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A Practical Spanish GRAMMAR

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE

V

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Francis Biddle, Attorney General

IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE

Earl G. HARRISON, Commissioner

★

A Practical Spanish GRAMMAR

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

By

JOHN G. FRIAR and GEORGE W. KELLY

Spanish Instructors ' Border Patrol Training School El Paso, Texas

UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1943

For sale by the Superintendent ol’Dociynents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington, D. £. - Price 50 cents

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PREFACE

The primary purpose of this course in Spanish is to furnish the minimum essentials of Spanish grammar to Border Patrol Trainees in a very short period of time. The book has been purposely con¬ densed in order to make its use in the Border Patrol Training School practical.

The course is designed for a 3 months’ training period; however, tl e material is so arranged that it may be used for a shorter period without reorganization.

The fundamentals of Spanish grammar are first given. Then, if time permits, the practice material in the back of the text may be used. Because of the short period of time which the trainees are in the Training School, it has not been practical to include any Spanish liter ature, narrative material, or fiction.

The Sp anish- English vocabulary includes only the Spanish words used in the text. The English-Spanish vocabulary is far more com¬ prehensive in that it includes many words not in the text, which should be helpful to Patrol Officers. A rather complete list of idiomatic expressions has been given with particular attention to those used along the Mexican border. A very large list of words alike, or almost alike, in spelling, and alike in meaning in at least one acceptation is included in order to assist the advanced student in enlarging his vocab¬ ulary, and also, to show the great similarity of the two languages.

The practice material deals with situations which are of special value to Patrol Officers. Where translations are given, no attempt has been made to include the words of these translations in the vocabulary.

Although, the text is prepared primarily for beginners, it is believed that it contains sufficient vocabulary and practice material to help others who already have some knowledge of the Spanish language.

This course is brief, and no attempt was made to treat any point of grammar in detail. It is believed that the student who masters the material given here will have made a good start in learning the Spanish language, and with continued practice and study he should be able to speak the language fluently.

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CONTENTS

Lesson I pag*

Alphabet _ 1

Diphthongs _ 5

Syllabication _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ 7

Accentuation _ 8

Punctuation _ 8

Lesson II

Parts of speech _

Nouns — Gender and number of _

Pronouns (subject) _

Adjectives — Gender, number, and position of.

Articles — Definite and indefinite _

Verbs — Definition of _

Adverbs — Definition of _ _ ,

Prepositions — Definition of _

Conjunctions — Definition of _

Interjections — Definition of _

Lesson III

Present indicative tense _

Word order in Spanish sentences _

Lesson IV

Contractions _ _

Possession of nouns _

Lesson V

Tener and haber _ _

Past participles - - -

Present perfect tense - - -

Lesson VI

Ser and estar _ _

Definite article before a proper name -

Lesson VII

Prepositional pronouns _ _

Polite command _ * — -

Interrogatives — ¿Qué?, ¿Cuál(es)?, ¿Quién (es)?.

Possessive adjectives

Lesson VIII

9

9

10

11

12

12

12

12

13

13

13

14

16

16

17

17

18

19

21

21

22

22

24

v

VI

CONTENTS

Lesson IX Page

Possessive pronouns _ 26

Salir and valer — Present tense of _ 28

Lesson X

Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns _ 29

Hacer, decir, venir — Present tense of _ 29

Adjectives of nationality _ 29

Acá, aquí, allá, allí, ahí — Their uses _ 30

Definite article before a language _ 30

Omission of “it" as a subject pronoun _ 30

Lesson XI

Past tenses _ 31

Preterite indicative tense _ 31

Imperfect indicative tense _ 32

Ser, ir, ver — Imperfect indicative of _ 32

Verbs irregular in the preterite _ 33

Special use of “a" before a Direct Object _ 35

Lesson XII

Time expressions - 36

Hacer in time expressions _ 36

Months of the year - 37

Days of the week _ 37

Seasons of the year _ 37

Lesson XIII

Comparison of present perfect and preterite - 39

Polite request - 40

Thank you — Methods of saying - 40

Lesson XIV

Progressive action _ 41

Para and por _ 42

Lesson XV

Direct and indirect objects — Explanation of _ 44

Direct object pronouns _ 44

Indirect object pronouns _ 44

Lesson XVI

Querer, traer, ver, venir, poner, oír, saber, conocer, poder, decir — Present

tense of _ 4g

Saber and conocer — Difference between _ 4g

Saber and poder _ 48

CONTENTS

VII

Lesson XVII Page

Past perfect tenses _ 49

Idiomatic use of “hubo” and “había” _ 50

Lesson XVIII

Polite command of irregular verbs _ 51

Shortening of adjectives _ _ _ 52

Relatives “que” and quien,” “el que, etc.,” “el cual, etc.” _ 52

Lo que _ 53

Negatives — How used _ 54

Lesson XIX

Comparison of adjectives _ _ 55

Absolute superlative _ 55

Comparison of equality _ 56

“Sino’ ’ — How used _ 57

“Only” — Ways of saying _ 57

Lesson XX

Numbers — Cardinal and ordinal _ 59

Lesson XXI

Future tense _ 62

Future perfect tense _ 62

Lesson XXII

Conditional tense _ _ 64

Conditional perfect tense _ 65

Lesson XXIII

Reflexive verbs _ 66

Reflexive pronouns _ 66

Reflexive pronouns after prepositions _ 67

“Mismo, a, os, as” — How used _ 67

Passive voice _ 67

Reflexive substitute for passive voice - 68

Lesson XXIV

Radical changing verbs - 70

Lesson XXV

Subjunctive mood _ 73

Present subjunctive - 74

Present perfect subjunctive - 74

Imperfect subjunctive - 74

Pluperfect subjunctive - 75

Subjunctive, uses of - 76

Sequence of tenses — Chart - 82

Sequence of tenses — Examples - 82

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CONTENTS

Lesson XXVI Page

Special use of some verbs - 85

Infinitive as verbal noun - 85

Infinitive following a preposition - 85

“al” followed by an infinitive - 85

“Gustar” — How used - 85

“Faltar,” “hacer falta” — How used - - * 86

“Hacer” followed by infinitive. __ - - - - - - - - - - ^ 86

“Tener que” followed by infinitive - 86

“Hay que” followed by infinitive - 86

“Haber de” followed by infinitive - 86

“Deber (de)” followed by infinitive - 86

Lesson XXVII

Adverbs — Comparison and use of - 88

Lesson XXVIII

Relationship of words - 89

THE REMAINDER OF THIS BOOK IS NOT DIVIDED INTO LESSONS

Idiomatic expressions - 93

Practice material on idioms - 96

Practice material — General - 98

Appendix of verbs — Regular - 119

Orthographical changing verbs - 124

Irregular verbs _ 127

Supplementary vocabulary — Words similar in English and Spanish - 132

States of Mexico - 143

Occupations _ 144

Spanish-English vocabulary - 145

English-Spanish vocabulary - 152

Lesson 1

THE ALPHABET

The Spanish alphabet consists of the same letters as the English alphabet and these four additional characters: CH, LL, Ñ, and RR.

A Closely resembles “A” in “father.”

alto — high mayo — May

allá — there allí — there

aquí — here antes — before

B The “B” and “V” are pronounced exactly alike in Spanish. At the beginning of a breath group; that is, after a pause in speech, or the beginning of a sentence, and after the letters “M” or “N” they are pronounced about like the “B” in book.

bonita — pretty hombre — man

bajo — low ambos — both

bien — well hambre — hunger

At all other times the “B” and “V” are pronounced about like the “V” in “level.”

hablar — to speak haber — to have abril — April

libro — book libra — pound libre — free

C Soft like the “S” in “see” before “E” and “I.”

centavo — cent cerca — near cinco — five

cincuenta — fifty cicatriz — scar civil — civil

Hard like “C” in “country” at all other times.

caballo — horse calle — street casa — house

comer — to eat color — color cuando — when

CH like the “CH” in “church” at all times. This is the first of the new characters and is found in the dictionary immediately following the “C” and not as in English.

mucho — much chico — child

muchacho — boy choque — wreck

chapo — shorty marchar — to march

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2

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

D

At the beginning of a breath group and after “L” and “N” it is pronounced about as it is in English with the tongue against the upper front teeth.

donde — where indio — Indian

dar — to give mandar — to order

el día — the day el defecto — the defect

Following other letters about like the “TH” in “they.”

madre — mother cuidado — careful

padre — father ciudad0 — city

lado — side usted0 — you

°Many Spanish speaking people fail to pronounce distinctly the final letter “D” of a word, saying “ciudá” and “usté.”

E Has two sounds in Spanish. In open syllables (syllables in which it is the final letter) about like the English long “A”; but without the diphthongal sound often made in English.

leche — milk enero — January

café — coffee, brown leña — firewood

In closed syllables (one in which another letter follows) about like the English “E” in “bet.”

ser — to be el — the

estar — to be en — in

comer — to eat entrar — to enter

F About as in English.

falta — fault falsa — false fecha — date

flor — flower fe — faith favor — favor

G

Before the vowels “A,” “O,” and “U” and all the consonants like the “G” in “go.”

ganar — to earn gasolina — gasoline gota — drop golpe — blow

Before “E” and “I” the “house.”

gustar — to be pleasing guante — glove grande — large gris — gray

“G” is pronounced like the “H” in

gente — people giro — draft

agente — agent gigante — giant

In order to retain the “G” sound of “go” before “E” or “I,” it is necessary to insert “U” after the “G,” and the “U” is silent.

guía — guide guerrero — warrior

guerra — war Guillermo — William

If it is desired to retain the “U” sound following *‘G” before “E” or “I,” place the diéresis (two dots) over the “Ü.” averigüé— I »gpprtfl.inp.d vergüenza — -shame

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

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H This letter is silent0 in Spanish.

humano — human hasta — until

hacer — to do húmedo — humid

hermosa — pretty almohada — pillow

°This letter is very slightly aspirated before the diphthong “UE”; however, in many instances the aspiration is so slight that it is almost imperceptible.

huelga — strike (work) huevo — egg

hueso — bone huero — blond

I Like the “I” in the English word “machine.”

idea — idea linda — pretty

idioma — language comida — dinner

iglesia — church isla — island

J This letter is strongly aspirated like the “H” in the English word “house.”

juez — judge Juan — John junio — June julio — July

jueves — Thursday jardín — garden mujer — woman reloj0 — watch

° Many Spanish speaking persons pronounce this word “reló/ instances it will be found so written.

and in some

K This letter is found only in foreign words and is pronounced in the same manner as it is in the foreign word.

L About as it is in English with the tongue nearly flat and the end close to the front teeth.

lago — lake leer — to read

lana — wool lejos — far

lápiz — pencil lugar — place

LL This is the second of the new characters, and it is considered as a single symbol and not as a double letter. It is found in the dictionary directly after the “L.” Here on the Mexican Bor¬ der this letter is pronounced like the English consonant “Y.” Castilian Spanish calls for the sound of the “LLI” of ‘million.” It is well to learn to use and to distinguish both.

ella — she Have — key llevar — to carry

M As in English.

mapa — map Maria — Mary martes — Tuesday

N As in English.

nada — nothing nadie — nobody nunca — never

llegar — to arrive Uuvia — rain llegada — arrival

más — more mes — month manera — manner

nombre — name noche — night anoche — last night

4 A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

Ñ This is the third of the new characters that differ from the Eng¬ lish, and it is found after the “N" in the dictionary. It has the value of the “NY" of “canyon."

montaña — mountain compañía — company

niño — child (boy) albañil — mason

leña— firewood mañana — tomorrow

o

p

Q

R

In open syllables like the “O" in “obey."

ocho — eight oro — gold

oficina — office permiso — permission

ojo — eye recibo — receipt

In closed syllables like the “O" in “order."

son — they are señor— sir vapor — ship

About as in English.

peso — dollar pagar — to pay puerta — door

con — with sombrero — hat por — by, through

puerto — port para — in order to pelo — hair

This letter is always followed by *‘U" and in turn by either “E" or “I," and the “U" is always silent. The “QU" has the value of the English “K."

querer — to wish quien — who

quince — fifteen quebrar — to break

¿qué? — what?, quemar — to burn

This letter is slightly trilled in Spanish. At the beginning or the end of a word it is very strongly trilled.

pero — but sobre — on primero — first parte — part

razón — reason renta — rent tener — to have venir — to come

RR This is the last of the new characters that differ from the English letters. It is found after the letter “R" in the dictionary. It is very strongly trilled.

pefro — male dog perra — female dog hierro — iron

carro — car herrero — blacksmith cigarro — cigarette

S About like the “S" in the English word “sister."

bastante — enough contestar — to answer

buscar — to seek cosa — thing

casa — house bosque — forest

The “S" preceding “D" or “M" has a buzzing sound, desde — from, since mismo — same

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

5

T

U

As in English.

tarde — late tez — complexion taza — cup

triste — sad turista — tourist también — also

As a vowel like the “00” of ‘'moon.”

V

último — last único — only

un — one or a luna — moon

usar — to use sujeto — subject

For “U” as a consonant, see diphthongs.

See “B .”

voy — I am going viaje — trip invierno — winter enviar — to send

evidencia — evidence tuve — I had jueves — Thursday curva— curve

W This letter appears only in foreign words and is pronounced as it is in the foreign word in which it appears.

X This letter has the value of the English “GS” between vowels.

exacto — exact examinar — to examine

exactamente — exactly examen — examination

It is pronounced like the English “S” before consonants. Some people pronounce the “X” before a consonant in Spanish as it is pronounced in English.

explicar — to explain exprés— express

extranjero — foreigner expreso — express

Y Standing alone it means “and” and is pronounced like the Eng¬ lish long “E.”

As a consonant it is pronounced like the “Y” in “Yuma.”

yo — I yerno — son-in-law

ya — already leyó — he read

See diphthongs for its use in dip thongs.

Z Has the same value as “C” before “E” or “I.”

zapato — shoe comenzar — to begin

zapatero — shoemaker empezar — to begin

zapatería — shoeshop vez — time (numerically)

This letter rarely appears before “E” or “I” in Spanish. In conjugating verbs the “Z” is changed to “C” before “E.” There are no conjugations where the letter “I” follows “Z.”

DIPHTHONGS

Diphthongs in Spanish are formed by the following combinations of vowels in one syllable: a weak plus a strong vowel, a strong plus a weak vowel, or two weak vowels. The strong vowels are “A,” “E,”

6

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

and “O”; the weak ones are “I,” “U,” and ‘Y.” Two strong vowels cannot appear in the same syllable. In order to retain the full value of a weak vowel when it appears in combination with a strong vowel, it is necessary to place the written accent over the weak vowel. This results in two syllables and breaks up the diphthong.

AI or AY About like the “Y” in “rye.”

aire — air traigo — I bring

hay — there is (are) tráigame — bring me

El or EY About like the “Y” in “they.”

rey — king seis — six

reina — queen veinte — twenty

01 or OY About like the “OY” in “boy.”

doy — I give soy — I am

voy — I am going hoy— today

oigo — I hear estoy — I am

AU About like the “OW” in “cow.”

cautivo — captive aunque — although

autor — author causa — cause

EU An “E” plus “U” sound as in

Europa — Europe reuma — rheumatism

OU Very rare.

In the following groups the “U” and “I” preceding other vowels are often considered as semi-consonants and have the value of “W” and “Y” respectively.

UA
	¿cuánto? — how much?	cuatro — four
	¿ cuándo? — when?	cuarto — fourth, room
UE
	puerta — door	nuevo — new
	puente — bridge	cuerpo — body
UO	cuota — quota or share
IA
	hacia — towards	farmacia — pharmacy
	estudia — he studies	Alemania — Germany
IE
	pierna — leg	tiempo — time
	diente — tooth	viejo — old
10
	adiós — goodbye	precio — price
	palacio — palace	recibió — he received

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

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IU

triunfo — triumph ciudadano — citizen

ciudad — city ciudadanía — citizenship

UI

cuidado — careful ruido — noise

In all of the foregoing diphthongs the stress of the voice falls on the strong vowel when the syllable is stressed. In the case of two weak vowels the stress is on the second of the two when the syllable is stressed.

“UE” or “UI” following “Q” or “G” are not diphthongs, the “U” being silent.

SYLLABICATION

In dividing words into syllables the following principles should be observed:

A consonant goes with the following vowel.

a-mi-go e-ne-ro ma-ña-na

Two strong vowels are separated.

le-o ca-er li-ne-a le-e

Two consonants coming between vowels are usually separated, cin-co pron-to her-ma-no par-te

The letters “CH,” “LL,” and “RR” are considered as one letter and are never separated.

mu-cha-cho ca-lle ci-ga-rro pe-rro

A consonant followed by “R” or “L ” is not separated from the

‘R” or	“L” except	“RL,” “SL,”	“TL,” “SR,	” and “NR.,;
	ha-blar	li-bro	en-trar	hom-bre
but:
	is-la	per-la	at-las	char-la

The letters of a diphthong or triphthong are not separated, jui-cio puer-ta a-pre-ciáis hue-ro

If the weak vowel of a diphthong or triphthong is accented, or the first vowel when both are weak, the accent mark is placed over said vowel to show that there is no longer a diphthong or triphthong, dí-a le-í-do flú-i-do da-ri-ais

The last of more than two consonants coming between vowels goes with the following vowel.

cons-tan-te pers-pec-ti-va ins-tan-te

A prefix forms a separate syllable.

ex-pre-sar

des-a-gra-da-ble

8

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

RULES OF ACCENTUATION OF WORDS IN SPANISH

Words ending in a vowel or “N” or “S” receive the stress of the voice regularly on the next to the last syllable. In the following list the words are divided into syllables, and the syllable receiving the stress is underlined.

jn lio— July 5 na — one, a

a mi go — friend tra ba jo — work

fe cha— date di ne ro — money

Words ending in a consonant other than “N” or “S” receive the stress of the voice regularly on the last syllable.

ye nir — to come ca lor — heat

mu jer — woman co lor — color

pa pel — paper de se ar — to desire

Words stressed contrary to the two foregoing rules bear the written accent over the vowel of the syllable to be stressed.

lec cion — lesson ár bo les — trees

fá cil — easy a qui — here

di fi cil — difficult jó ve nes — youths

Certain words bear the written accent in order to distinguish them from other words otherwise spelled alike and pronounced alike, but having an entirely different meaning.

él— he si — yes mi — me tú — you

el — the si— if mi — my tu — your

sólo — only más — more dé — give té— tea

solo — alone mas — but de — of, from te — you

The written accent is used to distinguish the interrogative or exclamatory from the relative use of pronouns and adverbs.

