Portál španělského jazyka



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Vowel-alternating verbs


A considerable number of verbs show a predictable change in the vowel of the root when conjugated in certain categories. The vowel /e/ changes to /je/, and the vowel /o/ changes to /we/, and the change happens when the root vowel receives the stress (note that the dictionary form always has the vowel, not the diphthong, since in the infinitive form the stress is on the last syllable, i.e. on the thematic vowel).

For example (only some persons and tenses, for contrasting purposes):



  • acertar → yo acierto, él acierta, nosotros acertamos; yo acerté, él acertó...

  • soldar → yo sueldo, él suelda, nosotros soldamos; yo soldé, él soldó...

  • perder → yo pierdo, él pierde, nosotros perdemos; yo perdí, él perdió...

  • mentir → yo miento, él miente, nosotros mentimos; yo mentí, él mintió...

  • apostar → yo apuesto, él apuesta, nosotros apostamos; yo aposté, él apostó...

  • moler → yo muelo, él muele, nosotros molemos; yo molí, él molió...

To complicate matters further, a number of verbs in the second and third conjugations show a slightly different irregularity, whereby /e/ also changes to /i/ and /o/ also changes to /u/, also when stressed, and only in some persons and tenses:

  • poder → yo puedo, él puede, nosotros podemos; yo pude, él pudo, nosotros pudimos...

  • concebir → yo concibo, él concibe, nosotros concebimos; yo concebí, él concibió...

  • morir → yo muero, él muere, nosotros morimos; yo morí, él murió...

A lot of verbs with /e/ or /o/ in the root do not alternate (e. g. meter, comer, etc.), and they are often a source of mistakes for children learning to speak, and also for some adults. It is common to find alternated forms like yo aprieto where the verb (apretar) in fact does not alternate, and unalternated (regularized) forms like yo colo where the verb alternates (colar → yo cuelo).

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Use of verbs


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Contrasting simple and continuous forms


There is not such a strict distinction between simple and continuous forms in Spanish as there is in English. In English, "I do" is one thing (a habit) and "I'm doing" is another (current activity). In Spanish, hago can be either of the two, and estoy haciendo stresses the latter.

Though not as strict as English, Spanish is more strict than French or German, which have no systematic distinction between the two concepts at all.

This optionally continuous meaning which can be underlined by using the continuous form is a feature of the present and imperfect tenses. The preterite never has this meaning even in the continuous form, and the future has it only when it is in the continous form.

Present


  • ¿Qué haces? could be either "what do you do?" or "what are you doing?"

  • ¿Qué estás haciendo? is definitely only "what are you doing?"

Imperfect

  • ¿Qué hacías? could be either "what did you use to do?" or "what were you doing?"

  • ¿Qué estabas haciendo? is definitely only "what were you doing?"

Preterite

  • ¿Qué hiciste? is "what did you do?"

  • ¿Qué estuviste haciendo? is "what did you do all that time?"

Note that since the preterite by nature refers to an event seen as having a beginning and an end, and not as a context, the use of the continuous form of the verb only adds a feeling for the length of time spent on the action.

Future


  • ¿Qué harás? is "what will you do?"

  • ¿Qué estarás haciendo? is "what will you be doing?"

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Contrasting the present and the future


Both the present and the future can express future actions, the latter more explicitly so. There are also expressions that convey the future.

  • Mi padre llega mañana = "My father is arriving tomorrow" (out of context, llega could mean he is arriving now or usually arrives)

  • Mi padre llegará mañana = "My father will arrive tomorrow" (future tense)

  • Mi padre va a llegar mañana = "My father is going to arrive tomorrow" (future with ir)

  • Mi padre está a punto de llegar = "My father is about to arrive" (immediate future with estar a punto)

  • Mi padre ya llega = "My father arrives soon" (future with ya)

The future tense can also simply express guesses about the present and immediate future:

  • ¿Qué hora es? Serán las tres, = "What time is it?" "It's about three (but I haven't checked)."

  • ¿Quién llama a la puerta? Será José = "Who's at the door? It must be José"

Studies have shown that this use of the future tense is learnt by Spanish-speaking children before they learn to use it to express future events (the English future with "will" can also sometimes be used with this meaning). The other constructions detailed above are used instead. Indeed, many adult dialect speakers hardly use the future tense to refer to the future.

The future tense of the subjunctive mood is also obsolete in practice. As of today, it is only found in legal documents and the like. In other contexts it is always replaced by the indicative form.

