TABLE OF AUXILIARIES BY TENSES AND FAMILIES

INDICATIVE MODE

Spanish verbs are one of the more complex areas of Spanish

grammar. Spanish is a relatively synthetic language with a moderate to high
degree of inflection, which shows up mostly in Spanish verb conjugation.
As is typical of verbs in virtually all languages, Spanish verbs express an action
or a state of being of a given subject, and like verbs in most of the IndoEuropean languages, Spanish verbs undergo inflection according to the
following categories:
Tense: past, present, future.
Number: singular or plural.
Person: first, second or third.
TV distinction: familiar or respectful.
Mood: indicative, subjunctive, or imperative.
Aspect: perfective aspect or imperfective aspect (distinguished only in the past
tense as preterite or imperfect).
Voice: active or passive.
The modern Spanish verb system has sixteen distinct complete[1] paradigms
(i.e., sets of forms for each combination of tense and mood (tense refers to
when the action takes place, and mood or mode refers to the mood of the
subjecte.g., certainty vs. doubt), plus one incomplete[2] paradigm (the

imperative), as well as three non-temporal forms (infinitive, gerund, and past

participle).
The fourteen regular tenses are also subdivided into seven simple tenses and
seven compound tenses (also known as the perfect). The seven compound
tenses are formed with the auxiliary verb haber followed by the past participle.
Verbs can be used in other forms, such as the present progressive, but in
grammar treatises that is not usually considered a special tense but rather one
of theperiphrastic verbal constructions.
In Old Spanish there were two tenses (simple and compound future
subjunctive) that are virtually obsolete today.
Spanish verb conjugation is divided into four categories known
as moods: indicative, subjunctive, imperative, and the traditionally socalled infinitive mood (newer grammars in Spanish call it formas no personales,
"non-personal forms"). This fourth category contains the three non-finite forms
that every verb has: an infinitive, a gerund, and a past participle (more exactly,
a passive perfect participle). The past participle can agree in number and
gender just as an adjective can, giving it four possible forms.
There is also a form traditionally known as the present
participle (e.g., cantante, durmiente), but this is generally considered a
separate word derived from the verb, rather than an inherent inflection of the
verb, because (1) not every verb has this form and (2) the way in which the
meaning of the form is related to that of the verb stem is not predictable. Some
present participles function mainly as nouns (typically, but not always,
denoting an agent of the action, such as amante, cantante, estudiante), while
others have a mainly adjectival function (abundante, dominante, sonriente),
and still others can be used as either a noun or an adjective
(corriente, dependiente). Unlike the gerund, the present participle takes the s ending for agreement in the plural.
Many of the most frequently used verbs are irregular. The rest fall into one of
three regular conjugations, which are classified according to whether their
infinitive ends in -ar, -er, or -ir. (The vowel in the endinga, e, or iis called
the thematic vowel.) The -ar verbs are the most numerous and the most
regular; moreover, new verbs usually adopt the -arform. The -er and -ir verbs
are fewer, and they include more irregular verbs. There are also subclasses of
semi-regular verbs that show vowel alternation conditioned by stress. See
"Spanish irregular verbs".
See Spanish conjugation for conjugation tables of regular verbs and some
irregular verbs.
Contents

[hide]
1 Accidents of a verb
1.1 Person and number
1.1.1 First person
1.1.2 Second person
1.1.3 Third person
1.2 Mood
1.3 Verbal tense
1.4 Impersonal or non-finite forms of the verb
1.4.1 Infinitive
1.4.2 Gerund
1.4.3 Past participle
1.5 Voice
1.6 Verbal aspect
2 Verbal conjugations in Spanish
2.1 The indicative
2.1.1 Simple tenses (tiempos simples)
2.1.1.1 Present (presente)
2.1.1.2 Imperfect (pretrito imperfecto)
2.1.1.3 Preterite (pretrito indefinido)
2.1.1.4 Future (futuro simple or futuro imperfecto)
2.1.2 Compound tenses (tiempos compuestos)
2.1.2.1 Present perfect (pretrito perfecto)
2.1.2.2 Past perfect or pluperfect (pretrito pluscuamperfecto)
2.1.2.3 Past anterior (pretrito anterior)
2.1.2.4 Future perfect (futuro compuesto)

2.2 The conditional

2.2.1 Simple conditional (condicional simple or pospretrito)
2.2.2 Conditional perfect or compound conditional (condicional
compuesto or antepospretrito)
2.3 The imperative
2.3.1 Affirmative imperative (imperativo positivo)
2.3.2 Negative imperative (imperativo negativo)
2.3.3 Examples
2.3.3.1 Positive command forms of the verb comer
2.3.3.2 Negative command forms of the verb comer
2.3.3.3 The pronominal verb comerse
2.3.3.4 The verb ir
2.4 The subjunctive
2.4.1 Simple tenses (tiempos simples)
2.4.1.1 Present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo)
2.4.1.2 Imperfect subjunctive (imperfecto de subjuntivo)
2.4.1.2.1 Imperfect subjunctive, -ra forms
2.4.1.2.2 Imperfect subjunctive, -se forms
2.4.1.3 Future subjunctive (futuro (simple) de subjuntivo)
2.4.2 Compound tenses (tiempos compuestos)
2.4.2.1 Present perfect subjunctive (pretrito perfecto de subjuntivo)
2.4.2.2 Pluperfect subjunctive (pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)
2.4.2.3 Future perfect subjunctive (futuro compuesto de subjuntivo)
2.5 Continuous tenses
3 Irregular verbs
4 Use of verbs
4.1 Contrasting simple and continuous forms

