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Rules for Spanish 

1. ¿Qué es eso? Practice "la and el"

 When do you use the articles "la" or "el"? 

When a noun ends in "a" like in "lima - lime" use the "la" article, "la lima - the lime".
When a noun ends in "o" like in "dormitorio - bedroom" use the "el" article. "el dormitorio - the bedroom".

If the noun does not end in an "o" or an "a" then you have to remember if it is
"el" or "la", for ie. "ellt;/span> coche - the car" "la televisión - the television"

Sometimes there are irregular nouns, which means they don't follow the rules and when
the noun ends in an "o" or an "a" the noun uses the opposite article.
for ie. "la radio" "el programma".

2. Ser vs. Estar

When do you use Ser or Estar - to bet;/h3>

There are two verbs for the verb - "to be".

"Ser" and "Estar" - to be

Directions: Look at the different conjugations between "ser" and "estar".

The pronoun is in brown. The verb form is in red.

Verb forms of "ser" Verb forms of "estar "
ser                             estar  
yo soy - I am            yo estoy - I am
tú eres - you are       tú estás - you are
él es - he is           él está - he is
ella es - she is          ella está - she is
usted es - you are (s) (familiar)          usted está - you are (s) (familiar) 
nosotros somos - we are          nosotros estamos - we are
ellos son - they are (m)          ellos están - they are (m)
ellas (f) son - they are        ellas están - they are (f)
ustedes son - you (all) are (pl) (formal)      ustedes están - you (all) are (pl) (formal)

 

A judgement call is needed when you use the verb "ser" or "estar".
If a situation changes, use the verb form "estar."
If a situation isn't going to change use the verb form "ser".

For example:
El brazo está quebrado. - The arm is broken.
The arm will change by healing. Use the verb form "está" because it changes.
     
El coche es viejo. - The car is old.
The car will never change back to being new. Use "es" because it won't change.
 ,   
Use uot;estar" with a condition that can change. A condition
is being sick, feeling tired, being bored, being busy etc.
All of these conditions change so you use the verb forms of "estar".
       
For example:
   masculine              feminine
Estoy aburrido.      Estoy aburrida - I am bored.
Estoy cansado.       Estoy cansada. - I am tired.
Estoy ocupado.      Estoy ocupada. - I am busy.
Estoy contento.      Estoy contenta.- I am happy.
¿Éstás aburrido?    ¿Éstas aburrida? - Are you bored?
Él está cansado.     Élla está cansada. - He/She is tired.
     
Nosotros estamos contentos. - We are happy (men)(both men and women)
Nosotros estamos contentas. - We are happy.(women)
    
Ellos están ocupados. - They are busy.(men)(men and women)
Ellas están ocupadas. - They are busy.(women)

Note: The adjectives are pluralized because they need to correlate with the
pronouns. So since Ellos and Nosotros are both plural pronouns, the
adjectives need to be plural too.
for ie.
Ellos están ocupados.
Ellas están ocupadas.
Nosotros estamos contentos.
Nosotros estamos contentas.
    
NOTE: You can always leave out the pronoun and just use the verb..
For ie.
Instead of  "Ellos están ocupados. 
say: "Están ocupados,"
Instead of "Ellas están ocupadas."
say: "Ellas ocupadas,"
Instead of "Nosotros estamos contentos."
say: "Estamos contentos."
Instead of "Nosotros estamos contentas."
say: "Estamos contentas."
      
More rules for "Estar"
 "estoy", "está", "estás", "estamos","están" are the verb forms from the verb "estar".
Use "estar" to find out someone's location or to tell someone your location.
Examples of "estar".
¿Dónde estás? - Where are you?(familiar) or
¿Dónde está? - Where are you?(formal)
(¿Dónde está?  - translates to, "Where is you?)
Estoy en el supermercado. - I am at the supermarket.
Él está en el río. - He is in the river.
Ella está en la cocina. - She is in the kitchen.
Ellos están en el parque. - They are at the park.

Ser - To Be

Definition of Characteristic

  1. a distinguishing trait, quality, or property 
  2. indicate a special quality or identity.
  3. applies to something that distinguishes
  4. identifies a person or thing or class

 

More Estar Sentences
Los pantalones están limpios.
La camisa está rota.
El brazo está quebrado.
Los pantalones están sucios.

 

NOTICE that "soy", "eres", "es", "somos","son" are the verb forms from the verb "ser".

  1. Ser is used to speak about characteristics that usually do not change.
  2. Use "ser" to find out who a person is or what a person is like. 
  3. What something is or what something is like.
  4. Where a person or thing is from.

 

Examples of "ser".

Yo soy de Venezuela. - I am from Venezuela.

¿Eres tú de Colombia? - Are you from Cuba?
Tú eres de Colombia. - You are from Cuba.

Él es doctor. - He is a doctor.
¿Es él doctor? - Is he a doctor.?

Ella es abogada. - She is a lawyer.
¿Es ella abogada? - Is she a lawyer.?

¿Es usted de Cuba? - Are you from Cuba?
Usted es de Cuba. - You are from Cuba?

Nosotros somos de España. - We are from Spain.