¿cuánto? — how much? cuanto — as much ¿cuándo? — when? cuando — when

¿cómo? — how? como — like ¿qué? — what? que — that

¿cuál? — which? cual — which ¿quién? — who? quien — who

The written accent over the weak vowel of a weak plus strong or strong plus weak combination breaks up the diphthong and results in two separate syllables.

creído — (believed) is a three syllable word creído

leído — (read) is a three syllable word le i do

leimos — (we read) is a three syllable word le i mos

pais — (country) is a two syllable word pa is

PUNCTUATION

Punctuation is the same in Spanish as in English with the following exceptions :

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

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A question has an inverted question mark (¿) at the beginning of the question ás well as the regular question mark (?) at the end.

¿En dónde está Jnan? Where is John?

¿Cómo está Vd? How are you?

An exclamation has the inverted exclamation mark (¡) at the beginning of the interjection as well as the regular exclamation mark (!) at the end.

¡Qué bonita! How pretty!

¡Qué lástima! What a pity!

In quotations a dash ( — ) is generally used to indicate a change of speaker instead of quotation marks.

Juan dijo: — Yo no voy. — Ni yo tampoco. — Respondió Ana.

John said: “I am not going.” “Nor I either,” responded Ana.

The days of the week and the months of the year are not capitalized unless at the beginning of a sentence.

Hoy es lunes. Today is Monday.

Es el dos de mayo. It is the second of May.

The pronoun “yo” (I) is not capitalized, except at the beginning of a sentence.

An adjective of nationality is not capitalized. Some authors capitalize adjectives of nationality used as nouns while others do not.

Yo hablo español. Hablo a un francés. 1 Hablo a un Francés./

I speak Spanish. I am speaking to a Frenchman.

The following abbreviations are capitalized:

usted. Vd. señor Sr.

ustedes. Yds. señora Sra.

señorita Srta.

Lesson II

THE PARTS OF SPEECH

There are eight parts of speech in Spanish as well as in English: nouns, pronouns, adjectives (the articles will be treated as adjectives), verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

NOUNS

A noun is the name of a person, place or thing. A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, or thing.

John — Juan Charles — Carlos Henry — Enrique Paul — Pablo Mexico — Méjico

Mary — Maria Anna — Ana Louise — Luisa El Paso — El Paso Texas — Tejas The Imperial Hotel — El Hotel Imperial

513351 0 - 43 -2

10

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

A common noun is a common name for persons, places, or things that are of the same class or kind.

boy — muchacho year — año week — semana river — río visa — visa

town — pueblo book — libro passport — pasaporte month — mes

In English there are three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. In Spanish all nouns are masculine or feminine, there being no neuter. Nouns ending in “O” are masculine, and nouns ending in “A” are feminine. Names of male beings are masculine, and names of female beings are feminine. All nouns should be learned with the definite article. (See articles under adjectives.)

the boy — el niño the girl — la niña the state — el estado the pen — la pluma the gold — el oro

the brother — el hermano the sister — la hermana the money — el dinero the silver — la plata

There are several exceptions to the above.

the hand — la mano the map — el mapa the day — el día

Nouns not ending in “O” or “A” should be memorized with the definite article.

the paper — el papel the age — la edad

the city — la ciudad the foot — el pie

the woman — la mujer the man — el hombre

Nouns ending in a vowel form their plurals by adding “S” and those ending in a consonant form their plurals by adding “ES.” Those ending in “Z” change the “Z” to “C” before adding “ES.”

the son — el hijo the daughter — la hija the woman — la mujer the pencil — el lápiz

the sons — los hijos the daughters — las hijas the women — las mujeres the pencils — los lápices

PRONOUNS

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of, or is used instead of, a noun. Listed below are the English and Spanish subject pronouns with the persons and numbers:

Subject Pronouns

1st.	I	(yo)	person speaking	we	(nosotros, as) 1st.
2nd.	you	(tú)	person spoken to	you	(vosotros, as) 2nd.
3rd.	he	(él)	person spoken of	they (ellos, mase.) 3rd.
3rd.	she	(ella) person spoken of	they (ellas, fern.) 3rd.
3rd.	you	(Yd.) person spoken of	you	(Yds.) 3rd.

In Spanish there are two ways of saying “you,” each having a singular and a plural form as listed above. “Tú” and its plural

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“vosotros, as” are called the familiar form and are used in speaking to members of one’s family, intimate friends, servants, and animals. This form is the true second person and is used with the second person form of the verb. “Vd.” and its plural “Vds.” are called the formal or polite form. These are abbreviations of “usted” and “ustedes” respectively. In writing they may be written in the abbreviated form or written completely. This form is derived from “vuestra merced” and “vuestras mercedes” meaning “your grace.” This form is used only with the third person of the verb.

ADJECTIVES

An adjective is a word that modifies (limits or describes) a noun or a pronoun.

alto— tall bonito — pretty nuevo — new diez — ten pocos — few

viejo — old azul — blue mucho — much muchos — many

Adjectives agree with the noun or pronoun which they modify in gender and number.

Adjectives form their plural in the same manner as do nouns. (See Nouns.)

Adjectives ending in “O” in the masculine change the “O” to “A” to form the feminine. Other adjectives are the same for both genders. Exception: Adjectives of nationality ending in a consonant in the masculine singular add “A” to form the feminine.

Masculine F eminine

Singular Plural		Singular	Plural
blanco blancos	(white)	blanca	blancas
alto altos	(tall)	alta	altas
grande grandes	(large)	grande	grandes
español españoles	(Spanish)	española	españolas
inglés ingleses	(English)	inglesa	inglesas
mejicano mejicanos	(Mexican)	i mejicana	mejicanas
Limiting adjectives precede the	noun they modify;	descriptive
adjectives generally follow the noun	they modify.
muchos libros		many books
muchos libros rojos		many red books
nuestra casa		our house
nuestra casa grande		our large house
diez caballos		ten horses
diez caballos negros		ten black horses

The definite and indefinite articles in Spanish are adjectives and precede the noun and agree with it in number and gender.

12

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

ARTICLES

Definite Indefinite

Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine

Sing. el la un una

Plu. los las no plurals *

el muchacho alto — the tall boy los muchachos altos — the tall boys la pluma verde — the green pen las plumas verdes — the green pens un libro rojo — a rfed book una muchacha bonita — a pretty girl

• This does not apply to “unos” and “unas” which have the form of the plural articles but mean "some.”

VERBS

A verb is a word that shows

John writes a letter John is a boy.

John is sick.

comprar — to buy estar — to be entrar — to enter decir — to tell recibir — to receive

action, being, or state of being.

“action”

“being”

“state of being”

vender — to sell comer — to eat ser — to be escribir — to write

ADVERBS

An adverb is a word that modifies or changes the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

cerca — near lejos — far muy — very Él habla claramente. Ella es muy bonita. Él habla muy bien.

claramente — clearly fácilmente — easily más — more He speaks clearly. She is very pretty. He speaks very well.

aquí — here allí — there bien — well (Modifying a verb) (Modifying an adjective) (Modifying an adverb)

PREPOSITIONS

A preposition is a word that shows the relation of a noun or pronoun following it to some other word in the sentence.

de — from, of sobre — on, upon con — with

desde — from por — by, through, for en — on, in

a — at, to para — for, in order to sin — without

El libro está en la mesa. The book is on the table.

Yo escribo con una pluma. I write with a pen.

La silla es para Vd. The chair is for you.

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CONJUNCTIONS

A conjunction is a word that is used to join a word or group of words to a word or to a group of words.

y — and porque — because

si — if aunque — although

El lápiz y la pluma están aquí.

Tengo cinco 2 seis pesos.

pero — but o — or

The pencil and pen are here. I have five or six dollars.

INTERJECTIONS

An interjection is a word that expresses strong or sudden feeling; (for our purposes not now important.)

¡Qué lástima! — What a pity! I Qué bonita! — How pretty!

THE SENTENCE

A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought. It has two parts, the subject (noun or pronoun) and its modifiers, and the predicate (verb) and its modifiers.

The subject is that part about which something is said, and the predicate tells that which is said about the subject. The subject is broken up into the subject word and its modifiers, and the predicate is broken up into the predicate word and its modifiers.

The black horse / ran a beautiful race. “The black horse” is the complete subject, “horse” being the subject word modified by the adjectives “the” and “black.” “Ran a beautiful race” is the com¬ plete predicate, “ran” being the predicate word modified by the phrase “a beautiful race.”

Lesson III

THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE IN SPANISH

In Spanish, verbs are conjugated to show mood, tense, person, and number. Most verbs are conjugated after a regular pattern. Verbs that do not follow the pattern are said to be irregular and must be committed to memory. Even these irregular verbs are not irregular in all tenses.

The present indicative tense in Spanish means that the time spoken of is present and indicates or points out a thing as material or existing. It may be used to make a statement or to ask a question, either afir¬ ma tively or negatively.

1st conjugation, compr-AR — to buy 2nd conjugation, vend-ER — to sell 3rd conjugation, viv-IR — to live

The infinitive is the key word that is used to form all conjugations and tenses. The present indicative tense is formed by dropping the

14

A PRACTICA!, SPANISH GRAMMAR

infinitive endings “AR,” “ER,” and “IR,” and to the remainder, which is the stem, attaching the proper endings. From the infinitive of all regular “AR” verbs, of which hablar is an example, the “AR” ending is dropped, and to the remainder “habl,” which is the stem, are attached the following endings: o, as, a, amos, áis, an.

yo	hablo	1st person singular	The person speaking	I
tú	hablas	2nd person singular	The person spoken to	you
él	habla	3rd person singular	The person spoken of	be
ella	habla	3rd person singular	The person spoken of	she
Yd.	habla	3rd person singular	The person spoken of	you
nosotros, as	hablamos	1st p. pl.	The persons speaking	we
vosotros, as	habláis	2nd p. pl.	The persons spoken to	you
ellos		hablan	3rd p. pl.	The persons spoken of	they
ellas		hablan	3rd p. p!	The persons spoken of	they
Yds.		hablan	3rd p. pl.	The persons spoken of	you

From the infinitive of all regular From the infinitive of all regular “IR" “ER” verbs, of which vender is an ex- verbs of which vivir is an example, the ample, the “ER” ending is dropped and “IR” ending is dropped and to the to the remainder, “vend,” which is the remainder, “viv,” which is the stem, stem, are attached the following end- are attached the following endings: ings: o, es, e, emos, éis, en. o, es, e, irnos, ís, en.

yo	vendo	yo	vivo
tú	vendes	tú	vives
él	vende	él	vive
ella	vende	ella	vive
Vd.	vende	Vd.	vive
nosotros, as	vendemos	nosotros, as	vivimos
vosotros, as	vendéis	vosotros, as	vivís
ellos	venden	ellos	viven
ellas	venden	ellas	viven
Yds.	venden	Yds.	viven

The present indicative of these verbs translates in the following

ways in English:
Yo hablo. ¿Hablo yo? Yo no hablo. ¿No hablo yo?	I speak. I do speak. I am speaking. Do I speak? Am I speaking? I do not speak. I am not speaking. Do I not speak? Am I not speaking
Tú hablas. ¿Hablas tú? Tú no hablas. ¿No hablas tú?	You speak. You do speak. You are speaking. Do you speak? Are you speaking? You do not speak. You are not speaking. Do you not speak? Are you not speaking?
Él habla. ¿Habla él? Él no habla. ¿No habla él?	He speaks. He does speak. He is speaking. Does he speak? Is he speaking? He does not speak. He is not speaking. Does he not speak? Is he not speaking?

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Ella habla. ¿Habla ella? Ella no habla. ¿No habla ella?

She speaks. She does speak. She is speaking. Does she speak? Is she speaking?

She does not speak. She is not speaking.

Does she not speak? Is she not speaking?

Vd. habla. ¿Habla Yd?

Yd. no habla. ¿No habla Vd.?

You speak. You do speak. You are speaking. Do you speak? Are you speaking?

You do not speak. You are not speaking.

Do you not speak? Are you not speaking?

The plural forms are used in the same manner as above. Notice that the negative “no” immediately precedes the verb.

In general, the word order of Spanish sentences is the same as in English. The auxiliary verb “do” is not translated from English to Spanish. Examples :

English sentence Do you speak to John? Do you eat here?

Do you have any money?

Spanish word order Speak you to John? Eat you here?

Have you money?

Spanish translation

¿Habla Vd. a. Juan? ¿Come Vd. aquí? ¿Tiene Vd. dinero?

The same is true of the auxiliary (helping) verb “to be” except when used to form the passive voice or the progressive tenses — (Given later.)

English sentence Are you going to town? Where is Mary living?

Spanish word order Go you to the town? Where lives Mary?

Spanish translation

¿Va Vd. al pueblo? ¿Dónde vive María?

Listed below are a few regular verbs which are conjugated in the present indicative tense by following the key given on page 13 and 14. AR

comprar	(to buy)
pagar	(to pay)
usar	(to use)
entrar	(to enter)
pesar	(to weigh)
ganar	(to earn)
dudar	(to doubt)
cortar	(to cut)
gastar	(to spend)
pasar	(to pass)
llamar	(to call)
sacar	(to take out)
desear	(to desire)
tomar	(to take)
tomar	(to drink)
aconsejar	(to advise)
arrestar	(to arrest)
deportar	(to deport)
estudiar	(to study)
olvidar	(to forget)
llevar	(to carry)
acabar	(to finish)

esperar	(to hope)
esperar	(to wait for)
solicitar	(to solicit)
contestar	(to answer)
ayudar	(to help)
llegar	(to arrive)
terminar	(to finish)
trabajar	(to work)
	ER
aprender	(to learn)
comer	(to eat)
beber	(to drink)
vender	(to sell)
deber	(to owe)
	IR
escribir	(to write)
vivir	(to live)
recibir	(to receive)
residir	(to reside)
abrir	(to open)

16

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

Lesson IV

CONTRACTIONS

In Spanish the masculine singular definite article “el” contracts with the prepositions “a” and “de” respectively.

“a” plus “el” equals “al” — to the, at the “de” plus “el” equals “del” — of the, from the

This contraction does not occur with the feminine definite articles “la” or “las” nor with the masculine plural definite article “los.” The word “él” meaning “he” does not contract with the above prepositions.

POSSESSION OF NOUNS

The possession of nouns corresponding to the English “ 7s” or “s' ’’ (apostrophe s, or s apostrophe) is expressed in Spanish by the use of the preposition “de” placed before the possessor.

The girl's book. The book of the girl. El libro de la niña.

Mary's pencils. The pencils of Mary. Los lápices de Maria.

The boys' home. The home of the boys. La casa de los niños.

MATERIALS OF WHICH THINGS ARE MADE

In Spanish a noun is never used as an adjective to show the material of which a thing is made as in English. Instead, the object and material of which it is constructed are joined by the preposition “de.”

English	Spanish word order Spanish translation
the straw hat	the hat of straw el sombrero de paja
the silk shirt	the shirt of silk la camisa de seda
the wool suit	the suit of wool el traje de lana
	VOCABULARY
la casa — the house	la lección — the lesson
el muchacho — the boy	el sombrero — the hat
la muchacha — the girl	el niño — the child (m)
el libro — the book	la niña — the child (f)
la pluma — the pen	la mesa — the table
el lápiz — the pencil	el cuarto — the room
la tinta — the ink	Maria — Mary
la silla — the chair	Juan — John
hablar — to speak	Tejas — Texas
aprender — to learn	comprar — to buy
vivir — to live	vender — to sell
con — with	escribir — to write
de — of, from	aquí — here
en — in, on	y — and
a — to, at	la clase — the class

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EXERCISE

1. El muchacho compra un lápiz. 2. Ella escribe la lección. 3. Nosotros vivimos en El Paso. 4. Juan escribe con pluma y tinta. 5. Yd. compra una mesa y un sombrero. 6. El niño de María vive en Arizona. 7. Yo vivo aquí. 8. Juan vive en California. 9. Ellos venden el sombrero a la muchacha. 10. Él y yo vivimos0 en Tucson. 11. La muchacha vive en Tejas. 12. El muchacho vive con Juan. 13. Ellos aprenden la lección. 14. Yo vendo el sombrero del mucha¬ cho. 15. Ella escribe con un lápiz.

EXERCISE

1. He writes the lesson. 2. She buys a table and a chair. 3. John learns the lesson. 4. I sell the boy’s hat. 5. The boy and the girl live here. 6. I write with Mary’s pencil. 7. We write with pen and ink. 8. The children live here. 9. John sells the children’s books. 10. We buy the boys’ hats. 11. John and Mary do not live here. 12. They write with pen and ink. 13. He is learning the lesson. 14. I live with John. 15. He writes with the boy’s pencil.

° When the first person is used with any other person, the Spanish verb will be in the first person plural.

Lesson V

“TENER” AND “HABER”

THE PRESENT INDICATIVE

Tener

tengo tenemos tienes tenéis tiene tienen

Haber he hemos has habéis ha han

“Tener” means “to have” showing possession and is not to be used interchangeably with “haber” which means “to have” as an auxiliary verb in forming the compound tenses.

PAST PARTICIPLE

The past participle of regular verbs is formed by adding “ado” to the stem of verbs of the first conjugation and “ido” to the stem of verbs of the second and third conjugations.

tomar — tom ado comer — com ido vivir — viv ido

18

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

The present perfect (called “perfect” by many grammarians) is formed by placing the present tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” immediately in front of the past participle of the main verb.

Tomar he tomado has tomado ha tornado hemos tomado habéis tomado han tomado

Comer he comido has comido ha comido hemos comido habéis comido han comido

Vivir he vivido has vivido ha vivido hemos vivido habéis vivido han vivido

No word can come between the ciple.

Él ha comido ¿Ha comido Vd.?

Yo no he comido. But: Tenemos dos pesos.

auxiliary verb and the past parti-

He has eaten.

Have you eaten?

I have not eaten.

We have two dollars.

VOCABULARY

el amigo — the friend (m) la amiga — the friend (f) el dinero— the money el papá — the papa el padre — the father la madre — the mother la mamá— the mama la calle — the street el hijo — the son la hija — the daughter el hombre — the man la mujer — the woman la carta — the letter si — yes

¿qué? — what?

hay — there is, there are

bueno — good

¿hay? — is there? are there? malo — bad

mucho — much, a great deal muchos — many poco — little (amount) pocos — a few pequeño — small (size) estudiar — to study entrar (en) — to enter comer — to eat no — no

EXERCISE

1. Él no tiene mucho dinero. 2. ¿Qué tiene Vd.? 3. Hay tres sillas en el cuarto. 4. Yo he tomado dos lecciones. 5. ¿Qué ha comido María? 6. Juan no tiene padre. 7. Yo tengo un sombrero en la mesa. 8. María ha comprado una silla. 9. El amigo del hombre vende mu¬ chas sillas. 10. El muchacho no estudia mucho. 11. ¿Estudia Yd. mucho? 12. Hay un libro en la mesa. 13. Yo he tomado el libro del hombre. 14. La mujer ha vendido una casa. 15. Hay muchas cartas en la mesa de María. 15. Yo no vivo aquí.