4.2 Contrasting the present and the future

4.3 Contrasting the preterite and the imperfect
4.3.1 Fundamental meanings of the preterite and the imperfect
4.3.2 Comparison with English usage
4.3.3 Further examples
4.4 Contrasting the preterite and the perfect
4.4.1 Frame of reference includes the present: perfect
4.4.2 Frame of reference superficially includes the present: perfect
4.4.3 Consequences continue into the present: perfect
4.4.4 The event itself continues into the present: perfect or present
4.4.5 Dialectal variation
4.5 Contrasting the subjunctive and the imperative
4.6 Contrasting the present and the future subjunctive
4.7 Contrasting the preterite and the past anterior
4.8 Contrasting ser and estar
4.9 Contrasting haber and tener
4.9.1 Haber: expressing existence
4.9.2 Haber: impersonal obligation
4.9.3 Haber: personal obligation
4.9.4 Haber: forming the perfect
4.9.5 Tener
4.10 Negation
4.11 Expressing movement
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Accidents of a verb[edit]
A verbal accident is defined as one of the changes of form that a verb can
undergo. Spanish verbs have five accidents. Every verb changes according to
the following:
Person and number[edit]
Spanish verbs are conjugated in three persons, each having a singular and a
plural form. In some varieties of Spanish, such as that of the Ro de la Plata
Region, a special form of the second person is used.
Because Spanish is a "pro-drop language", the subject pronoun is often
omitted.
First person[edit]
The grammatical first person refers to the speaker ("I"). The first person plural
refers to the speaker together with at least one other person.
(Yo) hablo. "I speak."
(Nosotros) hablamos. "We speak." (Used when referring to a group that
includes at least one male.)
(Nosotras) hablamos. "We speak." (Used when referring to a group that is
composed entirely of females.)
Second person[edit]
The grammatical second person refers to the addressee, the receiver of the
communication ("you"). Spanish has different pronouns (and verb forms) for
"you," depending on the relationship, familiar or formal, between speaker and
addressee.
Singular forms
(T) hablas. Familiar singular. Used when addressing someone who is of close
affinity (a member of the family, a close friend, a child, a pet). This is also the
form used to address the deity.
(Vos) habls. Familiar singular. Generally used in the same way as t. Its use is
restricted to some areas of Hispanic America. In areas where t and vos are
both used, vosis used to denote a closer affinity.
(Usted) habla. Formal singular. Used when addressing a person respectfully,
someone older, someone not known to the speaker, or someone of some social
distance. Although this is a second-person pronoun, it uses third-person verb

forms (and object pronouns and possessives) because it developed as a

contraction of vuestra merced(literally, "your mercy" or "your grace").
Plural forms
(Vosotros/Vosotras) hablis. Used when addressing people who are of close
affinity (members of the family, friends, children, pets). The feminine
form vosotras is used only when addressing a group composed entirely of
females; otherwise, vosotros is used. This form is used primarily
in Spain and Equatorial Guinea, though it may appear in old, formal texts from
other countries, such as the Philippines, [3] or in the initial line of the Argentine
national anthem (Od, mortales, el grito sagrado).
(Ustedes) hablan. Used when addressing people respectfully or addressing
people of some social distance. Like usted, it uses third-person verb forms, for
the same reasons. In Spanish America, the form ustedes serves as the secondperson plural for both familiar and formal situations.
Third person[edit]
The grammatical third person refers to a person or thing other than the speaker
or the addressee.
Singular forms
(l) habla. "He/it speaks." Used for a male person or a thing
of masculine (grammatical) gender.
(Ella) habla. "She/it speaks." Used for a female person or a thing
of feminine (grammatical) gender.
Plural forms
(Ellos) hablan. "They speak." Used for a group of people or things that includes
at least one person or thing of masculine (grammatical) gender.
(Ellas) hablan. "They speak." Used for a group of people or things that are all
of feminine (grammatical) gender.
Mood[edit]
Grammatical mood is one of a set of distinctive forms that are used to signal
modality. In Spanish, every verb has forms in three moods.
Indicative mood: The indicative mood, or evidential mood, is used for factual
statements and positive beliefs. The Spanish conditional, although semantically
expressing the dependency of one action or proposition on another, is

generally considered a tense of the indicative mood, because, syntactically, it

can appear in an independent clause.
Subjunctive mood: The subjunctive mood expresses an imagined or desired
action in the past, present, or future.
Imperative mood: The imperative mood expresses direct commands, requests,
and prohibitions. In Spanish, using the imperative mood may sound blunt or
even rude, so it is often used with care.
Verbal tense[edit]
The tense of a verb indicates the time when the action occurs. It may be in the
past, present, or future.
Impersonal or non-finite forms of the verb[edit]
The Spanish non-finite verb forms refer to an action or state without indicating
the time or the person. Spanish has three impersonal forms.
Infinitive[edit]
The infinitive is generally the form found in dictionaries. It corresponds to the
English "base-form" or "dictionary form" and is usually indicated in English by
"to _____" ("to sing," "to write," etc.). The ending of the infinitive is the basis of
the names given in English to the three form classes of Spanish verbs:
"-ar verbs" (primera conjugacin ["first conjugation"])
Examples: hablar ("to speak"); cantar ("to sing"); bailar ("to dance")
"-er verbs" (segunda conjugacin ["second conjugation"])
Examples: beber ("to drink"); leer ("to read"); comprender ("to understand")
"-ir verbs" (tercera conjugacin ["third conjugation"])
Examples: vivir ("to live"); sentir ("to feel"); escribir ("to write")
Gerund[edit]
Although in English grammar the gerund refers to the -ing form of a verb used
as a noun, in Spanish the term refers to a verb form that behaves more like an
adverb.
For -ar verbs, the ending is -ando.
Examples: hablando ("speaking"); cantando ("singing"); bailando ("dancing")
For -er verbs, the ending is -iendo.

