conditional Perfect 119
When Is the Conditional Perfect Used in Spanish? 121
The Passive Voice and Passive Constructions 124
The Passive Voice in Spanish 125
When Is the Passive Voice Used in Spanish? 126
The Passive Construction with the Pronoun Se_ 127
When Is_ the Passive Construction with Se Used in
Spanish? 128
Impersonal Constructions Used to Substitute for Passive
Constructions 130
The Subjunctive Mood: The Present and the Present Perfect
Subjunctive Tenses in Noun Clauses 131
The Subjunctive Mood: The Present Subjunctive 131
Formation of the Present Subjunctive 133
Verbs with Spelling Changes in the Present Subjunctive 134
Verbs with Stem Changes in the Present Subjunctive 135
Irregular Verbs m the Present Indicative and in the Present
Subjunctive 138
Irregular Verbs in the Present Subjunctive 139
When Is the Present Subjunctive Used in Spanish? 140
Other Uses of the Present Subjunctive 143
The Present Perfect Subjunctive 145
When Is the Present Perfect Subjunctive Used in Spanish? 146
More Uses of the Subjunctive: Adverb and Relative Clauses 148
The Subjunctive in Adverb Clauses 148
When Is the Subjunctive Used in Dependent Adverb Clauses
in Spanish? 149
Expressions That May or May Not Require the Subjunctive 151
When Is the Subjunctive Not Used in Dependent Adverb
Clauses in Spanish? 153
More Uses of the Subjunctive: The Subjunctive in Adjective
Clauses 155
When Is the Subjunctive Used in Adjective Clauses? 156
Other Uses of the Subjunctive 159
The Subjunctive Mood Past Tenses: The Imperfect
and the Pluperfect Subjunctive 162
The Imperfect Subjunctive 163
When Is the Imperfect Subjunctive Used in Spanish? 165
Other Uses of the Imperfect Subjunctive 167
The Pluperfect Subjunctive 168
When Is the Pluperfect Subjunctive Used in Spanish? 169
Other Uses of the Pluperfect Subjunctive 170
The Imperfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive in Contrary-to-Fact
Conditional Clauses 171vi
Contents
UNIT 16.
UNIT 17.
UNIT 18.
UNIT 19.
The Commands 175
Formal or Polite Commands 176
Formal Commands, Irregular Forms 178
When Are Formal Commands Used in Spanish? 179
Informal (Ta) Affirmative Command Forms 181
Irregular Forms of the Familiar Ta Command = 182
Tu Negative Command Forms 183
Plural Familiar (Vosotros) Affirmative Command Forms 184
Vosotros Negative Command Forms 185
Irregular Negative Vosotros Forms 185
When Are Informal (Ta) Commands Used in Spanish? 186
Commands and the Position of Reflexive and Object
Pronouns 186
Other Ways of Expressmg a Command (Nosotros) 187
The Infinitive Used asaGommand 189
Nouns and Articles 190
Gender of Nouns in Spanish: Endings of Nouns 190
Masculine Nouns and Their Endings in Spanish 190
Feminine Nouns and Their Endings in Spanish 192
Other Endings to Consider for the Gender of Nouns 193
Other Nouns and Their Gender 195
Plural of Nouns 199
Definite Articles 201
When Are Definite Articles Used in Spanish? 202
When Are Definite Articles Omitted in Spanish? 205
Lo, the Neuter Article 206
Indefinite Articles 207
When Are Indefinite Articles Used in Spanish? 208
When Are Indefinite Articles Not Used in Spanish? 209
Adjectives 211
Gender and Number of Adjectives in Spanish 211
Where Are Adjectives Placed in Spanish? 215
Other Adjective Forms Used Before Nouns: The Shortened
Forms 217
Other Considerations About the Position of Adjectives 218
Words That Function as Adjectives 219
Comparatives and Superlatives 220
Irregular Comparative and Superlative Adjectives 223
Other Comparisons 223
Personal Pronouns 225
Subject Pronouns 225
Uses of the Subject Pronouns 226
Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions 229
When Are Prepositional Pronouns Used in Spanish? 229
Direct Object Pronouns 231
When Are Direct Object Pronouns Used in Spanish? 231
Indirect Object Pronouns 235
Where Are Indirect Object Pronouns Placed? 235
Double Object Pronouns 239UNIT 20.
UNIT 21.
UNIT 22.
UNIT 23.