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EXERCISE

1. I do not have (any°) children. 2. There is much money on the table. 3. Charles has sold the good hat. 4. Is there a letter on the table? 5. 1 have bought a good pencil. 6. How much money do you have? 7. Have you studied the lesson? 8. Have you bought many books? 9. The girFs mother has not eaten. 10. Does the boy’s father eat here? 11. He does not speak much. 12. There are many boys in the room. 13. He has taken the money to the man. 14. We do not have many pens. 15. On what street do you live?

° The word “ any” is generally omitted unless used for emphasis.

Lesson VI

“SER” AND “ESTAR”

The present indicative tense of the verbs “ser” and “estar” both meaning “to be” is irregular.

Ser Estar

soy somos estoy estamos

eres sois estás estáis

es son está están

Estar is used:

To show location or position (place where a person or thing is, temporarily or permanently.)

El libro está en la mesa. Juárez está en Méjico. ¿En dónde está Juan?

The book is on the table. Juarez is in Mexico. Where is John?

To express a condition which is accidental or temporary.

La mujer está enferma. El agua está fría.

La niña está pálida.

The woman is ill.

The water is cold.

The girl is pale. (Now.)

The book is well written. The woman is seated. The door is closed.

With a past participle to express a resultant state. The past parti¬ ciple is used as an adjective and as such, agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.

El libro está bien escrito.

La mujer está sentada.

La puerta está cerrada.

With a -present participle to express progressive action (explained later).

Ser is used at all other times. Generally, “ser” expresses a state or condition which is natural or inherent and essentially lasting rather than accidental or occasional. Such conditions may show: age, character, financial status, appearance, origin, ownership, material of

20

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

which a thing is made,	occupation, nationality, time expressions,
impersonal expressions, and before a predicate noun or pronoun.
Él es viejo.	He is old. (age)
Ella es buena.	She is good, (character)
El hombre es rico.	The man is rich, (financial)
Ellas son bonitas.	They are pretty, (appearance)
Yo soy de Méjico.	I am from Mexico, (origin)
El libro es de Juan.	The book is John’s, (possession)
El anillo es de oro.	The ring is gold, (material)
Él es médico.®	He is a doctor, (occupation)
Él es un buen médico.	He is a good doctor, (occupation)
Hoy es lunes.	Today is Monday, (time)
Ellos son mejicanos.	They are Mexicans, (nationality)
Son las dos y media.	It is two thirty, (time)
¿De qué color es el libro?	What color is the book? (appearance)
Es imposible hacerlo.	It is impossible to do it. (impersonal expression)
Es él.	It is he. (predicate pronoun)
°The indefinite article is omitted before an unmodified predicate noun. noun. VOCABULARY
grande — large	el pasaporte — the passport
pequeño — small	la mano — the hand
viejo — old	Carlos — Charles
joven — young	el °agua — the water
nuevo — new	el lunar — the mole (mark)
rico — rich	la cicatriz — the scar
pobre — poor	el, la puente — the bridge
bonita — pretty	español — Spanish
frío — cold	inglés — English
caliente — hot, warm	el oro — the gold
el médico — the doctor	la plata — the silver
el anillo — the ring	¿dónde?— where?
la puerta — the door	donde — where (adverb)
el puerto — the port	mucho — much, a great deal (adv.)
Méjico00 — Mexico	poco — little, a little, (adverb)
mejicano0 ° — M exican	pero — but
señor — sir, Mr.	cansado — tired
señora — madam, Mrs.	pasar — to pass, cross, spend time
señorita — Miss, young lady	beber — to drink
la escuela — the school	tomar — to take, drink
hoy — today	sacar — to take out

°Feminin0 words beginning with a stressed “a” or “ha” take the masculine article in singular for the sake of euphony.

°°The words “Mexico,” “Mexican,” and “Texas” are written with an “x” or a “j.” The use of an “x” prevails along the Mexican border.

EXERCISE

1. El muchacho está en México. 2. Los libros son nuevos. 3. María es muy bonita. 4. Juan es un muchacho bueno. 5. Ellos

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están malos. 6. Ella es muy rica. 7. ¿Dónde está el padre de Juan? 8. Él es mexicano. 9. ¿Dónde está el médico? 10. °La señorita Brown no es muy bonita. 11. El muchacho es el hijo de la señora. 12. ¿Dónde está el pasaporte de Carlos? 13. El agua está caliente. 14. El padre de la señorita no está aquí. 15. Él no estudia mucho. 16. La mujer está cansada. 17. La señora Brown no está en la escuela. 18. Juan es médico. 19. Ellos estudian poco y aprenden poco. 20. Nosotros somos grandes pero tú eres pequeño.

EXERCISE

1. Where is the man’s passport? 2. The gold ring is not here. 3. He is from Mexico. 4. Mary is very pretty. 5. The young lady is sick today. 6. The woman’s son is in Denver. 7. The scar is not very large. 8. Is your mother sick today? 9. The ink is on the table. 10. The child is not here. 11. The lady’s hat is not on the table. 12. He writes the lessons with pen and ink. 13. The young lady is not here. 14. The pencil is not red. 15. There is a chair in the room. 16. Miss Smith is not very large. 17. Mr. Brown is a good doctor. 18. She is rich, but she is not well. 19. We are tired, but we are not sick. 20. The room isjjqld.

° A proper name modified by a title requires the definite article immediately before the title except in direct address.

La señorita Smith está mala. Miss Smith is sick.

El presidente Roosevelt está en President Roosevelt is in Washington.

Washington.

El señor García come aquí. Mr. Garcia eats here.

But: Buenos días, señor Brown. Good morning, Mr. Brown.

Lesson VII

PREPOSITIONAL PRONOUNS

The prepositional pronouns are the same as the subject pronouns with the exception of the first and second persons singular.

mi — me ti — you él — him

ella — her Yd. — you

Singular

Plural

nosotros as — us vosotros as — you

ellos — them ellas — them Yds. — you

When used after the preposition “con” the first and second persons singular become “conmigo” (with me) and “contigo” (with you) respectively.

Este libro es para Yd. Ella no estudia conmigo. María no viene con él. ¿Estudia Juan contigo?

This book is for you.

She does not study with me. Mary is not coming with him. Does John study with you?

22

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

THE POLITE COMMAND

The polite command is obtained from the third persons singular and plural of the present subjunctive with “Vd.” and “Vds.” respec¬ tively used as the subject of the command. It is obtained by adding the following endings to the stem of the verb:

“ar” verbs “er” and “ir” verbs

e a

en an

Note that these endings are the reverse of the present indicative endings. Should the verb be irregular in the stem of the first person singular of the present indicative, that stem will be used to attach the command endings. There are three exceptions to this: See page 74

Aprenda Yd. su lección. Aprendan Yds. su lección. Escriba Vd. la carta. Escriban Yds. las cartas. Tome Vd. el libro.

Tomen Yds. los libros.

You (s) learn your lesson. You (p) learn your lesson. You (s) write the letter. You (p) write the letters. You (s) take the book. You (p) take the books.

Present Indicative Tense of the Irregular Verbs:

Dar (to give)

doy	damos
das	dais
da	dan

Ir (to go)

voy vamos

vas vais

va van

Interroga ti ves: “¿Cuál(es)?” “¿Quién(es)?” “¿Qué?”

“¿Cuál (es)?” meaning “which?” refers to persons or things, and is used to select or choose one or more than one from a larger group.

¿Cuál de los libros es el suyo? Which (one) of the books is yours?

¿Cuáles de los libros son los suyos? Which (ones) of the books are yours?

“¿Cuál?” meaning “what?” is definition is asked for in which ca

¿Cuál es la fecha (de hoy)?

¿Cual es su ocupación?

¿Cuál es su nacionalidad?

¿Qué es gramática?

¿Qué es esto?

¿Qué tiene Yd. en la mano?

At all other times, except in “what?” is rendered by “¿qué?” i]

used before “ser,” except when a se “¿que?” is used.

What is the date?

What is your occupation?

What is your nationality?

What is grammar?

What is this?

What do you have in your hand?

idioms^ the English interrogative i Spanish.

¿Qué come Vd.? What are you eating?

¿Qué estudia Maria? What is Mary studying?

¿Qué escribe su mamá? What does your mother write?

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS 23

The interrogative “¿quién?” meaning “who?” or “whom?” refers to

persons only.
¿Quién estudia con Juan?	Who is studying with John?
¿Con quién vive Vd.?	With whom do you live?
¿Quién tiene mi libro?	Who has my book?
	VOCABULARY
enfermo — sick	sentado — seated
largo — long	americano — American
el alumno — the pupil	bianco — white
el río — the river	la hermana — the sister
el carro — the car	el inglés — the Englishman
la cosa — the thing	el hermano — the brother
la familia — the family	los Estados Unidos — the United States
el esposo — the husband	rojo — red
la esposa — the wife	para — for, in order to
el día — the day	negro — black, Negro
el nombre — the name	muy — very
¿quién — who?	ahora — now
recibir — to receive	la fecha — the date
¿cuál (es) ? — which?	la nacionalidad — the nationality

EXERCISE

1. Escriba Vd. la lección ahora. 2. Él es mejicano pero está en los Estados Unidos. 3. El carro es para Vd. 4. Yo no estudio con él. 5. El alumno entra en el cuarto. 6. ¿Ha aprendido Vd. la lección? 7. ¿Quién es el hombre que está sentado allí? 8. Él tiene ima familia. 9. El río no es muy grande pero es muy largo. 10.. Tengo un libro para mi papá. 11. ¿Cuál de los libros es para mí? 12. ¿Cuáles de las señoritas son las hermanas de Vd.? 13. Ella no va conmigo porque está enferma. 14. Yo doy la pluma del niño a la muchacha. 15. ¿Quién va con nosotros? 16. La esposa de Carlos no está aquí.

EXERCISE

1. Write the exercise with pen and ink. 2. Which of the books on the table is for him? 3. Where do you live? 4. Do you study much? 5. The car is not here now. 6. The student receives many letters. 7. I study in order to learn. 8. I am well today, but John is sick. 9. The white hats are for us. 10. The man’s wife is from Mexico. 11. What is your brother’s occupation? 12. What is the nationality of the man with your brother? 13. Who is the man in the office? 14. Have you written to your mother? 15. The Englishman has received three letters from his wife.

24

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

Lesson VIII

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES (PRONOUNS)

Singular

mi— my tu — your® su — his su — her su — your° nuestro, a — our vuestro, a — your° su — their su — their su — your°

Plural

mis — my

tus — your°

sus — his

sus — her

sus — your®

nuestros, as — our

vuestros, as — your®

sus — their

sus — their

sus — your®

° The possessive adjectives corresponding to the English possessive pronoun “your” is expressed in four ways as listed above. “Tu” and “vuestro” are the familiar forms and “su” the polite form.

In Spanish the possessive pronouns are considered by many gram¬ marians as possessive adjectives and like adjectives, they agree in gender and number with the thing possessed and not with the possessor.

Singular

mi sombrero — my hat mi pluma — my pen nuestra casa — our house nuestro libro — our book su primo — your cousin su prima — your cousin

Plural

mis sombreros — my hats mis plumas — my pens nuestras casas — our houses nuestros libros — our books sus primos — your cousins sus primas — your cousins

The possessive adjectives precede their noun and are repeated before each noun.

Carlos tiene mi libro y mis plumas. Nuestra pluma y nuestro lápiz están en la mesa.

Charles has my book and my pens. Our pen and our pencil are on the table.

Since “su” and “sus” can have so many meanings, in order to pre¬ vent ambiguity, it is often necessary to use the preposition “de” and the proper prepositional pronoun after the object possessed. When the prepositional pronoun is used for clearness, the definite

article is generally substituted form is correct.

Su casa de Yd.

La casa de Yd.

Sus libros de él.

Los libros de él.

Su tía de ellos.

La tía de ellos.

Sus tías de él.

Las tías de él.

the possessive adjective. Either

Your house.

Your house.

His books.

His books.

Their aunt.

Their aunt.

His aunts.

His aunts.

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

25

In the first two of the sentences below the possessor has already been given in the sentence and no ambiguity exists. In the third sentence “John” has the “book” of “ella,” another person; therefore, it is necessary to explain the sentence further with the prepositional phrase “de ella.”

Juan tiene su libro. John has his book.

Ella tiene su pluma. She has her pen.

Juan tiene el libro de ella. John has her book.

The masculine plural of nouns and of adjectives used as nouns may include both male and female beings when they denote rank or relation: “Los niños,” the children, the boy and the girl, the boys and the girls, or the boys. Should there be any ambiguity in meaning the noun may be repeated: “El niño y la niña.”

los abuelos — the grandparents los niños — the children

los alumnos — the students los padres — the parents

los hermanos — the brothers and los tíos — the uncle and aunt sisters los ricos — the rich (people)

los jóvenes — the young (people) los pobres — the poor (people)

los viejos — the old people

VOCABULARY

hermosa — beautiful

el oficial — the officer, the official

¿cuánto? — how much?

el tío — the uncle

la tía — the aunt

cada — each, every

varios — various, several

varias — various, several

el abuelo — the grandfather

la abuela — the grandmother

Eduardo — Edward

pagar — to pay amarillo — yellow abrir — to open la ventana — the window si — if

el primo — the cousin la prima — the cousin verde — green azul — blue

el hermano — the brother la hermana — the sister

EXERCISE

1. Mi esposa no vive en Méjico. 2. ¿Cuántos niños tiene Vd.? 3. ¿Viven los tíos de Vd. en El Paso? 4. Él estudia su lección cada día. 5. ¿Desea Vd. comprar el carro de Eduardo? 6. Nosotros bebemos (tomamos) agua. 7. Nuestra casa es blanca y está en la calle Elm. 8. ¿Ha recibido Vd. una carta de su primo? 9. Sí, señor, he recibido varias cartas de mi primo. 10. Juan tiene un sombrero nuevo. 11. La casa de Juan no es muy hermosa. 12. ¿Qué desea Vd.? 13. Yo no he comido. 14. ¿En dónde están ios jóvenes hoy? 15. ¿Qué ha comprado Juan?

26

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

EXERCISE

1. Where is your husband? 2. My uncle and aunt live in the United States. 3. How much do you study every day? 4. The young lady is very beautiful. 5. His children are young. 6. Open the door. 7. The lady’s hat is not new. 8. His family does not live in Mexico. 9. Their children are in California. 10. Do you drink much water? 11. Why don’t you study your lessons every night? 12. The children do not study very much. 13. How many letters have you received from your grandmother? 14. How many windows are there in the room? 15. In what city does your brother live?

Lesson IX

THE POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

Sing.	Plural	Sing .	Plural	English
el mío	los míos	la mía	las mías	mine
el tuyo	los tuyos	la tuya	las tuyas	yours
el suyo	los suyos	la suya	las suyas	his
el suyo	los suyos	la suya	las suyas	hers
el suyo	los suyos	la suya	las suyas	yours
el nuestro	los nuestros	la nuestra	las nuestras	ours
el vuestro	los vuestros	la vuestra	las vuestras	yours
el suyo	los suyos	la suya	las suyas	theirs
el suyo	los suyos	la suya	las suyas	theirs
el suyo	los suyos	la suya	las suyas	yours

A possessive pronoun agrees with the noun for which it stands in gender and number.

¿Dónde está su libro? El mío está aquí.

El suyo es verde.

El nuestro es grande.

Where is your book? Mine is here.

His is green.

Ours is large.

In the above sentences the word “book” has been replaced by the possessive pronoun. “Book” is masculine singular; therefore, the masculine singular possessive pronoun has replaced it.

Esta pluma es verde. La mía no es blanca. La suya es negra.

La nuestra es grande.

This pen is green. Mine is not white. Hers is black.

Ours is large.

In this case the word “pluma” is feminine singular and is replaced by the feminine singular possessive pronoun.

¿En dónde están sus libros? Where are your books?

Los míos están aquí. Mine are here.

Los suyos son rojos. His are red.

Los nuestros son rojos. Ours are red.

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

27

In the above sentences the word “books” is masculine plural and is replaced by the masculine plural possessive pronoun.

Estas plumas son verdes. Las mías son blancas.

Las suyas son negras.

Las nuestras son grandes.

These pens are green. Mine are white.

Hers are black.

Ours are large.

In this case the word “plumas” is feminine plural, and therefore, is replaced by the feminine plural possessive pronoun.

In order to prevent ambiguity, instead of “el suyo” use “el de él,” “el de ella,” “el de Vd.,” etc. Instead of “la suya” use “la de él,” “la de ella,” “la de Vd.,” etc. Instead of “los suyos” use “los de él,” ‘los de ella,” ‘los de Vd.,” etc. Instead of “las suyas” use “las de él,” ‘las de ella,” ‘las de Vd.,” etc.

Tengo el suyo=

Tengo el de él. Tengo el de ella. Tengo el de Vd. Tengo el de ellos. Tengo el de ellas. Tengo el de Yds.

I have his.

I have hers.

I have yours. I have theirs. I have theirs. I have yours.

In order to prevent the repetition of the noun, the following con¬ struction may be used:

Mi pluma y la pluma de Juan. My pen and John’s pen.

Mi pluma y la de Juan. My pen and John’s.

Su lápiz y el lápiz de Maria. Your pencil and Mary’s pencil.

Su lápiz y el de Maria. Your pencil and Mary’s.

Immediately following the verb “ser” the definite article may be omitted; however, it may be used for emphasis.

Este libro es el suyo* This book is yours, (emphasis)

Este libro es suyo. This book is yours.

Esta pluma es la suya. Esta pluma es suya.

This pen is his. (emphasis) This pen is his.

La pluma es la de él. La pluma es de él.

The pen is his. (emphasis) The pen is his.

La pluma es la de Juan. The pen is John’s, (emphasis)

La pluma es de Juan. The pen is John’s.

The possessive pronoun is sometimes used after a noun and is usually translated “of mine,” “of his,” etc., or “my” if used in an exclamation.

Un amigo mío me lo d!6. A friend of mine gave it to me.

I Hijo mío! ¡Qué alto es Yd.! My son! How tall you are!

Un hermano suyo murió. Or: Su hermano murió.

A brother of his died. His brother died.