Examples: bebiendo ("drinking"); leyendo (with spelling change;

"reading"); comprendiendo ("understanding")
For -ir verbs, the ending is also -iendo.
Examples: viviendo ("living"); sintiendo (with stem-vowel change;
"feeling"); escribiendo ("writing")
Past participle[edit]
The past participle corresponds to the English -en or -ed form.
For -ar verbs, the ending is -ado.
Examples: hablado ("spoken"); cantado ("sung"); bailado ("danced")
For -er verbs, the regular ending is -ido.
Examples: bebido ("drunk"); ledo (requires accent mark;
"read"); comprendido ("understood")
For -ir verbs, the regular ending is also -ido.
Examples: vivido ("lived"); sentido ("felt"); hervido ("boiled")
The past participle, ending invariably in -o, is used following a form of
the auxiliary verb haber to form the compound or perfect: (Yo) he hablado ("I
have spoken"); (Ellos) haban hablado ("They had spoken"); etc.
When the past participle is used as an adjective, it agrees with the noun that it
modifiesfor example, una lengua hablada en Espaa ("a language spoken in
Spain").
The past participle, similarly agreeing with the subject of ser or estar, can be
used to form, respectively, the "true" passive voice (e.g., Los platos
fueron preparados en la maana ["The dishes were prepared in the morning"])
or the "passive of result" (e.g., Los platos ya estn preparados ["The dishes are
already prepared"]).
Voice[edit]
In grammar, the voice of a verb describes the relationship between the action
(or state) that the verb expresses and the participants identified by its
arguments (subject, object, etc.). When the subject is the agent or doer of the
action, the verb is in the active voice. When the subject is the patient, target,
or undergoer of the action, it is said to be in the passive voice.
Verbal aspect[edit]

Verbal aspect marks whether an action is completed (perfect), a completed

whole (perfective), or not yet completed (imperfective).
Perfect: In Spanish, verbs that are conjugated with haber ("to have [done
something]") are in the perfect aspect.
Perfective: In Spanish, verbs in the preterite are in the perfective aspect.
Imperfective: In Spanish, the present, imperfect, and future tenses are in
the imperfective aspect.
Verbal conjugations in Spanish[edit]
See Spanish conjugation for a set of conjugation tables.
In this page, verb conjugation is illustrated with the verb hablar ("to talk," "to
speak").
The indicative[edit]
The indicative mood has five simple tenses, each of which has a corresponding
perfect form. In older classifications, the conditional tenses were considered
part of an independent conditional mood. Continuous forms (such as estoy
hablando) are usually not considered part of the verbal paradigm, though they
often appear in books addressed to English speakers who are learning Spanish.
Modern grammatical studies count only the simple forms as tenses, and the
other forms as products of tenses and aspects.
Simple tenses (tiempos simples)[edit]
The simple tenses are the forms of the verb without the use of a modal or
helping verb. The following are the simple tenses and their uses:
Present (presente)[edit]
The present tense is formed with the endings shown below:
Pronoun
subject

-ar verbs
(primera
conjugacin)

-er verbs
(segunda
conjugacin)

-ir
(t
co

yo

-o

-o

-o

-as

-es

-e

vos

-s

-s

-s

-e

-e

l / ella / usted -a

nosotros /
nosotras

-amos

-emos

-im

vosotros /
vosotras

-is

-is

-s

ellos / ellas /
ustedes

-an

-en

-e

Uses of the present indicative

This tense is used to indicate the following:
Actual present. This expresses an action that is being done at the very
moment.
Mara habla con Juan por telfono. ("Mara is speaking with Juan on the
telephone").
Habitual present. This expresses an action that is regularly and habitually being
done.
Mara llega al campo todos los sbados. ("Mara goes to the countryside every
Saturday.")
Atemporal present. This expresses general truths that are not bounded by time.
Dos ms dos son cuatro. ("Two plus two equals four.")
Los planetas giran alrededor del sol. ("The planets revolve around the sun.")
Historical present. This expresses an action that happened in the past but is
accepted as historical fact.
Fernando Magallanes descubre las Filipinas el 15 de marzo de
1521. ("Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines on 15 March 1521.")
An immediate future. This expresses an action that will be done in the very
near future with a high degree of certainty.
Este junio, viajo a Espaa. ("This June, I am travelling to Spain.")
Imperative value. In some areas of Spain and Hispanic America, the present
can be used (with an exclamatory tone) with an imperative value.
Ahora te vas y pides disculpas al seor Ruiz! ("Now go and ask pardon from
Mr. Ruiz!")

Imperfect (pretrito imperfecto)[edit]

The imperfect is formed with the endings shown below:
Pronoun subject

-ar verbs

yo

-aba

t / vos

-abas

l / ella / usted

-aba

nosotros / nosotras

-bamos

vosotros / vosotras

-abais

ellos / ellas / ustedes

-aban

Uses of the imperfect

This tense is used to express the following:
A habitual action in the past. This use expresses an action done habitually in an
indefinite past. It does not focus on when the action ended.
Cuando era pequeo, hablaba espaol con mi abuela. ("When I was young, I
used to speak Spanish with my grandmother.")
An action interrupted by another action. This expresses an action that was in
progress when another action took place.
Tombamos la cena cuando Eduardo entr. ("We were having dinner when
Eduardo came in.")
General description of the past. This expresses a past setting, as, for example,
the background for a narrative.
Todo estaba tranquilo esa noche. Juan Eduardo miraba el partido de ftbol con
su amigo Alejandro. Coman unas porciones de pizza. ("Everything was calm
that night. Juan Eduardo was watching the football match with his friend
Alejandro. They were eating some slices of pizza.")
Preterite (pretrito indefinido)[edit]
The preterite is formed with the endings shown below:
Pronoun subject

-ar v

yo

t / vos

-aste

l / ella / usted

nosotros / nosotras

-amo

vosotros / vosotras

-aste

ellos / ellas /
ustedes

-aron

Uses of the preterite

This tense is used to express the following:
An action that was done in the past. This use expresses an action that is
viewed as a completed event. It is often accompanied by adverbial expressions
of time, such asayer, anteayer, or la semana pasada.
Ayer, encontr la flor que t me diste. ("Yesterday, I found the flower that you
gave me.")
An action that interrupts another action. This expresses an event that
happened (and was completed) while another action was taking place.
Tombamos la cena cuando entr Eduardo. ("We were having dinner when
Eduardo came in.")
A general truth. This expresses a past relationship that is viewed as finished.
Las Filipinas fueron parte del Imperio Espaol. ("The Philippines were part of
the Spanish Empire.")
Future (futuro simple or futuro imperfecto)[edit]
The future tense uses the entire infinitive as a stem. The following endings are
attached to it:

Pronoun subjec
yo
t / vos
l / ella / usted

nosotros / noso

vosotros / vosot

ellos / ellas / us
Uses of the future
This tense is used to express the following:
A future action. This expresses an action that will be done in the future.
El ao prximo, visitar Buenos Aires. ("Next year, I shall/will visit Buenos
Aires.")
Uncertainty or Probability. This expresses inference, rather than direct
knowledge.
Quin estar tocando a la puerta? Ser Fabio. ("Who (do you suppose) is
knocking at the door? It must be Fabio." or "Who will that be knocking at the
door? That'll be Fabio." This use of the future tense also occurs in English;
see Future Tense, Relation among tense, aspect, and modality implications of
"will" and "going to".)
Command, prohibition, or obligation
No llevars a ese hombre a mi casa. ("Do not bring that man to my house." Or,
more accurately, "You will not bring that man to my house." This form is also
used to assert a command, prohibition, or obligation in English.)
Courtesy
Te importar encender la televisin? ("Would you mind turning on the
television?")
Another common way to represent the future is with a present indicative
conjugation of ir followed by a then an infinitive verb: Voy a viajar a Bolivia en
el verano. ("I'm going to travel to Bolivia in the summer.") This form is much
more common in Spanish than in English.
Compound tenses (tiempos compuestos)[edit]
All the compound tenses are formed with haber followed by the past participle
of the main verb. Haber changes its form for person, number, and the like,
while the past participle remains invariable, ending with -o regardless of the
number or gender of the subject.
Present perfect (pretrito perfecto)[edit]

In the present perfect, the present indicative of haber is used as a modal, and it
is followed by the past participle of the main verb. In most of Spanish America,
this tense has virtually the same use as the English present perfect.
E.g.: Te he dicho mi opinin. ("I have told you my opinion.")
In most of Spain the tense has an additional useto express a past action or
event that is contained in an unfinished period of time or that has effects in the
present:
Este mes ha llovido mucho, pero hoy hace buen da. ("It rained a lot this
month, but today is a fine day.")
Past perfect or pluperfect (pretrito pluscuamperfecto)[edit]
In this tense, the imperfect form of haber is used as a modal, and it is followed
by the past participle of the main verb.
(yo) haba + past participle
(t) habas + past participle
(l / ella / usted) haba + past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) habamos + past participle
(vosotros / vosotras) habais + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) haban + past participle
Uses
This form is used to express the following:
A past action that occurred prior to another past action.
E.g.: Yo haba esperado tres horas cuando l lleg. ("I had been waiting for
three hours when he arrived.")
Past anterior (pretrito anterior)[edit]
This tense combines the preterite form of haber with the past participle of the
main verb. It is very rare in spoken Spanish, but it is sometimes used in formal
written language, where it is almost entirely limited to subordinate (temporal,
adverbial) clauses. Thus, it is usually introduced by temporal conjunctions such
as cuando, apenas, or en cuanto. It is used to express an action that ended
immediately before another past action.
(yo) hube + past participle

(t) hubiste + past participle

(l / ella / usted) hubo + past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) hubimos + past participle
(vosotros / vosotras) hubisteis + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) hubieron + past participle
E.g.: Cuando hubieron llegado todos, empez la ceremonia. ("When everyone
had arrived, the ceremony began.")
E.g.: Apenas Mara hubo terminado la cancin, su padre entr. ("As soon as
Maria had finished the song, her father came in.")
This tense is often replaced by either the preterite or the pluperfect, with the
same meaning.
E.g.: Apenas Mara termin la cancin, su padre entr.
E.g.: Apenas Mara haba terminado la cancin, su padre entr.
Future perfect (futuro compuesto)[edit]
The future perfect is formed with the future indicative form of haber followed
by the past participle of the main verb.
(yo) habr + past participle
(t) habrs + past participle
(l / ella / usted) habr + past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) habremos + past participle
(vosotros / vosotras) habris + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) habrn + past participle
e.g.: Habr hablado. ("I shall/will have spoken.")
This tense is used to indicate a future action that will be finished right before
another future action.
e.g.: Cuando yo llegue a la fiesta, ya se habrn marchado todos. ("When I
arrive at the party, everybody will have left already.")
The conditional[edit]
Simple conditional (condicional simple or pospretrito)[edit]

As in the case of the future tense, the conditional uses the entire infinitive as a
stem. The following endings are attached to it:

Uses of the conditional

This tense is used to express the following:
Courtesy. Using this mood softens a request, making it more polite.
E.g.: Seor, podra darme una copa de vino? ("Sir, could you give me a glass
of wine?")
Polite expression of a desire (using querer).
E.g.: Querra ver la pelcula esta semana. ("I would like to see the film this
week.")
In a then clause whose realization depends on a hypothetical if clause.
Si yo fuera rico, viajara a Sudamrica. ("If I were rich, I would travel to South
America.")
Speculation about past events (the speaker's knowledge is indirect,
unconfirmed, or approximating).
E.g.: Cuantas personas asistieron a la inauguracin del Presidente? No lo
s; habra unas 5.000. ("How many people attended the President's
inauguration? I do not know; there must have been about 5,000.")
A future action in relation to the past. This expresses future action that was
imagined in the past.
E.g.: Cuando era pequeo, pensaba que me gustara ser mdico. ("When I was
young, I thought that I would like to be a doctor.")

A suggestion.
E.g.: Yo que t, lo olvidara completamente. ("If I were you, I would forget him
completely.")
Conditional perfect or compound conditional (condicional
compuesto or antepospretrito)[edit]
This form refers to a hypothetical past action.
E.g.: Yo habra hablado si me hubieran/hubiesen dado la oportunidad ("I would
have spoken if they had given me the opportunity.")
The imperative[edit]
The imperative mood has three specific forms, corresponding to the
pronouns t, vos, and vosotros (t and vos are used in different regional
dialects; vosotros only in Spain). These forms are used only in positive
expressions, not negative ones. The subjunctive supplements the imperative in
all other cases (negative expressions and the conjugations corresponding to
the pronouns nosotros, l/ella, usted, ellos/ellas, and ustedes).
The imperative can also be expressed in three other ways:[4]
Using the present or future indicative to form an emphatic command: Comers
la verdura ("You will eat the vegetables").
The first person plural imperative ("Let's...") can also be expressed by Vamos
a + infinitive: Vamos a comer!
Indirect commands with que: Que lo llame el secretario ("Have the secretary
call him").
Affirmative imperative (imperativo positivo)[edit]
The positive form of the imperative mood in regular verbs is formed by
removing the infinitive ending and adding the following:

The singular imperative t coincides with the third-person singular of the

indicative for all but a few irregular verbs. The plural vosotros is always the
same as the infinitive, but with a final -d instead of an -r in the formal, written
form; the informal spoken form is the same as the infinitive. The
singular vos drops the -r of the infinitive, requiring a written accent to indicate
the stress.
Negative imperative (imperativo negativo)[edit]
For the negative imperative, the adverb no is placed before the verb, and the
following endings are attached to the stem:

Note that in the imperative, the affirmative second-person forms differ from
their negative counterparts; this is the only case of a difference in conjugation
between affirmative and negative in Spanish.
Beginner's rule:
To conjugate something that is positive in the imperative mood for the t form
(which is used most often), conjugate for the t form and drop the s.
To conjugate something that is negative in the imperative mood for the t form
(which also is used most often), conjugate in the yo form, drop the o, add the
opposite t ending (if it is an -ar verb add es; for an -er or -irverb add as), and
then put the word no in front.
Examples[edit]
Positive command forms of the verb comer[edit]

Negative command forms of the verb comer[edit]

The pronominal verb comerse[edit]

Note that the pronouns precede the verb in the negative commands as the
mode is subjunctive, not imperative: no te comas/coms; no se
coma/coman; no nos comamos; no os comis.
The verb ir[edit]

The pronominal verb irse is irregular in the second person plural normative
form, because it does not drop the -d or the -r:
idos! (vosotros): "Go away!" (plural for informal address, recommended by
the Real Academia Espaola but extremely uncommon)
iros! (vosotros): "Go away!" (common in Spain, but not admitted by the Real
Academia Espaola)
The subjunctive[edit]
The subjunctive mood has a separate conjugation table with fewer tenses. It is
used, almost exclusively in subordinate clauses, to express the speaker's
opinion or judgment, such as doubts, possibilities, emotions, and events that
may or may not occur.
Simple tenses (tiempos simples)[edit]
Present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo)[edit]
The present subjunctive of regular verbs is formed with the endings shown
below:

Imperfect subjunctive (imperfecto de subjuntivo)[edit]

The imperfect subjunctive can be formed with either of two sets of endings: the
"-ra endings" or the "-se endings", as shown below. In Spanish America, the ra forms are virtually the only forms used, to the exclusion of the -se forms. In
Spain, both sets of forms are used, but the -ra forms predominate there also.
Imperfect subjunctive, -ra forms[edit]

Imperfect subjunctive, -se forms[edit]

Future subjunctive (futuro (simple) de subjuntivo)[edit]

This tense is no longer used in the modern language, except in legal language
and some fixed expressions. The following endings are attached to the preterite
stem:

E.g.: Cuando hablaren... ("Whenever they might speak...")

Compound tenses (tiempos compuestos)[edit]
In the subjunctive mood, the subjunctive forms of the verb haber are used with
the past participle of the main verb.
Present perfect subjunctive (pretrito perfecto de subjuntivo)[edit]
E.g.: Cuando yo haya hablado... ("When I have spoken...")
Pluperfect subjunctive (pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)[edit]
E.g.: Si yo hubiera hablado... or Si yo hubiese hablado... ("If I had spoken...")
Future perfect subjunctive (futuro compuesto de subjuntivo)[edit]
Like the simple future subjunctive, this tense is no longer used in the modern
language.
E.g.: Cuando yo hubiere hablado... ("When I shall have spoken...")

Observations:
The present subjunctive is formed from the stem of the first person present
indicative of a verb. Therefore, for an irregular verb like salir with the first
person salgo, the present subjunctive would be salga, not sala.
The choice between present subjunctive and imperfect subjunctive is
determined by the tense of the main verb of the sentence.
The future subjunctive is rarely used in modern Spanish and mostly appears in
old texts, legal documents, and certain fixed expressions, such as venga lo que
viniere ("come what may").
Continuous tenses[edit]
In Spanish grammars, continuous tenses are not formally recognized as in
English. Although the imperfect expresses a continuity compared to the perfect
(e.g., te esperaba ["I was waiting for you"]), the continuity of an action is
usually expressed by a verbal periphrasis (perfrasis verbal), as in estoy
leyendo ("I am reading"). However, one can also saysigo leyendo ("I
am still reading"), voy leyendo ("I am slowly but surely reading"), ando
leyendo ("I am going around reading"), and others.
Irregular verbs[edit]
Main article: Spanish irregular verbs
A considerable number of verbs change the vowel e in the stem to the
diphthong ie, and the vowel o to ue. This happens when the stem vowel
receives the stress. These verbs are referred to as stem-changing verbs.
Examples include pensar ("to think"; e.g., pienso ["I think"]), sentarse ("to sit";
e.g., me siento ["I sit"]), empezar ("to begin"; e.g.,empiezo ["I
begin"]), volver ("to return"; e.g., vuelvo ["I return"]), and acostarse ("to go to
bed"; e.g., me acuesto ["I go to bed"]).
Virtually all verbs of the third conjugation (-ir), if they have -e- or -o- in their
stem, undergo a vowel-raising change whereby e changes to i and o changes
to u, in some of their forms (for details, see Spanish irregular verbs). Examples
include pedir ("to ask for"; e.g., pide ["he/she asks for"]), competir ("to
compete"; e.g., compite ["he/she competes"]), and derretirse ("to melt";
e.g., se derrite ["it melts"]).
The so-called I-go verbs add a medial -g- in the first-person singular present
tense (making the Yo ["I"] form end in -go; e.g., tener ["to have"]
becomes tengo ["I have"]; venir ["to come"] becomes vengo ["I come"]). These
verbs are often irregular in other forms as well.