Contents
How Are Double Object Pronouns Used in Spanish? 239
The Indirect Object Pronoun with Gustar and Other
Verbs 241
Relative Pronouns
Que: When Is_ the Relative Pronoun Que Used in
Spanish? 245
Quien: When Is the Relative Pronoun Quien Used in
Spanish? 247
El que and El cual: When Are the Relative Pronouns El que
and El cual and Their Forms Used in Spanish? 248
Lo que and Lo cual: When Are the Relative Pronouns Lo que
and Lo cual Used in Spanish? 249
Relative Pronouns After Prepositions 251
Cuyo, Cuya: When Are the Relative Adjectives Cuyo, Cuya
Used in Spanish? 252
Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns
Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns 253
Possessive Adjective Forms: The Short Forms and the Long
Forms 253
When Are the Short and Long Forms of the Possessive
Adjectives Used in Spanish? 257
Possessive Pronouns 258
Demonstrative Adjectives 260
When Are the Different Forms of the Demonstrative
Adjectives Used in Spanish? 261
Demonstrative Pronouns 263
The Neuter Forms of the Demonstrative Pronouns 264
Adverbs
Adverb Forms in Spanish 266
Compound Adverbs 269
Other Adverb Forms: Adyerbial Expressions 271
Adjectives and Nouns Used as Adverbs 273
Comparisons with Adverbs 274
When Are Adverbs Used in Spanish? 274
Prepositions
Frequently Used Prepositions in Spanish 277
Relationships of Commonly Used Prepositions and
Compound Prepositions 280
The Preposition aand the Personala 282
Uses of Prepositions and Their English Equivalents 2383
The Uses of paraand por 284
Por in Common Idiomatic Expressions 287
Verbs That Require the Preposition a or de + an Infinitive
in Spanish 290
Verbs with Other Prepositions 291
Verbs That Require a Preposition in English but Not
in Spanish 292
vii
244
253
266
276viii
Contents
UNIT 24. Indefinite and Negative Words and Expressions
Indefinite and Negative Words in Spanish 294
When Are Indefinite and Negative Words
Spanish? 295
Other Negative Expressions 298
The Conjunctions pero and sino and
Expressions 298
When Are pero and sino Used in Spanish? 299
UNIT 25. Interrogative and Exclamatory Words
Interrogative Words and Expressions 301
Interrogative Words in Spanish 301
Other Uses of Interrogative Words and Expressions 302
Used in
Negative
¢Para qué? ¢Por qué? When Are They Used im
Spanish? 304
Interrogative Words and Expressions in
Questions 305
Exclamations 306
UNIT 26. Numbers
Cardinal Numbers 308
When Do We Use Cardinal Numbers? 310
Ordinal Numbers 313
Other Numbers: Fractions and Multiple Numbers 315
Verb Tables
Glossaries
Spanish-English Glossary
English-Spanish Glossary
Answer Key
Indirect
293
301
308
317
324
332Introduction
Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar is designed as a tool for review and advancement
in the language for the advanced beginner and intermediate learner of Spanish. In each unit,
clear grammar explanations include comparisons with English grammar followed by practical
examples and exercises that provide ample practice of the material and appropriate, useful
vocabulary. Instructions in Spanish for the exercises prepare the learner to anticipate the task
that follows while practicing yocabulary in context. The variety of exercises suits different learn-
ing styles and includes open-ended exercises to encourage the learner to produce creative
answers and increase confidence in using Spanish for daily communication.
Each unit can be studied independently to suit individual needs in a specific area and to provide
opportunities to learn and review Spanish grammar for those who need additional practice at
the high school or college level or for those wishing to continue to learn Spanish.
Learning another language requires dedication, time, and, ultimately, frequent practice. Using
what the students already know, making connections with their first language, and building on
that base strengthen the foundation on which to advance their learning. For this reason, the
vocabulary selected includes numerous cognates of English words, giving the advanced begin-
ner and intermediate learners ample opportunities to remforce what they already know while
advancing their knowledge of Spanish.
New vocabulary is incorporated within the exercises or is highlighted in boxes. The glossaries
include words appropriate to this level of learner and make it easy to quickly review or learn new
vocabulary. Finally, the verb charts serve as a quick grammar reference.
Copyright © 2004 by Gilda Nissenberg. Click here for terms of use.This page intentionally left blank.The Present Tense
of Regular Verbs,
Irregular Verbs, and Verbs
with Spelling Changes
Before studying the present tense of Spanish verbs, let’s review
some grammatical terms you will find in the units related to verbs.
‘To conjugate a verb in the present tense or in any other tense, you
will need the root of a verb and the particular ending that ex-
presses information about the action you wish to communicate.
You will find the root (or radical) of the verb in its infinitive form.
