CONQUERING THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM:

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1 CONQUERING THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM: THE YO CONNECTION NANCY T. MÍNGUEZ DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY 0

2 INTRODUCTION These handouts are a great tool for the student to easily comprehend how the conjugations work in Spanish. The techniques taught by this system help to quickly grasp and learn the verb types and their conjugations. By dividing the verbs into four main groups, each with its own predictable pattern and all based on the yo conjugation of the present tense, the student can make predictions about the rest of the tenses and will come to rely less on outside sources. These handouts are an incredibly useful instrument for the student to fully embrace verb conjugating naturally. When in need of a different resource to accurately conjugate verbs immediately, the Verb Conjugator is available. At hand to conjugate over 86 verbs, it is a fast and reliable source to look up a specific verb in a particular tense instantly. OVERVIEW The Spanish verb system can be easily divided into four main groups, each with its own predictable pattern and all based on the yo conjugation of the present tense. Once you discover the yo conjugation, you can make predictions about the rest of the tenses and, hopefully, will need to rely less on outside sources. 1. Regular verbs (-ar and -er/-ir), like comprar, aprender, and abrir, form the largest group and are the easiest to learn. These verbs establish the general pattern of operation for all groups, and there are few, if any, irregularities. The regular verbs can be divided into two categories representing each ending group: (a) -ar and (b) -er/-ir. Each subsequent group deviates somewhat from this general pattern, with -ir verbs showing the most irregularities. 2. Shoe verbs (-ar/-er/-ir), or stem-changing verbs like pensar, volver, and pedir, are verbs whose present tense in both the indicative and subjunctive forms a shoe or boot pattern when the singular conjugations are listed adjacent to the plural. Shoe verbs can be divided into three ending categories: (a) -ar, (b) -er, and (c) -ir. Verbs in this group will not show a stem change in any other tense, except for those in Group 2C that deviate slightly from the pattern established in the other two categories in the present subjunctive and in the third person preterit. 3. Yo -go verbs (or Yo -zco verbs) are those verbs whose yo form ends in -go or -zco, such as tener, hacer, conocer, and conducir. Only -er/-ir verbs form this group there are no -ar yo -go verbs. We find more irregularities in this group, but most are predictable. Almost all of these verbs (except salir and conocer) are irregular in the preterit tense. Also, the irregularities tend to be similar: all of these verbs have the same ending that differs slightly from the regular preterit, and all reflect a similar change in the 1

3 stem that repeats in the six conjugations. In all cases, once again, the yo form generates an irregular present subjunctive, and the irregular preterit forms generate the past subjunctive. Many yo -go verbs tend to have a similar pattern of irregularities in the future and conditional. 4. -O no verbs, or irregular verbs, are those whose yo form does not end in -o. The patterns these verbs follow are generally unpredictable and must be memorized. However, the irregularity that these verbs share the yo form not ending in -o draws the student s attention to the fact that these verbs will typically not follow the normal pattern and may have many irregularities. Since there are only six verbs in this group (ser, estar, dar, ir, saber, and haber), this is not a particular problem. For each category, you ll see a pattern represented by a model verb from each group/subgroup, determined by the group and endings (-ar, -er/-ir). On the back of each model page, you can write all verbs that are in the group and practice the conjugations as needed with one of the blank model charts. As you learn other verbs that behave like the model (see the quick reference for others in any particular group), you can simply add them to the back of the page and indicate any minor deviation from the norm, such as an irregular past participle or an irregular preterit form. In the end, you will have six pages with the model on the front and all other verbs in that category on the back. You ll need to make a separate chart for each verb in Group 4, the -o no group. Eventually, you ll be able to establish at a glance to which group any new verb belongs and know exactly how to use it, simply by observing the yo form of the present tense. If it is regular, then you may predict that the verb will not deviate from the regular pattern; if the yo form shows a stem change, then you may predict that it will follow the pattern of the shoe verbs; if the yo form ends in -go, then it will most likely follow the patterns established by the other yo -go verbs. 2