28

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

The present indicative tense of:

Salir (to leave, depart) Valer (to be worth)

salgo salimos valgo valemos

sales salís vales valéis

sale salen vale valen

VOCABULARY

corto — short alto — tall, high otro — other, another Anita — Annie Enrique — Henry manejar — to drive guiar — to drive, guide cruzar — to cross visto — seen puesto — put

EXERCISE

1. Mis libros están en la mesa; los suyos no están aquí. 2. Esta pluma es roja; la de Juan es blanca. 3. Yo he vendido la casa de Ma¬ ría; no he vendido la de Yd. 4. Las casas de Vd. son verdes; las mías son blancas. 5. Tengo el lápiz de Juan; no tengo el de María. 6. Un amigo mío ha comprado la pluma de él. 7. Vd. no ha aprendido su lección. 8. ¿Quién es el hombre? 9. Juan tiene el libro de ella; no tiene el mío. 10. ¿Ha escrito él una carta a su madre? 11. Sí, pero él no ha recibido las cartas de la madre de ella. 12. El pasaporte de ella está aquí. 13. ¿Dónde está el mío? Está en la mesa. 14. Este sombrero es mío; el otro es de Juan. 15. Hay muchos lunares en la mano de él. 16. ¿Bebe (Toma) Vd. mucha cerveza? 17. No, señor, yo no (bebo) tomo.

el vino — the wine la leche — the milk el café — the coffee la cerveza — the beer en casa — at home murid — died (he, she, you) escrito — written abierto — open hecho — made, done dicho — said vuelto — returned

EXERCISE

1. He doesn’t drink much water. 2. Where are your children now? 3. This passport is not mine; it is my son’s. 4. The pen is hers and the pencil is his. 5. Her son is young, but he is very large. 6. Who is this boy? 7. He is my uncle’s son. 8. What are you studying? 9. I am writing a letter to his sister. 10. John’s pen and mine are here. 11. Are his children here? 12. His are here, but hers are not. 13. Write a letter to Mary’s father. 14. Where is my aunt? 15. Your aunt is from Mexico, but she is here now.

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

29

Lesson X

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS

Singular Plural

Mase. Eng. Fern. Mase. Eng. Fern.

este this esta near speaker estos these estas

ese that esa near spoken to esos those esas

aquel that aquella at a distance aquellos those aquellas

The demonstrative adjective precedes the noun which it modifies and agrees with it in number and gender.

esta pluma this pen

este libro this book

esa carta that letter

ese libro that book

aquella pluma that pen aquel libro that book

estas plumas estos libros esas cartas esos libros aquellas plumas aquellos libros

these pens these books those letters those books those pens those books

When the demonstratives stand alone, they take the place of the object pointed out and bear the written accent mark over the vowel of the proper syllable. When they stand alone they are demonstra¬ tive pronouns. The pronouns agree in number and gender with the nouns whose place they take.

Éste es mi libro.

Ése es (el) mío.

Éstas son de mi padre. ¿De quién es éste?

This is my book.

That is mine.

These are my father’s^ WTiose is this?

The neuter pronouns “esto,” “eso,” and “aquello” have no written accent mark and are used when the thing for which they stand is a statement, idea, or something indefinite or unknown.

¿Qué es esto?

Eso no es verdad.

¡Eso es!

No quiero pensar en aquello.

What is this?

That is not true.

That's it!

I don't want to think of that.

Hacer (to do, make) hago hacemos

haces hacéis

hace hacen

The present indicative tense of:

Decir (to say, tell) digo decimos

dices decís

dice dicen

Venir (to come) vengo venimos

vienes venís

viene vienen

Adjectives of nationality form the feminine by changing “o” to “a” or if they end in a consonant by adding “a” to the masculine singular form. They are also used as nouns.

un hombre español una mujer española un hombre mejicano una mujer mejicana el español la española el inglés la inglesa

a Spanish man a Spanish woman a Mexican man a Mexican woman the Spaniard the Spanish woman the Englishman the Englishwoman

30

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

“Acá” is generally used instead of “aquí” meaning “here” with verbs of motion. “Ahí” means “there” near the person spoken to; “allí” means “there” in a definite place remote from both speaker and person spoken to; “allá” is used meaning “there” after verbs of motion and also means “there” or “yonder” in an indefinite place.

este hombre aquí this man here (near speaker) venga Yd. acá come here (motion) ese hombre ah! that man there (near you) aquel hombre allí that man there (definite place) ellos fueron allá they went there (over yonder)

In Spanish the definite article is used before the name of a language except immediately after the verb “hablar” or the preposition “en.”

Yo estudio el español. Yo hablo español.

Yo hablo bien el inglés. Está° escrito en inglés.

I study Spanish.

I speak Spanish.

I speak English well.

It is written in English.

° “It” as a subject pronoun is generally not written nor said, but is under¬ stood.

VOCABULARY

el inglés — English el español — Spanish inglés (adj.) — English español (adj.)— Spanish la vaca— the cow el permiso — the permit el patrón — the boss el caballo — the horse la semana — the week el trabajo — the work la tarjeta — the card local — local firmar — to sign

derecho — right izquierdo — left la ciudad — the city todo (adj.) — all trabajar— to work gastar — to spend ganar — to earn, win desear — to desire aquí — here acá — here allí — there ahí — there allá — there

EXERCISE

1. ¿Dónde está el permiso de Vd.? 2. Éste es negro. 3. Yo he gastado todo el dinero. 4. ¿Tiene Yd. cicatrices o lunares? 5. Sí señor, yo tengo un lunar en la mano derecha y dos lunares en la mano izquierda. 6. No hay mucho trabajo en México. 7. Mi pasaporte está allí en la mesa. 8. ¿Qué hace Yd.? 9. Mi patrón vive en la ciudad. 10. El caballo es de mi padre. 11. ¿Habla Vd. español? 12. Una semana tiene siete días. 13. Yo no gano mucho dinero. 14. Su padre trabaja en El Paso, pero el mío no trabaja allí. 15. ¿Está Vd. cansado? 16. Yo no estoy cansado pero estoy malo. 17. Yo no he vendido las plumas de él. 18. Él no habla inglés; es de México.

FOB BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

31

EXERCISE

1. That man works here. 2. This one is white. 3. They work a great deal. 4. Those women are his aunts. 5. These passports are new. 6. They don’t buy many things. 7. There are many children on the street, 8. Does your mother work in the United States? 9. No, she doesn’t have (any) work now. 10. Do you desire to work? 11. I desire to work, but there is not much work here. 12. This man is her uncle. 13. I spent all the money that I made (earned). 14. Is this woman your aunt? 15. All the pens are mine. 16. There is a mole on his right hand. 17. Do you earn much money now? 18. Those white pencils are yours. 19. Is this book yours?

Lesson XI

THE PAST TENSE

In Spanish there are two past indicative tenses : the 'preterite indica¬ tive, and the imperfect indicative . They are not used interchange¬ ably.

To conjugate verbs in the Preterite Indicative, attach the following endings to the stem of the verb :

“AR” verbs: é, aste, 6, amos, asteis, aron “ER” verbs: Í, Iste, ió, irnos, isteis, ieron “IR” verbs: í, iste, ió, irnos, isteis, ieron

Hablar	Comer	Recibir
habl-é	com-i	recib-i
habl-aste	com -iste	recib-iste
faabl-ó	com-ió	recib-ió
habí-amos	com-imos	recib-imos
habl-asteis	com-isteis	recib- isteis
habl-aron	com-ieron	recib-ieron

The Preterite Indicative tense is used to express definitely completed past action. It is called by some grammarians, the Past Absolute, Past Definite, or Historical Past. The Preterite simply calls atten¬ tion to completed action in past time.

Jnan comió aquí ayer.

¿Cuántos caballos vendió Vd. la semana pasada?

María compró un carro el mes pasado.

¿Cuándo entró Vd. en los Estados Unidos?

¿En dónde compró Vd. este libro? ¿Vendió él la pluma?

John ate here yesterday.

How many horses did you sell last week?

Mary bought a car last month.

When did you enter the United States?

Where did you buy this book?

Did he sell the pen?

32

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

THE IMPERFECT INDICATIVE

To conjugate verbs in the Imperfect Indicative, attach the following endings to the stem of the verb :

“AR” verbs: aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban “ER” verbs: ia, ias, ia, iamos, iais, ian “IR” verbs: ia, ias, ia, iamos, iais, ian

Hablar	Comer	Recibir
habl-aba	com-ia	recib-ia
habl-abas	com-ias	recib-ias
habl-aba	com-ia	recib-ia
habl-ábamos	com-iamos	recib-iamos
habl-abais	com-iais	recib-iais
habl-aban	com-ian	recib-ian

There are only three verbs which are irregular in the imperfect indicative tense.

Ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran Ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban

Ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían

The imperfect indicative tense is used :

(1) To express customary or habitual past action. This corresponds to the English “used” followed by an infinitive (used to eat).

Yo comía allí cada día.

I used to eat there every day.

Él ganaba mucho dinero en México.

He used to earn much money in Mexico.

María escribía muchas cartas a su madre.

Mary used to write many letters to her mother.

Yo estudiaba cada día cuando vivía en El Paso.

I studied every day when I lived in El Paso.

(2) To express interrupted past action. In this case the inter¬ rupted action — that which was going on — is placed in the imperfect indicative, and the interrupting action — that which did the inter¬ rupting — is put in the preterite indicative. The imperfect action is generally expressed by the progressive imperfect (imperfect of “estar” plus the present participle of the main verb). See page 41 on Progressive Action.

Anoche (yo) estaba estudiando (estudiaba) cuando Carlos entró.

Last night I was studying when Charles entered.

El contrabandista estaba manejando (manejaba) el carro cuando cruzamos la línea.

The smuggler was driving the car when we crossed the line.

Pablo estaba hablando (hablaba) a María cuando entré en el cuarto.

Paul was talking to Mary when I entered the room.

(3) To express two or more actions going along together. All of these actions will be put in the imperfect and either the simple im-

FOE BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

33

perfect or the progressive imperfect (most general) may be used. (Notice that the translation in these cases is “was” or “were” plus the present participle in English.)

Yo estaba trabajando (trabajaba), y ella estaba leyendo (leía) el perió¬ dico.

I was working, and she was reading the newspaper.

Enrique estaba escribiendo (escribía) una carta, y su esposa estaba preparando (preparaba) la comida.

Henry was writing a letter, and his wife was preparing dinner.

José estaba hablando (hablaba), pero Juan no estaba escuchando (es¬ cuchaba).

Joseph was talking, but John was not listening.

There are a number of verbs that are irregular in the preterite indicative tense, and at first glance this appears to be a very difficult tense due to the irregularities; however, there are fourteen verbs with irregularities in the stem and which have irregular preterite endings, but the endings for these fourteen verbs are the same. The following endings are attached to the irregular stem of the fourteen verbs listed below: e, iste, o, irnos, isteis, ieron.

Infinitive	Irregular stem	Meaning
andar	anduv____ _	to walk
estar	estuv _	to be
haber	hub _	to have (aux.)
hacer	hic _	to do, make
poder	pud_ _	to, be able
poner	pus _	to put, place
tener	tuv _ _	to have
venir	vin _	to come
querer	quis _ _	to wish, want
saber	sup - -	to know
traer	traj__ _	to bring
decir	dij -	to say, tell
caber	cup _	to fit into
conducir	conduj _ _ _	to conduct, lead

“Ser” (to be) and “ir” (to go) are conjugated alike in the preterite: fui, fuiste, fué, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron.

“Dar” (to give) is conjugated like a regular “er” verb in the preterite: di, diste, dió, dimos, disteis, dieron.

In the above verbs those ending in “j” drop the “i” of the “ieron” ending: condujeron, dijeron, trajeron. In the third person singular “hacer” changes the “c” to “z” before “o” to retain the original soft “c” sound.

Verbs of the second and third conjugation whose stem ends in a vowel change the unaccented “i” between vowels to “y” as an un¬ accented “i” may not appear between vowels in Spanish:

Le-er : le-í, le-íste, le-yó, le-imos, le-isteis, le-yeron Ca-er: ca-í, ca-íste, ca-yó, ca-imos, ca-isteis, ca-yeron

34

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

The “i” of the second person singular and of the first and second persons plural is accented in order to break what would otherwise be a diphthong.

Many verbs appear to be irregular in the preterite, but are only orthographically (spelling) so. The change in spelling is made in order to retain the sound of the final consonant of the stem of the verb. Verbs ending in “car” change the “c” to “qu” before “e” in order to retain the '* sound. Verbs ending in “gar” change “g” to “gu.”

Bascar: basqué, buscaste, buscó, etc.

Pagar: pagué, pagaste, pagó, etc.

Radical changing verbs (treated later) of the second and third classifications make certain changes in the stem of the verb.

VOCABULARY

la semana pasada — last week el año — the year el año pasado — last year el mes — the month perder — to lose el abuelo — the grandfather la abuela — the grandmother buscar — to look for, seek el dólar — the dollar (Amer.) el peso — the dollar (Mex.) el teléfono — the telephone el comerciante — the merchant el periódico — the newspaper preparar— to prepare la oficina — the office la botella — the bottle el tequila — the tequila el contrabandista — the smuggler cerca de — near por — by, through, for ilegal — illegal, unlawful

EXERCISE

1. Él anduvo a pie al pueblo conmigo ayer. 2. Anita no vino de México con su madre porque estaba mala cuando salió su madre. 3. Andrés no trajo mucho dinero de Sinaloa. 4. Él no dijo la verdad al inspector esta mañana. 5. ¿En dónde puso Vd. su sombrero cuando regresó a casa anoche? 6. ¿Cuándo vinieron sus abuelos de Hermo- sillo? 7. ¿A dónde iba Vd. cuando entró en los Estados Unidos? 8. No pude hacer el trabajo ayer por la mañana. 9. Cuando (yo) vivía en El Centro, veía a mis padres cada semana. 10. ¿Qué estaba haciendo (hacía) José ayer cuando Vd. pasó por su casa (de él)? 11. Él trajo dos botellas de tequila de México. 12. ¿Qué tenía Vd. en el

ayer — yesterday

anoche — last night

mañana — morning, tomorrow

esta mañana — this morning

legal — legal, lawful

hace — it makes (ago)

salir — to leave

regresar — to return

la verdad — the truth

brincar — to jump

la tienda — the store

la milla — the mile

la línea — the line

el pneblo — the town

la garita — the entrance gate

el inspector — the inspector

ver — to see

escuchar — to listen

poner — to put

el desierto — the desert

el tiempo— the time

cruzar — to cross

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

35

carro cuando cruzó la línea? 13. ¿Qué estaba haciendo (hacía) Vd. ayer cuando mi primo fué a su casa? 14. Yo estaba escribiendo una carta y él estaba leyendo el periódico. 15. ¿Cuántas millas anduvo (viajó) Vd. por el desierto? 16. Él no llegó a tiempo anoche. 17. Carlota escribió una carta a su padre ayer. 18. No vi al° contra¬ bandista ayer. 19. El comerciante no vendió mucho el año pasado. 20. ¿Por dónde brincó (pasó) Vd. la línea? 21. Mi hermana no entró ilegalmente en los Estados Unidos. 22. La mujer mandó cinco dó¬ lares a su hija. 23. ¿Qué estaba haciendo (hacía) Vd. ayer en la oficina cuando entré? 24. Yo estaba buscando (buscaba) mi pasa¬ porte que perdí ayer por la mañana, (yesterday morning.) 25. El carro no costó mucho dinero. 26. ¿Cuántas mujeres pasaron por la garita la semana pasada? 27. No he vendido muchos periódicos este año. 28. Él veía a mi hijo cada día cuando vivía cerca de mí en Nogales. 29. ¿Recibió Vd. su permiso para regresar a los Estados Unidos en El Paso? 30. ¿Cuántos años vivieron sus padres en Sonora, México?

°When the direct object noun is a definitely known person or an intelligent animal, it is generally preceded by the preposition “a.”

Visité a mis amigos. No he visto a Maria. Yendi al caballo negro. But: Busco un caballo.

I visited my friends.

I have not seen Mary.

I sold the black horse.

I am looking for a horse.

“Tener” does not take “a” before its object:

Tengo dos hermanos. I have two brothers.

EXERCISE

1. How many miles did you walk? 2. I sold many newspapers yesterday. 3. Why didn’t you go to the office this morning? 4. He walked five miles through the desert. 5. What were you buying in the store when I passed? 6. I was buying a hat from0 the merchant. 7. She was talking, but the boy was not listening. 8. When I lived in Los Angeles, I worked all the time. 9. I used to live in Mexico, but I have been living in Texas for ten years. 10. Where did you buy this tequila? 11. Why didn’t you come through the entrance gate last night? 12. I jumped the line because I didn’t have the money to buy a visa. 13. There is no telephone at my home. 14. Do you live near this man? 15. Where were you going when you saw our car? 16. I was going to visit my son.

Compré el libro al comerciante. I bought the book from the merchant.

Pedí dinero a mi padre. I asked my father for money.

°“Comprar” and “pedir” require “a” instead of “de” before their objects.

36

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

Lesson XII

TIME EXPRESSIONS

“Ser” is the verb used in time expressions. The word “hora” for the English “o'clock” is understood. The verb agrees with the hour in number and person. The number expressing the time is preceded by the definite article which agrees in number and gender with the

word “hora.”

What time is it?	¿Qué hora es?
It is 1:00 o’clock.	Es la una.
It is 2:00 o’clock.	Son las dos.
It is 5:30 o’clock.	Son las cinco y media.
It is 7: 15 o’clock.	Son las siete y quince.
It is 7 : 15 o’clock.	Son las siete y cuarto.
It is 8:50 o’clock.	Son las nueve menos diez.
It is 9:55 o’clock.	Son las diez menos cinco.
It is noon.	Es mediodía.
It is noon.	Son las doce del día.
It is midnight.	Son las doce de la noche.
It is m idnight.	Es medianoche.
It is 6:00 o’clock sharp.	Son las seis en punto.
It is 8:00 A. M.	Son las ocho de la mañana.
It is 3:00 P. M.	Son las tres de la tarde.
It is 11:00 P. M.	Son las once de la noche.
At what time?	¿A qué hora?
At 10:00 P. M.	A las diez de la noche.
In the morning.	Por la mañana.
In the afternoon.	Por la tarde.

Notice in the above expressions that the word “media” is an adjective and agrees with the word “hora” in number and gender. “Cuarto” is a noun and as such remains constant. In telling time the hour and (“y”) the minutes are used from the hour to the half hour, and from the half hour the next hour less (“menos”) the minutes is used. When the specific time of the day is given, the preposition “de” is used to join the time and the period.

There are several variations in telling time. The beginner will do well to follow one method until completely familiar with it before attempting the others.

“Hacer” In Time Expressions

“Hacer” is used in time expressions to show an elapse of time between two events or periods of time.

Hace diez afios que vivo aquí. I have lived here for ten years. (It

makes ten years that I live here.)

Hace cinco días que yo le vi a él. I saw him five days ago. (It makes five

(Yo le vi hace cinco días.) days since I saw him.) SAME

TRANSLATION.

FOE BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

37

Mañana hará tres semanas que he estado en El Paso.

Él llegó ayer; hacía diez años que no le habíamos visto.