It is easy to spot an infinitive in English because it is preceded by
the word to: to shop, to learn, to receive, etc. Infinitives in Spanish are
not preceded by a particular word but can be recognized by one of
three endings: -ar, -er, or -ir. The infinitive endings are attached to
the root of the verb: habl + ar, beb + er, decid + ir.
The three groups of infinitives are called the first, second, and
third conjugation, respectively. To conjugate a yerb in Spanish,
drop the -ar, -er, or -ir and replace it with the corresponding end-
ing that agrees with the subject doing the action.
Vendo pélizas de seguro. I sell life insurance.
Because conjugation endings tell who the subject is, subject pro-
nouns in Spanish are usually omitted. The -o of the form vendo
reveals the subject is yo (Z). But conjugated verb endings tell more
than just who does the action. Usually, these endings tell the tense
(or time) actions take place: the present, past, or future.
Sales muy temprano. You leave very early.
Sales (you leave) is like vendo (J sell); each indicates an action in the
present. The -es ending can only refer to the person ta in the
Copyright © 2004 by Gilda Nissenberg. Click here for terms of use.2 Complete Spanish Grammar
present tense of the indicative mood. However, endings convey additional information. With
vendo and sales, the speaker indicates that these actions are perceived as a fact or reality: J sell;
you leave. This is called the indicative mood (modo indicativo) of the verb. The mood expresses
the attitude of the speaker. The examples vendo and sales are in the indicative mood because
these verbs communicate actions perceived as factual or real. Later on, you will study other
moods, such as subjunctive, conditional, and imperative.
Thus, the endings attached to the stem ofa verb hold a lot of information: who does the action,
when it takes place, and the attitude or perception of the speaker.
Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
‘To form the present tense, drop the -ar, -er, or -ir from the root (or radical) of the infinitive, and
add the ending that corresponds to the subject. The following verbs can be used as models for
all regular verbs in the present tense.
comprar (to buy) aprender (to learn) recibir (to receive)
SINGULAR PLURAL SINGULAR PLURAL SINGULAR PLURAL
compro compramos aprendo aprendemos recibo recibimos
L buy we buy J learn we learn L receive we weeive
compras comprais aprendes aprendéis recibes recibis
you (fam.) buy you buy you (fam.) learn you learn you ( fam.) receve you receive
compra compran aprende aprenden recibe reciben
he/she/it buys, they buy, he[she/it learns, _ they learn, he/she/it vecewves, they receive,
you (for) buy you buy you (for) learn you learn you (for) receive you receive
In the following conjugations, note the subject pronouns, as well as the English equivalents:
yo compro L buy, am buying, do buy
ta compras you (familiar singular) buy, are buying, do buy
él compra he buys, is buying, does buy
ella compra she buys, is buying, does buy
usted (Ud.) compra you (formal singular) buy, are buying, do buy
nosotros compramos we (masculine) buy, are buying, do buy
nosotras compramos we (feminine) buy, are buying, do buy
vosotros comprais you (nasculine plural) buy, are buying, do buy
vosotras comprais you (feminine plural) buy, are buying, do buy
ellos compran they (masculine) buy, are buying, do buy
ellas compran they (feminine) buy, are buying, do buy
ustedes (Uds.) compran you (formal plural) buy, are buying, do buy
Study the conjugations above and remember that:
¢ the first-person singular yo has the same ending in all three conjugations.
¢ in the -er and
ie, o > ue, etc., following the infinitive in the entry.
For example: empezar (e > ie) tells you the present tense is
empiezo, empiezas, etc.
Stem-changing verbs are grouped according to the infinitive end-
ings and the patterns of change in the stem vowels. Several lists of
stem-changing verbs appear in this unit for you to use as reference
and vocabulary building. You will see (-se) attached to some of the
infinitives, indicating they are used as reflexive verbs with the
reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se). You may wish to review
the unit on reflexive verbs (Unit 8) as you study stem-changing
verbs.
Verbs Ending in -ar and -er
¢ -Ar and -er stem-changing verbs with the stem vowel e change to
ie. Remember that the stem changes occur in all forms except
the plural forms nosotros and vosotros.