4 CONQUERING THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM: THE YO CONNECTION Group 1: Regular Verbs (-ar, -er/-ir) (Since -ir verbs differ ONLY in the nosotros and vosotros forms of the present indicative, it is not necessary to have a separate page for them. After the present tense, -ir verbs have the same endings as -er verbs.) Regular verbs form the largest and most predictable group of verbs. This group establishes the basic pattern from which other groups may deviate slightly. There are very few irregularities in this group, and you should indicate any irregularities next to the verb on the list on the back of the model page e.g., andar (irregular preterit > anduve). It is important to learn well the patterns established by the regular verbs. See Quick Reference for other common verbs in this group on page 14 of this handout. Remember: Conjugate verbs in Spanish by taking the stem and affixing the proper ending for the subject and tense. The six conjugations represent first (yo), second (tú) and third (usted, él, ella) persons singular, and first (nosotros), second (vosotros), and third (ustedes, ellos) persons plural. Conjugate reflexive verbs (e.g., lavarse) exactly the same way you would conjugate any other verb. Be sure to include the respective reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se), which always precedes the verb that you are conjugating e.g., me lavo, te lavas, se lava, etc. See Reflexive commands on page 13 of this handout. MODELS: COMPRAR (SHOWN), COMER, ESCRIBIR Present Tense (Yo form of present indicative + opposite vowel) compro compramos compre compremos compras compráis compres compréis compra compran compre compren Preterit Tense Singular compré compraste compró Plural compramos comprasteis compraron Imperfect Tense (Formed from third person plural preterit) compraba comprábamos comprara compráramos comprabas comprabais compraras comprarais compraba compraban comprara compraran Future Tense: infinitive + -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án = compraré (I will buy), etc. Conditional Tense: infinitive + -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían = compraría (I would buy), etc. 3

5 Compound Tenses Progressive: estar (any tense, indicative or subjunctive) + present participle (stem + -ando/-iendo) = Estoy (estaba, estaré, estaría) comprando/comiendo/escribiendo (I am [was, will be, would be] buying/eating/writing) Perfect: haber + past participle (stem + -ado/-ido [some verbs are irregular e.g., escribir > escrito]) = haber comprado/comido/escrito (to have bought/eaten/written) Present Perfect: present tense of haber + past participle (stem + -ado) = he comprado (I have bought) he comprado hemos comprado haya comprado hayamos comprado has habéis hayas hayáis ha han haya hayan Pluperfect: imperfect tense of haber + past participle = había comprado (I had bought) había comprado habíamos comprado hubiera comprado hubiéramos comprado habías habíais hubieras hubierais había habían hubiera hubieran Future Perfect: future tense (no subjunctive) of haber + past participle = habré comprado (I will have bought) Singular habré comprado habrás habrá Plural habremos comprado habréis habrán Conditional Perfect: conditional tense (no subjunctive) of haber + past participle = habría comprado (I would have bought) Singular habría comprado habrías habría Plural habríamos comprado habríais habrían 4

6 CONQUERING THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM: THE YO CONNECTION Group 2A/2B: "Shoe" Verbs (-ar and -er) Since e will always change to ie, and o will always change to ue, it is not necessary to separate these verbs according to their different stem changes. See Quick Reference for other common verbs in these groups. Repeat same exercise for Group 2A: Shoe Verbs (-ar). The endings will be the same as Group 1: Regular Verbs (-ar). NOTE: There is a separate page for Group 2C: Shoe Verbs (-ir), since these verbs show changes that Groups 2A and 2B do not. MODELS: 2A PENSAR / 2B VOLVER (SHOWN) e > ie o > ue By placing the present indicative next to the subjunctive, the student can see the "shoe" pattern and how the pattern is carried into the subjunctive but disappears in the past tenses. Present Tense (The shoe -pattern stem change carries over.) vuelvo volvemos vuelva volvamos vuelves volvéis vuelvas volváis vuelve vuelven vuelva vuelvan Preterit Tense Singular (No stem change in past tenses) volví volviste volvió Plural volvimos volvisteis volvieron Imperfect Tense (Formed from third person plural preterit) volvía volvíamos volviera volviéramos volvías volvíais volvieras volvierais volvía volvían volviera volvieran These verbs will generally be regular in future and conditional tenses. Future Tense: infinitive + -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án = volveré (I will return), etc. Conditional Tense: infinitive + -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían = volvería (I would return), etc. 5

7 Compound Tenses Progressive: estar + present participle (stem + -ando/-iendo) = estoy volviendo (I am returning) Present Perfect: present tense of haber + past participle (stem + -ido [volver (irregular) > vuelto]) = he vuelto (I have returned) he vuelto hemos vuelto haya vuelto hayamos vuelto has habéis hayas hayáis ha han haya hayan Pluperfect: imperfect tense of haber + past participle = había vuelto (I had returned) había vuelto habíamos vuelto hubiera vuelto hubiéramos vuelto habías habíais hubieras hubierais había habían hubiera hubieran Future Perfect: future tense (no subjunctive) of haber + past participle = habré vuelto (I will have returned) Conditional Perfect: conditional tense (no subjunctive) of haber + past participle = habría vuelto (I would have returned) See Group 1 for the conjugations of future perfect and conditional perfect tenses. 6

