Spanish Grammar
Are you unsure about how to learn Spanish grammar?
Irregular conjugations, gender and number agreement, and the use of the pronouns “tú” versus “usted” can all be confusing for beginner students.
..However, there are good reasons why Spanish remains one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
Despite the challenges of mastering its complex grammar rules, you can start learning with the basics that will allow you to form simple sentences. With enough time and consistent practice, you'll soon learn how to apply grammar rules and communicate with more complex phrases effortlessly.
In this section, we've compiled the best online resources to help you overcome these challenges and learn all about Spanish grammar and its rules, all in one place.
What is Spanish grammar all about?
Spanish is a synthetic and inflected language, meaning it uses verb conjugations, suffixes, and prefixes to convey meanings and relationships between words.
So, what is Spanish grammar? Spanish grammar is a comprehensive system that helps us understand how sounds, words, and sentences work together. In other words, it's a set of rules that helps us combine and interpret words to understand and communicate effectively in this language.
Spanish grammar skills will allow you to:
Understand the structure of Spanish to express ideas.
Build connected sentences that flow naturally.
Use the correct verb tenses and forms to indicate time and place.
Break down sentences into smaller parts and adjust their meaning.
Essential Spanish Grammar Guide
Learn and improve your Spanish grammar with these helpful references:
1. Parts of speech.
These are the types of words you can mix to make sentences. They share some similar rules and usually have similar jobs. In Spanish, there are 10 main types of words, and some of these have their own smaller categories, too.
They are used to name objects (mesa, libro), animals (perro, gato) ideas (libertad, amor), places (casa, España) and people (profesor, María).
They are used to describe actions (hablar, comer), states of being (creer, estar) or events (convertirse, ocurrir) that the nouns are going through.
They are used to describe or qualify nouns and pronouns (pequeño, rápido, azul).
They accompany nouns and are used to indicate their gender (el, la) and number (un, una).
They are used to replace or modify a noun (ella, tuyo, esto).
They are used to connect words, phrases, or sentences (y, o, porque).
They are used to establish relationships between different elements in a sentence, such as relationships in time (antes, después) or space (debajo, encima).
They are used to modify verbs (habló suavemente, corrió rápidamente), adjectives (muy interesante, bien fácil) or other adverbs, indicating place, time, manner, quantity, etc.
They are used to express feelings or spontaneous reactions, such as surprise (¡Oh!, ¡Vaya!), greetings (¡Adiós!, ¡Hola!), joy (¡Bravo!, ¡Hurra!), and more.
2. Sentences.
Sentences are just groups of words that tell us something. In Spanish, there are many ways to put sentences together, and how we arrange the words is really important. Each sentence has its own rules that help it make sense, depending on what we want to say.
This refers to the components of a sentence that determine whether it is simple, compound, coordinated, or subordinate.
This refers to the meaning a sentence can convey, which may be an affirmation, negation, question, command, or exclamation.
Active voice vs. Passive voice
The active voice refers to sentences where the subject performs the action, while the passive voice indicates that the subject is the one receiving the action.
The direct object is the element that gives meaning to the verb by answering the question "what?" or "whom?" The indirect object answers "to whom?" or “for whom?”
Noun phrases refer to those that have a noun as their core, while verb phrases have a verb as their core.
This refers to how we use verbs in sentences to create transitions and link phrases coherently.
It involves the use of special symbols such as periods (.), commas (,), exclamation marks (!), semicolons (;), and more.
These include secondary information that adds details but is not essential to the sentence.
3. Verb Tenses.
In Spanish, verbs change based on the timing of an event. Verb tenses combine time (past, present, future) with how the action is happening (like simple, continuous, or perfect) to clearly show when the action takes place or took place.
The verb indicates an action happening right now or a general fact (Ellos estudian para el examen).
The verb indicates a past action that is still relevant in the present (He estudiado inglés toda la mañana).
The verb indicates an action that happened regularly or continuously in the past (Cuando era niño, jugaba en el parque después de estudiar).
The verb indicates an action that was completed in the past (Ella estudió toda la noche).
The verb indicates an action that happened before another action (Ella había estudiado antes del examen).
The verb indicates an action that will happen in the future (Terminaré mi lección después de cenar).