Ellos son maestros. - They are teachers. (m)
¿Son ellos maestros? - Are they teachers? (m)

Ellas son maestras. - They are teachers. (f)
¿Son ellas maestras? - Are they teachers? (f)

¿Son ustedes instructores? - Are you instructors?
Ustedes son instructores. - You (all) are instructors.

Ser is used to talk about characteristics that generally do not change.

Use Ser for descriptions that are

not about conditions or locations. 
Example:
  1. Who a person is or what a person is like.
  2. What something is or what something is like.
  3. Where a person or thing is from.

Teresa es mi prima. Es muy graciosa. - Teresa is my cousin. She is very funny.
Las manzanas son mi frutas favoritas. Son deliciosas. - Apples are my favorite fruit. They are delicious.
Mis tíos son de Mexico. Son muy simpáticos. - My aunt and uncle are from Mexico. They are very nice.

Use estar to talk about for example:
How a person feels
Where a person or thing is
¿Donde esta Mariana? No esta aqui.
No puede venir hoy porque esta muy enferma...

3. ADJECTIVES

Adjectives are describing words.
Adjectives describe nouns.

In Spanish, the adjective comes after the noun. In English the adjective comes before the noun.

Note:
Take notice of the ending of the "nouns".
If the "noun" ends in "o", then the adjective must agree with the noun and also end in an "o".
If the "noun" ends in an "a", then the adjective must end in an "a" too.

For example. " La puerta" ends in an "a" and is a feminine noun, so adjectives will end in an "a" describing the door.
La puerta cerrada. - The closed door.
La puerta abierta. - The open door
La puerta sucia. - The dirty door.
La puerta limpia. - The clean door.

El armario abierto - The open closet.
Because "el armario" ends in an "o" the adjective "abierto" agrees with the noun by ending in an "o" too.
Adjectives describing the "armario" will end in "o".
El armario cerrado. - The closed closet.
El armario sucio. - The dirty closet.
El armario limpio. - The clean closet.


There are exceptions to the rules. For example, a word like "el programa" - the program. Programa ends in "a" but uses the article "el".
Because the word "programa" uses the article "el" adjectives will end in an "o".
For example: El programa es bueno. - The program is good.

Nouns that don't end in an "a" or an "o".
If a noun doesn't end in an "a" or an "o" and you want to use an adjective to describe that noun, look at the article of the noun and if it is "la" or "una" use the "a" ending of the adjective. If the article is "el" or "un" use the "o" ending of the adjective.

For example: "el refrigerador" and "la televisión
Both nouns do not have an "o" or an "a" ending, you just need to remember the articles that go with these kinds of nouns. If the noun has the "el" or "un" article use the "o" ending of the adjective, if the word has the "la" or "una" article use the "a" ending of the adjective.

"El refrigerador está apagado." - "The refrigerator is off." As you can see the adjective "apagado" ends in an "o" agreeing with the article "el".
"La televisión está apagada" - "The television is off." As you can see the adjective "apagada" ends in an "a" agreeing with the article "la".

The noun and adjectives need to always agree.
Is this sentence correct? La camisa es roto. You are correct if you said, "no",
the correct answer is ¿La camisa es rota?

Last Note: If you see an adjective that ends in an "o", you know that it also ends in "a". Vice versa.
       
Verbs are action words.
Verbs have three different endings. "ar" "er" 'ir"

"querer - "to want"
"Querer" is an "er" verb, it is conjugated differently than the "ir" and "ar" verbs, but not very important to understand how to do that right now. You will learn that along the way.

In this lesson, it is important to remember that you don't have to use the pronoun with the verb. The verb in Spanish implies the prounoun, but using the pronoun at times is important for clarifying who you are speaking about. 
The pronoun is brown, the verb is red.
yo, tú, él, ella, usted, nosotros, éllos, ellas and ustedes are called "pronouns".
   
Yo quiero - "I want"
tú quieres - "you want"
él quiere - "he wants" 
ella quiere - "she wants"
usted(ud.) quiere - "you want" 

nosotros queremos - "we want" 

éllos quieren - "they(m) want" .
ellas quieren - "they(f) want"
Ustedes quieren - "you want (pl) 
    
It's a good idea to use the pronouns in front of the verb while you are beginning to learn Spanish. Remove the pronoun when you get better and more comfortable with verbs and  pronouns.
    
For example: "Yo quiero la llave." - "I want the key."  (with the pronoun)
"Quiero la llave." - "I want the key." (without the pronoun)

¿Quieres tú la llave? - Do you want the key? (with the pronoun)
¿Quieres la llave? - Do you want the key? (without the pronoun)

The verb "quiere" has three pronouns. "él, ella and usted" - "he, she and you(formal)
él quiere - he wants
ella quiere - she wants
usted quiere - you want (one person, formal)

Él quiere un coche nuevo. - He wants a new car. but the pronoun "él" is not necessary.
"Quiere un coche nuevo." - He wants a new car.

If you don't speak the pronoun and just speak the verb "quiere" the only way you know how the speaker is using the verb "quiere" is through the context of the conversation that you are speaking or writing.