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Contrasting the preterite and the imperfect


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Fundamental meaning of the preterite and imperfect

Spanish has two fundamental past tenses. Strictly speaking, the difference between them is not tense but aspect. However, within Spanish grammar, they are considered tenses, with aspect controlled by auxiliary verbs.

The difference between the preterite (and in certain cases, the perfect) on one hand and the imperfect on the other is often hard to grasp for English speakers. English has just one past tense form, which can have aspect added to it by auxiliary verbs, but not in ways that reliably correspond to what occurs in Spanish.

The distinction between them does, however, correspond rather well to the distictions in other Romance languages, between for example the French imparfait and passé simple / passé composé, or between the Italian imperfetto and passato remoto / passato prossimo.

The imperfect fundamentally presents an action or state as being a context, and is thus essentially descriptive. It does not present actions or states as having ends, and often does not present their beginnings either.

The preterite (and perfect, when applicable) fundamentally presents an action or state as being an event, and is thus essentially narrative. It presents actions or states as having beginnings and ends.

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Comparison with English usage

The English simple past can express either of these concepts. However, there are devices that allow us to be more specific. Consider, for example, the phrase "the sun shone" in the following contexts:

  1. "The sun shone through his window. John knew it was going to be a fine day."

  2. "The sun was shining through his window. John knew it was going to be a fine day."

  3. "The sun shone through his window back in those days."

  4. "The sun used to shine through his window back in those days."

  5. "The sun shone through his window the moment John pulled back the curtain."

In the first two, it is clear that the shining refers to the background to the events that are about to unfold in the story. It is talking about "what was happening". We have a choice between making this explicit with the past continuous as in (2), or just using the simple past as in (1) and allowing the context to make it clear what we mean. In Spanish, these would be in the imperfect, optionally in the imperfect continuous.

In the third and fourth examples, it is clear that the shining refers to a regular, general, habitual type of event. It is talking about "what used to happen". We have a choice between making this explicit with the expression "used to" as in (4), or just using the simple past as in (3) and allowing the context to make it clear what we mean. In Spanish, these would be in the imperfect, optionally with the auxiliary verb soler.

In the fifth example, only the simple past is possible. It is talking about a single event presented as occurring at a specific point in time (the moment John pulled back the curtain). The action starts and ends with this sentence. In Spanish, this would be in the preterite (or alternatively in the perfect, if the event has only just happened).

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Further examples

  • Cuando tenía quince años, me atropelló un coche = "When I was fifteen, I got run over by a car"

Imperfect used for "was" in Spanish because it is the background to the specific event expressed by "got run over", in the preterite.

  • Mientras cruzaba / estaba cruzando la calle, me atropelló un coche = "While I crossed / was crossing the road, I got run over by a car"

In both languages, the continous form for action in progress is optional, but Spanish requires the verb in either case to be in the imperfect, because it is the background to the specific event expressed by "got run over", in the preterite.

  • Siempre tenía cuidado cuando cruzaba la calle = "I was always / always used to be careful when I crossed / used to cross the road"

Imperfect used for both verbs since they refer to habits in the past. Either verb could optionally use the expression "used to" in English.

  • Me bañé = "I had a bath"

Preterite used if this refers to a single action or event, i.e. the person had or took a bath last night.

  • Me bañaba = "I had a bath"

Imperfect used if this refers to any sort of habitual action, i.e. the person had or took a bath every morning. Optionally, solía bañarme can specifically express "I used to have a bath".

  • Tuvo una hija = "she had a daughter"

Preterite used if this refers to an event, i.e. a birth.

  • Tenía una hija = "she had a/one daughter"

Imperfect if this refers to the number of children by a certain point, i.e. in "She had one daughter when I met her ten years ago; she may have more now". A description.

Note that when describing the life of someone who is now dead, the distinction between the two tenses blurs. One might describe the person's life saying tenía una hija, but tuvo una hija is very common because the person's whole life is viewed as a whole, with a beginning and an end. The same goes for vivía/vivió en... "he lived in...".

Perhaps the verb that English speakers find most difficult to translate properly is "to be" in the past tense: "was". Apart from the choice between the verbs ser and estar (see below), it is often very hard for English speakers to distinguish between contextual and narrative uses.


  • Alguien cogió mis CDs. ¿Quién fue? = "Someone took my CDs. Who was it?"

Here the preterite is used because it is an event. A good clue is the tense cogió is in.

  • Había una persona que estaba mirando los CDs. ¿Quién era? = "There was a person who was looking at the CDs. Who was it?"