8 CONQUERING THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM: THE YO CONNECTION Group 2C: "Shoe" Verbs (-ir): e > i, i e > ie, i o > ue, u The verbs in this group follow the same basic shoe pattern as the -ar and -er verbs in Groups 2A and 2B. However, the verbs in this group change in ways that the other two groups do not and require a model of their own. Again, it is not necessary to separate the different stem changes, since e will always change to i (or ie for a few verbs), and o will always change to ue. In this group, you will see that the "shoe" pattern appears only in the indicative, but the change in the yo form is carried throughout the subjunctive, unlike Groups 2A and 2B. Also unlike 2A and 2B, there is a stem change in the preterit and in the present participle, as indicated by the second vowel in parentheses (e > i, i). See Quick Reference for other common verbs in this group. MODEL: PEDIR (e > i, i) Present Tense *The stem change carries over to all conjugations. pido pedimos pida pidamos pides pedís pidas pidáis pide piden pida pidan Although the "shoe pattern does not carry into the past tenses, observe that with all of these verbs like verbs in all the groups the change in the third person preterit carries over to all forms of the imperfect subjunctive. Preterit Tense **The stem changes in the third person of all verbs in this group. pedí pediste **pidió pedimos pedisteis ** pidieron Imperfect Tense ***Always formed from the third person plural preterit pedía pedíamos pidiera pidiéramos pedías pedíais pidieras pidierais pedía pedían pidiera pidieran These verbs will generally be regular in future and conditional tenses. Future Tense: infinitive + -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án = pediré (I will request), etc. Conditional Tense: infinitive + -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían = pediría (I would request), etc. XXXX XXXX 7

9 Compound Tenses Progressive: estar + present participle (stem**** + -iendo) = estoy pidiendo (I am requesting); estaba pidiendo (I was requesting), etc. ****ONLY verbs in this group and a couple in other groups (e.g., venir and poder) will show the same stem change in the present participle as in the preterit. Present Perfect: present tense of haber + past participle (stem + -ido) = he pedido (I have requested) he pedido hemos pedido haya pedido hayamos pedido has habéis hayas hayáis ha han haya hayan Pluperfect: imperfect tense of haber + past participle = había pedido (I had requested) había pedido habíamos pedido hubiera pedido hubiéramos pedido habías habíais hubieras hubierais había habían hubiera hubieran Future Perfect: future tense (no subjunctive) of haber + past participle = habré pedido (I will have requested) Conditional Perfect: conditional tense (no subjunctive) of haber + past participle = habría pedido (I would have requested) 8

10 CONQUERING THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM: THE YO CONNECTION Group 3: Yo -go Verbs The first person present tense of the verbs in this group ends with -go. There are two subgroups that affect ONLY the present tense: -go + shoe (verbs have a stem change in the present tense) and -go alone (verbs that do not have a stem change). These subgroups do not affect any of the other tenses. The yo -go group also includes "yo -zco" verbs like conocer and conducir since the yo form affects the subjunctive formation in the same way. The - ucir verbs will have the same irregularities in the preterit tense. Typical verbs in this group are decir, poner, hacer, venir, and any derivatives thereof (e.g., imponer, intervenir, entretener, mantener, reconocer, introducir, etc.). No -ar verbs fall into this group. See Quick Reference for other common verbs in this group. Present Tense MODELS: TENER (e > ie) HACER -go + "shoe" -go alone (Formed from yo form of present indicative) tengo tenemos hago hacemos tenga tengamos haga hagamos tienes tenéis haces hacéis tengas tengáis hagas hagáis tiene tienen hace hacen tenga tengan haga hagan Preterit Tense These verbs tend to have irregular i-stems or u-stems but have the same endings, which are slightly different from regular verbs in the first and third person singular. The verb salir, among other verbs like conocer, is regular in this tense. Since the endings are not stressed as they are in the other groups, these verbs do not have written accents. tuve tuvimos hice hicimos tuviste tuvisteis hiciste hicisteis tuvo **tuvieron hizo ** hicieron Imperfect Tense All forms are regular in the indicative imperfect tense. **Always formed from the third person plural preterit tenía teníamos hacía hacíamos tuviera tuviéramos hiciera hiciéramos tenías teníais hacías hacíais tuvieras tuvierais hicieras hicierais tenía tenían hacía hacían tuviera tuvieran hiciera hicieran Future/Conditional Tenses: Since the conditional mirrors the future tense, any changes in the future tense will be applied to the conditional tense. These verbs tend to be slightly irregular with a d-stem or other variation; however, "yo -zco" verbs will be regular in these tenses e.g., conoceré, conduciré, etc. tener > tendré / tendría, etc. poner > pondré / pondría, etc. venir > vendré / vendría, etc. caber > cabré, etc. hacer > haré / haría, etc. decir > diré / diría, etc. 9