For example:
If you are talking about "Jack" and then say in the conversation, "He wants a new car.", then you already know you are talking about a boy, so when you say "quiere", then you know you are using the verb "quiere" as "he wants".

If you are speaking about Josephine in a conversation and then it is said, "She wants a new television.", then you know you are talking about a girl when you say, "quiere", then you know you are using the verb "quiere" as"she wants".

but if you just started the conversation and don't use a pronoun and say, "Quiere un coche nuevo." I wouldn't know who we are talking about, but if you said, "Jack quiere un coche nuevo.", then I know we are speaking about Jack and everytime you say, "quiere" I would already know that we are using the verb "quiere" as "he wants."
     
"quieren - they want"
There are three pronouns with the verb "quieren" "
éllos  - they(m)
ellas - they(f)
ustedes" - you((pl)(formal)

éllos quieren - they want (masculine)
ellas quieren - they want (feminine)
ustedes quieren - you want (many people, formal)
       
Example:
"Éllos quieren los llaves. - They(m) want the keys."
"Quieren los llaves. - They(m) want the keys."

"Ellas quieren los llaves. - They(f) want the keys."
"Quieren los llaves. - They(f) want the keys."

"Ustedes quieren los llaves. - You (all of you formal) want keys."
"Quieren los llaves. - You (many people, formal) want the keys."

If you are speaking about boys and girls together you use the pronoun "ellos".
If they(girls and boys) want the books, then you say "Ellos quieren los libros. - They want the books.".
BUT if it was established that you were already speaking about boys and girls, then just use the verb "quieren" and say, "Quieren los libros. - They want the books."
Yo quiero - I want
Yo no quiero - I don't want
     
Quiero - I want
No quiero - I don't want
     
Note:
If you see the article "un" then you can switch the article "un" for "el "
If you see the article "una " then you can switch the "una" for "la"

For example:
Yo quiero un perrito. - I want a dog. (very general)
Yo quiero el perrito. - I want the dog. (specific)

Yo quiero una camioneta. - I want a pick up truck (very general)
Yo quiero la camioneta. - I want the pick up truck. (specific)

Explanation
A noun is a person, place or thing.
The noun "tells you if you are going to use the article "el" or "la"
The noun also will tell you if you are going to use the article "un" or "una"

If the noun ends in an "a" it's known as a feminine noun and you use the feminine article "la" and "una"
If the noun ends in an "o" it's known as a masculine noun and you use the masculine article "el" and "un"

Example:
camioneta - pick-up truck.
Camioneta ends in an "a"
una camioneta - A pick-up truck
la camioneta - The pick-up truck

Example:
gato - cat
gato ends in an "o"
un gato - a cat
el gato - the cat
    
NOTEs
Two words for kite.
papalote - word for kite in Mexico.
cometa - word for kite in Spain.

The verb "pintar" means "to paint"
pintura means "paint"

The verb "dibujar" - "to draw"
In this program you will practice using "yo quiero" "yo no quiero and "quiero"
You will get practice asking a question and answering
questions with and without the pronoun in front of the verb "querer".
¿Quieres tú? - Do you want? 
Quiere - Say this when speaking to people who are older or people you don't know. (Respect)
Quieres - Say this when speaking to friends or to a child.

¿Quieres tú? = "¿Quieres?"

"Yo quiero" = "Quiero"

¿Quiere ud.? = ¿Quiere?
(ud. is short for usted)


ir - to go
dibujar - to draw
viajar - to travel
"tu quieres" or "usted quiere" is
the way you tell somebody what they want.
For example:
"Tú quieres la camisa. - You want the shirt."
"Quieres ir a la playa. - You want to go to the beach."
"Usted quiere los pantalones. - You want the pants."
"Quiere comprar un gato. - You want to buy a cat."

Here are exaamples of telling somebody what the want.
For example: "Tú quieres la camisa. - You want the shirt."
"Quieres ir a la playa. - You want to go to the beach."

"Usted quiere los pantalones. - You want the pants."
"Quiere comprar un gato. - You want to buy a cat."

NEW NOTES
Take notice that there are two ways to say cake.
torta
pastel

There are two ways of saying a piece of cake
pedazo de pastel - piece of cake
trozo de torta - piece of cake
Verbs are action words. 
Verbs have three different endings. "ar" "er" 'ir"
   
"necesitar" - "to need"
This is an "ar" verb.  It is conjugated differently than the "ir" and "er" verbs, but not very important to understand how to do that right now. 
        
In this lesson, it is important to remember that you don't have to use the pronoun with the verb. The verb in Spanish implies the pronoun, but using the pronoun at times is important for clarifying who you are speaking about. 
Yo necesito - "I need"
       
tú necesitas - "You need" 

él necesita - "he needs"
ella necesita - "she needs"
usted(ud.) necesita - "you need"

nosotros necesitamos - "we need"

éllos necesitan - "they(m) need"
ellas necesitan - "they(f) need"
Ustedes necesitan - "you need (pl)

yo, tú, él, ella, usted, nosotros, éllos, ellas and ustedes are called "pronouns".