Use of verbs[edit]
Contrasting simple and continuous forms[edit]
There is no 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 am doing" is
another (current activity). In Spanish, hago can be either of the two, and estoy
haciendo stresses the latter. Although not as strict as English, Spanish is
stricter than French or German, which have no systematic distinction between
the two concepts at all. This optionally continuous meaning that can be
underlined by using the continuous form as a feature of the present and
imperfect. The preterite never has this meaning, even in the continuous form,
and the future has it only when it is in the continuous form.
Present
Qu haces? could be either "What do you do?" or "What are you doing?"
Qu ests haciendo? is only "What are you doing?"
Imperfect
Qu hacas? could be either "What did you used to do?" or "What were you
doing?"
Qu estabas haciendo? is only "What were you doing?"
Preterite
Qu hiciste? is "What did you do?"
Qu estuviste haciendo? is "What were you doing (all of 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. The
future has two main forms in Spanish, the imperfect (compound) future and the
simple one. The difference between them is one of aspect. The compound
future is done with the conjugated ir (which means "to go," but may also mean
"will" in this case) plus the infinitive and, sometimes, with a present
progressive verb added as well.
Future
Qu vas a hacer? is "What are you going to do?" (implies that it will be done
again, as in a routine)
Qu vas a estar haciendo? is "What are you going to be doing?" (does not
necessarily imply that it will be done)

Qu hars? is "What will you do?" (will be completed immediately, or done just
once)
Qu estars haciendo? is "What will you be doing?"
Contrasting the present and the future[edit]
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 maana = "My father arrives tomorrow" (out of
context, llega could mean both "he is arriving now" or "he usually arrives")
Mi padre estar llegando maana = "My father will be arriving tomorrow"
Mi padre va a llegar maana = "My father is going to arrive tomorrow" (future
with ir)
Mi padre llegar maana = "My father will arrive tomorrow" (future tense)
Mi padre est a punto de llegar = "My father is about to arrive" (immediate
future with estar a punto)
The future tense can also simply express guesses about the present and
immediate future:
Qu hora es? Sern las tres = "What time is it?" "It is about three (but I have
not checked)"
Quin llama a la puerta? Ser Jos = "Who is at the door? It must be Jos"
The same is applied to imperfect and conditional:
Qu hora era? Seran las tres = "What time was it?" "It was about three (but I
had not checked)"
Quin llamaba a la puerta? Sera Jos = "Who was at the door? It must have
been Jos"
Studies have shown that Spanish-speaking children learn this use of the future
tense before they learn to use it to express future events[citation needed] (the
English future with "will" can also sometimes be used with this meaning). The
other constructions detailed above are used instead. Indeed, in some areas,
such as Argentina and Uruguay, 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, the
present subjunctive form always replaces it.

Contrasting the preterite and the imperfect[edit]

Fundamental meanings of the preterite and the imperfect[edit]
Spanish has two fundamental past tenses, the preterite and the imperfect.
Strictly speaking, the difference between them is one of not tense but aspect,
in a manner that is similar to that of the Slavic languages. However, within
Spanish grammar, they are customarily called tenses.
The difference between the preterite and the imperfect (and in certain cases,
the perfect) 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 distinctions in
other Romance languages, such as between the French imparfait and pass
simple / pass compos or between the Italian imperfetto andpassato
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. Like the Slavic
imperfective past, it tends to show actions that used to be done at some point,
as in a routine. In this case, one would say Yo jugaba ("I used to play"), Yo
lea ("I used to read"), or Yo escriba ("I used to write").
The preterite (as well as the 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. This also bears
resemblance to the Slavic perfective past, as these actions are usually viewed
as done in one stroke. The corresponding preterite forms would be Yo jugu ("I
played"), Yo le ("I read") or Yo escrib ("I wrote").
As stated above, deciding whether to use the preterite or the imperfect can
present some difficulty for English speakers. But there are certain topics,
words, and key phrases that can help one decide if the verb should be
conjugated in the preterite or the imperfect. These expressions co-occur
significantly more often with one or the other of the two tenses, corresponding
to a completed action (preterite) or a repetitive action or a continuous action or
state (imperfect) in the past.
Key words and phrases that tend to co-occur with the preterite tense:

E.g.: Esta maana com huevos y pan tostado. ("This morning I ate eggs and
toast.")
Key words and phrases that tend to co-occur with the imperfect tense:

E.g.: Cada ao mi familia iba a Puerto Rico. ("Each year my family went to
Puerto Rico.")
Comparison with English usage[edit]
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:
"The sun shone through his window; John knew that it was going to be a fine
day."
"The sun was shining through his window; John knew that it was going to be a
fine day."

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

"The sun used to shine through his window back in those days."
"The sun shone through his window the moment that 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 using the simple past and allowing the context to make
it clear what we mean, as in (1). In Spanish, these would be in the imperfect,
optionally in the imperfect continuous.
In (3) and (4), it is clear that the shining refers to a regular, general, habitual
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 using the simple
past and allowing the context to make it clear what we mean, as in (3). In
Spanish, these would be in the imperfect, optionally with the auxiliary
verb soler.
In (5), 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).
Further examples[edit]
Cuando tena quince aos, me atropell un coche = "When I was fifteen years
old, a car ran over me"
The imperfect is used for "was" in Spanish because it forms the background to
the specific event expressed by "was run over", which is in the preterite.
Mientras cruzaba / estaba cruzando la calle, me atropell un coche = "While I
crossed / was crossing the road, a car ran over me"
In both languages, the continuous 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 "was run over", in the preterite.
Siempre tena cuidado cuando cruzaba la calle = "I was always / always used to
be careful when I crossed / used to cross the road"
The imperfect is used for both verbs since they refer to habits in the past.
Either verb could optionally use the expression "used to" in English.