Months of the year

enero	January
febrero	February
marzo	March
abril	April
mayo	May
junio	June
julio	July
agosto	August
septiembre	September
octubre	October
noviembre	November
diciembre	December

Tomorrow I ‘ihall have been in El Paso three weeks. (Tomorrow will make three weeks that I have been in El Paso.)

He arrived yesterday; we had not seen him for ten years.

Days of the week el domingo Sunday

el lunes Monday

el martes Tuesday

el miércoles Wednesday

el jueves Thursday

el viernes Friday

el sábado Saturday

Seasons of the year la primavera spring

el verano summer

el otoño autumn

el invierno winter

There are several ways of asking the date, month, or day of the month:

¿Qué día del mes es hoy? ¿Qué día del mes tenemos? ¿A cuántos estamos?

¿A cómo estamos?

►What day of the month is it?

¿Cuál es la fecha (de hoy?) ¿Qué fecha tenemos?

What is the date?

¿En qué mes estamos? ¿Qué mes es éste?

What month is this?

VOCABULARY

el café — cafe, coffee la iglesia — the church la noche — the night la tarde — the afternoon tarde — late es tarde — it is late temprano — early es temprano — it is early el año — the year el año pasado — last year el mes — the month la hora — the hour Jorge — George último — last

el periódico — the newspaper día festivo — holiday día de fiesta — holiday día de descanso — rest day día de trabajo — work day día de Navidad — Christmas

día de año nuevo — New Year’s Day El Año Nuevo — New Year’s Day la noche buena — Christmas Eve la madrugada — early morning la madrugada — the dawn anteanoche — night before last hace — it makes (ago)

¿cuándo? — when?

a la madrugada — at dawn, at an early hour

a la caída de la tarde — at nightfall mañana por la tarde — tomorrow after¬ noon

mañana por la mañana — tomorrow morn¬ ing

pasado mañana — day after tomorrow pasado mañana — (lit.) the day past to¬ morrow

ayer por la tarde — yesterday afternoon ayer por la mañana — yesterday morning

38

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

mañana por la noche — tomorrow night

esta noche — tonight

ayer — yesterday

anteayer — day before yesterday

la semana entrante — next week

ocho días — eight days (week)

quincena — fortnight

la semana próxima — next week

próximo — next

la semana que viene — next week de noche — by night de día — by day el anochecer — dusk el amanecer — dawn, daybreak como — like, as

ahora — now

el diario — the newspaper ahorita — right now ahora mismo — right now rato — short while (time) el minuto — the minute rati to — short while (time) medio — half cuarto — fourth, quarter media hora — half hour en punto — sharp (on the dot) siglo — century

tener que + infinitive — to have to cuando — when

EXERCISE

1. ¿A qué hora entró Vd. anoche? 2. Yo entré a las seis de la tarde. 3. Yo compré el periódico ayer por la tarde. 4. Él no entró anoche. 5. Voy a El Paso mañana por la mañana. 6. ¿Cuándo estu¬ dian Vds.? 7. ¿Sabe Yd. a qué hora salió su primo anoche? 8. ¿Por qué iba Vd. a Nogales? 9. Son las siete y media de la noche. 10. Es tarde, ¿en dónde ha estado Vd.? 11. Hoy es día de fiesta y no tenemos que trabajar. 12. Él llegó a las nueve en punto. 13. Son las cuatro y media y mi hija no ha vuelto del pueblo. 14. ¿A qué hora entró él en los Estados Unidos? 15. Yo buscaba trabajo anoche cuando fui al café.

EXERCISE

1. What did you do last night? 2. Day before yesterday we went to church with our cousin George. 3. He arrived at midnight. 4. Night before last I saw Mary with her friend. 5. Was it early or late when you came in last night? 6. What time was it this morning when I talked to you on the phone (por teléfono)? 7. We left the town at nightfall. 8. What are you going to do on New Year’s Day? 9. We crossed the line at about (como) day break. 10. Did you sell many horses last year? 11. I do not work in the afternoon. 12. To¬ morrow morning my uncle and I are going to Las Cruces. 13. There is not (no hay) much work in Mexico now. 14. Our parents are not ill now. 15. My brother and his wife went to Denver last week.

FOB BOEDER PATROL OFFICERS

39

Lesson XIII

COMPARISON OF THE PRESENT PERFECT AND THE

PRETERITE

Present perfect indicative Yo he comido. I have eaten.

El ha salido. He has gone.

Hemos hablado. We have spoken.

Ellos han comido. They have eaten.

Preterite indicative Yo comí. I ate.

Él salió. He left.

Hablamos. We spoke.

Elios comieron. They ate.

As can be seen in the examples above (the present perfect and the preterite), the actions expressed are already terminated. In the present perfect the action is completed, but the time expressed is present. In the preterite, the action and the time are both past. If the action in question takes place within a space of time not yet expired: this day, this week, this month, this year, etc., or at an indefi¬ nite time in any way connected with the present, such as an action although completed by now, may be repeated by the subject, the present perfect is used. However, if the time of day (hour) at which the action took place is stated with the word “today” and is past, then the preterite and not the present perfect is used. Study the following examples very closely.

¿Ha visto Yd. a Juan hoy? Have you seen John today?

¿Cuántas cartas ha recibido su mamá How many letters has your mother re- esta semana? ceived this week?

He estudiado mucho este año. I have studied very much this year.

¿Ha viajado Yd. mucho por Méjico? Los ingleses han construido muchos vapores.

María ha leído muchos libros.

Have you traveled much in Mexico? The English have constructed many ships.

Mary has read many books.

Hoy yo comí a las cuatro de la tarde.

Él me vio esta mañana a las diez. Carlos llegó ésta tarde a las dos.

Today I ate dinner (dined) at 4 .*00 P. M.

He saw me this morning at ten o’clock. Charles arrived this afternoon at two o’clock.

Edison hizo muchas invenciones.

El Presidente Wilson escribió muchos libros.

El Presidente Lincoln viajó mucho.

Edison made many inventions. President Wilson wrote many books.

President Lincoln traveled a great deal.

María escribió tres cartas ayer. Mary wrote three letters yesterday.

Juan ganó mucho dinero el año pasado. John earned much money last year. Estudié tres horas anoche. I studied three hours last night.

In the above examples, in the first group the time is present and the action completed within that period of time. In the second group, although the time is not definitely expressed, the action is definitely

40

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

connected with the present in that these actions could continue to happen; the person still exists and may do these actions in the future. In the third group, although the time is expressed as the present period, a specific past hour is expressed during the present time, thereby making the sentence definitely past, and the preterite tense is used. In the fourth group, although the time is not expressed, the actions are definitely past, because the doers of these actions are dead, thereby cutting off any possibility of their doing the actions again. In the last group the time expressed is definitely past and so are the actions.

THE POLITE REQUEST

There are several ways of expressing “please” in Spanish. Study the examples and their translations given below:

Tenga Yd. la bondad de dármelo. Have the goodness to give it to me.

Hágame Yd. el favor de dármelo. Do me the favor to give (of giving) it to

me.

Sírvase Yd. dármelo. Please give it to me.

Démelo Yd. por favor. Give it to me, please.

All of the above translate: “Please give it to me.”

There are several ways of expressing “thank you” in Spanish:

Muchas gracias.

Muchísimas gracias.

Mil gracias or Un millón de gracias.

No hay de qué. (Lit.: There Jsjio cause why.)

De nada or por nada or es nada.

Many thanks.

Many, many thanks.

A thousand thanks.

A thousand thanks.

You are welcome. (Don’t mention it.)

It is nothing. You are welcome.

VOCABULARY

ya — already el traje — the suit el vestido — the dress la ropa — the clothes el vapor — the ship el buque — the boat el lugar — the place el sitio — the site todavía — yet

al otro lado — on the other side llegar — to arrive acabar — to finish, end el teatro — the theater

la llegada — the arrival

solicitar — to solicit, ask for

pedir — to ask for

la inmigración — the immigration

la vez — time (counting)

viajar — to travel

bajar (de) — to lower, get out of

subir (a) — to climb, get into

todavía no — not yet

el recibo — the receipt

el, la visa — the visa

el lado — the side

siempre — always

EXERCISE

1. ¿Cuánto tiempo ha estado Yd. en los Estados Unidos? 2. Crucé la línea ayer a las seis de la mañana. 3. ¿Cuántas cartas ha recibido Yd. de su mamá esta semana? 4. Recibí dos cartas la semana pasada

FOE BOEDER PATEOL OFFICERS

41

y he recibido tres esta semana. 5. ¿En dónde compró Vd. ese som¬ brero? 6. Compré este sombrero en la tienda de Smith. 7. Vi a María esta mañana a las ocho pero no he visto a Juan todavía. 8. ¿Ha

solicitado (pedido) Vd. un (a) visa de inmigración? 9. Pedí (solicité) un (a) visa de inmigración el mes pasado. 10. ¿Ha trabajado Vd. antes en los Estados Unidos? 11. Nunca he estado en los Estados Unidos antes. 12. Siempre he vivido al otro lado. 13. Fui a visitar a mi abuela pero ella no estaba en casa. 14. ¿Ha estado Vd. alguna vez en el estado de Colorado? 15. ¿Adonde fué Vd. anoche? 16. Él -fué al teatro pero yo no fui.

EXERCISE

1. Have you written (to) your friend this week? 2. I wrote three letters to John last month. 3. How much money did your cousin earn last year? 4. I do not know how much he earned last year. 5. How many miles did you travel in the smuggler’s car? 6. I got out of the smuggler’s car at Las Vegas, New Mexico. 7. Did you pay the smuggler then? 8. No, I paid the smuggler on the other side of the line. 9. Why did you cross the river at that place? 10. Have you finished the work on that ranch? 11. I have already worked there for two months, and my brother is working there now. 12. I bought this receipt from a boy in Juarez for (por) ten pesos. 13. He told me that it was his. 14. When did your grandfather arrive in Juarez? 15. He has not arrived yet; he is still in Chihuahua City.

Lesson XIV

PROGRESSIVE ACTION

The present participle of a verb is formed by adding “ando” to the stem of “AR” verbs and “iendo” to the stem of “ER” and “IR” verbs:

hablar — hablando (speaking) comer — comiendo (eating) vivir — viviendo (living)

The present tense of the verb “estar” is used before the present participle of a verb to express progressive action in the present time.

Él está hablando. He is speaking.

Yo estoy comiendo. I am eating.

The present indicative tense may be used instead of the present progressive, but it is not as forceful, nor is it commonly used to express a progressive action.

42

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

The imperfect tense of the verb “estar” is used before the present participle of a verb to show progressive action in past lime. This action may also be expressed by the imperfect tense of the main verb.

Ella estaba trabajando. She was working.

Yds. estaban estudiando. You were studying.

Present tense

Salir (to leave)

salgo salimos

sales salís

sale salen

Poner (to put)

pongo ponemos pones ponéis

pone ponen

PARA and POR

Para is used:

1. To show destination, purpose, or use.

ÉI sale para Nueva York.

¿Para dónde va Vd.?

El libro es para Yd.

Estudio para aprender.

Él estudia para médico.

Ella tiene nn vaso para vino. Tengo veinte dólares para ropa.

He is leaving for New York. (Por) Where are you going?

The book is for you.

I study in order to learn.

He is studying to be a doctor. She has a wine glass.

I have twenty dollars for clothes.

2. To express a point in future time.

La lección para mañana es fácil. The lesson for tomorrow is easy.

Él tiene nna cita para el lunes. He has a date for Monday.

Por is used:

1. To denote an agent (see passive voice).

Él fué arrestado por el oficial. He was arrested by the officer.

ES libro filé escrito por este hombre. The book was written by this man

2. To express source (by, through, for or along).

Él entró por la puerta. He entered through the door.

¿Por dónde pasó Yd.? Where did you enter (pass)?

Trajabo por (con) el señor Blanco. I work for Mr. White.

Él va por el medico. He is going for the doctor.

Lo hice por Yd. I did it for you (for your sake).

Viajamos por México. We traveled through Mexico.

3. To express exchange:

Él pagó cinco pesos por el sombrero. He paid five pesos for the hat.

Yo he dado ml sombrero por el libro. I have given my hat for the book.

4. To express a unit of measure or number:

Gano dos pesos por día (al día). I earn two pesos a day (per day).

Se venden por docena. They are sold by the dozen.

Diez por ciento de los hombres fueron Ten percent of the men went there, allí.

5. To express a period of time:

He trabajado aquí por dos meses. I have worked here for two months.

El ha vivido aqní por mucho tiempo. He has lived here for a long time.

FOB BORDES PATROL OFFICERS

43

VOCABULARY

el norte — the north el sur — the south tí este — the east tí oeste — the west tí vaso — the glass a pie — on foot tí médico — the doctor el doctor — the doctor tí derecho — straight a la derecha — to the right a la izquierda — to the left la cita — the date, appointment conseguir — to obtain, get delante (de) — before, in front of adelante — ahead, forward adelante de — ahead of después — after, next, later entre — between, among después (de) que — after

bajo (adj) — low, short bajo (adv) — under, below abafo (adv) — under, below, down debajo de — under, beneath cerca (de) — near lejos (de) — far dentro (de) — inside, within fuera (de) — out, outside de fuera — from the outside por fuera — on the outside detrás (de)— behind, after atrás — behind, backward, back atrás de — behind, back of antes de — before antes — before, formerly antes (de) que — bef ore después de — after entragar — to hand, deliver

1. Juan está estudiando para médico. 2. María pagó cinco dólares por su sombrero. 3. El hombre salió para Cuba. 4. El muchacho y su primo están estudiando la lección para mañana. 5. Yo deseo trabajar para ganar más dinero. 6. Mi hermano no ha vivido en México antes. 7. La mujer entró por el puerto (la garita); su hijo entró a pie por el río. 8. ¿Por qué saca Yd. un pasaporte? 9. Él estaba trabajando por mi madre cuando recibió la carta. 10. Él está detrás de la mesa. 11. ¿Cuánto tiempo ha vivido Yd. aquí? 12. ¿Vive Yd. cerca de este hombre? No señor, vivo lejos de él. 13. Después que vino él, salimos para Cuba. 14. El hombre está dentro de la casa. 15. Vivo a la derecha de aquella casa. 16. Antes de° entrar conseguí un pasaporte.

EXERCISE

1. Why didn't you get a passport? 2. He has not lived here before. 3. What did the inspector say yesterday? 4. After0 entering the United States, I left for Colorado. 5. A Mexican entered with me. 6. This letter is for you. 7. Do you live near your uncle? 8. What did you do next? 9. I visited my uncle who lives near there. 10. Where did you enter the United States? 11. My mother and I entered through the port of El Paso. 12. His father says that John is rich. 13. When did you receive this letter? 14. I received the letter yesterday afternoon from my sister who lives in Texas. 15.

°An infinitive, instead of a present participle, is used after a preposition.

44

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

I did not write the letter; it is not mine. 16. He wants the visa in order to enter the United States. 17. He was walking behind me when we saw the man.

Lesson XV

DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS

The use of direct and indirect object pronouns gives the beginner a great deal of trouble. The following suggestions should prove of great value in understanding and using them correctly.

The direct object (noun or pronoun) of a verb receives the action of the verb directly; that is, the direct object is acted upon by the subject. In the sentence: “John hits James.” “James” is the direct object because he receives the action of the verb.

An indirect object is the person acted upon indirectly; that is, the person to or for whom the action of the verb is completed. Example:

John gives the ball to James.” In this sentence the direct object is “ball,” the thing acted upon, and “James” is the indirect object because “James” receives the action of the verb indirectly.

A good thumb ride for common practice: In a sentence in which there is an indirect object it is generally a person and receives some¬ thing (the direct object) from the subject of the sentence. Test the following sentence:

“John throws the ball to Charles.” The subject is “John” because he acts (throws) the direct object (ball) to the indirect object (Charles). Charles (the indirect object) receives the ball (the direct object) from John (the subject).

By substituting a pronoun for the direct and indirect object nouns in the above sentence, we have: “John throws it to him.” “It” is the direct object pronoun, and “to him” is the indirect object pronoun; (strictly speaking “to him” is a prepositional phrase in English.)

Direct object pronouns	Indirect object pronouns
Spanish	English	Spanish	English
me	me	me	to me
te	you (familiar)	te	to you (familiar)
le (m.)	you (formal)	le	to him
la (f.)	you (formal)	le	to her
le	him®	le	to you (formal)
la	her, it
lo	him°, it
nos	us	nos	to us
os	you (familiar)	os	to you (familiar)
los	you, them (m)	les	to them (m. or f.)
las	you, them (f)	Ies	to you (m. or f.)

°“Lo” on this border is often used as a direct object pronoun meaning “him,” but “le” is considered better Spanish by most authorities.

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

45

A direct object is a noun or pronoun which receives the action of the verb directly. A direct object pronoun precedes the verb directly.

He bought the pens.

He bought them.

John sees Mary.

John sees her.

I have the book.

I have it.

They did not see us.

I saw John.

He arrested me.

I saw him.

Did you buy the house? Did you buy it?

She sold her pens.

She sold them.

Él compró las plumas. Él las compró.

Juan ve a María.

Juan la ve.

Yo tengo el libro.

Yo lo tengo.

Ellos no nos vieron.

Yo (le) vi a Juan.

Él me arrestó.

Yo le (lo) vi.

¿Compró Yd. la casa? ¿La compró Yd.?

Ella vendió sus plumas. Ella las vendió.

If ambiguity exists when direct object pronouns of the third person are used, they may be further explained by the use of the prepositional pronoun.

La veo a ella.

La veo a Yd.

Le veo a él.

Le veo a Yd.

An indirect object receives the

John gave the letter to Charles. John gave the letter to him.

I sent her ten dollars.

He told you the truth.

John sold the horse to them.

I see her.

I see you. (feminine)

I see him.

I see you. (masculine)

i of the verb indirectly.

Juan (le) dió la carta a Carlos. Juan le dió la carta.

Le mandé diez dólares.

Él le dijo la verdad.

Juan les vendió el caballo.

If ambiguity exists when the indirect object pronoun in the third person singular “le” (to you, to him, to her) or the third person plural “les” (to you, to them) is used, they may be explained further by the use of the prepositional pronoun.

John gave the letter to him. He told you the truth.

I sent her ten dollars.

I give the book to him.

He gives the book to them. He gives the book to you.

Juan le dió la carta a él.

Él le dijo la verdad a Yd.

Le mandé diez dólares a ella. Yo le doy el libro a él.

Él les da el libro a ellos.

Él les da el libro a Yds.

When a direct and an indirect object pronoun come together, the indirect always precedes the direct.

Charles gave it to me. Mary sold them to us. John told it to me.

Did you send them to us?

Carlos me lo dió. María nos los vendió. Juan me lo dijo.

¿Nos las envió Yd?