I think it's a good idea to use the pronouns in front of the verb while you are beginning to learn. Once you get better and more comfortable with verbs and the understanding of the pronouns, then take off the pronoun and just use the verb itself. But do what feels comfortable.

Example:
"Yo necesito la llave." - "I need the key.". (with the pronoun)
"Necesito la llave." - "I need the key." (without the pronoun)

¿Necesitas tú la llave? - Do you need the key? (with the pronoun)
¿Necesitas la llave? - Do you need the key? (without the pronoun)

The verb "necesita" has three pronouns. "
él - he
ella  - she
usted  - you(formal)
él necesita - he needs
ella necesita - she needs
usted necesita - you need (one person, formal)

Él necesita un coche nuevo. - He needs a new car. (The pronoun "él" is not necessary.
"Necesita un coche nuevo." - He needs a new car.

If you don't speak the pronoun and just speak the verb "necesita"  you only know who the speaker is by the context of the conversation. 

For example: If you are talking about "Jack" and then say in the conversation, "He needs a new car.", then you already know you are talking about a boy named Jack, so when you say "necesita' you know you are using the verb "necesita" as "he needs".

If you are speaking about Josephine in a conversation and then it is said, "She needs a new television.",you know you are talking about a girl named Josephine when you say, "necesita" and when you use the verb "necesita" you know you are saying,"she needs".

but if you just started the conversation and don't use a pronoun and say, "Necesita un coche nuevo." I wouldn't know who you were talking about, but if you said, "Jack necesita un coche nuevo.", then I know we are speaking about Jack and everytime you say, "necesita" I would already know that we are using the verb "necesita" as "he needs."
         
"necesitan - they need"
There are three pronouns with the verb "necesitan"
éllos - they (m)
ellas - they (f)
ustedes - you((pl)formal)

éllos necesitan - they need (masculine)
ellas necesitan - they need (feminine)
Ustedes necesitan - you need (many people, formal)

Example:
"Éllos necesitan los llaves. - They(m) need the keys."
" Necesitan los llaves. - They(m) need the keys."

"Ellas necesitan los llaves. - They(f) need the keys."
" Necesitan los llaves. - They(f) need the keys."

"Ustedes necesitan los llaves. - You (all of you formal) need the keys."
" Necesitan los llaves. - You (many people, formal) need the keys."

If you are speaking about boys and girls together you use the pronoun "ellos".
If they(girls and boys) need the books, then you say "Ellos necesitan los libros. - They need the books." or
"Necesitan los libros." - They need the books.

6. Can you bring me?

"¿Me puede traer?" - "Can you bring me?" is a phrase that is used in formal settings. If you are in a restaurant the polite way of asking a waiter or waitress to bring you something is to say, "¿Me puede traer?".

"¿Me puedes traer?" is used when speaking to someone you know or to a child.

In this program, you get to practice hearing both phrases and at the same time you get to learn what you might want to ask for in a restaurant.

There are four "Can you bring me?" programs. Do all four programs and you will learn how to say:

¿Me puede traer la cuenta? - Can you bring me the check?
¿Me puede traer un vaso? - Can you bring me a glass?
¿Me puede traer un tenedor? - Can you bring me a fork?
¿Me puede traer un cuchillo?  - Can you bring me a knife?
and much much more.

NOTE: Very important to say, "por favor" after asking the question, "Me puede traer".
For example:
¿Me puede traer la cuenta, por favor?"  - Can you please bring me the check?
¿Me puede traer un cuchillo, por favor? - Can you please bring me a knife?
¿Me puede traer pan, por favor? - Can you please bring me bread?

And don't forget a "¡Gracías! - Thank you!" after the waiter or waitress brings you what you wanted.

7. Where are you?

¿Dónde está usted? is the formal way of saying "Where are you?"

¿Dónde estás? is the familiar way of saying "Where are you?"
Ask this question to people you know, and to children.
    
"esta" has three pronouns,
él - he
ella - she
usted - you(formal)
If you wanted to say, Where is he? you would say, ¿Dónde está él?
If you wanted to say, Where is she? you would say, ¿Dónde está ella?
Where are you? - ¿Dónde está usted? (formal)
Where are you? - ¿Dónde estás? (familiar)

You do not need the "tú" with ¿Dónde estás? because it is the only
pronoun for "estás". When you say, "¿Dónde estás?" you know you
are speaking to someone you know, or to a child.
    
Conjugation for "estar - to be"
yo estoy - I am
tú estas - you are
él está - he is 
ella está - she is 
usted está - you are(fam.) (sing) 
     
nosotros estamos - we are
    
ellos están - they are
ellas están - they are
ustedes están - you are(pl)(formal)
     
As you can see in the Conjugated Verb "está"
has three pronouns, el, ella and usted, It's called the third person.
The first person is "yo - I". The first person in "estar" is "yo estoy - I am".
When you are saying, "I am", you don't need the pronoun "yo".
You can just say "estoy" Estoy means "I am".
Is it wrong to say, "Yo estoy"?, "No", it's not wrong.
     