Copyright © 2004 by Gilda Nissenberg. Click here for terms of use.The Present Tense of Verbs with Stem Changes 19
cerrar (to close)
querer (to love, want)
cierro
cierras
cierra
cerramos quiero queremos
cerrais quieres queréis
cierran quiere quieren
The following is a list of commonly used verbs that follow the pattern of cerrar and querer:
-ar -er
acertar to guess defender to defend
atravesar to cross (over) descender to descend, go down
comenzar to start, begin encender to light up
confesar to confess entender to understand
despertar(se) to wake up perder to lose, miss
empezar to start, begin
encerrar to lock in, contain
fregar to wash dishes; to scrub
gobernar to govern, rule
helar to freeze
negar to deny
nevar to snow
pensar (en) to think (of, about)
recomendar to recommend, advise
remendar to mend, patch
sentar(se) to sit down, seat (oneself)
tropezar (con)
to stumble (into, across)
Keep in mind that helar and nevar are impersonal verbs used in the third-person singular only.
Podemos esquiar si nieva. We can ski ifit snows.
La carretera es peligrosa cuando hiela. The road is dangerous when it freezes.
im:
Practica. Completa la oracién con la forma apropiada del verbo entre paréntesis.
1.
2.
3.
En invierno, yo —
El camarero no —
éQuién —
Ustedes si
. El presidente de Brasil —
Kelly siempre —
. El guardia
(preferir) esquiar.
(recomendar) el pescado.
(encender) el fuego en la hoguera (fireplace)?
(entender) las instrucciones del profesor.
(gobernar) con la aprobacién del congreso.
(pensar) antes de responder.
(cerrar) las puertas del palacio.20 Complete Spanish Grammar
2-2
éQué hacen estas personas? Choose the infinitive that fits the message of the sentence. Then write the
appropriate form of the present.
comenzar
defender
1. El presidente
2. El abogado
3. 2A qué hora
4. Cuando
5. zQuién no
6. Nosotros
entender helar
gobernar sentarse
desde la Casa Blanca.
al acusado ante el jurado (jury).
el partido de béishbol?
las temperaturas descienden.
la pregunta?
en el salon para ver la television.
e -Ar and -er stem-changing verbs with the stem vowel o change to ue.
contar (to count; to tell, retell)
volver (to return)
cuento
cuentas
cuenta
contamos
contais
cuentan
vuelyo
vuelves
vuelve
volvemos
volvéis
vuelyen
The following is a list of commonly used -ar and -er verbs that follow the pattern of contar and
volver:
-ar -er
acordar(se) de to remember conmover to move (emotionally)
acostar (se) to go to bed devolver to return (something)
almorzar to eat lunch doler to hurt
aprobar to approve llover to rain
colgar to hang (up) morder to bite
costar to cost mover to move (an object)
demostrar to demonstrate; to prove oler to smell
encontrar to find poder to be able to
jugar (a) to play (a game or sport) resolver to solve
mostrar to show revolver to shake
probar (se) to try; to taste; to try on soler to be accustomed to
recordar to remember
rogar to beg
sonar to ring, sound
sonar (con) to dream
tronar to thunder
volar to flyThe Present Tense of Verbs with Stem Changes 21
Keep in mind the following:
© Jugar (to play [a game or sport]) isa ustem verb conjugated like contar. (It is the only u > ue
stem-changing verb in Spanish.)
e Spanish spelling rules require h to precede all present tense forms of oler, except nosotros
and vosotros: huelo, hueles, etc.
¢ Llover and tronar are usually used in the third-person singular only, Ilueve (it’s raining) and
truena (it’s thundering) except when used in figurative speech.
Le llueven proposiciones de negocios. The business propositions are pouring in.
¢ Some stem-changing verbs have spelling changes as well. Torcer(se) , to twist, and cocer, to
cook, change the stem o to ue and the yo form follows the pattern of -cer verbs with spelling
changes.
Me tuerzo el pie si no tengo cuidado. LU twist my foot if Lam not careful.
Si cuezo los vegetales, podemos comer If] cook the vegetables, we can eat soon.
pronto.
2-3
De vacaciones en la playa. Escribe la forma apropiada del verbo entre paréntesis.
1.
Burt y yo ________ (poder) descansar durante las vacaciones de verano.
. Lejos de la playa, una habitacién en el “Hotel Novoa” no __________ (costar) mucho.
Mi agente de viajes siempre _____ (encontrar) tarifas (rates) especiales.
(soler) almorzar al mediodia.
. Cuando estoy de vacaciones ______ (almorzar) mas tarde.
(jugar) al tenis por las mananas.
(Ilover), voy al gimnasio.
Burt y yo ________ (recordar) nuestras vacaciones en Puerto Rico.
2-4
En espanol.