When the direct and indirect object pronoun come together and both are in the third person singular or plural, the indirect precedes

46

A PRACTICAL SPANISH reuATbrMAn

the direct and is written “se” instead of “le” or ‘les.” This is done for euphony in order that two words beginning with “I” do not come together.

I gave it to Mm yesterday. Didn’t Mazy tell it to Mm?

I took it to Mm last night. John's mother gave it to Mm_

Se le di a éi ayer.

¿No se lo dijo Marta a 3? Se lo llevé a 3 anoche.

La madre de Juan se lo d!6.

In the first three sentences above it is necessary to further explain the use of “se” by the prepositional form, since “se” can have any one of several meanings. In the last sentence there is no ambiguity. Should the indirect object in this case be any other than “him,” then it would be necessary to explain it further.

Se I© dt a éL Se lo ¿I a ella.

Se lo di a Yd.

Se lo di a ellos.

Se lo di a ellas.

Seto dim Yds.

La mamá de Juan se lo did. £3 padre de 3 se lo did.

I gave it to him.

I gave it to her.

I gave it to yon.

I gave it to them, (m.)

I gave it to them, (f .)

I gave it to you. (pL)

John’s mother gave it to him. His father gave it to him.

In the last two sentences above there is really no necessity to further explain the use of “se” as the antecedent is perfectly clear. Should the indirect object have been other than as given, then the “se” would have needed further explanation.

The prepositional form may also be used with the first person singular or plural and second person singular or plural for emphasis.

Mary gave it to me. Mary gave it to you. Mary gave it to us. Mary gave It to you.

Maria me lo did a ml.

Maria te lo did a ti.

Maria nos lo did a nosotros. Maria os lo did a vosotros.

An indirect object noun is often anticipated by the use of the indirect object pronoun. Although the indirect object pronoun is not required, it is better Spanish to use it.

I give the pen to John. Le doy la pluma a Juan.

I give the pen to John. Doy la pluma a Juan.

I give it to John. Se la doy a Juan.

I give it to John. La doy a Juan.

Direct and indirect object pronouns follow the verb and are attached to the verb in the following forms:

1. Infinitive.0 I want to give it to him. He is going to sell them. He wants to give it to her. They want to buy it.

Quiero dárselo a él.

Él va a venderlos.

Él quiere dárselo a ella. Ellos quieren comprarlo.

°In the first and second cases above the object pronouns may completely pre¬ cede the verb; however, it is suggested that the above forms be followed by the beginner.

FOB BOBDEB PATBOL OFFICERS

47

2. Present Participle0.

I am writing it now.

He was talking to me.

He is showing them to her. She is making it now.

Estoy escribiéndola ahora.

Él estaba hablándome.

Él está mostrándoselos (a ella). Ella está haciéndolo ahora.

°In the first and second cases above the object pronouns may completely pre¬ cede the verb; however, it is suggested that the above forms be followed by the beginner.

3. Affirmative command.

Show it to me.

Tell me the truth.

Write to her today.

Sell me this book.

Enséñemelo Yd.

Dígame Yd. la verdad. Escríbale Yd. a ella hoy. Véndame Yd. este libro.

In a negative command the object pronouns precede the verb.

Do not give it to me. No me lo dé Yd.

Do not show it to them. No se lo enseñe Yd. a ellas.

EXERCISE

1. Voy a venderlo mañana. 2. ¿En dónde lo compró Vd.? 3. ¿Por qué no se las mandó Vd. a él como le dije? 4. Yo quiero comprarla pero no tengo bastante dinero. 5. ¿Sabe Vd. por qué él no me lo dijo ayer cuando (yo) le vi? 6. ¿Cuándo la víó Vd. la última vez? 7. Él me lo dió el año pasado. 8. Voy a escribirle una carta. 9. Los compramos anteayer. 10. Me arrestaron cinco millas ai sur de Nogales. 11. ¿A dónde iba Vd. cuando le arrestaron? 12. ¿Qué

le dijo él a Vd. ayer? 13. Él no me dijo nada; no le vi. 14. Dígame Vd., ¿qué estaba haciendo cuando le vi anoche? 15. ¿Cuánto dinero le pagó María a Juana? 16. Juana me dijo que María le dió dos dólares. 17. Démelo Vd. 18. Enséñeme Vd. el lugar por donde entró en los Estados Unidos. 19. Tráigame Vd. una taza de café. 20. ¿En dónde lo puso Vd.?

EXERCISE

1. Why didn’t you give it to him this morning? 2. How many dollars did he pay you? 3. Did Mary tell you the truth yesterday?

4. I want to buy it, but I do not have any money. 5. John is going to send it to me day after tomorrow. 6. Bring it to me now; I want to send it to John this afternoon. 7. Do you have your passport with you today? 8. No, sir, I lost it last week. 9. Do you know if your father sent it to me night before last? 10. Why don’t you give it to me now? 11. Who helped you to enter the United States? 12. Did he return it to you? 13. Did you write to her yesterday? 14. Take this card, sign it, and hand it to the inspector in the other room. 15. If you have a passport, show it to me.

48

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

Lesson XVI

PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE OF THE IRREGULAR VERBS

Querer0 (to wish, want)

quiero	queremos
quieres	queréis
quiere	quieren
Ver (to see)
veo	vemos
ves	veis
ve	ven
Poner (to put)
pongo	ponemos
pones	ponéis
pone	ponen
Saber (to know)
sé	sabemos
sabes	sabéis
sabe	saben
Poder0 (to be able)
puedo	podemos
puedes	podéis
puede	pueden

Traer (to bring)
traigo	traemos
traes	traéis
trae	traen
Venir (to come)
vengo	venimos
vienes	venís
viene	vienen
Oír (to hear)
oigo	oímos
oyes	oís
oye	oyen
Conocer (to know)
conozco	conocemos
conoces	conocéis
conoce	conocen
Decir (to say, tell)
digo	decimos
dices	decís
dice	dicen

° “Querer” and “poder” are not irregular, but radical changing. (See Radical '"'hanging Verbs.)

While “saber” and “conocer” both mean “to know,” they are not interchangeable. “Saber” means to know through haying learned mentally. “Conocer” means to be acquainted with.

Yo sé la leccidn. I know the lesson.

Él sabe que es ilegal entrar en los He knows that it is illegal to enter Estados Unidos sin permiso. the United States without per¬

mission.

Yo conozco al contrabandista. I know the smuggler.

Él (le) conoce a mi papá. He knows my father.

“Saber” means “to be able” or “know how” through having learned (a mental process). “Poder” means “to be able” in the sense of physically capable.

Él no sabe leer porque no ha estudiado.

¿Sabe Yd. leer?

Él no puede leer.

Élsabe escribir pero no puede hoy porque se lastimó la mano ayer.

Él sabe la lección.

Él no puede ir.

He doesn’t know how to read because he has not studied.

Do you know how to read?

Can you read?

He can’t read. (Not physically able to do so.)

He knows how to write, but he cannot today because he hurt his hand yesterday.

He knows the lesson.

He is unable to (can’t) go.

°“ Querer” and “poder” are not irregular, but radical changing. (See Radical Changing Verbs.)

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

49

VOCABULARY

la ofensa— the offense el federal — the officer una vez — once (one time) enseñar — to show, teach mandar — to order, send el conocido — the acquaintance demasiados (adj.) — too many

sin — without bastante — enough la pelota — the ball la vez — the time la taza — the cup

demasiado (adj. or adv.) — too much

EXERCISE

1. ¿Ha visto Vd. mi sombrero? 2. Sí, lo he puesto en la mesa.

3. Carlos conoce a mi amigo. 4. ¿No Ge) conoce Vd. a este hombre? 5. Sí, señor, le he conocido (por) muchos años. 6. Yo no puedo ir esta tarde porque tengo que trabajar. 7. ¿Por qué le arrestaron a Vd.? 8. Me arrestaron porque yo no tenía pasaporte. 9. ¿Le han arrestado antes? 10. No, señor, ésta es la primera vez que me han arrestado. 11. ¿Cuándo entró Vd. en los Estados Unidos la última vez? 12. ¿Quiere Vd. regresar a México ahora? 13. Él está lejos y no puede oírme. 14. ¿Quién le trajo a Vd. a los Estados Unidos? 15. Un conocido mío me trajo. 16. Ella lee demasiado pero aprende poco.

EXERCISE

1. Do you have (any) friends in the United States? 2. I am going to Mexico in order to see my father. 3. Do you know how to read?

4. What time do they come to school? 5. They come to school at six o’clock in the morning. 6. Why did you write this letter? 7. I wrote it because I wanted to see my son. 8. Do you know the smuggler? 9. I do not know him. 10. You told me that you had lived in the United States for many years; why don’t you know how to speak English? 11. I work for a man who talks Spanish. 12. Don’t you know that this car is not yours? 13. Yes, I know it. 14. I have not seen the man. 15. Why do you wish to go to Texas? 16. Because I do not earn enough money here.

Lesson XVII

THE PAST PERFECT TENSES

In Spanish there are two past perfect tenses. The preterite perfect (formed by placing the preterite tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” before the past participle of the main verb) is very seldom used, and then only after such expressions as “cuando,” “luego que,” etc. It is generally replaced by the simple preterite indicative .

Luego que hubo llegado As soon as he had arrived,

él, fuimos al cine. we went to the picture show.

Luego que él llegó. As soon as he arrived, we

fuimos al cine. went to the picture show.

50

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

The pluperfect (by some grammarians called the “past perfect”) is formed by placing the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” before the past participle of the main verb.

PLUPERFECT INDICATIVE OF COMER

yo había comido tú habías comido éi había comido ella había comido Vd. había comido

I had eaten you had eaten he had eaten she had eaten you had eaten

nosotros habíamos comido nosotras habíamos comido vosotros habíais comido vosotras habíais comido ellos habían comido ellas habían comido Vds. habían comido

we (masculine) had eaten we (feminine) had eaten you (masculine) had eaten you (feminine) had eaten they (masculine) had eaten they (feminine) had eaten you had eaten

Inasmuch as the preterite perfect is seldom used in Spanish and can always be replaced by the simple preterite, it is not treated further in

this work.

The third person singular of the imperfect indicative and the preterite indicative of the verb “haber” are used idiomatically to mean “there was” or “there were.” Apply the rules for the use of the imperfect and preterite to determine which one to use.

Cuando yo era niño había mucha gente en la iglesia los domingos.

When I was a child there used to be many people in church on Sundays. Ayer hubo mucha gente en la iglesia.

Yesterday there were many people in church.

VOCABULARY

el algodón — the cotton el rancho — the ranch el rancho — the farm el campo — the country el campo — the field el camino — the road mucha gente — many people el automóvil — the automobile había — there was, were hubo — there was, were el cine — the picture show

deportar — to deport mostrar — to show el marido — the husband la hacienda — the farm legalmente — legally la calle — the street la gente — the people el carro — the car el pueblo — the town el pueblo — the people

EXERCISE

1. Yo estaba trabajando (trabajaba) en un rancho cuando recibí la carta. 2. El no había vivido en Arizona antes. 3. Ellos estaban

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

51

andando (andaban) por el camino cuando los arresté. 4* ¿Dijo él que iba a Tucson? 5. No señor, él dijo que iba a Las Cruces para comprar un automóvil nuevo. 6. Yo no le había visto a él antes. 7. ¿Por qué no me dijo Yd. la verdad? 8. Yo no quería ser deportado. 9. Hay muy poco trabajo en los ranchos. 10. Mi primo vive en la calle Elm. 11. Había mucha gente sin trabajo cuando salí de México. 12. Ella me dijo que había recibido muchas cartas de su esposo. 13. Entonces, es verdad que Vd. le pagó a él cinco dólares. 14. Yo no sabía que el pasaporte era de él. 15. Él le dijo al inspector que había entrado legalmente.

EXERCISE

1. I had already bought the house when they arrived. 2. There was much (a lot of) cotton in the field. 3. He had already gone to the office. 4. She did not come for the money because she had already received a check. 5. Who lives with you now? 6. My aunt lives with me, but she was not at home when you came. 7. You told me that you had worked for him before. 8. Did you know that the man was a smuggler? 9. I used to work for Mr. Jones, but now I am working on a ranch. 10. What kind of work were you doing before you came to the United States? 11. I was a laborer. 12. You said that you had asked the inspector for a permit. 13. What did he tell you? 14. Why did you send the money to your son? 15. He said that he wanted to come to San Antonio.

Lesson XVIII

THE POLITE COMMAND OF IRREGULAR VERBS

The polite command is obtained from the third person singular and plural of the present subjunctive. This topic was introduced on page 22, Lesson VII, but the irregular verbs were not treated in that lesson. At first glance many verbs will appear to be irregular. However, by attaching the proper endings (“e” and “en” for AR verbs and “a” and “an” for ER and IR verbs) to the stem of the first person singular

present indicative formation.	tense.	the polite command becomes regular First person
Infinitive		singular	Subjunctive-imperative
English	Spanish Present indicative Singular	Plural
to have	tener	tengo	tenga Yd.	tengan Yds.
to do	hacer	hago	haga Yd.	hagan Yds.
to put	poner	pongo	ponga Yd.	pongan Yds.
to tell	decir	digo	diga Yd.	digan Yds.
to bring	traer	traigo	traiga Yd.	traigan Yds.
to come	venir	vengo	venga Vd.	vengan Vds.
to leave	salir	salgo	salga Vd.	salgan Yds.
to hear	oír	oigo	oiga Yd.	oigan Yds.
to see	ver	veo	vea Yd.	vean Yds.

52

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

The following verbs do not follow the above rule and should be memorized.

to be°	estar	estoy	esté Vd.	estén Vds.
to give0	dar	doy	dé Vd.	den Vds.
to go00	ir	voy	vaya Vd.	vayan Vds.
to be00	ser	soy	sea Vd.	sean Vds.
to know00	saber	sé	sepa Vd.	sepan Vds.

°These two verbs are irregular only in that they bear the written accent mark. “Estar” is conjugated like the same verb in the present tense except for the reversed endings. “Dar” has the written accent mark on the singular only to distinguish it from the preposition “de.”

°°These verbs are completely irregular.

SHORTENING OF ADJECTIVES

The following adjectives drop the final “o” when they precede a masculine singular noun:

bueno	good	un buen hombre	a good man
malo	bad	un mal muchacho	a bad boy
alguno	some	algún vino	some wine
ninguno	none	ningún café	no, not any coffee
uno	one	un caballero	one (a) gentleman
primero	first	el primer mes	the first month
tercero	third	el tercer día	the third day

“Grande” drops the last syllable “de” when it precedes a noun of either gender, and means “great” or “grand” rather than “large.”

un gran presidente una gran mujer un gran hombre but: un hombre grande una mujer grande

a great president a great woman a great man a big man (size) a large woman

“Ciento” drops the last syllable either gender.

cien dólares cien sillas cien caballos

but: ciento quince caballos dos cientas muchachas

“to” when it precedes a noun of

one hundred dollars one hundred chairs one hundred horses one hundred fifteen horses two hundred girls

“Santo” drops the last syllable “to” when it precedes the masculine name of saints except those beginning with “Do” or “To.”

San Pedro St. Peter Santa Ana St. Anne

San Antonio St. Anthony Santa Maria St. Mary

San Pablo St. Paul San Diego St. James

Santo Domingo St. Dominic Santo Tomás St. Thomas

THE RELATIVE PRONOUNS “QUE” AND “QUIEN”

The relative pronoun “que” meaning “thatv” “which,” “who,” or “whom” refers to persons or things. The relative pronoun “quien”

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

53

meaning “who” or “whom” refers to persons only. “Quien” is used in place of “que” to introduce a non-restrictive clause (one not necessary to complete the sentence).

La mujer que llegó es mi madre.

Éste es el libro que él me dió (regaló).

Él dió el libro a María quien lo leyó con mucho gusto.

Él fué al pueblo con mi primo, quien pagó los gastos del viaje.

The woman who arrived is my mother.

This is the book that (which) he gave me.

He gave the book to Mary, who read it with a good deal of pleasure.

He went to town with my cousin, who paid the expenses of the trip.

“Quien” often includes its antecedent, and is translated “he who,” “the one who,” etc.

Quien0 no estudia, no aprende. He who doesn’t study, doesn’t learn. Quienes no tenían dinero, no fueron Those who didn’t have (any) money, al cine. did not go to the picture show.

° “Quien” and “quienes” in the last two examples could be replaced by “el que,” and “los que” respectively.

“Quien” and not “que” relating to persons is used after a preposi¬ tion.

Él hombre con quien fui a la ciudad The man with whom I went to town is es mi tío. my uncle.

¿Para quién es este libro? For whom is this book?

“El que,” “la que,” etc., or “el cual,” “la cual” may be used instead of “que” or “quien” (referring to persons or things) to avoid ambiguity when the relative pronoun is separated from its antecedent.

Esta mañana le di los libros que This morning I gave him the books

compré ayer, los que son muy interesantes.

Vamos a comprar las plumas a Juan, las que son de España.

“Lo que” meaning “that which, relative referring to an idea or fact

No creo lo que él me dijo.

Él prometió estudiar más, lo que agradó mucho a su papá.

which I bought yesterday, which are very interesting.

We are going to buy the pens from John, which are from Spain.

” “what” or “which” is used as a rather than person or thing.

I do not believe what he told me.

He promised to study more, which (which fact) pleased his father very much.

VOCABULARY

nunca — never, ever

jamás — never, ever

siempre — always

unos — some, a few

nadie — no one, nobody

algo — something, anything

nada — nothing, not anything

ninguna cosa — nothing, not anything

alguno (adj. or pron.) — some, any, a few

alguna vea — ever

también — also, too tampoco — neither, either ni . . . ni — neither . . . nor ni — nor

todo el mundo — everybody alguien — somebody, anybody alguna cosa — something, anything todo (adj. or pron.) — all, everything, ninguna (adj. or pron.) — none, not any muchas veces — often

54

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

If a negative word is used after a verb, “no” must precede the verb. This is really a double negative which is not permissible in English. If the negative word comes before the verb, “no” is not required.

Nada tengo. 1 No tengo nada./

No veo a nadie.

No tengo ningún libro.

Ninguno de mis amigos está aquí. Alguien llama.

Nunca estudio. 1 No estudio nunca./

I have nothing, or, I do not have anything.

I do not see anybody.

I do not have a (any) book.

None of my friends are here. Someone is calling.

I never study.

