Conversational Spanish Glossary

A word that has a similar form and meaning in both Spanish and English due to shared linguistic roots, such as 'hospital' (hospital) and 'familia' (family).

The process of changing a verb's form to indicate tense, mood, person, and number. Spanish verbs are conjugated in three groups based on their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir.

A combination of two vowel sounds within a single syllable, such as 'ie' in 'tiene' or 'ue' in 'puede.' Diphthongs are important for correct pronunciation.

One of two Spanish verbs meaning 'to be,' used for temporary conditions, locations, emotions, and the results of actions.

A word that resembles a word in another language but has a different meaning. Also called 'falsos amigos.' Example: 'actual' in Spanish means 'current,' not 'actual.'

A classification of nouns as either masculine or feminine in Spanish, which determines the form of accompanying articles, adjectives, and pronouns.

The present participle form of a verb, ending in -ando (for -ar verbs) or -iendo (for -er/-ir verbs). Used with estar to form the progressive tense: 'Estoy hablando' (I am speaking).

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its individual words. Example: 'estar en las nubes' (to be in the clouds) means to be daydreaming.

The verb mood used for commands and requests. Spanish has different imperative forms for tu, usted, vosotros, and ustedes, with distinct affirmative and negative constructions.

A past tense used to describe habitual, ongoing, or background actions and states. Conveys actions without a specified beginning or end point.

The verb mood used for stating facts, describing reality, and making declarations. It is the default mood and contrasts with the subjunctive and imperative.

The base, unconjugated form of a verb, ending in -ar, -er, or -ir. Example: hablar (to speak), comer (to eat), vivir (to live).

A verb that does not follow the standard conjugation patterns. Common irregular verbs include ser, ir, tener, hacer, decir, and estar.

A pronoun that replaces the direct or indirect object of a verb. Direct: lo, la, los, las. Indirect: me, te, le, nos, les. Placed before conjugated verbs or attached to infinitives and gerunds.

A word that establishes relationships between nouns and other parts of a sentence. Common Spanish prepositions include a, de, en, con, por, para, sin, and entre.

A past tense used for completed actions with a definite beginning or end. Example: 'Comi la manzana' (I ate the apple).

A verb in which the action is performed by the subject on itself, indicated by reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, se). Example: lavarse (to wash oneself).

The level of formality in language use. Spanish distinguishes between formal (usted/ustedes) and informal (tu/vosotros/vos) registers, affecting verb forms and vocabulary choices.

One of two Spanish verbs meaning 'to be,' used for permanent characteristics, identity, origin, time, and essential qualities.

The pronunciation of the letters c (before e/i) and z as /s/ rather than the Castilian /th/ sound. Seseo is standard in all of Latin America and parts of southern Spain.

A verb whose root vowel changes in certain conjugated forms, such as e to ie (pensar: pienso), o to ue (dormir: duermo), or e to i (pedir: pido).

A verb mood used for wishes, doubts, emotions, hypothetical situations, and after certain conjunctions. Triggered by expressions like 'espero que,' 'dudo que,' and 'es posible que.'

A verb form that indicates the time of an action. Major Spanish tenses include present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, present perfect, and pluperfect.

The use of the pronoun 'vos' instead of 'tu' for informal second-person address, along with its distinct verb conjugations. Common in Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Central America.

Spanish has a flexible but generally Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order. Adjectives typically follow nouns (casa blanca), and subject pronouns are often omitted because verb endings indicate the subject.