Practice makes perfect advanced spanish grammar pdf

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The editors will have a look at it as soon as possible. Delete template? Cancel Delete. Cancel Overwrite Save. Don't wait! Try Yumpu. Start using Yumpu now! To fully understand how to speak Spanish effectively you must move beyond the fundamental principles of grammar and tackle more sophisticated sentence constructions. Instead of just applying sets of rules, Practice Makes Perfect: Advanced Spanish Grammar helps you better understand the nuances of the language and develop your skills and confidence as a Spanish speaker by providing easy-to-absorb explanatory materials, examples, and exercises.

Inside you will find: Thorough explanations of topics that often prove difficult for English speakers when they learn Spanish, such as the correct use of object pronouns. From present tense regular verbs to double object pronouns, this comprehensive guide and workbook covers all those aspects of Spanish grammar that you might find a little intimidating or hard to remember.

Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar focuses on the practical aspects of Spanish as it's really spoken, so you are not bogged down by unnecessary technicalities. Each unit features crystal-clear explanations, numerous realistic examples, and dozens of engaging exercises in a variety of formats--including multiple choice, fill-in sentences and passages, sentence rewrites, and creative writing--perfect for whatever your learning style.

Whenever possible, explanations include comparisons you to understand the basic logic behind the rules and to remember correct usage. This new edition includes: Time-saving vocabulary panels that eliminate having to look words up Advice on how to avoid common mistakes A detailed answer key for quick, easy progress checks Supporting audio recordings, flashcards, and auto-fill glossary available online and via app.

Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate Spanish Grammar, Second Edition helps you take your grammar skills to a higher level and gives you the confidence to speak and write in your new language. Building on the skills you have already learned, the book reinforces your understanding and usage of grammar topics such tenses and moods. Focusing on the practical aspects of communicating in Spanish, each grammar point is clearly explained with the help of realistic examples.

He has a lot of games in his computer. There were some problems when the strike started. I see you have no beer in your glass. Something strange is happening. Some people think that there are aliens in the government. Somehow they succeeded in seeing the president. There must be somebody in there. Spanish adjectives are usually placed after nouns: Es un auto caro. Ella es una chica muy guapa. He is a tall boy. She is a very beautiful girl.

The masculine plural form of the adjective can refer to males and females or masculine and feminine nouns together. The feminine plural form can refer only to females or feminine nouns: Marta y Ana son muy guapas. Marta y Pedro son muy altos. Marta and Ana are very beautiful. Marta and Pedro are very tall. Ellos son los peores. He is an Iranian.

They are Iranians. You are the best. They are the worst. Adjectives ending in -e have no specific feminine form either. To form the plural, add -s: Juan es muy inteligente. Elena es muy impaciente. Ellas son muy inteligentes. Juan is very intelligent. Elena is very impatient. They are very intelligent. Esa mujer es inglesa. Tengo un caballo andaluz. Tengo una casa andaluza. That man is English.

That woman is English. I have an Andalusian horse. I have an Andalusian house. There are a few adjectives that can be put before nouns as in English , but there is usually a difference in meaning when they precede a noun rather than following it. Grande becomes gran in the singular when it precedes a noun: Antonio es un hombre grande. Antonio es un gran hombre. Antonio is a big man. Antonio is a great man. London is a great city.

In talking about situations, there is usually no difference in meaning. Un gran problema evokes the same idea as Un problema grande. Un problema muy grande is a common construction, but Un muy gran problema is highly unusual. Un mal tipo A bad guy gives the same information as Un tipo malo.

The same is true of bueno. Un buen hombre is the same as Un hombre bueno A good man. Ella tiene una casa vieja. He is an old friend.

She has an old house. Three or more adjectives used together are separated by a comma, except the last one, which is preceded by y and. This conjunction becomes e when the following word begins with an i: Ella es alta, hermosa e inteligente. She is tall, beautiful, and intelligent.

Adjectives 33 Adjectives like viejo, joven young , and grande can come before the noun in combination with other adjectives that follow it: Es un viejo auto azul. Es una gran casa andaluza.

It is not possible to make adjectival constructions like a broad-shouldered man in Spanish. Such constructions have to be translated by the preposition de of after the noun, and then a noun and an adjective together: Es una chica de ojos azules. She is a blue-eyed girl. The preposition con with is also possible in this kind of construction, but then definite articles have to be used: una chica con el pelo negro a black-haired girl In English it is possible to put two nouns together, the first one functioning as an adjective garden chair, car factory, etc.