EXERCISE

1. Nunca he trabajado en los Estados Unidos. 2. Él no ha traba¬ jado nunca en México. 3. Tampoco quiero ir: (or) no quiero ir tampoco. 4. ¿Tiene Vd. una pluma? No señor. — ¿y libros? — Tam¬ poco. 5. Él no quiere hacerlo. Ni yo tampoco. 6. ¿Ha regresado Vd. alguna vez a México? 7. ¿Tiene Vd. (any°) dinero? 8. No tengo ni plumas ni lápices. 9. Él siempre llega a tiempo. 10. Todo el mundo necesita dinero. 11. Pagué cien dólares por el carro. 12. Él es un buen hombre pero no cree lo que le dije, i 3. Quien (el que) no tiene pasaporte no puede entrar en México. 14. Nuestra vecina que vive en el campo es rica. 15. El verano pasado visitamos a nuestros abuelos quienes nos dieron algún dinero. 16.. La casa en que vivo es blanca pero no es tan bonita como la que vendí. 17. Dígale al in¬ spector que Vd. quiere visitar a su familia. 18. Venga Vd. a la oficina mañana a las nueve.

EXERCISE

1. Has your wife ever returned to Mexico? 2. No, she was bom here and has always lived in the United States. 3. Do you always work on Sundays? 4. No sir, sometimes I do not work on Sunday. 5. Do you have anything? I don’t have anything. 6. Do you have any friends in the United States? 7. Some of my children live in the United States. 8. None of my friends know that I am here. 9. Everybody knows that it is illegal to come to the United States with¬ out permission. 10. I always go to the office to get a permit. 11. He is a large man, but he is not a great man. 12. I paid him one hundred dollars on the first day of the third month. 13. My uncle is a good man. 14. I gave the money to my cousin who spent it for the car. 15. The man who bought my ranch is here. 16. This is the hat that I bought yesterday. 17. Bring me that book which is on the table. 18. Tell him that you don’t know the man who gave you the money.

°“Any” is generally omitted in a sentence unless emphasis is desired.

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55

Lesson XIX

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

There are two ways of comparing adjectives in English:

Positive Comparative Superlative

slow slower slowest

beautiful more beautiful most beautiful

In Spanish the comparison of adjectives if formed by placing “más” before the positive for the comparative degree, and by placing

the definite superlative.	article	before the	comparative degree to	obtain the
rico	(rich)	más rico	(richer)	el más rico	(richest)
rica	it	más rica		la más rica	u
ricos	it	más ricos	tt	los más ricos	tt
ricas	it	más ricas	a	las más ricas	tt

“Than” is expressed by “que” in the comparative degree, and “of” by “de” in the superlative degree:

Soy más alto que María.

Ella es más rica que Juan.

Estas muchachas son más bonitas que aquéllas.

Este hombre es el más rico del pueblo.

María es la más linda de la clase. La mujer más alta no vino.

La más alta mujer no vino.

I am taller than Mary.

She is richer than John.

These girls are prettier than those.

This man is the richest in town.

Mary is the prettiest of the class. The tallest woman did not come. The tallest woman did not come.

As seen in the last two examples above the word order of the superlative may take either form. The first is the more common. The possessive adjective may take the place of the definite article:

Mi primo más alto está aquí. My tallest cousin is here.

Su amigo más íntimo está malo. His most intimate friend is sick.

In all of the examples on this page “menos” meaning “less” could have replaced “más.” There are four adjectives which are compared irregularly in Spanish:

Positive Comparative Superlative

bueno	(good)	mejor	(better)	el mejor	(best)
malo	(bad)	peor	(worse)	el peor	(worst)
grande	(large)	mayor	(older)	el mayor	(oldest)
pequeño	(small)	menor	(younger)	el menor	(youngest)

“Grande” and “pequeño” are also compared regularly, in which case they have their regular meaning of size. The irregular com¬ parison of “grande” and “pequeño” generally refers to “age.”

Este hombre es mayor que mi hermano, y también es más grande.

Juan es el más pequeño de mis hijos, pero no es el menor.

This man is older than my brother, and also is larger.

John is the smallest (phys.) of my sons, but he is not the youngest.

56

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

Notice the following uses of 1 ‘mayor” and “menor”:

Perdí la mayor parte de mi dinero. I lost the greater part (most) of my

money.

Esta tienda vende al por mayor. This store sells at wholesale.

Aquella tienda vende al por menor. That store sells at retail.

The absolute superlative is formed by adding “isimo, isima, isimos, or isimas” to the adjective. If the adjective ends in a vowel, remove the vowel before attaching these endings. The absolute superlative does not directly compare one thing to another, but merely states “a great amount of,” and can be translated in English by placing “very” before the adjective.

Adjective	Absolute superlative	English
linda	lindísima	very pretty
fácil	facilísimo	very easy
rico	riquísimo	very rich
mucho	muchísimo	very much
muchas	muchísimas	very many

The same idea can be expressed by using the adverb “muy” in front of the adjective; however, the absolute superlative is stronger. “Muy” cannot be properly used before “mucho, a,” or “muchos, as.”

María es lindísima.

María es mny linda.

Muchísimas gracias.

Hay muchísimas faltas en el ejerci¬ cio.

Esta sopa es muy rica.

Mary is very (extremely) pretty. Mary is very pretty.

Many, many thanks.

There are many errors in the exer¬ cise.

This soup is very rich.

COMPARISON OF EQUALITY

In making comparisons of equality in Spanish, the English words “as,” “as much,” and “as many” are replaced by the Spanish words “tan,” “tanto, a,” “tantos, as” respectively. The second word “as” translated into Spanish by “como” is invariable.

tan .		as .
tanto, a . . .		as much . . .
tantos, as . .		as many . . . .

In the first case in the foregoing examples the comparison is of an adjective and the word “tan” is an adverb and is invariable. In the second and third cases above the comparisons are of amount and number of nouns, and the word stating the amount or number is an adjective and as such is variable as an adjective and agrees in number and gender with the word modified.

María es tan alta como él.

Este libro es tan grande como el suyo.

Juan tiene tanto dinero como Eduardo.

Mary is as tall as he.

This book is as large as yours.

John has as much money as Edward.

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

57

Hay tanta tinta en este tintero como en aquél.

José tiene tantos libros como Ana. Él ha escrito tantas cartas como Yd.

There is as much ink in this inkwell as in that (one).

Joseph has as many books as Anna. He has written as many letters as you.

Sino. The connective “sino” meaning “but” is used instead of “pero” in an affirmative statement in which the verb is omitted following a negative statement.

No voy al teatro sino a la iglesia.

Él no es americano sino español, but: No tengo libros pero tengo plumas.

Only. The English word “only” ways in Spanish.

No leo sino libros ingleses.

No tengo sino cuatro pesos.

Tengo sólo cuatro pesos.

Tengo cuatro pesos no más.

No tengo más que cuatro pesos.

I am not going to the theater but to church.

He is not an American but a Spaniard.

I do not have any books, but I have some pens.

is expressed in several different

I read only English books.

I have only four dollars.

I have only four dollars.

I have only four dollars.

(I have four dollars no more.)

I have only four dollars.

(no more than four dollars.)

but: Tengo más de cuatro pesos. Tengo menos de cuatro pesos.

I have more than four dollars. I have less than four dollars.

VOCABULARY

tan — as

tanto — as much, so much tanta — as much, so much tantos — as many tantas — as many íntimo — intimate sólo — only sino — but

más . . . que — more . . . than el pie — foot

a casa — to home (motion) en casa — at home (location) el vecino — neighbor el metal — metal duro — hard durante — during voluntariamente — voluntarily

el cine — picture show

el huevo — egg

el blanquillo — egg

los muebles — the furniture

sucio — dirty

limpio — clean

el pais — country

el pulgar — thumb

la pulgada — inch

el dedo — finger

la cárcel — jail

el minero — miner

la mina — mine

mina de oro — gold mine

aunque — although

acompañar — to accompany

el ferrocarril — railroad

contento — contented

EXERCISE

1. Él tiene tantos niños como su amigo de Vd. 2. ¿Cuántos huevos (blanquillos) les vendieron sus abuelos a los mineros el año pasado?

513351 O 43 5

58

A PRACTICA!» SPANISH GRAMMAR

3. Él no ha recibido tantas cartas de su esposa esta semana como la semana pasada. 4. ¿Cuándo salieron sus padres de México y cuántos muebles trajeron de allí? 5. No sé que trajeron porque yo no vine de aquel país con ellos. 6. ¿Gana Vd. tanto dinero en los Estados Unidos como ganaba en Méjico antes de venir aquí? 7. ¿Cuánto tiempo pasó Vd. en la cárcel el año pasado? 8. Yo me quedé allí tres semanas y entonces me dieron permiso para volver a casa. 9. Su amigo no es tan rico como él pero está más contento. 10. ¿Cuánto oro sacó el minero de su mina durante el mes pasado? 11. Él me dijo que no había sacado tanto oro como el año pasado pero recibió más dinero por el oro porque el precio había subido. 12. Él me dijo que la mina era la mejor del Estado de Chihuahua pero que estaba muy lejos del ferrocarril. 13. El metal de oro no es muy duro pero vale mucho y pesa mucho. 14. Mi hermano mayor no ha visi¬ tado aquí desde el año mil novecientos treinta y cinco. 15. Yo no puedo pagarle (a Yd.) el dinero porque no tengo más que dos pesos y tengo que pagarle al médico. 16. ¿Quiere Yd. acompañarme al cine esta noche? Muchísimas gracias, señor, pero no puedo porque mi mamá está mala y tengo que quedarme en casa. 17. ¿Es buena la sopa? Sí, señor, es riquísima, pero está tan caliente que no puedo tomarla todavía. 18. El papá de María tiene una tienda y compra al por mayor y vende al por menor.

EXERCISE

1. Did you stay as long in Denver this year as last year? 2. No I did not have as much money and returned home after two weeks. 3. Mr. Jones is the richest man in our town, but he is sick. 4. He lives in the tallest building on Tenth Avenue. 5. John does not earn more than five dollars a week, but he has more money in the bank than his brother because he does not spend as much. 6. He did not go to Colorado as the doctor told him, but to California because he had relatives there. 7. He paid more than five pesos for his hat although it is old. 8. I did not earn as much money last year as my brother, but he worked three months more than I. 9. I used to work ten hours every day when I lived in Mexico. 10. Mary is the pret¬ tiest girl in this town, but she does not have as many friends as Jane. 11. My grandparents did not bring many things from Mexico on account of (a causa de) the war. 12. My neighbors have worked very hard this year and have earned a great deal of (mucho) money.

13. I did not pay the smuggler until we arrived on this side of the line.

14. Texas is larger than the State of New York, but there are more people in New York than in Texas. 15. The smuggler told me that he had been arrested many times in Mexico, but that this was the first time that he had been arrested in the United States.

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Lesson XX

THE NUMBERS

Cardinal numbers

cero	0	cincuenta	50
uno, a	1	cincuenta y uno	51
dos	2	cincuenta y dos	52
tres	3	sesenta	60
cuatro	4	sesenta y uno	61
cinco	5	sesenta y dos	62
seis	6	setenta	70
siete	7	setenta y uno	71
ocho	8	setenta y dos	72
nueve	9	ochenta	80
diez	10	ochenta y uno	81
once	11	ochenta y dos	82
doce	12	noventa	90
trece	13	noventa y uno	91
catorce	14	noventa y dos	92
quince	15	ciento (cien)	100
diez y seis	16	ciento (y) uno	101
diez y siete	17	ciento (y) dos	102
diez y ocho	18	doscientos, as	200
diez y nueve	19	trescientos, as	300
veinte	20	cuatrocientos, as	400
veinte y uno	21	quinientos, as	500
veinte y dos	22	seiscientos, as	600
veinte y tres	23	setecientos, as	700
treinta	30	ochocientos, as	800
treinta y uno	31	novecientos, as	900
treinta y dos	32	mil	1,000
cuarenta	40	dos mil	2,000
cuarenta y uno	41	tres mil	3,000
cuarenta y dos	42	un millón	1,000,000

The cardinal numbers, except “uno” and “ciento,” are invariable. These two numbers agree with the noun which they modify in gender and number. “Ciento” used alone before a masculine or feminine noun drops the final syllable (to) and becomes “cien.” “Uno” drops the “o” when used before a masculine noun.

treinta libros treinta plumas un libro una pluma doscientos libros doscientas plumas ciento (y; un libros ciento (y) una plumas doscientos y un libros doscientos y una plumas cien libros cien plumas

thirty books thirty pens one book one pen

two hundred books two hundred pens one hundred and one books one hundred and one pens two hundred and one books two hundred and one pens one hundred books one hundred pens

.a .a

60

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

Starting with sixteen the compound numbers through twenty-nine which “y” is used may be written as one word with a slight change spelling:

diez y seis diez y siete veinte y uno veinte y dos

dieciséis

diecisiete

veintiuno

veintidós

“Uno” is not used before “ciento” or “mil” unless needed to prevent ambiguity.

mil ciento ochenta y cinco mil novecientos cuarenta but: seiscientos un mil ciento

1, 185 1, 940 601, 100

In forming the compound numbers the same word order is used in Spanish as in English. If thelast number in a series is less than ten,

“y” is used before the last number; otherwise “y” is not used. Some authorities do not use the conjunction “y” between hundreds and numbers under ten.

ciento diez	110
doscientos (y) dos	202
ciento cuarenta	140

Counting above one thousand is not done by hundreds as is some¬ times done in English.

mil ochocientos treinta eighteen hundred and thirty mil quinientos catorce fifteen hundred and fourteen

In Spanish the word “millón” is a noun and is followed by the preposition “de” before the object enumerated.

dos millones de pesos two million pesos

un millón de mujeres one million women

Ordinal numbers

primero	1st
segundo	2nd
tercero	3rd
cuarto	4th
quinto	5th
sexto	6th
séptimo	7th
octavo	8th
noveno	9th
décimo	10th
The ordinal numbers agree with the word they modify in gender and number. They are seldom used above tenth. “Primero” and “tercero” drop the “o” when used before a masculine singular noun.
la primera casa	the first house
el tercer hombre	the third man
la tercera calle	the third street
el tercer camino	the third road
la calle trece	thirteenth street
la quinta página	the fifth page

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la página quince los primeros libros las primeras mujeres Carlos sexto Carlos catorce

The cardinal numbers are used first.

page fifteen the first books the first women Charles the Sixth Charles the Fourteenth

h days of the month except the

El sábado es el primero de mayo. Nací el dos de mayo.

El dieciséis de septiembre es día de fiesta.

Saturday is the first of May.

I was born the second of May.

The sixteenth of September is a holiday.

VOCABULARY

el número — the number el cumpleaños — the birthday pensar — to think, intend enterrar — to bury el sendero — the trail permanecer — to remain, stay

nacer — to be born morir — to die el recibo — the receipt sepultar — to bury quedarse — to remain, stay estarse — to be, stay

EXERCISE

1. Mi papá vive en la calle Elm número 225. 2. Perdí el primer

pasaporte que saqué. 3. Nací en México el dos de mayo de mil novecientos diez. 4. Mi hijo mayor nació el dos de enero de mil novecientos quince. 5. Hemos vivido dos años en la calle Oregon. 6. ¿En qué año nació Vd.? 7. Mi hija nació en mil ochocientos noventa y nueve. 8. ¿Es ésta la primera vez que Vd. ha visitado a su tío? 9. Le visité dos veces el año pasado. 10. ¿Cuánto tiempo se quedó (permaneció) en México? 11. Pasé ocho días (una semana) en su casa antes de volver. 12. La primera casa que compré era blanca. 13. El estaba en casa cuando llegué. 14. Cinco y seis son once. 15. El día primero (primer día) de marzo es mi cumpleaños. 16. Pasé más° de catorce días en Juárez.

EXERCISE

1. What is the number of the house in which you live? 2. The street on which I live does not have a name. 3. Does your father make much money? 4. My father earns very little, but my brother makes eighty-five dollars a (al) month. 5. I used to live in El Paso, but now I live one hundred miles from El Paso. 6. If you have so much money, why don’t you buy a home? 7. I do not intend to stay here more than five days. 8. I paid eight dollars for this receipt. 9. The immigration visa cost me ten dollars. 10. A boy in Juarez sold me this permit. 11. His mother died in 1936. 12. My father

died in 1934 and was buried in Sonora. 13. This is the first day that I

°“Than” before a number is “de” instead of “que.”

62

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

have worked here. 14. Do you intend to stay more than ten days in Mexico? 15. I lived ten years in Mexico before coming to the United States.

Lesson XXI

THE FUTURE TENSE

The future tense of regular verbs is formed by adding the following endings to the whole infinitive for all three conjugations:

é, ás, á, emos, éis, án Hablar

hablaré I will or shall speak

hablarás You will or shall speak

hablará He will or shall speak

hablará She will or shall speak

hablará You will or shall speak

We will or shall speak You will or shall speak They will or shall speak They will or shall speak You will or shall speak

hablaremos

hablaréis

hablarán

hablarán

hablarán

Comer

comeré	comeremos
comerás	comeréis
comerá	comerán
Haber — habré	habrás	habrá
Tener — tendré	tendrás	tendrá
Salir — saldré	saldrás	saldrá
Venir — vendré	vendrás	vendrá
Poder — podré	podrás	podrá
Hacer — haré	harás	hará
Decir — diré	dirás	dirá

Vivir

yiviré viviremos

vivirás viviréis

vivirá vivirán

habremos	habréis	habrán
tendremos	tendréis	tendrán
saldremos	saldréis	saldrán
vendremos	vendréis	vendrán
podremos	podréis	podrán
haremos	haréis	harán
diremos	diréis	dirán

(For other irregular verbs see chart in back of book.)

FUTURE PERFECT

The future perfect is formed by placing the future indicative tense of the verb “haber” before the past participle of the main verb.

habré hablado habrás hablado habrá hablado habrá hablado habrá hablado

Hablar

I shall or will have spoken You shall or will have spoken He shall or will have spoken She shall or will have spoken You shall or will have spoken

habremos hablado habréis hablado habrán hablado habrán hablado habrán hablado

We shall or will have spoken You shall or will have spoken They shall or will have spoken They shall or will have spoken You shall or will have spoken

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63

Tn addition to its regular use to express future time, the future tense may be used instead of the present indicative and the future perfect instead of the present perfect indicative to express probability or

conjecture.

Juan no está aquí; estará malo.

Él gasta mucho dinero; será rico.

Ella no tiene dinero ahora; se lo habrá dado a su hija.

John is not here; he is probably sick.

He spends much money; he must be (is probably) rich.

She doesn’t have any money now; she has probably given it to her daughter.

“Habrá” is used impersonally meaning “there will be” or “there shall be.”

Creo que habrá mucha gente aquí I think that there will be many mañana. people here tomorrow.

The present indicative tense of the verb “ir” preceding an infinitive is frequently used in Spanish to replace the future tense.

Voy a comer a las doce. Comeré a las doce.

Voy a estudiar esta noche. Estudiaré esta noche.

Voy a arrestarle mañana. Le arrestaré mañana.

I am going to eat at twelve.

I shall eat at twelve.

I am going to study tonight.

I shall study tonight.

