Grammar

CAPÍTULO 1
Gramática
1.1 SUBJECT PRONOUNS: SINGULAR FORMS
Referring to People
Subject pronouns are used to talk to and about other people. In Spanish, the singular subject
pronouns have the following forms:
Singular
yo
I
tú
usted
you (familiar)
you (formal)
él
ella
he, it
she, it
1.2 GENDER OF NOUNS
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, event, or concept. In Spanish, all nouns
have gender; they are either masculine or feminine. You must learn the gender of nouns as you
learn their meaning, but there are some general rules. Most nouns that end in –o are masculine,
and most nouns that end in –a are feminine.
amigo
chico
profesor
director
papá
señor

Masculine Nouns
(male) friend
boy
(male) teacher
(male) principal
dad
Mr.
amiga
chica
profesora
directora
mamá
señora
The gender of nouns that do not end in –o or –a must be learned as you learn their
meaning.
Masculine Nouns
papel
borrador

Feminine Nouns
(female) friend
girl
(female) teacher
(female) principal
mom
Mrs.
Feminine Nouns
clase
capital
Some nouns can be either masculine or feminine. Their ending does not change to
indicate male or female. The article before it tells gender.
el estudiante
(male student)
la estudiante
(female student)
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1.3 DEFINITE ARTICLES
TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC THINGS
The definite article, the in English, is used to talk about specific things. The Spanish equivalent
depends on the gender of the noun to which it refers and the number (singular or plural) of the
noun(s). Masculine singular nouns use el; masculine plural nouns use los. Feminine
singular nouns use la; feminine plural nouns use las.
Masculine Nouns
los amigos
los chicos
los profesores
los directores
los señores
el amigo
el chico
el profesor
el director
el señor
la amiga
la chica
la profesora
la directora
la señora
Feminine Nouns
las amigas
las chicas
las profesoras
las directoras
las señoras
1.4 THE VERB GUSTAR AND SINGULAR NOUNS
Used to Express Likes and Dislikes
The verb gustar (to like) is used to express likes and dislikes. It is always preceded by me, te, or
le to state that I, you, or she or he likes something.

Remember that the forms never use yo, tú, usted, él, or ella, as a subject.
¿Te gusta la clase de español?
Sí, me gusta mucho.
A él le gusta el tenis.
Do you like your Spanish class?
Yes, I like it a lot.
He likes tennis.
Gustar - to like
I

(a mí)
(no) me gusta
You
(a ti)
(a usted)
(no) te gusta
(no) le gusta
He
She
It
(a él)
(a ella)
(no) le gusta
(no) le gusta
(no) le gusta
A + mí / ti / usted / él / ella, etc. is frequently used to emphasize or clarify who is doing
the liking or disliking.
A ella no le gusta el libro.
¿Te gusta el chocolate?
She doesn’t like the book.
Do you like chocolate?
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1.5 NUMBERS 11 - 39
11 once
12 doce
13 trece
14 catorce
15 quince
16 dieciséis
17 diecisiete
18 dieciocho
19 diecinueve
20 veinte

21 veintiuno
22 veintidós
23 veintitrés
24 veinticuatro
25 veinticinco
26 veintiséis
27 veintisiete
28 veintiocho
29 veintinueve
30 treinta
31 treinta y uno
32 treinta y dos
33 treinta y tres
34 treinta y cuatro
35 treinta y cinco
36 treinta y seis
37 treinta y siete
38 treinta y ocho
39 treinta y nueve
In addition to counting and giving numbers, these numbers can be used to tell how many
things there are.
dos clases
catorce libros
veinte estudiantes
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