Here the imperfect is used because it is a description (the start and end of the action is not presented; it is just something that was in progress at a certain time). A good clue is the tense of the other verbs.
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Contrasting the subjunctive and the imperative


The subjunctive mood expresses wishes and hypothetical events. It is often employed together with a conditional verb:

  • Desearía que estuvieses aquí. = "I wish you were here."

  • Me alegraría mucho si volvieras mañana. = "I would be very glad if you came back tomorrow."

The imperative mood shows commands given to the hearer (the second person). There is no imperative form in the third person, so the subjunctive is used. The expression takes the form of a command or wish directed at the hearer, but referring to the third person. The difference between a command and a wish is subtle, mostly conveyed by the absence of a wishing verb:

  • Que venga el gerente. = "Let the manager come.", "Have the manager come."

  • Que se cierren las puertas. = "Let the doors be closed.", "Have the doors closed."

With a verb that expresses wishing, the above sentences become plain subjunctive instead of direct commands:

  • Deseo que venga el gerente. = "I wish that the manager comes."

  • Quiero que se cierren las puertas. = "I want the doors (to be) closed."

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Contrasting the present and the future subjunctive


The future tense of the subjunctive is found mostly in old literature or legalese and is even misused in conversation by confusing it with the past tense (often due to the similarity of its characteristic suffix, "-ere", as opposed to the suffixes of the past tense, -era and -ese). Many Spanish speakers live their lives without ever knowing about or realizing the existence of the future subjunctive.

It survives in the common expression sea lo que fuere and the proverb allá donde fueres, haz lo que vieres (allá donde can be replaced by a la tierra donde or si a Roma).

The proverb illustrates how it used to be used:


  • With si referring to the future, as in si a Roma fueres.... This is now expressed with the present indicative: si vas a Roma....

  • With cuando, donde etc, referring to the future, as in allá donde fueres.... This is now expressed with the present subjunctive: vayas adonde vayas...

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Contrasting the preterite and the past anterior


The past anterior is rare nowadays and restricted to formal use.

It expresses a very fine nuance: the fact that an action occurs just after another [had] occurred, with words such as cuando, nada más and en cuanto ("when", "no sooner", "as soon as"). In English, we are forced to use either the simple past or the past perfect; Spanish has something specific between the two.



  • En cuanto el delincuente hubo salido del cuarto, la víctima se echó a llorar = "As soon as the criminal [had] left the room, the victim burst into tears"

The use of hubo salido shows that the second action happened immediately after. Salió might imply it happened at the same time, and había salido might imply it happened some time after.

However, colloquial Spanish has lost this tense and this nuance, and the preterite must be used instead in all but the most formal of writing.

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Contrasting ser and estar


Ser expresses nature and estar expresses state. See Romance copula for further information.

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Contrasting haber and tener


The verbs haber and tener are easily distinguished, but they may pose a problem for learners of Spanish that are speakers of other Romance languages (where the cognates of haber and tener are used differently), for English speakers (where have is used as a verb and as an auxiliary), and others.

Haber derives from the Latin habeo, habes, habere, habui, habitum; with the basic meaning of "to have".

Tener derives from the Latin teneo, tenes, tenere, tenui, tentum; with the basic meaning of "to hold", "to keep".

As habeo began to degrade and become reduced to just ambiguous monosyllables in the present tense, the Hispanic Romance languages (Spanish, Gallician-Portuguese and Catalan) restricted its use and started to use teneo as the ordinary verb expressing having and possession. French instead reinforced habeo with obligatory subject pronouns. The Italian solution was to reinforce it with the pronoun ci ("there" or "to it") where necessary.

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Haber: Expressing existence

Haber is used as an impersonal verb to show existence of an object or objects, which is generally expressed as an indefinite noun phrase. In English, this corresponds to the use of there + the corresponding inflected form of to be. When used in this sense, haber has a special present-tense form: hay instead of ha. The y is a fossilised form of the mediaeval Castilian pronoun y or i, meaning "there", which is cognate with French y and Catalan hi, and comes from the Latin ibi.

Unlike in English, the thing which "is there" is not the subject of the sentence and therefore there is no agreement between that and the verb. This echos the constructions seen in languages such as French (il y a = "it there has"), Catalan (hi ha = "[it] there has"), and even Chinese (有 yǒu = "[it] has").



  • Hay un gato en el jardín. = "There is a cat in the garden."

  • En el baúl hay fotos viejas. = "There are old photos in the trunk."

