Hablar (to speak): hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan. Drop the -ar, add the ending. This pattern works for all regular -AR verbs — hundreds of them.
🗣️ Spanish
Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine
Spanish Gender Rule
The fastest noun gender shortcut in Spanish
Nouns ending in -a → feminine (la). Nouns ending in -o → masculine (el). Not 100% (el día, la mano are exceptions) but correct 90%+ of the time. Memorize the exceptions separately.
🗣️ Spanish
Preterite vs Imperfect: completed vs ongoing
Past Tense Choice
Preterite for finished actions. Imperfect for ongoing or habitual.
Preterite: "I ate dinner" (done). Imperfect: "I used to eat dinner at 6" (habitual) or "I was eating" (ongoing background action). When two actions overlap in the past, background = imperfect.
🗣️ Spanish
"No hay" = there is not / there are not
Hay — Most Useful Spanish Word
Hay — one of the most versatile words in Spanish
"Hay" means both "there is" and "there are" (singular and plural). "Hay una mesa" = there is a table. "Hay mesas" = there are tables. It never changes form in the present tense.
Ser and Estar Extended
Ser vs Estar memory trick: DOCTOR (ser) and PLACE (estar) — permanent vs temporary
Ser and Estar Extended
Full breakdown of when to use each 'to be' verb
SER — DOCTOR: Description, Occupation, Characteristics, Time/date, Origin, Relationships. ESTAR — PLACE: Position, Location, Action (progressive), Condition, Emotion. Exceptions: ser used for events' location ('La fiesta es en mi casa'), estar for dead ('está muerto'). When unsure: estar for states, ser for identity.
D
Description — tall, intelligent
O
Occupation — teacher, doctor
C
Characteristics — personality
T
Time and date
O
Origin — from Spain
R
Relationships — my brother
Preterite vs Imperfect Triggers
Preterite triggers: ayer, anoche, el año pasado, de repente, en ese momento — completed past actions
Preterite vs Imperfect Triggers
Key words that signal which past tense to use
Preterite (completed): ayer (yesterday), anoche (last night), el año pasado, de repente (suddenly), en ese momento, una vez (once), dos veces. Imperfect (ongoing/habitual): siempre, todos los días, generalmente, cuando era niño, mientras, a veces, cada día.
Preterite
Ayer, anoche, de repente, una vez
Imperfect
Siempre, todos los días, cuando era niño, mientras
Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs: action done to/for yourself. Me llamo (I call myself). Se ducha (he showers himself).
Reflexive Verbs
When the subject and object are the same person
Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Levantarse (to get up/raise oneself), ducharse (to shower), llamarse (to be called), casarse (to get married), sentirse (to feel). Some verbs change meaning when reflexive: ir = to go, irse = to leave. Dormir = to sleep, dormirse = to fall asleep.
WEIRDO — the acronym for when to use the subjunctive
Wishes: quiero que vengas. Emotion: me alegra que estés aquí. Impersonal expressions: es importante que estudies. Recommendations: te recomiendo que descanses. Doubt/Denial: dudo que sea verdad. Ojalá: ojalá que llueva (I hope it rains). Trigger: que + different subject.
W
Wishes — quiero que...
E
Emotion — me alegra que...
I
Impersonal — es importante que...
R
Recommendations — te recomiendo que...
D
Doubt/Denial — dudo que...
O
Ojalá — I hope
Object Pronouns in Spanish
Direct object pronouns: lo/la (it/him/her). Indirect: le (to him/her). Go BEFORE conjugated verb.
Object Pronouns in Spanish
Replacing nouns with pronouns — placement rules
Direct object pronouns: me, te, lo/la, nos, os, los/las. Indirect: me, te, le, nos, os, les. Both before conjugated verb: Te lo doy (I give it to you). With infinitive or gerund: can attach — Quiero dártelo or Te lo quiero dar. Double pronouns: indirect before direct, le/les → se before lo/la/los/las.
Por vs Para
Por vs Para: por = exchange/duration/cause/movement through. Para = purpose/destination/deadline/opinion.
Por vs Para
The distinction that confuses every Spanish learner
Por: cause (por eso = because of that), exchange (lo compré por $5), duration (estudié por dos horas), movement through (caminar por el parque). Para: purpose (para estudiar = in order to study), destination (salgo para Madrid), deadline (para el lunes), opinion (para mí = in my opinion).
The -go verbs and other irregular first-person singular forms
Go-verbs add -go in yo form only: tener→tengo, venir→vengo, salir→salgo, hacer→hago, poner→pongo, traer→traigo, caer→caigo, decir→digo. Other irregulars: saber→sé, conocer→conozco, ver→veo. All other forms follow regular patterns. Memorize these yo forms — everything else is regular.