1. Itis thundermg.
2. Iremember (recordar).
3. It costs ten dollars.22 Complete Spanish Grammar
4. She wraps the gift.
5. Silvia counts the bills.
6. We play now.
7. You (ta) show the photo.
8. They smell the flowers.
Verbs Ending in -ir
In the present tense, stem-changing verbs ending in ir are grouped in one of three patterns
according to the change in the stem vowel: e to ie, o to ue, and e toi. As with all stem-changing
verbs, the changes occur in all forms except the plural forms nosotros and vosotros.
¢ «ir verbs with stem vowel e change to ie
preferir (to prefer)
prefiero preferimos
prefieres preferis
prefiere prefieren
Verbs like preferir
advertir to notify, earn presentir to forebode, predict
convertir to convert referir (se) a to refer to
divertir (se) to have a good time sentir to regret
hervir to boil sentir (se) to feel
mentir to lie
2-5
Prdctica. Usa la forma apropiada del verbo entre paréntesis.
1. Elsa ___.________ (preferir) café.
2. Ese hombre
3. Los jugadores
4. Los funcionarios del gobierno
(mentir).
(presentir) ya la victoria.
5. {Ta ________—s (mentir)!
6. Yo sO(seentir) mucho su ausencia.
(advertir) el peligro a la poblacién.The Present Tense of Verbs with Stem Changes 23
7. Por qué Uds. no ___ (convertir) los délares a pesos?
8. La nota en el libro ___ (referir) ala pagina 225.
2-6
En espanol.
1. The water boils (is boiling).
2. Martha doesn’t lie.
3. He feels fine.
4. They have a good time.
5. You (Ud.) are lying.
6. We prefer to play chess (ajedrez).
° -ir verbs with the stem vowel o change to ue
dormir (to sleep)
duermo dormimos
duermes dormis
duerme duermen
Morir (se) (to die) is conjugated like dormir.
-ir stem vowel changes e toi
pedir (to ask for, request)
pido pedimos
pides pedis
pide piden
Verbs that follow the conjugation pattern of pedir are:
despedir to fire (from a job) repetir to repeat
despedir(se) to say good-bye seguir to follow; to continue
impedir to avoid, prevent servir to serve
medir to measure sonreir (se) to smile
perseguir to pursue; to follow vestir(se) to dress; to get dressed
reirse (de) to laugh; to make fun (of)
Note the spelling changes of seguir and its compounds where the soft g sound is followed by
e: sigues, sigue, siguen. All forms of reir and sonreir have an accent mark on the stem vowel i.24 Complete Spanish Grammar
2-7
Practica. En espanol. Usa el presente.
1
2.
. You (ta) measure the fabric (la tela).
I always follow the rules.
. She laughs.
. The flight attendant repeats the instructions.
. Gloria says good-bye.
. The manager fires incompetent employees.
Who serves dinner?
2-8
Pareados. Escribe la letra que corresponde para completar la idea.
—_____ 1. La camarera a. se despiden antes de subir al avidn.
—_—_— 2. Los soldados b. sirve unos refrescos.
—_— 3. El cliente c. se visten para entrar a la sala de operaciones.
—__— 4. Los viajeros d. siguen a su lider.
_____ 5. Las enfermeras e. pide flan de postre.
—____— 6. El policia f. impide el robo.
Verbs Ending in -wir
¢ Verbs ending in -uir add a y following the u in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros
forms. The indication (y) reminds you of this change in verb lists and glossaries.
incluir (to include)
incluyo incluimos
incluyes incluis
incluye incluyen
Note that verbs ending in -guir are not included in this group.The Present Tense of Verbs with Stem Changes 25
Verbs that follow the pattern of incluir:
atribuir
concluir
contribuir
destruir
2-4
¢ Verdadero o falso?
—__— 2. Los huracanes destruyen Arboles.
1. Generalmente, un policia distribuye el correo.
210
to attribute
to conclude
to contribute
to destroy
La comida influye en la salud.
La ciencia contribuye al progreso.
Tu turno. Responde en espanol.
1.
distribuir
buir
influir
sustituir
aInfluye la opinion de tus amigos en tus decisiones?
+1
¢ Verdadero o falso?
—__— 1. Colgamos la ropa en el armario.
. éConcluyes tus tareas a tiempo?
. ¢Huyes de tus responsabilidades?
. éAtribuyes tus problemas a la falta de tiempo?
—_— 2. Los perros vuelan.
. ¢Contribuyes con tus ideas o tu tiempo a tu comunidad?
to distribute
to flee
to influence
to substitute
. La temporada de fatbol americano concluye en octubre.
Las vitaminas sustituyen la comida saludable (healthy).
_____ 3. Después de terminar mi llamada de teléfono, cuelgo.