Me ba = "I took a bath"

The preterite is used if this refers to a single action or eventthat is, the
person took a bath last night.
Me baaba = "I took baths"
The imperfect is used if this refers to any sort of habitual actionthat is, the
person took a bath every morning. Optionally, sola baarme can specifically
express "I used to take baths".
Tuvo una hija = "She had a daughter"
The preterite is used if this refers to an eventhere, a birth.
Tena una hija = "She had a/one daughter"
The imperfect is used if this refers to the number of children by a certain point,
as 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 tena
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 viva/vivi
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 cogi mis CD. Quin fue? = "Someone took my CDs. Who was it?"
Here the preterite is used because it is an event. A good clue is the tense in
which cogi is.
Haba una persona que miraba los CD. Quin 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 something that was in progress at a certain time).
Again, a good clue is the tense of the other verbs.
Contrasting the preterite and the perfect[edit]
The preterite and the perfect are distinguished in a similar way as the
equivalent English tenses. Generally, whenever the present perfect ("I have
done") is used in English, the perfect is also used in Spanish. In addition, there

are cases in which English uses a simple past ("I did") but Spanish requires a
perfect. In the remaining cases, both languages use a simple past.
As in English, the perfect expresses past actions that have some link to the
present. The preterite expresses past actions as being past, complete and done
with. In both languages, there are dialectal variations.
Frame of reference includes the present: perfect[edit]
If it is implicitly or explicitly communicated that the frame of reference for the
event includes the present and the event or events may therefore continue
occurring, then both languages strongly prefer the perfect.
With references including "this" including the present
Este ao me he ido de vacaciones dos veces = "This year I have gone on
vacation twice"
Esta semana ha sido muy interesante = "This week has been very interesting"
With other references to recent periods including the present
No he hecho mucho hoy = "I have not done much today"
No ha pasado nada hasta la fecha = "Nothing has happened to date"
Hasta ahora no se me ha ocurrido = "Until now it has not occurred to me"
With reference to someone's life experience (his/her life not being over)
Alguna vez has estado en frica? = "Have you ever been in Africa?"
Mi vida no ha sido muy interesante = "My life has not been very interesting"
Jams he robado nada = "Never have I stolen anything"
Frame of reference superficially includes the present: perfect[edit]
Sometimes we say "today", "this year", and the like, but we mean to express
these periods as finished. This requires the simple past in English. For example,
in December we might speak of the year in the simple past because we are
assuming that all of that year's important events have occurred and we can
talk as though it were over. Other expressionssuch as "this weekend," if today
is Mondayrefer to a period which is definitely over; the word "this" just
distinguishes it from other weekends. There is a tendency in Spanish to use the
perfect even for this type of time reference, even though the preterite is
possible and seems more logical.
Este fin de semana hemos ido al zoo = "This weekend we went to the zoo"

Hoy he tenido una jornada muy aburrida = "Today I had a boring day's work"
Consequences continue into the present: perfect[edit]
As in English, the perfect is used when the consequences of which an event are
referred.
Alguien ha roto esta ventana = "Someone has broken this window" (the window
is currently in a broken state)
Nadie me ha dicho qu pas aquel da = "Nobody has told me what happened
that day" (therefore, I still do not know)
These same sentences in the preterite would purely refer to the past actions,
without any implication that they have repercussions now.
In English, this type of perfect is not possible if a precise time frame is added or
even implied. One cannot say "I have been born in 1978," because the date
requires "I was born," despite the fact there is arguably a present consequence
in the fact that the person is still alive. Spanish sporadically uses the perfect in
these cases.
He nacido en 1978 (usually Nac en 1978) = "I was born in 1978"
Me he criado en Madrid (usually Me cri en Madrid) = "I grew up in Madrid"
The event itself continues into the present: perfect or present[edit]
If the event itself has been happening recently and is also happening right now
or expected to continue happening soon, then the preterite is impossible in
both languages. English requires the perfect, or better yet the perfect
continuous. Spanish requires the perfect, or better yet the present simple:
ltimamente ha llovido mucho / ltimamente llueve mucho = "It has rained / It
has been raining a lot recently"
This is the only use of the perfect that is common in colloquial speech across
Latin America.
Dialectal variation[edit]
In the Canary Islands and across Latin America, there is a colloquial tendency
to replace most uses of the perfect with the preterite. This use varies according
to region, register, and education.
Y vos alguna vez estuviste all? = Y t alguna vez has estado all? = "And
have you ever been there?"

The one use of the perfect that does seem to be normal in Latin America is the
perfect for actions that continue into the present (not just the time frame, but
the action itself). Therefore, "I have read a lot in my life" and "I read a lot this
morning" would both be expressed with le instead of he ledo, but "I have been
reading" is expressed by he ledo.
A less standard use of the perfect is found in Ecuador and Colombia. It is used
with present or occasionally even future meaning. For example, Shakira
Mebarak in her song "Ciega, Sordomuda" sings,
Bruta, ciega, sordomuda, / torpe, traste, testaruda; / es todo lo que he sido =
"Clumsy, blind, dumb, / blundering, useless, pig-headed; / that is all that I had
been"
Contrasting the subjunctive and the imperative[edit]
The subjunctive mood expresses wishes and hypothetical events. It is often
employed together with a conditional verb:
Deseara que estuvieses aqu. = "I wish that you were here."
Me alegrara mucho si volvieras maana. = "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 for the manager to come."
Quiero que se cierren las puertas. = "I want the doors (to be) closed."
Contrasting the present and the future subjunctive[edit]
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 all
donde fueres, haz lo que vieres (all 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... or si fueras a Roma...
With cuando, donde, and the like, referring to the future, as in all donde
fueres.... This is now expressed with the present subjunctive: vayas adonde
vayas...
Contrasting the preterite and the past anterior[edit]
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 ms, 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 vctima se ech 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 the first. Sali might imply that it happened at the same time, and haba
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.
Contrasting ser and estar[edit]
Main article: Romance copula
The differences between ser and estar are considered one of the most difficult
concepts for non-native speakers. Both ser and estar translate into English as
"to be", but they have different uses, depending on whether they are used with
nouns, with adjectives, with past participles (more
precisely, passive participles), or to express location.
Only ser is used to equate one noun phrase with another, and thus it is the
verb for expressing a person's occupation ("Mi hermano es estudiante"/"My
brother is a student"). For the same reason, ser is used for telling the date or
the time, regardless of whether the subject is explicit ("Hoy es

