While I drink my coffeeBefore you practise: rules and examples
These topics cover this set, including review questions. Open the guide and refer to it while answering.
Por and para
Para can express purpose, recipient, deadline or destination. Por can express reason, route, exchange or thanks for something. Choose by meaning rather than translating the English word for.
Estudio para viajar. Lo hago por curiosidad. Gracias por venir.I study to travel. I do it out of curiosity. Thanks for coming.
Cuanto más… más / menos…
This pattern links two changes: the more one thing changes, the more or less another does. The second part uses más or menos, rather than tan or muy.
Cuanto más practico, más entiendo.The more I practise, the more I understand.
Verb + preposition + infinitive
Learn the whole pattern: empezar a — start; volver a — do again; acabar de — have just done; tener ganas de — feel like doing. Conjugate the first verb and keep the second action as an infinitive.
Empiezo a entender. Vuelvo a intentarlo. Acabo de llegar. Tengo ganas de descansar.I am starting to understand. I try again. I have just arrived. I feel like resting.
Si: a real condition
In a real condition use present indicative after si. The result can use present, future or a command. This pattern expresses a real possibility, not a hypothetical “if … were”.
Si hace buen tiempo, iremos al parque.If the weather is good, we will go to the park.
The conditional: advice and polite questions
Add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían to the infinitive. This softens advice, requests or questions. Common irregular stems: podr-, tendr-, vendr-, har-, dir-.
Yo probaría otra opción. ¿Podrías esperar un momento?I would try another option. Could you wait a moment?
The subjunctive after a request or proposal
Querer / pedir / necesitar / proponer que and es importante / posible que introduce a desired action, judgement or possibility. They normally take the subjunctive: start from present yo without -o, then -ar → -e-, -er / -ir → -a-. Person endings: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en or -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Irregular forms include sea, vaya, esté, haya, dé, sepa. Sin que also takes the subjunctive.
Espero que tengas tiempo. Podemos hablar sin que nadie nos interrumpa.I hope you have time. We can talk without anyone interrupting us.
1. Este regalo es ___ ti.
2. Gracias ___ tu ayuda.
3. Hablar en la mesa después de comer se llama la ___.
4. Cuanto más lees, ___ te cuesta.
5. Acabo ___ leer el último capítulo.
6. Un ___ es una idea repetida que casi todos aceptan sin pensar.
Review from Nº4These items appeared in the previous issue. See what has changed since then.
7. Si mañana ___, nos quedamos en casa.
8. Yo, en tu lugar, ___ con ella.
9. Quiero hablar sin que la relación se ___.