In Spanish it is possible, and even common, to omit the noun and use the adjective and an article. La blanca the white one is a feminine adjective that refers to a feminine noun that has been omitted, presumably because the context makes it clear who or what the speaker is talking about. Maybe the speaker means la camisa blanca the white shirt but decides not to use the noun because the person addressed knows what is meant. Since nouns referring to color are masculine, they take the definite article el: Mi color favorito es el rojo.

Advanced Spanish Grammar The use of articles before adjectives is possible in English, but only when the speaker is referring to all the members of a group the poor, the deaf, etc. This is possible in Spanish too, but then the article and the adjective have to be plural: Los ricos deben ayudar a los pobres.

The rich must help the poor. There are many Spanish adjectives with English equivalents that end in -ing or -ed. Some of them are: aburrido divertido molesto sorprendente excitante boring amusing annoying amazing exciting aburrido divertido molesto sorprendido excitado bored amused annoyed amazed excited This could be confusing, but there is a very simple explanation: English adjectives ending in -ing are related to Spanish adjectives that take the verb ser, and English adjectives ending in -ed are related to Spanish adjectives that take the verb estar: Estoy aburrido, porque la fiesta es muy aburrida.

If there is any doubt, just decide whether the adjective being used takes ser or estar. Suppose you want to translate Ella hizo un comentario muy divertido. He is faster. This car is the fastest. She is taller than you. Some Spanish adjectives have irregular forms: bueno malo poco pocos good bad little few mejor peor menos menos better worse less fewer el mejor el peor el menos the best the worst the least Adjectives 35 Like all other Spanish adjectives, irregular adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns that accompany them: Ella es la mejor de su clase.

Ellos son los menos cualificados. She is the best in her class. They are the least qualified. Poco little becomes pocos few in the plural. Menos has no plural form. In fact, con menos implies fewer than the rest.

He is very, very tall. She is very, very clever. These suffi xes, which are actually superlative forms in Latin, imply that the subject of the sentence possesses a very high degree of a certain quality. The new conditions are the very best. Your results are very, very bad. In fact, these Latin forms are no longer used as true superlatives. They simply express that the quality possessed is extreme, without comparing people or things with others in a group.

Compare: Eres malo. Eres muy malo. You are very bad. Eres el peor de todos. You are extremely bad. You are the worst of all. Suffixes can also be added to adjectives to turn them into diminutives. Sometimes they are used to express friendly or loving feelings toward a person. On other occasions, they imply that the noun qualified by the adjective possesses a quality to a certain extent, that it more or less has that quality.

Esa mujer es tontita. The car is acceptably fast. That woman is silly in a childish way. She is my little girl a baby or comparable to a baby in size. The use of diminutives is not restricted to the field of informal language, but its frequent use in all types of sentences can sound a little childish. However, there are regions Mexico, for instance where diminutives are very often used. When using suffi xes, pay attention to spelling changes in order to maintain the original sound of the adjective ending.

In the word loco, for example, the letter c is pronounced like the c in the English verb cut. This is my furthest concession. That is the nearest town. Adjectives 37 Far and near can be used quite freely in the comparative and superlative in English, but in the affirmative form they have a limited use. In Spanish, the adjectives lejano and cercano have no restrictions. With words such as bank, end, side, wall, and so on it is not possible to use lejano or cercano; instead you can use constructions like el otro for far and the demonstrative este for near: la otra orilla esta orilla el otro extremo este extremo the far bank the near bank the far end the near end Far East translates as Extremo Oriente, and Far West is Lejano Oeste.

With norte north and sur south , the adjective extremo extreme is normally used. Yo soy el mayor. I am the eldest. My car is older than yours. Comparisons can also be made with tan She is as tall as you. The richer you are, the more friends you have. In English, gradual increase or decrease is expressed by two comparatives joined by and. You are taller and taller. It is possible to use a construction similar to English in some cases: Es bueno para ella nadar mucho. No es conveniente para ti hacer eso.

But the sentence Es importante para ella estar con nosotros means that it is important for her, not for us or anybody else. This exercise is too difficult for him to understand. As you can see, in the Spanish sentence the direct object lo is mentioned in the second clause or part. In this case, you can also use como para que instead of para que: Eso es demasiado pesado como para que ella lo levante.

That is too heavy for her to lift. It was very brave of you to save that girl. It was very cowardly of Antonio to leave his wife there. It was strange to see them there. These sentences express opinion about the actions e. If the opinion refers to some other subject, this subject is mentioned first and the adjective is linked to the verb by the preposition de. However, this construction is usually possible only with adjectives that express a degree of difficulty.

Es un texto complicado de traducir. That truck is easy to drive. It was very smart to stay there. I found it stupid to go on negotiating. How fast! What a fast runner! Es hora de levantarse. When adjectives are used with the noun hora, it is more common to use para: Es mala hora para cenar.

