Parts of speech in Spanish

Learning Spanish can be a challenging task, especially for non-native speakers. One of the most important questions for beginner Spanish students is: What are the parts of a sentence? 

In this article, we’ll answer that question and provide a quick reference guide with examples to help you clearly understand each concept. Let’s get started!

Parts of Speech List

The first step in understanding the different parts of a sentence in Spanish is knowing what they are and how they’re used. 

Below is a table listing the main parts of a sentence, which will be a great tool to help you understand the different types of words, their functions, and how they relate to one another.

Now that you can identify the different parts of a sentence, let’s dive a little deeper into each one.

Nouns

Nouns are words that help us identify a person, place, thing, or idea. They can include both tangible objects that we can see and touch (house, chair, dog) as well as abstract concepts that can’t be seen or touched (such as love, justice, etc.).

In Spanish sentences, they are often accompanied by articles such as “el,” “la,” “los,” and “las.” Examples of nouns in Spanish:

• Libro (book): Ella compró un libro. (She bought a book.)
• Libertad (freedom): Él lucha por su libertad. (He fights for his freedom.)
• Maestros (teachers): Yo respeto a mis maestros. (I respect my teachers.)
• Rosa (rose): Estoy plantando una rosa. (I am planting a rose.)
• Cafetería (coffee shop): Juan trabaja en una cafetería. (Juan works in a coffee shop.)

Verbs

Verbs are words that express an action, occurrence, or state of being. In Spanish, verbs change depending on who is performing the action and when it occurs (present, past, or future). You’ll always find the verb at the center of the action in a sentence. Examples of verbs in Spanish:

• Estudiar (study): Yo estudio mi lección. (I study my lesson.)
• Sentir (feel): Él se sentía enfermo. (He felt sick.)
• Viajar (travel): Ella viajará a París. (She will travel to Paris.)
• Jugar (play): Estamos jugando fútbol. (We are playing soccer.)
• Comer (eat): Tú comiste tacos ayer. (You ate tacos yesterday.)

Adjectives

Adjectives help us describe or modify a noun or pronoun. Generally, they are placed after the noun. Examples of adjectives in Spanish:

• Azul (blue): Su cuaderno es azul. (Her notebook is blue.)
• Alto/a (tall): Julieta es más alta que su hermano. (Julieta is taller than her brother.)
• Tres (three): Pedimos tres pizzas para el grupo. (We ordered three pizzas for the group.)
• Feliz (happy): Estaba feliz de visitar a mi prima. (I was happy to visit my cousin.)
• Pequeño/a (small): El gato de Paco era pequeño. (Paco's cat was small.)

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Articles

Articles introduce a noun. They are small words like “el,” “la,” “un,” or “una” that are always placed before the noun. Examples of articles in Spanish:

• Compró el libro que quería. (She bought the book she wanted.)
• Los estudiantes fueron al parque. (The students went to the park.)
• Fui a la tienda, pero estaba cerrada. (I went to the store, but it was closed.)
• Una ardilla pasó corriendo. (A squirrel ran by.)
• Unos chicos me ayudaron a subir la caja. (Some boys helped me lift the box.)

Pronouns

Pronouns are words used in place of a noun. We replace the names of people or things to avoid repeating them many times. Examples of pronouns in Spanish:

• Ella me dijo que sí estaba terminado. (She told me it was finished.)
• Nosotros fuimos al concierto anoche. (We went to the concert last night.)
• Él sacó a pasear a su perro. (He took his dog for a walk.)
• Ellos ganaron el partido de baloncesto. (They won the basketball game.)
• Fuimos a buscarlas a ellas. (We went to look for them.)

Adverbs

Adverbs help us describe or modify a verb, adjective, or other adverb. They often end in "-mente" (quickly, easily) and are usually placed after the verb they modify or at the beginning of the sentence. Examples of adverbs in Spanish:

• Él habló suavemente. (He spoke softly.)
• Él va al gimnasio frecuentemente. (He goes to the gym frequently.)
• Ella llegó tarde a la reunión. (She arrived late to the meeting.)
• Yo me vestí rápidamente. (I dressed quickly.)
• Nosotros llegamos fácilmente al restaurante. (We arrived easily at the restaurant.)

Prepositions

Prepositions express the relationships of place, time, or reason between two words and are usually placed before a noun or pronoun. Examples of prepositions in Spanish:

• La farmacia está frente a la plaza. (The pharmacy is in front of the plaza.)
• Nos vemos a las 4. (We’ll meet at 4.)
• Llegó tarde por el tráfico. (She was late due to traffic.)
• Estuvo ahí desde la mañana. (He was there since the morning.)
• El camión va hacia el centro. (The bus goes towards downtown.)

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are used to connect words or groups of words and are placed between two words or phrases. Examples of conjunctions in Spanish:

• Beto quería ir con ustedes, pero no pudo. (Beto wanted to go with you, but he couldn’t.)
• Llegó tarde porque perdió el autobús. (He was late because he missed the bus.)
• Podemos ir al cine o al boliche. (We can go to the movies or the bowling alley.)
• Quiero comprar leche y huevos. (I want to buy milk and eggs.)
• Reprobé el último examen, así que debo estudiar. (I failed the last test, so I need to study.)

Interjections

Interjections express emotions or surprise. They are short, strong words typically placed at the beginning of a sentence and are full of emotion. Examples of interjections in Spanish:

• ¡Hurra, lo logré! (Hooray, I did it!)
• ¡Ay! Me golpeaste con la pelota. (Ouch! You hit me with the ball.)
• ¡Oh no! Se derramó el jugo. (Oh no! The juice spilled.)
• ¡Enhorabuena! Excelentes noticias. (Congratulations! Great news.)
• ¡Uf! Corrí mucho y estoy exhausta. (Phew! I ran a lot and am exhausted.)

Summary

Spanish sentences are made up of different elements, and each one plays a specific role within them. Nouns name people, places or things, while adjectives describe them. Verbs express actions or states, and adverbs modify verbs or adjectives. Pronouns replace nouns so as not to repeat them, and articles introduce nouns. Prepositions indicate relationships between words, and conjunctions link ideas or phrases. Finally, interjections add emotion or surprise to our sentences.

Understanding the different parts of speech in Spanish is an important step towards fluency. But don't worry, after practicing daily with your Promova app, you will soon be able to identify them easily without much hassle.