¿Qué está haciendo?" - What are you doing? (familiar)
¿Qué está haciendo?" - What are you doing? (formal)
       
Sometimes, "está" seems to mean "are", like in "¿Cómo está? - How are you?" 
 or like in "¿Qué está haciendo? - What are you doing?"
but "¿Comó está?" translates to "How is you?" and
"Qué está haciendo" translates to "How is you doing?"

(formal) ¿Qué está haciendo esta noche? - What are you doing this evening (tonight)?
(familiar) ¿Qué estás haciendo esta noche?  What are you doing tonight?

Why use "esta" and not "esto" or "este" for "esta noche - this evening"?
 If you are saying, "this evening ", then you would say "esta noche" because "noche"
uses the "la" article, "la noche - evening / the evening."
If you were saying, "this knife ", then you would say "este cuchillo" or "esto cuchillo", because cuchillo
uses the "el" article, "el cuchillo - the knife."


9. VERBS
Verbs are action words. In Spanish there are three different types of verbs.
The "ar" "er" and "ir" verb. To make these verbs into "ing" endings,
is quite simple. 
     
The "ar" verb drops the "ar" and you add "ando".
The "er" verb drops the "er" and you add "iendo".
The "ir" verb drops the "ir" and you add "iendo". 
 bailar - to dance     bail + ando = bailando (dancing)
 caminar - to walk   camin + ando = caminando (walking)
cocinar - to cook   cocin + ando = cocinando (cooking)
 comprar - to buy   compr + ando = comprando (buying)
descansar - to rest  descans + ando = descansando (resting)
 dibujar - to draw    dibuj + ando = dibujando (drawing)
estudiar - to study   estudi + ando = estudiando (studying)
hablar - to speak     habl + ando = hablando (speaking)
pensar - think         pens + ando = pensando (thinking)
trabajar - to work      trabaj + ando = trabajando (working)
viajar - to travel        viaj + ando = viajando (traveling)

dormir - to sleep     duerm + iendo = duermiendo (sleeping)
 mentir - to lie         ment + iendo = mentiendo (lieing)
salir - to leave        sal + iendo = saliendo (leaving)

comer - to eat       com + iendo = comiendo (eating)
correr - to run       corr + iendo = corriendo (running)
 ver - to see / to watch        v + iendo = viendo (watching/seeing)
Irregular verbs
Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the rules.
For example: leer - to read
 The rule says to drop the "er" and add "iendo", but you don't.
The "er" drops and you add "yendo".

 leer - to read le + yendo = leyendo.

NOTE: If you look through the verbs (above) you would see the verb "dormir".
Dormir follows the verb rule by dropping the "ir" and adding "iendo", but
it has an irregular conjugation.
dormir
dormir - to sleep     durmiendo - sleeping
yo duermo - I sleep
tú duermes - you sleep
él duerme - he sleeps 
ella duerme - she sleeps 
usted duerme - you sleep(fam.)(sing)
       
nosotros dormimos - we sleep
      
ellos duermen - they sleep(m)
ellas duermen -  they sleep(f)
ustedes duermen - you sleep (formal)(plural)
     
Verb conjugation for
"hacer - to do / to make"    gerund: haciendo - doing
 yo hago - I do  

tú haces - you do (familiar)

él hace - he does 
ella hace - she does 
usted hace - you do (singular)(formal)
 
nosotros hacemos - we do

ellos hacen(m) - they do
ellas hacen(f) - they do
ustedes hacen - you do (everybody) (formal)
       
Another way of saying "What are you doing? - ¿Qué hace usted?"
"Usted" in the sentence tells you that it is "formal",
You can add on "esta noche" and say,
"¿Qué hace usted esta noche?".
or
¿Qué haces tú esta noche? - (familiar)

You do not need the "tú" and can say,
¿Qué haces está noche?,
but you do need to use "usted" for
"¿Qué hace usted esta noche?"
 Why do you need to use the "usted"?
You use the "usted" because the "hace"
has three pronouns. "él, ella and usted".
and if you were just to say,¿Que hace esta noche?,
It would be confusing and not make sense.
So you clarify the person you are speaking about. 
Example:
¿Qué hace él esta noche? - What is he doing this evening? / doing tonight?
¿Qué hace ella esta noche? - What is she doing this evening? / doing tonight?
¿Qué hace usted esta noche? - What are you doing this evening? / doing tonight?

¿Qué haces tú? - What are you doing? (familiar)
You don't have to use the pronoun "tú".
¿Qué haces? - What are you doing? (familiar)

Why do you not have to use the pronoun "tú"?
 because "haces" only has the pronoun "tú". When you
say "haces" you already know it's "tú haces" not like when you say
"hace", because with "hace", you don't know if it is "él, ella or usted".

What about ¿Cómo está? and "Cómo está usted"?
Why do I not have to say "usted" in "¿Cómo está?"
¿Cómo está usted? is the formal way of saying "How are you?"
Some people say, "Cómo está? because when they say it,
the question is directed at the person. You aren't going to say,
¿Cómo está? to someone and mean, "How is she?"
If you want to say, "How is she?", then you would say,
"¿Cómo está ella?"
If you want to say, "How is he?", then you would say,
"¿Cómo está él?"
   
