Spanish Language: Nouns and Adjectives

• Spanish, a Romance language, originated in Europe's Iberian Peninsula.
• It belongs to the Indo-European language family.
• Spanish is widely spoken across the Americas, Spain, and other global regions.
• Also known as Castilian, it is Spain's official language.

Vocabulary

• Spanish vocabulary is mainly derived from Latin.
• Arabic influenced it during the Moorish rule in Spain.
• Influences from other languages exist too.

Nouns

• Spanish nouns possess gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
• A noun's gender impacts its accompanying articles and adjectives.
• Masculine nouns often end in "-o," while feminine nouns often end in "-a."
• Plural nouns typically add "-s" to vowel-ending nouns.
• Consonant-ending nouns usually require "-es" for pluralization.

Adjectives

• Spanish adjectives match the gender and number of the nouns they modify.
• Most adjectives have both masculine and feminine forms.
• Adjectives are generally placed after the noun, with some exceptions.
• Adjectives ending in "-e" or a consonant usually have the same form for both genders.

Verbs

• Spanish verbs undergo conjugation based on tense, mood, and subject.
• The three main categories include "-ar," "-er," and "-ir."
• Regular verbs adhere to predictable conjugation patterns.
• Irregular verbs have to be memorized, due to unique conjugations.
• Common tenses are present, past (preterite and imperfect), future, and conditional.

Common vocabulary topics

• Greetings: Hola (Hello), Buenos días (Good morning), Buenas tardes (Good afternoon), Buenas noches (Good evening/night).
• Basic phrases: Por favor (Please), Gracias (Thank you), De nada (You're welcome), Sí (Yes), No (No).
• Numbers: Uno (One), Dos (Two), Tres (Three), Cuatro (Four), Cinco (Five), etc.
• Days of the week: Lunes (Monday), Martes (Tuesday), Miércoles (Wednesday), Jueves (Thursday), Viernes (Friday), Sábado (Saturday), Domingo (Sunday).
• 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).
• Food: Agua (Water), Pan (Bread), Carne (Meat), Pescado (Fish), Fruta (Fruit), Verduras (Vegetables).
• Family: Madre (Mother), Padre (Father), Hermano (Brother), Hermana (Sister), Hijo (Son), Hija (Daughter).

Grammar

• Spanish grammar encompasses articles, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
• The general word order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), but it offers greater flexibility compared to English.
• Grammatical gender plays a significant role, influencing agreement between nouns, articles, and adjectives.

Articles

• Definite articles: "el" (masculine singular), "la" (feminine singular), "los" (masculine plural), "las" (feminine plural).
• Indefinite articles: "un" (masculine singular), "una" (feminine singular), "unos" (masculine plural), "unas" (feminine plural).
• Articles must align in gender and number with the nouns they modify.

Pronouns

• Subject pronouns: Yo (I), Tú (You, informal), Él (He), Ella (She), Usted (You, formal), Nosotros (We, masculine/mixed), Nosotras (We, feminine), Vosotros (You all, informal masculine/mixed), Vosotras (You all, informal feminine), Ellos (They, masculine/mixed), Ellas (They, feminine), Ustedes (You all, formal).
• Object pronouns: Me (Me), Te (You, informal), Lo (Him/it, masculine), La (Her/it, feminine), Nos (Us), Os (You all, informal), Los (Them, masculine/mixed), Las (Them, feminine).
• Reflexive pronouns: Me, Te, Se, Nos, Os, Se.
• Possessive pronouns: Mío (Mine), Tuyo (Yours, informal), Suyo (His/hers/its/yours formal), Nuestro (Ours), Vuestro (Yours all, informal), Suyo (Theirs/yours all formal).
• Demonstrative pronouns: Este (This), Ese (That), Aquel (That over there).

Verb conjugation

• Regular "-ar" verbs: Hablar (To speak): Hablo, Hablas, Habla, Hablamos, Habláis, Hablan.
• Regular "-er" verbs: Comer (To eat): Como, Comes, Come, Comemos, Coméis, Comen.
• Regular "-ir" verbs: Vivir (To live): Vivo, Vives, Vive, Vivimos, Vivís, Viven.

Ser vs. Estar

• "Ser" indicates permanent or intrinsic characteristics, origin, identity, and time.
• "Estar" indicates temporary states, emotions, locations, and conditions.
• "Soy estudiante" (I am a student - permanent) is an example of using "Ser".
• "Estoy cansado" (I am tired - temporary state) is an example of using "Estar".

Preterite vs. Imperfect

• Preterite is used for completed actions in the past.
• Imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, descriptions, and background information.
• "Comí pizza" (I ate pizza - completed action) is an example of using the Preterite.
• "Comía pizza todos los días" (I used to eat pizza every day - habitual action) is an example of using the Imperfect.

Subjunctive mood

• The subjunctive mood conveys doubt, wishes, emotions, and uncertainty.
• It often appears in subordinate clauses following expressions like "es importante que," and "quiero que."
• "Es importante que estudies" (It's important that you study) showcases the subjunctive mood.

Sentence structure

• The fundamental structure is Subject + Verb + Object.
• Questions can be formed by inverting the subject and verb.
• Adding question marks to a statement can also form a question.
• "¿Hablas español?" (Do you speak Spanish?) illustrates a question formation.
• "No" is placed before the verb to negate a sentence.
• "No hablo español" (I don't speak Spanish) is an example of negation.