The verb indicates an action that will be completed before a specific moment in the future (Para el viernes, habré completado todas mis lecciones de la semana).
The verb represents a non-personal form used to create compound tenses and when using the passive voice (La tarea está completada).
The verb indicates an action that would have happened if certain conditions had been met in the past (Habría obtenido una mejor calificación si hubiera estudiado más).
The verb indicates a hypothetical action or one that depends on a condition to happen (Si tuviera más tiempo, completaría más lecciones cada día).
The verb represents a non-personal form that indicates an action is currently in progress (Estoy leyendo un libro).
4. Grammar Rules.
Grammar rules in Spanish help us use the language correctly and effectively. Learning these rules will allow you to create different structures, avoid mistakes, and express yourself more fluently when speaking or writing in this language.
These help determine when to place an accent mark on words, depending on whether they are agudas, graves, or esdrújulas.
This ensures that words match in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) as needed in the sentence.
Verbs are conjugated to indicate when the action happens (present, past, or future). It’s important to know which verbs conjugate regularly or irregularly.
These help use punctuation marks correctly, providing rhythm and optimal pauses between sentences and paragraphs to give the text better structure and clarity.
Pronouns are used to replace nouns and can go before the verb or be attached to it in certain constructions. They can be personal, reflexive, or direct/indirect objects.
These add information about the verb, showing who or what is affected by the action. There are direct, indirect, and circumstantial complements.
Correct Use of Conjunctions and Prepositions
Conjunctions are used to link words or phrases together. Prepositions indicate relationships of place, time, cause, and more.
Use of the Indicative and Subjunctive Moods
The subjunctive is used to express wishes, doubts, or hypotheses, while the indicative is used to state facts.
These are words used to show proximity or distance relative to the speaker and agree with the noun in gender and number.
These are the rules for changing nouns from singular to plural, depending on whether the nouns end in vowels or consonants.
In Spanish, we use "ser" to describe permanent traits or defining qualities, and "estar" to talk about temporary states, unlike English where "to be" covers both cases.
The gerund refers to non-personal verb forms that express an action currently happening, while the participle shows an action that has already been completed.
Avoiding common mistakes, like incomplete or poorly structured sentences, is essential for mastering Spanish.
Some words commonly confuse students because they look or sound similar, such as "a" and "ha" or "hecho" and "echo."
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4 Ways to learn grammar online with Promova
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Spanish blog
Find all the latest tips, handy reference guides, and fun slang from different Spanish dialects — all on our Promova Spanish blog!
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Language learning app
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Practice with AI
No practice partner? No problem! Start now with our AI chatbot to receive real-time responses that will mimic real-life interactions and also provide instant feedback.
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Second language acquisition
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People often ask
Where do I start learning Spanish grammar?
It depends on what you already know. Even if you’re a beginner, you likely understand what grammar is or remember some grammar rules from school. Maybe you've heard a lot of Spanish in daily life or online. Either way, we recommend taking our free Spanish test first to find out your level and then studying the material suited for you.
If you're starting from scratch, the best place to begin is with simple words and the forms of the verbs "ser" and "estar." After that, you should be able to make basic statements and ask questions. Practicing reading, writing, listening, and speaking together is always helpful as you learn to use Spanish grammar.
How do I practice grammar online?
First, doing almost any activity in Spanish will help you practice grammar. You can understand rules and find grammar examples while reading, apply them in writing, hear them in conversations, or practice them when speaking. Depending on your level, practice could be as simple as watching a TV show or as advanced as giving a work presentation in Spanish.
Second, Promova offers many tools to strengthen your grammar practice online. One of the fastest ways is to use our language-learning app with short daily lessons. You can also choose private lessons with a tutor or join group classes.
How long does it take to use Spanish grammar fluently?
Reaching basic fluency in a new language typically takes about 500 hours of active practice, or 1 to 2 years for most people. However, this can vary depending on how much time you invest, your abilities, and your preferred learning style. If you study with a Promova tutor, you can get a personalized learning plan focused on your needs and goals.
With the right approach and guided practice, you can progress even faster. Of course, your results will also depend on how immersed you are in the language and how often you practice each day.