"esta" has three pronouns,
"él, ella and usted".
If you wanted to say, How is he? you would say, ¿Cómo está él?
If you wanted to say, How is she? you would say, ¿Cómo está ella?
If you wanted to say, How are you? ¿Cómo está usted ? or ¿Cómo está?

¿Cómo estás? you do not need the "tú" because it is the only pronoun for
"estás". When you say, "¿Cómo estás?" you know you are speaking to
someone you know or to a child.
     
¿Dónde está? - Where is?
If you are asking where somthing is, all you have to do is add the noun
to the end of "¿Dónde está?
Example:
¿Dónde está el baño? - Where is the bathroom?
¿Dónde está la cocina? -Where is the kitchen?
¿Dónde está el restaurante? - Where is the restaurant?
¿Dónde está tu tarea? - Where is your homework?
"tú" - you
"tu" - your
(Notice "you" has the accent mark and "your" does not.")
      
If you want to ask where someone is, add the person's name or
the pronoun after "Dónde está"
Example:
¿Dónde está Jackson? - Where is Jackson?
¿Dónde está Josephine? - Where is Josephine?
¿Dónde está ella? - Where is she?
¿Dónde está él? - Where is he?
¿Dónde está usted? - Where are you?(formal)
¿Dónde estás? - Where are you? (familiar)
      
Why ¿Dónde estás? and not "¿Dónde estás tú?" - Where are you?
You do not need the "tú" with ¿Dónde estás? because "tú" is the only
pronoun for "estás". When you say, "¿Dónde estás?", you are directly
asking that person and you know "estás" means "you are" or "are you"
The reason you need "usted" in "¿Dónde está usted?" is because "usted" has three
pronouns. Look at the conjugation of "estar" and you will see that "está" can be
él está, ella está or usted está. So you have to be clear by adding the pronoun.
       
Conjugation for "estar - to be"
yo estoy - I am                                      nosotros estamos - we are
                                 
tú estas - you are
él está - he is                                          ellos están - they are
ella está - she is                                      ellas están - they are
usted está - you are(fam.) (sing)           ustedes están - they are (form.) (pl.)
        
¿Dónde están? - Where are they?
ellos - they (male) or (male and female together)
ellas - they (female only)
If you want to ask "Where they are?", just add the pronoun "ellos" or "ellas" to "¿Dónde están?".
Example:
¿Dónde están ellos? - Where are they? (speaking about men, or both men and female together.
¿Dónde están ellas? - Where are they? (speaking about women, girls etc..)
Can you leave off the pronoun "ellas, and ellos"?
Yes, if the listener understands who you are talking about.
If you were talking to your grandparents and you wanted to ask them where they were,
you would use "ustedes" and say,
¿Dónde estan ustedes" - Where are you? (both of you, is what that is saying.)
¿Dónde está usted? - Where are you? (saying that to one person, formally).
Both ways are formal.
If you were asking your friend, you would say,
¿Dónde estás" - Where are you?
If you are speaking about an object like socks - los calcetines, and you want to ask your housekeeper where they would be, then you would say,
"¿Dónde están ellos/ellas? - Where are they?
but this time add an plural object instead of "ellos, or ellas" change that with the plural noun you are looking for.
Example.
¿Dónde están mis calcetines. - Where are my socks.
¿Dónde están tus zapatos? - Where are your shoes?
¿Dónde están las sillas? - Where are the chairs?
¿Dónde están los niños? -the children?
 "mis" "tus" "las" and "los" have to be pluralized also. 
mi - me (singular)
mis - me (plural)
tu - you (singular)
tus - you (plural)
la - the (singular)(feminine)
las - the (plural)(feminine)
el - the (singular)(masculine)
los - the (plural)(masculine)
     
Ven aquí - Come here.

"Ven aquí." is a great term. If your kids are running away from you, change the intonation and say, "¡Ven aquí!". Sometimes(a veces) you will here "Ven aca." means the same thing.


"Sientate" - "You sit down.". The polite way of saying "sit down" is "Sientase.". If speaking with children, you say, "sientate" when speaking in a business meeting or to someone that needs respect, one says, "Sientase, por favor." or "Sientase aquí, por favor."

"Abajo." means down, but it also means "under". La pelota está abajo de la mesa." - "The ball is under the table."

Levantate - Stand up.
You would speak "levantate" when speaking to people you know or to children.
You would speak "levantase" when speaking with respect.

Da me - Give me
In Spanish, "Da me cinco" does not mean "give me a high five". I just put this into the program because I thought it was an easy way to remember "Da me."
"Da me." is a great phrase that can be used to ask for something. "Da me el cuchillo." - "Give me the knife."
Maybe if you are rushed in a restaurant you would want to say, "Da me la cuenta por favor." Give me the check please.".
     
In "Body Parts" you will see a picture of a body part. The picture will either be singular or plural. If the picture is singular, you will see the article el, la, un, una.
If the picture is plural, you will see the article, los, or las.
la lengua - the tongue  -   las lenguas - the tongues
el codo - the elbow    -  los codos - the elbows
"codo" also means "cheap" in slang. So if you meet someone who is cheap and you know they don't know Spanish, you can tap your elbow and say "codo." Very rude if you get caught.....
    