It is possible, in cases of certain emphasis, to put the verb after the object:

  • ¿Revistas hay? = "Are there any magazines?"

There is a certain vulgar tendency to make haber agree with what follows, as though it were the subject, particularly in tenses other than the present indicative. This is fairly common in Catalonia and Latin America. There is heavier stigma on inventing plural forms for hay; but hain, han, habemos (common in Mexico) and suchlike are sometimes encountered in uneducated speech.

  • Había un hombre en la casa. = "There was a man in the house."

  • Había unos hombres en la casa. = "There were some men in the house."

  • *Habían unos hombres en la casa. = "There were some men in the house." (dialectal)

Haber as an existence verb is never used in other than the third person. To express existence of a first or second person, the verb estar ("to be [located/present]") or existir ("to exist") is used, and there is subject–verb agreement.

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Haber: obligation

The phrase haber que (followed by a subordinated construction with the verb in the infinitive) carries the meaning of necessity or obligation without specifying an agent. It is translatable as "it is necessary", but a paraphrase is generally preferable in translation.

Note that the present-tense form is hay.



  • Hay que abrir esa puerta. = "That door needs opening", "We have to open that door".

  • Habrá que abrir esa puerta. = "That door will need opening", "We're going to have to open that door".

  • Aunque haya que abrir esa puerta. = "Even if that door needs to be opened".

It is comparable to the French il faut and the Catalan cal, although it should be noted that a personal construction with the subjunctive is not possible. Hay que always goes with the infinitive.

A separate construction is haber de + infinitive. It is not impersonal. It tends to express a certain nuance of obligation and a certain nuance of future tense, much like the expression "to be to". It is also often used similarly to deber ("must", "ought to").

Note that the third personal singular of the present tense is ha.


  • Mañana he de dar una charla ante la Universidad = "Tomorrow I am to give a speech before the University".

  • Ha de comer más verduras = "She ought to eat more vegetables".

Haber de is quite common in Catalonia, where the local language has a similar expression.

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Haber: Forming perfective tenses

Haber is also used as an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, as shown elsewhere. Spanish uses only haber for this, unlike French and Italian, which use the corresponding cognates of haber for most verbs, but cognates of ser ("to be") for certain others.

  • Ella se ha ido al mercado. = "She has gone to the market."

  • Ellas se han ido de paseo. = "They have gone on a walk."

  • ¿Habéis fregado los platos? = "Have you all done the washing-up?"

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Tener

Tener is a verb with the basic meaning of "to have", in its essential sense of "to possess", "to hold", "to own". As in English, it can also express obligation (tener que + infinitive). It also appears in a number of phrases that show emotion or physical states, expressed by nouns, which in English tend to be expressed by to be and an adjective.

  • Mi hijo tiene una casa nueva. = "My son has a new house."

  • Tenemos que hablar. = "We have to talk."

  • Tengo hambre. = "I am hungry", lit. "I have hunger."

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Negation


Verbs are negated by putting no before the verb. Other negative words can either replace this no or occur after the verb:

  • Hablo español = "I speak Spanish"

  • No hablo español = "I don't speak Spanish"

  • Nunca hablo español = "I never speak Spanish"

  • No hablo nunca español = "I don't ever speak Spanish"

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Expressing movement


Spanish verbs describing motion tend to emphasize direction instead of manner of motion. According to the pertinent classification, this makes Spanish a verb-framed language. This contrasts with English, where verbs tend to emphasize manner, and leave the direction of motion to helper particles, prepositions, or adverbs.

  • "We drove away" = Nos fuimos en coche (literally, "We left by car").

  • "He swam to Ibiza" = Fue a Ibiza a nado (literally, "He went to Ibiza swimming").

  • "They ran off" = Huyeron corriendo (literally, "They fled running").

  • "She crawled in" = Entró a gatas (literally, "She entered on all fours").

Quite often, the important thing is the direction, not the manner. So, although "we drove away" translates into Spanish as nos fuimos en coche, it is often better to translate it as just nos fuimos. For example:

  • "I drove her to the airport, but she'd forgotten her ticket, so we drove home to get it, then drove back towards the airport, but then had to drive back home for her passport, by which time there was zero chance of checking in..."

  • La llevé al aeropuerto en coche, pero se le había olvidado el billete, así que fuimos a casa [en coche] a por él, luego volvimos [en coche] hacia el aeropuerto, pero luego tuvimos que volver a casa [en coche] a por el pasaporte, y ya era imposible que consiguiésemos facturar el equipaje...

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