mircoles"/"Today is Wednesday") or merely implied ("Son las ocho"/"It's eight

o'clock").
When these verbs are used with adjectives, the difference between them may
be generalized by saying that ser expresses nature and estar expresses state.
Frequentlyalthough not alwaysadjectives used with ser express a
permanent quality, while their use with estar expresses a temporary situation.
There are exceptions to the generalization; for example, the sentence "Tu
mam est loca" ("Your mother is crazy") can express either a temporary or a
permanent state of craziness.
Ser generally focuses on the essence of the subject, and specifically on
qualities that include:
Nationality
Possession
Physical and personality traits
Material
Origin
Estar generally focuses on the condition of the subject, and specifically on
qualities that include:
Physical condition
Feelings, emotions, and states of mind
Appearance
In English, the sentence "The boy is boring" uses a different adjective than "The
boy is bored". In Spanish, the difference is made by the choice of ser or estar.
El chico es aburrido uses ser to express a permanent trait ("The boy is boring").
El chico est aburrido uses estar to express a temporary state of mind ("The
boy is bored").
The same strategy is used with many adjectives to express either an inherent
trait (ser) or a transitory state or condition (estar). For example:
"Mara es guapa" uses ser to express an essential trait, meaning "Mara is a
good-looking person."

"Mara est guapa" uses estar to express a momentary impression: "Mara

looks beautiful" (a comment on her present appearance, without any
implication about her inherent characteristics).
When ser is used with the past participle of a verb, it forms the "true" passive
voice, expressing an event ("El libro fue escrito en 2005"/"The book was
written in 2005"). When the past participle appears with estar, it forms a
"passive of result" or "stative passive" ("El libro ya est escrito"/"The
book is already written"see Spanish conjugation).
Location of a person or thing is expressed with estarregardless of whether
temporary or permanent ("El hotel est en la esquina"/"The hotel is on the
corner"). Location of an event is expressed with ser ("La reunin es en el
hotel"/"The meeting is [takes place] in the hotel").
Contrasting haber and tener[edit]
The verbs haber and tener are easily distinguished, but they may pose a
problem for learners of Spanish who speak other Romance languages (where
the cognates of haberand 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 habe, habre, habu, habitum; with the basic
meaning of "to have".
Tener derives from the Latin tene, tenre, tenu, 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 Iberian 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.
Haber: expressing existence[edit]
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 fossilized 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 that "is there" is not the subject of the sentence,
and therefore there is no agreement between it and the verb. This echoes the

constructions seen in languages such as French (il y a = "it there has"), Catalan
(hi ha = "[it] there has"), and even Chinese ( yu = "[it] has").
Hay un gato en el jardn. = "There is a cat in the garden."
En el bal hay fotografas viejas. = "In the trunk there are old photographs."
It is possible, in cases of certain emphasis, to put the verb after the object:
Revistas hay? = "Are there any magazines?"
There is a tendency to make haber agree with what follows, as though it were
the subject, particularly in tenses other than the present indicative. There is
heavier stigma on inventing plural forms for hay, but hain, han, and suchlike
are sometimes encountered in non-standard speech. The form habemos is
common (meaning "there are, including me"); it very rarely replaces hemos to
form the present perfect tense in modern language,[7] and in certain contexts
it is even acceptable in formal or literary language.
Haba un hombre en la casa. = "There was a man in the house."
Haba unos hombres en la casa. = "There were some men in the house."
(standard)
Haban unos hombres en la casa. = "There were some men in the house." (nonstandard)
En esta casa habemos cinco personas. = "In this house there are five of us."
(non-standard).[8]
Nos las habemos con un gran jugador. = "We are confronting a great player."
(standard)
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 subjectverb
agreement.
Haber: impersonal obligation[edit]
The phrase haber que (in the third person singular and 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".

Habr que abrir esa puerta. = "That door will need opening", "We are going to
have to open that door".
Aunque haya que abrir esa puerta. = "Even if that door needs to be opened".
This construction is comparable to French il faut and Catalan cal, although it
should be noted that a personal construction with the subjunctive is not
possible.[clarification needed]Hay que always goes with the infinitive.
Haber: personal obligation[edit]
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 tener
que and deber ("must", "ought to"). Note that the third personal singular of the
present tense is ha.
Maana he de dar una charla ante la Universidad = "Tomorrow I am to give a
speech before the University".
Ha de comer ms verduras = "She/he ought to eat more vegetables".
Haber: forming the perfect[edit]
Haber is also used as an auxiliary to form the perfect, as shown elsewhere.
Spanish uses only haber for this, unlike French and Italian, which use the
corresponding cognates ofhaber 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."
Habis fregado los platos? = "Have you (all) done the washing-up?"
Tener[edit]
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", literally "I have hunger."

There are numerous phrases like tener hambre that are not literally translated
in English, such as:[9]
tener hambre = "to be hungry"; "to have hunger"
tener sed = "to be thirsty"; "to have thirst"
tener cuidado = "to be careful"; "to have caution"
tener __ aos = "to be __ years old"; "to have __ years"
tener celos = "to be jealous"; "to have jealousy"
tener xito = "to be successful"; "to have success"
tener vergenza = "to be ashamed"; "to have shame"
Note: Estar hambriento is a literal translation of "To be hungry", but it is rarely
used in Spanish nowadays.
Negation[edit]
Verbs are negated by putting no before the verb. Other negative words can
either replace this no or occur after the verb:
Hablo espaol = "I speak Spanish"
No hablo espaol = "I do not speak Spanish"
Nunca hablo espaol = "I never speak Spanish"
No hablo nunca espaol = "I do not ever speak Spanish"
Expressing movement[edit]
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 the direction of motion is left to helper
particles, prepositions, or adverbs.
"We drove away" = Nos fuimos en coche (literally, "We went (away) by car").
"He swam to Ibiza" = Fue a Ibiza nadando (literally, "He went to Ibiza
swimming").
"They ran off" = Huyeron corriendo (literally, "They fled running").
"She crawled in" = Entr a gatas (literally, "She entered on all fours").

Quite often, the important thing is the direction, not the manner. Therefore,
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 had 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 llev al aeropuerto en coche, pero se le haba olvidado el tiquete, as que
fuimos a casa [en coche] por l, luego volvimos [en coche] hacia el aeropuerto,
pero luego tuvimos que volver [en coche] por el pasaporte, y ya era imposible
que consiguisemos facturar el equipaje...