What a strange time to come! What a bad time to get up! A hyphen means that no word is needed. Es demasiado barato como para que a ella le guste. Cada vez quedan bosques en el planeta. La francesa comida es famosa en el mundo entero. Hay que ver la guapa que es esa mujer.

Use each only once. Make any necessary changes so that they agree with the nouns they modify. La nosotros. Me encantan las novelas del 4. Hay que ver lo edad y sabe multiplicar. Oeste americano. Nunca los he visto tan altos. Antonio no es muy inteligente. Su hermana es muy inteligente. Juan tiene muchos suspensos. Yo no tengo tantos suspensos. Esta cantidad es muy alta. Adjectives 43 4. Carlos tiene cualidades.

La experiencia que tuve fue aterradora. Nunca tuve una experiencia parecida. Jorge es muy fuerte. No lo entiendo. Los precios no paran de subir. El coche es demasiado viejo. Ese restaurante es demasiado caro. Adjectives 45 4. Ana es demasiado ambiciosa. Es bueno levantarse temprano. Es malo fumar tanto. Adjectives 47 Es muy importante que ellos sepan esto. No es necesario que ella limpie las habitaciones. It is very urgent that he come at once.

This is too difficult for him to try. Your vosotros house is much larger than ours. It is not very intelligent to do that. The exam was most difficult.

The article I read in the paper this morning is very, very good. They are extremely poor. That restaurant is rather more or less cheap.

She is a lot taller than her sister. He is not so qualified as his brother. I saw them on the far bank. The ending -mente In Spanish, adverbs can be formed from adjectives by adding the suffix -mente to the singular feminine form of the adjective: inmediata extremada obvia lenta immediate extreme obvious slow inmediatamente extremadamente obviamente lentamente immediately extremely obviously slowly Adjectives that have the same form in the feminine as in the masculine take the suffi x -mente without any changes: feliz final happy final felizmente finalmente happily finally By adding -mente to an adjective it is possible to form many adverbs of manner, among others, but it is not possible with all Spanish adjectives.

English has a certain number of adjectives that end in -ly. Es probable que vengan. Probablemente vengan. She greeted me in a friendly way. Juan behaved in a lovely way. They are likely to come. They will probably come. I feel so lonely! Sometimes it denotes a preference to be alone: Luis es un hombre solitario.

Un lugar tan solitario me da miedo. Luis is a lonely man. Such a lonely place frightens me. I like acting alone. Discutimos el tema acaloradamente. I spoke to them coldly. We discussed the subject hotly. The public applauded warmly. Sometimes, rather than using an adverb, a Spanish speaker uses another type of construction; for example, to say She is warmly dressed, a Spanish speaker would say Ella lleva ropa de abrigo, avoiding calurosamente.

We were warmly dressed because it was very cold. The policeman reacted coolly under pressure and succeeded in capturing the terrorists. The authorities will arrive presently. We went there very fast. You can dial direct from here. We went straight to Madrid. We are working very hard. It is important that you remember that adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify: un hombre guapo una mujer muy guapa pueblos muy bonitos a handsome man a very beautiful woman very pretty villages But when adjectives are used as adverbs, only the masculine form is possible: Ella canta muy bonito.

She sings very prettily. If you think this is grammatically confusing, the reason for it is very simple. Adjectives refer to nouns e. Following are some common adjectives that are often used as adverbs. This most often happens when the direct object is singular and in short answers. Antonio does everything very easily. How did I put them there?

Very easily. With a small crane. Mi padre juega al tenis regular. My father plays tennis regularly. My father is not a very good tennis player. The plane was flying very high. We were talking very low. Altamente highly is used only in a figurative sense and frequently before past participles: Ella es altamente apreciada en la empresa. She is highly appreciated in the firm.

He is situated very low in the firm. The television is very loud. The music is too low. No la tires muy alto. Habla bajito. Speak low in a low voice. But: Adverbs 53 Flojo, fuerte, igual, and suave The adjectives flojo loose, slack , fuerte strong , igual equal, alike , and suave soft often act as adverbs the suffix -mente is very common with all of these except flojo : Dale flojo.

Empuja fuerte. Ellos se vistieron igual. Ella habla muy suave. Hit it softly. Push strongly. They were dressed alike. She speaks very softly. Flojo and fuerte can also refer to volume, sound, and so on. In that case they usually act as adjectives with the verb estar.

