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Spanish grammar, A1 to B2

45 Spanish grammar topics explained in plain English, grouped by CEFR level, with worked examples and free practice drills.

A1 · Beginner

  1. Everyday fixed phrasesChunks you say whole before you know the grammar inside them: ¿qué tal?, me llamo…, hace frío, por la mañana, en casa.
  2. Articles & GenderDefinite (el/la/los/las) and indefinite (un/una/unos/unas) articles agree with the noun.
  3. Present tense (regular)Drop the -ar/-er/-ir ending and add the matching personal endings.
  4. Adjectives · agreement & positionAdjectives agree in gender + number, usually placed AFTER the noun.
  5. Present tense (irregular)The most common verbs break the regular endings: soy, estoy, voy, tengo, hago, quiero, puedo, pido.
  6. Ser vs EstarBoth mean "to be". ser is for what something IS — identity, origin, essence. estar is for how or where it is right now.
  7. Possessives · mi / tu / su / nuestromy, your, his/her/their go before the noun and take an -s for plural nouns: mi libro, mis libros. nuestro also matches gender.
  8. After prepositions · para mí, con élAfter para, con, de, sin, en… use mí and ti; every other person keeps its subject form (él, ella, nosotros). con + mí / ti = conmigo / contigo.
  9. Numbers, time, datesCardinal/ordinal numbers, telling time, days, months.
  10. Hay · there is / there arehay = "there is / there are" — one invariable form of haber. It states that something exists; it never says where a known thing is.
  11. Negation · no…Put no directly in front of the verb. Spanish is happy with double negatives: no veo nada.
  12. Wh-questions · qué / quién / dóndeQuestion words always carry a written accent — qué, quién, dónde — and the verb usually comes straight after them.
  13. Demonstratives · este / ese / aquelA three-way distance system where English has two: este (here, by me) · ese (there, by you) · aquel (over there, away from both).
  14. Modal verbs · poder / querer / deber / tener quepoder (can), querer (want), deber (should), tener que (have to) — change the modal to match the subject (conjugate it), then add a bare infinitive (the dictionary form, like hablar).
  15. Gustar-type verbs · me gusta / me dueleVerbs that run backwards: with gustar ("to please"), the thing liked is the subject and the person who likes it is shown by me / te / le / nos / les ("to me", "to you" …).
  16. Something, someone, some · algo / alguien / algúnalgo is a thing, alguien is a person; nada and nadie are their negatives. alguno / ninguno go before a noun and shorten to algún / ningún before a masculine singular noun.

A2 · Elementary

  1. Future · ir a + infinitivoNear future: voy/vas/va/vamos/vais/van + a + bare infinitive (the dictionary form, like hablar).
  2. Personal 'a' · veo a MartaSpanish inserts a before a direct object (the person or thing the action is done to) that is a specific person or pet: veo a Marta, not veo Marta.
  3. Reflexive verbs · lavarse / levantarseSubject = object. Use the matching reflexive pronoun before the verb.
  4. Object pronouns · lo / la / le / me / teDirect object (lo / la / los / las) and indirect object (le / les). Both go in front of the verb.
  5. Possessives · long form (mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro)The stressed possessives — mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro. They go AFTER the noun, or stand alone as pronouns.
  6. Adverbs · -mente formationTake the FEMININE singular of the adjective and add -mente — the Spanish equivalent of English -ly.
  7. Progressive · estar + gerundioThe "-ing" tense: estar + the gerundio (Spanish's -ando / -iendo form), for what is happening right at this moment.
  8. Comparison · más / menos / tan…comoSuperiority: más X que. Inferiority: menos X que. Equality: tan X como.
  9. Ordinal numbers · primero, segundo, tercer…primero to décimo agree like adjectives (la segunda calle). primero and tercero shorten to primer and tercer before a masculine singular noun. Dates use ordinary numbers: el dos de mayo.
  10. Imperative · ¡habla! ¡ven! ¡hablad!Telling a friend, or a group of friends, to do something. The tú command borrows the he/she present form (¡habla!), plus eight short irregulars (di, haz, ven…); the vosotros command ends in -d (¡hablad!).
  11. Pretérito perfecto · he comidoThe "have done" past — pretérito perfecto. haber in the present + a past participle (the -ado / -ido form, like English "eaten"), for things that still matter now.
  12. Pretérito indefinido (preterite)The preterite — pretérito indefinido. For finished past actions with a clear start and end. Not the same tense as the imperfect.
  13. Imperfecto · used to / was -ingThe imperfecto — "used to do" and "was doing". Habits, descriptions and background in the past, with almost no irregulars.
  14. Hace + time · ago / forhace + a length of time — the Spanish way to say "ago" and "for [how long]".
  15. Por vs ParaPor = cause/means/duration. Para = goal/destination/deadline.
  16. Future tense · futuro simpleThe futuro simple — "will do". Add é / ás / á / emos / éis / án to the whole infinitive (the dictionary form, like hablar); the endings are the same for every verb group.

B1 · Intermediate

  1. Pluscuamperfecto · había + participioThe pluscuamperfecto — the "had done" past. había + a past participle (the -ado / -ido form, like English "eaten"), for what had already happened before some other past moment.
  2. Verbal periphrases · acabar de / volver a / solerFixed verb + verb frames: acabar de (to have just done), volver a (to do again), soler (to usually do), empezar a (to start doing).
  3. Relative pronouns · que / quien / donde / cuyoLink two clauses. Default is 'que' for everything; cuyo is 'whose'.
  4. Real conditions (si + present)si + present indicative. The main clause is the future, an imperative (command form), or the present for a habit. Never a subjunctive (the verb form for wishes and doubts) after si.
  5. Conditional · would / could / shouldThe condicional — "would do". Add ía / ías / ía / íamos / íais / ían to the infinitive (the dictionary form, like hablar), with the same irregular stems as the future.
  6. Present subjunctive · espero que vengasThe subjuntivo — the mood for things wished for, doubted or felt rather than stated as fact. Triggered by doubt, desire, emotion and impersonal opinion.
  7. cuando and aunque · indicative or subjunctivecuando + subjunctive (the verb form for wishes and doubts) for a time still to come: Cuando llegues. cuando + indicative for a habit or the past. aunque + indicative for a fact, + subjunctive for 'even if'.
  8. Commands from the subjunctive · ¡no hables! ¡hablemos!Don't …! uses the present subjunctive (the verb form for wishes and doubts): ¡No hables! ¡No habléis! Polite usted commands and let's … use it too: ¡Hable! ¡Hablemos!
  9. Accidental se · se me olvidóThings that happen to you by accident: se + me / te / le … + a verb that agrees with the thing. Se me olvidó el libro, se me olvidaron las llaves.

B2 · Upper intermediate

  1. Imperfect subjunctive · -ra / -seThe past subjunctive (a special verb form for wishes, doubts and feelings), built from the they-form of the preterite. Two interchangeable endings: -ra and -se.
  2. Passive voice · ser + part. / se passive / impersonal seThree ways to leave the doer out: the ser-passive, the se-passive, and impersonal se ("one does / people do").
  3. Future perfect & conditional perfecthabré + participle (the -ado / -ido form, like English "eaten") = "will have done"; habría + participle = "would have done".
  4. Reported speech · sequence of tensesHow the tenses shift backwards when you report what someone said.