11 Compound Tenses Progressive: Most of the present participles for these verbs are regular (e.g., haciendo, teniendo, conduciendo), except viniendo and diciendo, which have stem changes similar to other irregular -ir verbs. Perfect Aspect: Some past participles for these verbs are irregular, but the patterns are not predictable. hacer > hecho BUT tener > tenido decir > dicho BUT venir > venido 10

12 COMMANDS Since commands are related to the subjunctive (> yo prs. + opposite vowel), most of the forms come directly from the subjunctive (see boxes). SUBJUNCTIVE Group 1 Singular Plural Regular -ar (comprar) nosotros affirm./neg. (no) compremos informal affirm. compra (> 3rd p. prs. ind.) comprad (> inf. drop -r, + -d) informal neg. no compres no compréis formal affirm./neg. (no) compre (no) compren Regular -er/-ir (comer) nosotros affirm./neg. (no) comamos informal affirm. come (> 3rd p. prs. ind.) comed (> inf. drop -r, + -d) informal neg. no comas no comáis formal affirm./neg. (no) coma (no) coman Group 2 a) Shoe -ar (pensar) > ie nosotros affirm./neg. (no) pensemos informal affirm. piensa (> 3rd p. prs. ind.) pensad (> inf. drop -r, + -d) informal neg. no pienses no penséis formal affirm./neg. (no) piense (no) piensen b) Shoe -er (volver) > ue nosotros affirm./neg. (no) volvamos informal affirm. vuelve (> 3rd p prs. ind.) volved (> inf. drop -r, + -d) informal neg. no vuelvas no volváis formal affirm./neg. (no) vuelva (no) vuelvan c) Shoe -ir (pedir) > i nosotros affirm./neg. (no) pidamos informal affirm. pide (> 3rd p. prs. ind.) pedid (> inf. drop -r, + -d) informal neg. no pidas no pidáis formal affirm./neg. (no) pida (no) pidan Group 3 "Yo -go" (tener) nosotros affirm./neg. (no) tengamos irregular informal affirm. ten (> stem of inf.) tened (> inf. drop -r,+ -d) informal neg. no tengas no tengáis formal affirm./neg. (no) tenga (no) tengan 11

13 Group 4 "-O no" (These verbs follow similar patterns but are not predictable; they should be memorized.) 12

14 REFLEXIVE COMMANDS Since commands are related to the subjunctive, most forms come directly from the subjunctive (see boxes). SUBJUNCTIVE Group 1 Singular Plural Regular -ar (lavarse) nosotros affirm./neg. lavémonos / no nos lavemos informal affirm. lávate (> 3rd p. prs. ind.) lavaos (> inf. drop -r, NO -d) informal neg. no te laves no os lavéis formal affirm./neg. lávese / no se lave lávense / no se laven Regular -er/-ir Repeat same pattern. Group 2 (a) Shoe -ar (acostarse) > ue nosotros affirm./neg. acostémonos / no nos acostemos informal affirm. acuéstate acostaos (> 3rd p. prs. ind.) (> inf. drop -r, NO -d) informal neg. no te acuestes no os acostéis formal affirm./neg. acuéstese acuéstense no se acueste no se acuesten (b) Shoe -er Repeat same pattern. (c) Shoe -ir Repeat same pattern. Group 3 "Yo -go" (ponerse) nosotros affirm./neg. pongámonos / no nos pongamos irregular informal affirm. ponte (> stem of inf.) poneos (> inf. drop -r, NO -d informal neg. no te pongas no os pongáis formal affirm./neg. póngase pónganse no se ponga no se pongan Group 4 "-O no" (These verbs follow similar patterns but are not predictable; they should be memorized.) 13

15 CONQUERING THE SPANISH VERB SYSTEM: THE YO CONNECTION QUICK REFERENCE: COMMON VERBS BY GROUP Group 1: Regular Group 2: Shoe Group 3: Yo -go Group 4: -O no" -ar -ar decir > digo dar > doy apagar bailar bañar besar buscar cambiar caminar comprar desear encantar entrar gustar hablar lavar levantar llamar llegar llevar mandar mirar nadar pagar tomar trabajar -er/-ir acostar almorzar cerrar contar despertar empezar encontrar jugar pensar recomendar recordar sentar -er entender perder poder (irreg. pret.) querer (irreg. pret.) volver envolver devolver resolver revolver -ir hacer > hago deshacer rehacer oír > oigo poner > pongo disponer imponer suponer salir > salgo tener > tengo detener entretener obtener retener traer > traigo venir > vengo Yo -zco conocer reconocer desconocer estar > estoy haber > he ir > voy saber > sé ser > soy aprender beber comer abrir asistir escribir prohibir recibir vivir divertir dormir morir pedir despedir impedir preferir repetir sentir servir sugerir vestir conducir introducir reproducir producir traducir 14