I am going to arrest him tomorrow. I shall arrest him tomorrow.

By comparing the above examples, it is readily seen that the English and Spanish usage of the future and the verb “to go” (ir) in the present indicative tense plus an infinitive express about the same idea.

VOCABULARY

plantar — to plant sentarse — to sit down el hacendado — the farmer el vaquero — the cowboy el maíz — the corn la labor — the field el jornalero — the laborer el albañil — the bricklayer

el campo — the field la milpa — the corn field libertar — to free, liberate piscar — to pick la cosecha — the harvest renovar — to renew quedarse — to remain la desidia — laziness, indolence

EXERCISE

1. Yo le daré a él la visa de inmigración. 2. Si le ve Yd. a él, dígale que yo vendré a su casa esta noche. 3. Siéntese Vd. en esta silla; volveré en un minuto. 4. ¿Estará Vd. en casa esta tarde a las seis?

5. No, tengo que ir a la oficina a esa hora pero volveré a las ocho.

6. Voy a Texas donde trabajaré en un rancho. 7. Yo vine al valle para trabajar; un americano me dijo que había mucho trabajo aquí durante la cosecha. 8. Los hacendados han plantado mucho maíz y habrá mucho trabajo. 9. Hay mucho algodón en las labores y quiero

64

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

conseguir trabajo piscando el algodón. 10. Hace seis meses que no tengo trabajo. 11. Fui a México, en 1934 y me quedé allí más de dos años. 12. ¿Por qué no renovó Vd. su pasaporte? 13. Por la desidia no lo renové. 14. Vd. tendrá que ir a la oficina para sacar (conseguir) un permiso de visitante. 15. ¿A dónde irá Vd. después de la cosecha?

EXERCISE

1. Will you see the man tomorrow? 2. I will not see him tomorrow, but he will be here day after tomorrow. 3. At what time do you intend to leave? 4. I will leave at 7:30 A. M. 5. Will you tell him that I need some cowboys on my ranch? 6. If you have time, come back (return) this afternoon at six o’clock, and I will give you the paper. 7. Tell him that you will do it tomorrow. 8. Why don’t you go to the office to talk to the inspector? 9. He will pay you to¬ morrow. 10. I will tell you everything that (todo lo que) he told me. 11. I have not seen them today, but I will see them in the morning. 12. When do you intend to return to Colorado? 13. Go to the man’s house and tell him that I will be there at eight o’clock. 14. Do you know the name of the man who came with you? 15. I do not know his name, but he was very tall.

Lesson XXII

The Conditional Tense

The conditional indicative tense (generally translated by would or should) is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive for all three conjugations:

ia, ias, ia, iamos, iais, ian

	Ir
iría	I would or should go
irías	You would or should go
iría	He would or should go
iría	She would or should go
iría	You would or should go
iríamos	We would or should go
iríais	You would or should go
irían	They would or should go
irían	They would or should go
irían	You would or should go

Dar — daría darías daría daríamos daríais darían.

Ver — vería verías vería veríamos veríais verían.

The endings for the conditional tense are always regular. The stem of verbs irregular in the conditional tense is the same as the stem of the future tense.

Haber — habré habrás habrá habremos habréis habrán.

Haber habría habrías habría habríamos habríais habrían.

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65

The conditional is sometimes used instead of the imperfect, and the conditional perfect instead of the pluperfect to express probability.

¿A qué hora llegó Yd.? At what time did you arrive?

Serían las dos. It was probably (about) two

o’clock.

La mujer habría estado mala. The woman had probably been

sick.

Juan no vino a la escuela ayer; John did not come to school estaría enfermo. yesterday; he was probably

(must have been) ill.

THE CONDITIONAL PERFECT

The conditional perfect is formed by placing the conditional tense of the verb “ ‘haber’ ’ before the past participle of the main verb.

It

I would or should have gone You would or should have gone He would or should have gone She would or should have gone You would or should have gone

We would or should have gone You would or should have gone They would or should have gone They would or should have gone You would or should have gone

VOCABULARY

el empleo — the employment el cónsul — the consul el correo — the mail el correo — the post office casa de correos — post office la pistola — the pistol el revólver — the revolver platicar — to chat, talk posible — possible imposible — impossible lo más pronto posible — as soon as possible

creer — to believe

EXERCISE

1. ¿Qué querría Vd. hacer? Yo querría obtener permiso para visitar a mi hijo. 2. Él me dijo que iría mañana. 3. Le dije que volvería voluntariamente a México. 4. ¿Qué haría Yd. para aprender el español lo más pronto posible? 5. Yo leería muchos libros y entonces hablaría con la gente de habla española. 6. Yo viajaría por México y visitaría a mis amigos españoles. 7. ¿A qué hora cruzó Vd.

habría ido habrías ido habría ido habría ido habría ido

habríamos ido habríais ido habrían ido habrían ido habrían ido

viajar — to travel dar empleo — to hire ocupar — to hire desocupar — to fire emplear — to employ obtener — to obtain prometer — to promise desde — from, since pararse — to stop hasta — until entonces — then a! fin — at last al fin de — at the end of luego — then

66

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

la línea? Serían las once de la noche. 8. Ella me dijo que no ven¬ dría a los Estados Unidos sin su familia. 9. Él me escribió que no volvería a su trabajo basta el once de mayo. 10. Vd. me prometió que le pagaría a él al fin del mes. 11. Él se paró pero no me diría a donde iba. 12. El hombre me dió trabajo (empleo) en su rancho cerca de Sante Fe pero no me pagaría; por eso salí para El Paso. 13. Creo que Vd. podrá conseguir trabajo en los ranchos porque hay mucho algodón en las labores. 14. Dígame lo que estaba haciendo (hacia) Vd. ayer cuando llegamos a su casa. 15. ¿Entonces qué le dijo él a Vd.? Él me dijo que volvería a las seis de la tarde para pagarme.

EXERCISE

1. He told me that be would return to this office at six o’clock. 2. Why didn’t you go to the office this morning to get a permit? 3. I did not go because the inspector told me that be would not be there. 4. I saw him and would have given him the money, but be did not stop. 5. Why didn’t you tell me that before? 6. I did not think that you would believe me. 7. Nobody is at home; everybody has gone to town. 8. Didn’t you answer the letter which you received from your wife? 9. Yes, I answered it, but I didn’t tell her where I was living. 10. I forgot to renew my passport. 11. Tell me what happened after the man arrived in the green car. 12. The man told us that he would take us to Amarillo for twenty dollars. 13. Did you pay him the money then? 14. No, we told him that we would pay him ten dollars then and ten dollars more after we arrived in Amarillo. 15. Did you think that you would be able to get work in the United States?

Lesson XXIII

THE REFLEXIVE

The verb is said to be reflexive when the subject and object are the same; that is, the subject does something to, or acts upon itself. Many verbs that are not reflexive in English are so treated in Spanish. The reflexive pronouns follow the same rule for their location as do the direct and indirect object pronouns (page _44). In the infinitive form for vocabulary and dictionary research the reflexive veib is written with the third person reflexive pronoun attached :

Levantarse Yo me levanto. Tú te levantas. Él se levanta. Ella se levanta. Vd. se levanta.

Present indicative of —

To get oneself up I get (myself)- up.

You get (yourself) up. He gets (himself) up. She gets (herself) up. You get (yourself) up.

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Nosotros (as) nos levantamos. Vosotros (as) os levantáis. Ellos se levantan.

Ellas se levantan.

Vds. se levantan.

We get (ourselves) up.

You get (yourselves) up.

They (m) get (themselves) up. They (f) get (themselves) up. You get (yourselves) up.

Many verbs may be reflexive or not, according to whether the subject acts upon itself (reflexive) or upon something else (not reflexive).

Me lavo las manos. I wash my hands, (reflexive.)

Mi mamá me lava. My mother washes me. (not re¬

flexive.)

Él se levantó temprano ayer.

Su mamá le levantó temprano ayer.

He got up early yesterday, (re¬ flexive.)

His mother got him up early yesterday, (not reflexive.)

mi — myself ti — yourself si — himself si — herself si — yourself

The reflexive pronouns after prepositions

nosotros, as — ourselves

vosotros, as — yourselves si — themselves si — themselves si — yourselves

Ella piensa siempre en sí.

Él no habla nunca de sí.

No estamos pensando en nosotros.

The above may be intensified by

Ella piensa siempre en sí misma.

Él no habla nunca de sí mismo.

No estamos pensando en nosotros mismos.

María misma me dijo.

Yo mismo se lo di a él.

The preposition “con” and the into “consigo.”

¿Tiene Vd. su pasaporte consigo?

Nunca lo tiene consigo.

She is always thinking of herself.

He never speaks about himself.

We are not thinking about our¬ selves.

the use of “mismo, a, os, as.”

She is always thinking of herself.

He never speaks about himself.

We are not thinking about our¬ selves.

Mary herself told me.

I myself gave it to him.

reflexive pronoun “si” combine

Do you have your passport with you? (yourself)

He never has it with him.

THE PASSIVE VOICE

There are two voices in Spanish as in English: The active voice in which the subject does the acting, and the passive voice in which the subject is acted upon by an agent.

The passive voice is formed in Spanish with the verb “ser” plus the past participle. The past participle in the Spanish passive agrees in number and gender with the subject of the verb. The agent is

68

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

introduced by the preposition “por “de” if the action is mental.

El niño es amado de su mamá.

Los niños son amados de sus padres.

El hombre fué° arrestado por el policía.

La muchacha fué castigada por su madre.

América fué descubierta por Colón.

La casa fué vendida ayer.

° Id the passive voice in Spanish the verb past time.

” if the action is physical, and by

The child is loved by his mother.

The children are loved by their parents.

The man was arrested by the po¬ liceman.

The girl was punished t v her mother.

America was discovered by Co¬ lumbus.

The house was sold yesterday.

“ser” is in the preterite tense in

It is not always necessary to express the agent as shown in the last example above.

The Reflexive Substitute for the Passive Voice

In Spanish things and objects are considered as capable of acting upon themselves, and the reflexive construction often replaces the

English passive voice:

Aquí se habla español.

Se venden libros en esta tienda.

¿Cómo se dice eso en español?

En esta tienda se venden vestidos caros.

En esta tienda se venden vestidos caros a los ricos.

En esta tienda se les venden ves¬ tidos caros.

Spanish is spoken here.

(Here Spanish speaks itself.)

Books are sold in this store.

(Books sell themselves in this store.)

How do you say that in Spanish?

(How is that said in Spanish?)

In this store expensive clothes are sold.

In this store expensive clothes are sold to the rich.

In this store expensive clothes are sold to them.

In the sentences just given the reflexive substitute is used instead of the passive voice. In the fourth sentence there is no indirect object expressed (to whom the clothes are sold). In the fifth sentence the indirect object is expressed by the noun “ricos,” and in the sixth sentence the indirect object is replaced by the indirect object pronoun “les.”

Se me olvidó el libro.

Se le perdió su pasaporte. Se le prometió empleo.

Se me dio un sombrero.

Se les envían periódicos. Se me olvidaron las cartas.

I forgot my book. (My book for¬ got itself to me.)

He lost his passport.

He was promised employment.

A hat was given to me.

Newspapers are sent to them.

I forgot the letters.

In the above examples the subject and verb agree with each other, and the reflexive “se” precedes all other object pronouns.

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69

Olvidé mi pasaporte. I forgot my passport.

Se me olvidó el pasaporte. I forgot my passport.

Me olvidé el pasaporte. I forgot my passport.

The last three sentences show different ways of saying the same thing.

VOCABULARY

llamarse — to be named, to call (oneself) vestirse — to dress (oneself)

sentarse — to seat oneself levantarse — to get up lavarse — to wash (oneself) acordarse de — to remember

ponerse — to put on (oneself) quitarse — to take off quedarse — to remain, stay pararse — to stop pasearse — to take a walk

EXERCISE

1. ¿A qué hora se levantó Vd. esta mañana? 2. Me levanté a las seis esta mañana, pero estoy acostumbrado a levantarme poco más tarde. 3. ¿Cuánto tiempo se quedó Juan en Juárez antes de entrar en los Estados Unidos?, 4. No me acuerdo de la fecha pero creo que él llegó allí el cinco del mes pasado. 5. Cuando entré en la casa anoche me quité el sombrero, me lavé la cara y las manos, y me senté a la mesa para comer. 6. María me dijo que ella no se lavó las manos porque no tenía tiempo. 7. ¿Cuántas veces se pararon Vds. en camino de Juárez a Las Vegas, y cuánto tiempo se quedaron en cada lugar? 8. Nos paramos cinco veces, pero no me acuerdo (de) que tanto tiempo nos quedamos en los varios (diferentes) lugares. 9. ¿Sabe Vd. cómo se llama el contrabandista que (quien) le pasó a Vd. de contrabando a los Estados Unidos? 10. Enrique estaba lavándose cuando María le llamó por teléfono. 11. Yo estaba paseándome cuando me arres¬ taron los oficiales. 12. Se dice que él fué muerto por el ladrón. 13. La muchacha es amada de su mamá porque es una muchacha buena. 14. Aquí se vende la ropa al por mayor. 15. Él se puso el sombrero, subió a su carro, y fué a casa donde fué arrestado por el policía. 16. En este edificio se rentan cuartos y apartamientos a los pobres. 17. El padre es temido de su hijo porque el padre es un mal hombre. 18. Se me olvidaron los zapatos y tuve que comprar otro par. 19. El camino fué pavimentado por esa compañía en el año mil novecientos treinta. 20. Se le quitó el pasaporte local y fué deportado por Nogales el dos de enero cuando él empezó a trabajar en un garaje.

EXERCISE

1. What time did you go to bed last night? 2. It was about eleven thirty when I went to bed. 3. How long will it take you to dress yourself? (how long will you need in order to dress yourself?) 4. I put my hat on the table, but it is not there now. 5. How long did

70

A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

you stay in El Paso last year? 6. I remained here about four weeks before going to Tucson. 7. It was about eight o’clock when John left the bouse this morning. 8. I could not find my bat this morning although I knew that I bad put it on the table last night. 9. Mary put on her coat and went to town. 10. I got up very early yesterday morning. 11. How long did you stay in that hotel before leaving for the United States? 12. He sat down beside me and began (empezó a) to talk to me about the war. 13. He washed bis bands before going to the table. 14. The child’s mother washes him every morning at nine o’clock. 15. Her mother got her up very early this morning. 16. He was killed by a freight when be tried to get off of it. (bajarse de él) 17. The two men took off their shoes and crawled like a cat through the brush until they reached the bank of the creek. 18. He was not arrested because be bad a visitor’s permit issued by the immigration office in El Paso, which did not expire until the fourth of May. 19. We were told (se nos dijeron) that there was plenty of work in the valley. 20. Many books are sold in this store.

Lesson XXIV

RADICAL CHANGING VERBS

There are tbree classes of radical changing verbs. The root vowe* (the vowel of the syllable coming immediately before the infinitive ending) makes certain changes.

Radical changing verbs of the first classification include verbs of the first (ar) conjugation and the second (er) conjugation. The root vowel “o” changes to “ue” and “e” changes to “ie” when the stress falls on that syllable. This change takes place in nine places: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd persons singular, and 3rd person plural of the present indicative and of the present subjunctive and in the imperative singular.

First Conjugation Second Conjugation

Pensar	Contar	Perder	Volver
Present	Present	Present	Present
indicative	indicative	indicative	indicative
pienso	cuento	pierdo	vuelvo
piensas	cuentas	pierdes	vuelves
piensa	cuenta	pierde	vuelve
pensamos	contamos	perdemos	volvemos
pensáis	contáis	perdéis	volvéis
piensan	cuentan	pierden	vuelven

FOR BORDER PATROL OFFICERS

71

Present	Present	Present	Present
subjunctive	subjunctive	subjunctive	subjunctive
piense	cuente	pierda	vuelva
pienses	cuentes	pierdas	vuelvas
piense	cuente	pierda	vuelva
pensemos	contemos	perdamos	volvamos
penséis	contéis	perdáis	volváis
piensen	cuenten	pierdan	vuelvan
Imperative	Imperative	Imperative	Imperative
piensa	cuenta	pierde	vuelve
pensad	contad	perded	volved

Radical changing verbs of the second classification have verbs of the third (ir) conjugation. The root vowel “o” changes to “ue” and the root vowel “e” changes to “ie” in the same places as do radical changing verbs of the first classification. (Above) Verbs of this clas¬ sification also change the “o” of the stem to “u” and the “e” of the stem to “i” when the terminal endings begin with “ie,” “ió,” or “a.” These changes take place in the first and second persons plural of the present subjunctive, the third persons singular and plural of the preterite indicative, the present participle, and throughout the “ra” and “se” forms of the imperfect subjunctive.

SECOND CLASSIFICATION WITH “o” IN THE STEM (DORMIR)

Present indicative

duermo dormimos duermes dormís duerme duermen

Imperfect subjunctive “ra” form

durmiera durmiéramos durmieras durmierais

durmiera durmieran

Imperative

duerme dormid

Preterite indicative

dormí dormimos dormiste dormisteis durmió durmieron

Imperfect subjunctive “se” form

durmiese durmiésemos

durmieses durmieseis

durmiese durmiesen

Present participle

durmiendo

Present subjunctive

duerma durmamos duermas durmáis duerma duerman

Present indicative

siento sentimos

sientes sentís

siente sienten

Imperfect subjunctive “ra” form

sintiera sintiéramos sintieras sintierais

sfntiera sintieran

“e” in stem (sentir)

Preterite indicative

sentí sentimos

sentiste sentisteis

sintió sintieron

Imperfect subjunctive “se” form

sintiese sintiésemos

sintieses sintieseis

sintiese sintiesen

SECOND CLASSIFICATION WITH

Present subjunctive

sienta sintamos

sientas sintáis

sienta sientan

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A PRACTICAL SPANISH GRAMMAR

Imperative Present participle

siente sentid sintiendo

Radical changing verbs of the third classification have only verbs of the third (ir) conjugation, and in the root or stem the vowel is “e.” This classification differs from the second classification in that the root vowel “e” changes to “i” when the stress is on the stem of th( verb. When the terminal endings begin with “ie,” “ió,” or “a,” the stem of the verb changes “e” to “i” in the same manner as do radical changing verbs of the second classification.

RADICAL CHANGING VERB OF THE THIRD CLASSIFICATION (PEDIR)

Present indicative

pido pides pide

Imperfect subjunctive “ra” form

pidiera pidiéramos

pidieras pidierais

pidiera pidieran

Imperative

pide pedid

Preterite indicative

pedí pedimos

pediste pedisteis

pidió pidieron

Imperfect subjunctive “ se ” form

pidiese pidiésemos pidieses pidieseis pidiese pidiesen

Present participle

pidiendo

pedimos

pedís

piden

Present subjunctive

pida pidamos

pidas