Learn the body parts so that when you get to "me duele" - you will be able to describe what hurts. for example.
"Me duele el tobillo." - "My ankle hurts.".
"Me duele la rodilla." - "My knee hurts.".
"Me duele el brazo." - "My arm hurts."
¿Te duele el tobillo? - Does your ankle hurt?
¿Te duele la rodilla? - Does your knee hurt?
¿Le duele el brazo? - Does your arm hurt? (formal)
Me duelen los hombros. - My shoulders hurt.
Me duelen las manos. - My hands hurt.

Does your body hurt?
"Te" is used when asking a friend, or a child, or someone you are close to. 
¿Te duele el brazo? - Does your arm hurt?
"Le" is used when asking a question with respect and to people you don't know.
 ¿Le duele el brazo? - Does your arm hurt?

    
In this section, you will learn the greetings that are said in everyday spanish.
Try to use the greetings as often as possible.
     
¿Cómo está? / ¿Cómo estás? - How are you?
"Cómo esta?" - used when speaking with respect or speaking to people you don't know.
 "Cómo estás" -  used when you are friends with that person or if you are speaking with children. 
          
 ¿Cómo está haciendo? / ¿Cómo estás haciendo? - How are you doing? 
"¿Cómo estás haciendo?" -  used when speaking with a friend or speaking to a child.
¿Cómo está haciendo?" - used when speaking with respect, formally or to people you don't know.

One of my favorite sayings is "¡Qué le vaya bien!". You say it to someone as they are leaving. 
"Mucho gusto" is a great way to end the conversation after meeting someone for the first time.

"¡Nos Vemos mañana!"  "¡See you in the morning!"
"¡Hasta mañana!" -  "See you tomorrow." 
        
    
¿Cómo está? / ¿Cómo estás? - How are you?
"Cómo está?" is spoken when speaking with respect or speaking to people you don't know.
"Cómo estás" is used when you are friends with that person or if you are speaking with children.
     
Adjectives come in three forms. 
Masculine adjectives end in "o"
Feminine adjectives end in "a"
and then there are the adjectives that don't end in "a" or "o". (Those adj, need to memorized.)
Rule:
If a male person is speaking about himself the adjectives end in "o"
If a female is speaking about herself the adjectives end in "a"
    
Example: 
I am male and if I was busy or occupied, I would use the adjective "occupado" - "occupied, busy".
"Estoy occupado." - "I am busy."
If a women was busy, she would say,
"Estoy occupada."
Example: 
If my son was busy and I wanted to tell someone that he was sick, I would say,
"Él está occupado." - "He is busy."
If my daughter was busy and I wanted to tell someone that she was bs, I would say,
"Ella está occupada." - "She is busy."
   
Example: 
I am male and if I was sick, I would use the adjective "enfermo" - "sick". "
"Estoy enfermo." - "I am sick."
If my wife was sick, she would say,
"Estoy enferma."

Example: 
If my son was sick and I wanted to tell someone that he was sick, I would say,
"Él está enfermo." - "He is sick."
If my daughter was sick and I wanted to tell someone that she was sick, I would say,
"Ella está enferma." - "She is sick."
      
Example:        
If  man  was angry, He would use the adjective "enojado" - "angry" and say,
"Estoy enojado." - "I am angry."
If a women was angry, she would say,
"Estoy enojada." - "I am angry."
      
Example: 
If my son was angry and I wanted to tell someone that he was angry, I would say,
"Él está enojado." - "He is angry."
If my daughter was angry and I wanted to tell someone that she was angry, I would say,
"Ella está enojada." - "She is angry."
       
The adjectives that don't end in "o" or "a" are used by both male and female the same way.
Example: 
If a man is sad and wanted to tell someone that he was sad, he would say,
"Estoy triste." - I am sad.
If a woman is sad and wanted to tell someone tht she was sad, she would also say,
"Estoy triste." - I am sad.
 
Tener - To Have
"Tengo" - "I have"
Tengo comes from the verb "tener"- "to have"
The adjectives that don't end in "o" or "a" are used by both male and female the same way.
example: 
If a woman or a man was hungry both would say,
"Yo tengo hambre(hambre)." "I have hunger." or "Tengo hambre(hambre)."
"Yo tengo sed(sed)." "I have thirst."  or "Tengo sed(sed).
"Yo tengo miedo(miedo)." "I have fear." or  "Tengo miedo(miedo)."
       
¿Cómo?  can either mean "How" like in "Cómo está? or it can mean, "What?"

If someone is speaking to you and you don't understand them, you say, "¿Cómo?" - "What?"
or you can say, "¿Qué? - "What?", but get used to saying, "¿Cómo?" with a "What?" intonation.
     