With other verbs they can be used as adverbs, especially in their diminutive forms: Puse todas las canciones muy fuerte. Pon la tele bajito. I put on all the songs very loud. Put the TV on low. Esas canciones estaban muy fuertes. Those songs were very loud. Alternatively, entonces can also mean then as in at that time. So cannot be used here. Me dijiste hace dos meses que te ibas a casar con Julio. You told me two months ago that you were going to marry Julio. Yes, but back then I thought I was in love with him.

In the following example, entonces is translated by so but not by then. So, are you coming or not? Hasta luego This is a very common way of saying See you later in Spanish—easy—but watch the pronunciation! Just as hasta has two syllables, so does luego.

Literally, it means, I leave you to God. This is because of another convention: when a word ends in s or n, a, e, i, o, u , it is pronounced with emphasis on the next-to-last syllable.

Any exception to this rule requires a written accent. Me gusta salir a bailar los jueves a noche. This is Margarita calling. The party is on Sunday night.

Voy a tomar agua porque no me gusta cerveza. Me gusta Me encanta 5. Bueno 6. I love Peruvian food. Do you love me? Would you like to talk to her? Do you feel like going to the movies? Note: there may be more than one answer for certain situations. Introducing a friend a. Saying who is calling b. Naming the day after Wednesday d. Bien 5. Giving the actual time e. Telling the time of an event f.

Saying which dress you like g. Saying what kind of dress you are looking for h. Ella es 9. Saying where you are going i. En efecto Making dates and appointments 47 Saying where you are j. Saying you love chocolate k. Entonces Saying you love your sister l. Saying you love your wife m. Hola Saying you have a crush on someone n.

Acknowledging that something is correct o. La amo La quiero Prefacing an answer that requires a little explanation q. Agreeing to a suggestion r. Me encanta Prefacing a conclusion s.

Me gusta No tengo ganas Son las ocho Greeting someone on the phone v. Soy Waving to a bunch of kids on a bus w. Uruguay 4. Do you feel like eating lunch? What do you want? OK, bye. Hi, this is Miguel. What time? At seven? At the restaurant. She has a big crush on you!

Well, then—why not? Es un tipo bastante raro. Luego vuelve a levantarse y estudia toda la noche. Paco: Entonces, no comen juntos. Paco: Entonces, al menos no ensucia la cocina. Es casi un fantasma. Well, if you have all day, I can describe him. Actually, we get along really well because we hardly see each other.

The guy sleeps during the day. Sometimes he gets up just to go to his classes, then he comes back to the room and stays asleep until ten p. Then he wakes up again and studies all night. The guy is incredibly neat. Man, I think you have the ideal roommate! And yours? Then you have the ideal roommate too. En primer lugar, siempre deja la cocina sucia, no lava los platos ni saca la basura. Carlos: Vamos, Paco—en todo eso se parece mucho a ti. Well, yes—and no. Mine is a disaster in the house.

Plus, he throws his clothes all over the place, not to mention how he leaves the bathroom. Come on, Paco—he sounds a lot like you. No wonder you get along so well! Improving your conversation Mira This is a way to get someone to understand your situation or point of view.

Can you help me? Llevarse This verb, used with reflexive pronouns, means to get along with each other. Me llevo muy bien con mi hermana. Mi hermana y yo nos llevamos muy bien. I get along really well with my sister.

My sister and I get along really well. The guy from the garage just called to tell you that your car is ready. Soy bastante alto. Esa tipa es bien rara. That girl is really strange.

Also note that demasiado, which is often translated as too, does not necessarily have a negative meaning, as too does in English. Es posible que sea rara, pero yo creo que es demasiado bonita. When bastante modifies a verb, it is translated as quite a bit. Estudiamos bastante. We study quite a bit. The young ones stay asleep until after noon. No voy a mi casa esta noche. I want to stay here with you all.

Quiero volver a verte muy pronto. I want to see you again soon. La verdad La verdad means the truth. It can also be used to preface something you might feel uncomfortable saying. La verdad, ella y yo no nos llevamos muy bien. Incluso Incluso can indicate that what follows it seems a bit out of the ordinary. Describing people, places, and things 53 Dejar When dejar is followed by an adjective, it means to leave something in that condition.

No dejes el piso mojado. When followed by a noun, it means to leave something or someone. Ella deja los platos sucios en el fregadero. She leaves the dirty dishes in the sink. The father leaves the children with a babysitter. Dad, let me buy the video game. When followed by the preposition de, it means to stop doing something. The doctor tells me I have to stop drinking coffee. Verbs that mean to leave a place include: salir de Salimos de la oficina a las cinco.

We leave the office at five. What time are you leaving? Dicen que te vas a casar pronto. Es todo lo contrario. Acabo de romper con mi novio. I just broke up with my boyfriend. I think we have a lot in common. Ella no tiene nada que ver contigo.

