Sentences in Spanish

When we are starting to learn a language, one of the first things we need to understand is how to form a sentence.

This article will help you understand what a sentence is, how it is formed, and what types of sentences exist in Spanish. 

Let’s begin!

What is a sentence?

A sentence is a set of words that, when combined, have a complete meaning. It is a unit of communication that expresses an idea.

Each sentence must have at least two essential elements: subject (who performs the action) and predicate (the action that is performed). The predicate always includes a verb. Examples of sentences in Spanish:

• María canta. (Maria sings) – María is the subject and canta is the predicate.
• El perro corre en el parque. (The dog runs in the park) – El perro is the subject and corre en el parque is the predicate.
• Nosotros viajamos a la playa. (We travel to the beach) – Nosotros is the subject and viajamos a la playa is the predicate.
• Juan estudia matemáticas. (Juan studies mathematics) – Juan is the subject and estudia matemáticas is the predicate.
• "La niña juega con su muñeca." (The girl plays with her doll) – La niña is the subject and juega con su muñeca is the predicate.

Basic structure of the sentence

The structure of a sentence follows a clear pattern: Subject + Verb + Complements. Although the order may vary, especially in Spanish, this is the basic scheme. 
Let’s explore each element in more detail:

Subject

It is the person, animal, or thing that performs the action. The subject can be explicit (when it is clearly stated in the sentence) or implicit (when it is understood and not written). Examples of subjects:

• Nosotros iremos al cine esta tarde. (We will go to the cinema this afternoon)
• Voy a estudiar después. (I will study later)
• Mi mamá cocina el desayuno todas las mañanas. (My mom cooks breakfast every morning)
• Llegaron muy temprano. (They arrived very early)
• Cristóbal compró una nueva computadora. (Cristóbal bought a new computer)

Predicate

The predicate contains the action performed by the subject (the verb) or what is said about it. It can include complements that add more information about the action. Examples of predicates:

• El tren salió a las ocho de la mañana. (The train left at eight in the morning)
• Tu abuelo duerme. (Your grandfather sleeps)
• Nosotros comeremos pizza. (We will eat pizza)
• Liz está viajando a Cancún. (Liz is traveling to Cancun)
• Yo iré a la tienda. (I will go to the store)

Complements of the predicate

Complements are the words or groups of words that accompany the verb within the predicate and add more information about the action performed. There are several types of complements, but the main ones are:

• Direct Complement:

The direct complement indicates about what or whom the action of the verb falls. It answers the question "what?" or "whom?". Examples of direct complements: 
Ramiro compró una playera. (Ramiro bought a t-shirt) 
El perro mordió la pelota. (The dog bit the ball) 
Juan leyó el libro en una tarde. (Juan read the book in one afternoon) 
Mi hermana hizo un pastel para la fiesta. (My sister made a cake for the party) 
Los estudiantes terminaron el proyecto a tiempo. (The students finished the project on time)

• Indirect Complement:

The indirect complement indicates to whom or for whom the action is directed. It answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" the action is performed. Examples of indirect complements: 
Le dio un regalo a su papá. (He gave a gift to his dad) 
Enviaron una carta a los vecinos. (They sent a letter to the neighbors) 
Marta prestó su coche a su amigo. (Marta lent her car to her friend) 
El profesor explicó la lección a los alumnos. (The teacher explained the lesson to the students) 
Yo compré flores para mi esposa. (I bought flowers for my wife)

• Circumstantial Complement:

Circumstantial complements provide additional information about the circumstances in which the action is performed, such as place, time, manner, quantity, cause, etc. They answer questions like "where?", "when?", "how?", "why?", "with what?", etc. Examples of circumstantial complements: 
Pedro trabaja en la oficina. (Pedro works in the office) 
Ella llegó ayer por la tarde. (She arrived yesterday afternoon) 
El bebé durmió profundamente. (The baby slept deeply) 
El partido se canceló por la lluvia. (The match was canceled due to rain) 
Hice esta escultura con arcilla. (I made this sculpture with clay)

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Types of sentences according to their structure

Sentences in Spanish can be classified according to their structure. This helps us identify whether we are dealing with a simple sentence or a more complex one. Below, we will see the most common types:

Simple Sentence

A simple sentence has a single verb and serves to communicate a single clear idea. Examples of simple sentences:

• Pedro corre. (Pedro runs)
• Ella lee una revista. (She reads a magazine)
• Nosotros bailamos tango. (We dance tango)
• La guitarra está afinada. (The guitar is tuned)
• Ana hornea galletas. (Ana bakes cookies)

Compound Sentence

A compound sentence has more than one verb and can combine several ideas. We can form it by joining simple sentences with a conjunction such as "y” (and), "pero" (but), “o” (or), etc. Examples of compound sentences:

• Pedro corre y Marta camina. (Pedro runs and Marta walks)
• Estudio mucho, pero no entiendo todo. (I study a lot, but I don’t understand everything)
• Salimos tarde porque llovía. (We left late because it was raining)
• Quería ir al concierto, pero tenía clases. (I wanted to go to the concert, but I had classes)
• El gato duerme, y el perro juega. (The cat sleeps, and the dog plays)

Complex Sentence

A complex sentence has a main clause and another subordinate clause that depends on the first for meaning. Examples of complex sentences:

• Me alegra que hayas venido. (I’m glad you came)
• Iré al parque cuando termine mi tarea. (I will go to the park when I finish my homework)
• No saldré hasta que deje de llover. (I won’t go out until it stops raining)
• Le di un regalo porque es su cumpleaños. (I gave him a gift because it’s his birthday)
• Te avisaré cuando llegue. (I will let you know when I arrive)

Compound-Complex Sentence

It is a mix of compound and complex sentences. Examples of compound-complex sentences:

• María salió del trabajo temprano, porque tenía una cita médica, pero antes pasó por el supermercado. (Maria left work early, because she had a doctor's appointment, but first she went to the supermarket.)
• Cuando termines de estudiar, vamos al cine y después cenamos. (When you finish studying, let's go to the movies and then have dinner.)
• El perro ladró cuando vio al cartero, pero después se calmó porque lo reconoció. (The dog barked when he saw the letter carrier, but then calmed down because he recognized him.)
• Llegamos al parque, donde los niños estaban jugando, y luego nos fuimos a tomar un helado. (We arrived at the park, where the children were playing, and then we went for ice cream.)
• Mi hermana preparó la cena, pero yo la ayudé a poner la mesa porque llegué temprano. (My sister prepared dinner, but I helped her set the table because I was early.)

Table of types of sentences according to their structure

Types of sentences according to intention

Another way to classify sentences is according to the speaker’s intention. Here we ask ourselves, what do we want to achieve with the sentence? It can be a statement, a question, an order, or an exclamation.

Declarative Sentence

Declarative sentences allow us to make concrete affirmations or negations. Examples of declarative sentences:

• Hoy está soleado. (Today is sunny)
• No tengo sal. (I don’t have any salt)
• Ayer fue un día largo. (Yesterday was a long day)
• Estoy cansado. (I am tired)
• Ella no quiere ir a la fiesta. (She doesn’t want to go to the party)

Imperative Sentence

Imperative sentences are used to express orders or instructions to someone else. Examples of imperative sentences:

• Cierra la puerta. (Close the door)
• Ensambla la pieza A con la B. (Assemble piece A with piece B)
• Ven aquí, por favor. (Come here, please)
• Agrega una cucharada de azúcar. (Add a tablespoon of sugar)
• Lava los platos. (Wash the dishes)

Exclamatory Sentence

These sentences express strong emotions or surprise, and you can easily identify them because they always have exclamation marks. Examples of exclamatory sentences:

• ¡Qué lindo lugar! (What a beautiful place!)
• ¡Me encanta bailar! (I love to dance!)
• ¡No puedo creerlo! (I can’t believe it!)
• ¡Qué frío hace hoy! (How cold it is today!)
• ¡Esto es increíble! (This is incredible!)

Interrogative Sentence

Interrogative sentences, on the other hand, are used to ask questions and always have question marks. Examples of interrogative sentences:

• ¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?)
• ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
• ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the bathroom?)
• ¿Por qué no viniste? (Why didn’t you come?)
• ¿Puedo ir contigo? (Can I go with you?)

Grammar rules for forming sentences in Spanish

When constructing sentences in Spanish, there are some grammatical rules we must follow. Here we will see the most important ones:

Agreement of gender and number

Something crucial to keep in mind in Spanish is that the elements of the sentence (subject and verb) must always agree in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). Examples of agreement of gender and number:

• El perro ladra. (The dog barks) – Subject and verb in singular.
• Los niños corren. (The children run) – Subject and verb in plural.
• Ella canta bien. (She sings well) – Subject and verb in singular. 
  Las flores crecen rápido. (The flowers grow fast) – Subject and verb in plural.
• Nosotros estudiamos en la biblioteca. (We study in the library) – Subject and verb in plural.

Use of capital letters and punctuation

Sentences in Spanish must begin with a capital letter and end with a period or the appropriate punctuation mark. Examples of the use of capital letters and punctuation:

• Hoy es un buen día. (Today is a good day.)
• ¿Dónde estás? (Where are you?)
• ¡Qué bonito es esto! (How beautiful this is!)
• Vamos al centro mañana. (We are going downtown tomorrow.)
• No quiero salir hoy. (I don’t want to go out today.)

Juxtaposed sentences

These are sentences that are joined without conjunctions, only with punctuation marks (like commas or semicolons). Examples of juxtaposed sentences:

• Llegué temprano, tú no. (I arrived early, you didn’t.)
• Estudio mucho; él, poco. (I study a lot; he, little.)
• Salí tarde, llovía mucho. (I left late, it was raining a lot.)
• Te llamé, no contestaste. (I called you, you didn’t answer.)
• Me fui, tú ellos se quedaron. (I left, you all stayed.)

Sentence fragments

Avoid creating sentence fragments that do not have complete meaning. Examples of incorrect fragments:

• Cuando llegué. (When I arrived.) What happened when you arrived?
• Si estudias mucho. (If you study hard.) What happens if you study a lot?
• Antes de salir. (Before leaving.) What happened before leaving?
• Si hubiera tenido más tiempo. (If I had more time.) What would have happened?
• Porque es importante. (Because it is important.)  What is important?

Summary

Sentences are the foundation of communication in any language. Therefore, knowing how to structure them correctly and understanding their types is essential for speaking and writing well in Spanish. 

Remember to practice with different types of sentences: simple, compound, interrogative, and more. Over time, identifying and constructing sentences will become easier for you. 

Keep practicing and improving your Spanish with the help of the Promova app!