Your Essential Guide to Spanish Grammar: Starting from Scratch
Start learning Spanish grammar effortlessly!
Spanish grammar basics for beginners can be summarized as follows:
- Spanish nouns have gender and are either masculine or feminine. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine and those ending in -a are feminine, though there are exceptions. Articles (el, la for “the”; un, una for “a”) must match the noun’s gender and number.
- Adjectives usually come after nouns and must agree with the noun in both gender and number. For example, “una casa hermosa” (a beautiful house) and “perros hermosos” (beautiful dogs).
- Verbs are divided into three main conjugation groups based on their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. Verb conjugation changes according to the subject and tense.
- Subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, etc.) can often be omitted because the verb’s conjugation itself indicates who is performing the action.
- Basic sentence structure follows Subject + Verb + Complement, similar to English, but Spanish allows more flexibility due to verb conjugation clarity.
- Spanish uses different verb moods such as indicative (statements/facts), subjunctive (desires/possibilities), and imperative (commands), which affect verb forms.
- Pronouns usually precede the verb, except with infinitive, gerund, or imperative forms where they follow.
This foundation includes essential rules about noun gender and articles, adjective placement and agreement, subject pronouns, verb conjugation by type and tense, and sentence order—providing a solid start for beginners learning Spanish grammar.