Es decir This is used to explain something you have just said in more detail. That is, besides her job, she also studies and takes care of her family. He neither smokes nor drinks. No voy al partido con ustedes, pues no tengo dinero. Come on, Jorge, you have more money than anybody.

Parecerse This verb, used with reflexive pronouns, means to be like something or someone else. Your apartment is like mine. Carolina looks like her mother. Now you have a girlfriend? El nuevo profesor me parece seria. Los chicos peor. Los chicos peores. Todos mis amigos 6. Nuestros jugadores 8. Las chicas de esa clase mejores que los suyos. Diego mide 5 pies, 10 pulgadas. Arturo mide 6 pies. Arturo es. Diego es. Diego no es 56 practice makes perfect. Mi hermano es rico 7. Yo no soy yo.

Berta tiene 10 libros. Ana tiene 7 libros. Berta tiene. Ana no tiene. Ella es lista. Ella es 3. Susana tiene 90 puntos. Julia tiene 95 puntos. Julia es lista Susana. Alejandra es. No quiero estar sola. Es una buena fiesta. El tren ustedes? Es decir Vamos 2. Mi profesor es bien exigente, trabajos escritos. Tengo dos entradas para el ballet. La verdad Mira Ni hablar Vamos 4. A veces creo que nadie me quiere. La verdad Mira Vamos 5.

Tu hijo es muy exitoso. Esa chica me parece muy floja. Es ni hablar 58 practice makes perfect , trabaja mucho. Have a Spanish-speaking friend check your answers. La verdad,. Amigo, todos vamos a la playa para el fin de semana. Estamos contentos. Estoy aburrida. Lee muy bien. Vamos a la playa. Se divierten mucho. No conozco a nadie.

Te quiero. Ellos no me dejan salir. Translate the following sentences into Spanish. When she was four years old, she was very shy. She liked to play alone. She had two favorite dolls. Their names were Barbie 1 and Barbie 2.

Her parents understood her. They would talk to her a lot. They used to go to the park together. Write at least eight sentences that describe your best friend.

Use the present tense. Ask a Spanish-speaking friend to check your work. Write at least eight sentences that tell what you were like when you were ten years old.

Include activities that you always did at that age. Use the imperfect tense. Agente: Bien. Agente: Bien, entonces, no le importa si no tiene estacionamiento. Alberto: Efectivamente. Pero quiero un edificio que tenga vigilancia.

Good morning, sir. How can I help you? Have a seat, please, and tell me what kind of apartment you want. Is it just for you?

The most important thing is the location. I want the apartment to be in the city, near the university. But I want a secure building. I also need it to have a living room, dining room, one bedroom, and, of course, a modern kitchen and bathroom. And what is your budget? I mean, what monthly rent are you thinking about, including utilities? No le voy a decir que sea imposible, pero no le puedo prometer nada.

Si encuentro algo que valga la pena, podemos ir a verlo hoy mismo por la tarde. Alberto: De acuerdo. Hasta luego. Agente: Hasta luego. Let me have a look. If I see anything worthwhile, we can go look at it this afternoon. In the meantime, I need you to fill out this form, so I have your contact information. As a matter of fact, both you and your friend will have to fill out an application in order to be approved as tenants. Is that correct?

Be sure to bring your financial and credit information with you. Thank you very much. See you shortly. Improving your conversation To express wanting, needing, hoping for, or looking for a person or a thing that fits a certain description—but which you are not certain exists—the subjunctive is used for that description.

Necesita un trabajo que pague bien. He needs a job that pays well. When what is desired is a person, no personal a is used because, essentially, it is not yet known who that person might be. However, and not so logically, if you want to express someone—alguien—you do precede it with a. Busco a alguien que me pueda ayudar. If you want, need, or are looking for something that you know exists, or someone you already know you can take a picture of them! Necesito a mi hermana, que sabe solucionar este problema.

I need my sister, who knows how to solve this problem. Compare the following sentences, the first using the subjunctive and the second using the indicative. Voy a buscar a mi hija, que me puede ayudar. There are other ways to express get, all with different meanings. Conseguir and obtener mean to get in a general sense, like obtain. Espero conseguir trabajo. I hope to get a job. Ponerse Ponerse followed by an adjective expresses to get in that condition. Me pongo triste cuando pienso en mis padres.

Te vas a poner enfermo. I get sad when I think about my parents. Put your coat on. A large number of verbs used with reflexive pronouns can express to get. For example: aburrirse cansarse casarse enfadarse Spain enfermarse enojarse L. Ella no puede caminar esa distancia. Se cansa. Espero que no se enojen conmigo. She gets tired.