When asking somebody you don't know their name, you would say, "¿Cómo se llama?" (formal)
When asking a child or someone younger than you, you would say, "¿Cómo te llamas?" (familiar)
 
¿Cómo se llama?" - What is your name? (formal)
¿Cómo te llamas? - What is your name? (familiar)
     
 ¿Cuál? means "which" but it is used as "what" in the phrase
"¿Cuál es su nombre?" - What is your name? (formal)
"¿Cuál es tú nombre?"- What is your name?  (familiar)
   
¿Cuál es su nombre? - What is your name? (formal)
¿Cuál es tú nombre? - What is your name? (familiar)
        
Adjectives describe nouns.
In Spanish adjectives need to correlate with the noun.
If the noun is masculine, then you use the masculine form of the adjective.
If the noun is feminine then use the feminine form of the adjective.
If the noun is plural you use the masculine plural form or you use the feminine plural form.
For example;
    
ready
masculine - listo      masculine plural - listos
feminine - lista         feminine plural - listas
  
wet
masculine - mojado    masculine plural - mojados
feminine - mojada       feminine plural - mojadas
     
dead
masculine - muerto     masculine plural - muertos
feminine - muerta        feminine plural - muertas
       
occupied / busy
masculine - ocupado     masculine plural - ocupados
feminine - ocupada       feminine plural - ocupadas
    
ripe
masculine - maduro     masculine plural - maduros
feminine - madura        feminine plural - maduras
     
Oraciones - Sentences
Here are examples of singular nouns and plural nouns. Watch how the adjective changes in each sentence.
El piso está mojado. - The floor is wet.
el piso is masculine and singular so you use the masculine singular adjective, "mojado".
La camisa está mojada. - The shirt is wet.
la camisa is feminine and singular so you use the feminine singular adjective, "mojada".
Note: The reason you use the verb form "está" and not "es" is because the nouns can change from wet to dry.
If the noun wasn't going to change, you would use "es".
La planta es muerta. - The plant is dead.
la planta is feminine singular so you use the feminine singular adjective, "muerta".
Note; You use the verb form "es" because the plant is not going to change.
El perro es muerto. - The dog is dead.
el perro is masculine singular so you use the masculine singular adjective, "muerto".
El niño está ocupado. - The boy is busy.
La niña está ocupada. - The girl is busy.
La manzana está madura. - The apple is ripe.
Plural Examples:
If the noun is plural then you need to use the plural adjectives.
Las manzanas están maduras. - The apples are ripe
"están - are" verb form "estar".
Los niños están ocupados. - The boys are busy.
Las plantas son muertas. - The plants are dead.
"son - are" verb form "ser".
          
Adjectives describe nouns.
In Spanish adjectives need to correlate with the noun.
If the noun is masculine, then you use the masculine form of the adjective.
If the noun is feminine then use the feminine form of the adjective.
If the noun is plural you use the masculine plural form or you use the feminine plural form.
For example;
deep
masculine - profundo masculine plural - profundos
feminine - profunda feminine plural - profundas
danger
masculine - peligroso masculine plural - peligrosos
feminine - peligrosa feminine plural - peligrosas
distant/far
masculine - lejano masculine plural - lejanos
feminine - lejana feminine plural - lejanas
full
masculine - lleno masculine plural - llenos
feminine - llena feminine plural - llenas

Oraciones - Sentences
Here are examples of singular nouns and plural nouns. Watch how the adjective changes in each sentence.
El bébe está contento - The baby is happy.
el bébe is masculine and singular so you use the masculine singular adjective, "contento".
Note: Use the verb form "está" and not "es" because the noun can change from happy to sad.
La flor es bonita. - The flower is pretty.
la flor is feminine and singular so you use the feminine singular adjective, "bonita".
Note: "The flower is pretty" is an opinion. Opinions use the verb form "es".
El dibujo es bueno. - The drawing is good.
el dibujo is masculine singular so use the masculine singular adjective, "bueno".
Note; You use the verb form "es" because the plant is not going to change.
La lima es ácida. - The lime is sour.
La lima está ácida. - The lime is sour.
La lima es amarga. - The lime is bitter.
La lima está amarga.. - The lime is bitter.
El río es ancho. - The river is wide.
El río está ancho. - The river is wide.
el río is masculine singular so you use the masculine singular adjective, "ancho".
       
Plural Examples:
If the noun is plural then you need to use the plural adjectives.
    
Las limas están ácidas. - The apples are sour.
Las limas son amargas. - The apples are bitter.
"están - are" verb form "estar".
"son - are" verb form "ser"
      
Los bébes están contentos. - The babies are happy.
Las flores son bonitas. - The plants are pretty.
"son - are" verb form "ser".

¿Dónde vive? - Where do you live? (formal)

¿Dónde vives? - Where do you live? (familiar)

Formal is used when speaking to someone who is older and deserves respect or to someone you don't know.

Familiar is used when you are speaking to someone you know or to children.

21. ¿Cuánto Cuesta? - How much does it cost?

 

¿Cuánto cuesta? - How much does it cost?

¿Cuánto cuestan? - How much do they cost?

¿Cuánto cuesta? is used when asking for something that is singular.
Example:
¿Cuánto cuesta? el perrito? - How much is the puppy?
    
¿Cuánto cuestan? is used when asking something that is plural.
Example:
¿Cuánto cuestan los caballos? - How much are the horses?

 
 
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