Cheatsheet A1

Foundations

Sounds and Stress

Point	Rule	Example	English
Vowels	five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, each with one short, clear sound	banana	banana
r / rr	one r between vowels is a single tap; rr is a trill	pero / perro	but / dog
j / ge / gi	a strong, rough h from the back of the throat	jardín / gente	garden / people
ñ	like ny in English canyon	mañana	tomorrow
z / ce / ci	sound /s/, like s	zapato / ciudad	shoe / city
z / ce / ci	sound /θ/, like th in English think	zapato / ciudad	shoe / city
ll / y	one sound, /ʝ/, close to y in English yes	calle / yo	street / I
A1Stress	ending in a vowel, n or s: the next-to-last syllable	casa / hablan	house / they speak
A1Stress	ending in any other consonant: the last syllable	hablar / ciudad	to speak / city
A1Written accent	marks a stress that breaks those two rules	café / árbol / música	coffee / tree / music
A1Words written alike	an accent tells apart two words that are written the same	Tú tienes tu libro.	You have your book.
A1Trap	question words always carry an accent	¿Dónde vives?	Where do you live?

Numbers

Point	Rule	Example	English
0–15	each has its own word	once / quince	eleven / fifteen
16–29	one word: dieci- or veinti- and the unit	dieciséis / veintidós	sixteen / twenty-two
31–99	the tens, y, the unit: three words	treinta y uno / cuarenta y cinco	thirty-one / forty-five
100	cien alone or before a noun, ciento before another number	cien euros / ciento veinte	a hundred euros / a hundred and twenty
1000	mil takes no un and stays the same after any number	mil / tres mil	a thousand / three thousand
A1Hundreds	from 200, they agree with the noun	doscientas personas	two hundred people
A1millón	a noun: millones in the plural, de before what it counts	dos millones de personas	two million people
A1uno	un before a masculine noun, una before a feminine one	veintiún años / veintiuna casas	twenty-one years / twenty-one houses
A1Ordinals	primero to décimo; they agree with the noun and go before it	la segunda calle	the second street
Trap	500, 700 and 900 change their first part	quinientos / setecientos / novecientos	five hundred / seven hundred / nine hundred
Trap	no y after the hundreds	ciento veinte / doscientos cinco	a hundred and twenty / two hundred and five

Telling the Time

Point	Rule	Example	English
Asking	ask ¿Qué hora es? and answer with es or son	¿Qué hora es? — Son las tres.	What time is it? — It's three o'clock.
The hour	es la una; every other hour takes son las	Es la una. / Son las dos.	It's one o'clock. / It's two o'clock.
en punto	a full hour	Son las cinco en punto.	It's five o'clock.
Minutes 1–30	the hour, y, the minutes	las dos y diez	ten past two
cuarto / media	cuarto is 15 minutes, media is 30	las tres y cuarto / las tres y media	quarter past three / half past three
A1Minutes 31–59	the next hour, menos, the minutes left	las cuatro menos diez / las cuatro menos cuarto	ten to four / quarter to four
A1Minutes 31–59	also the minutes left, para, the next hour	diez para las cuatro	ten to four
A1a las	a las and the time for when something happens; a la una	La clase empieza a las nueve.	The class starts at nine.
A1Parts of the day	de la mañana / de la tarde / de la noche after the time	las ocho de la noche	eight in the evening
A124 hours	speech uses 12 hours; timetables use 24	18:30 → las dieciocho treinta
Trap	the hour always takes la or las	Son las tres.	It's three o'clock.

Nouns and determiners

Gender

Point	Rule	Example	English
Masculine	most nouns in -o	el libro	the book
Feminine	most nouns in -a	la casa	the house
Other endings	-e or a consonant: learn the article with the noun	el café / la noche	the coffee / the night
People	-o → -a	la niña / la amiga	the girl / the (female) friend
Agreement	articles and adjectives follow the noun	una casa blanca	a white house

Plurals

Point	Rule	Example	English
Vowel	+ s	casa → casas	houses
Consonant	+ es	ciudad → ciudades	cities
Agreement	article and adjective go plural too	las casas blancas	the white houses

Articles

Point	Rule	Example	English
Definite	el / la / los / las	¿Dónde está el baño?	Where is the bathroom?
Indefinite	un / una / unos / unas	Tengo un hermano.	I have a brother.
Contractions	a el → al, de el → del	Voy al mercado.	I'm going to the market.
In general	things in general take the definite article	Me gustan los perros.	I like dogs.
Days	el lunes means “on Monday”	Te llamo el lunes.	I'll call you on Monday.
No article	a job after ser	Ana es profesora.	Ana is a teacher.
Trap	no un or una before a job	Mi padre es médico.	My father is a doctor.

This, That, That Over There

Point	Rule	Example	English
Near me	este / esta / estos / estas	Este libro es nuevo.	This book is new.
Near you	ese / esa / esos / esas	¿Cuánto cuesta esa mochila?	How much is that backpack?
Far from us both	aquel / aquella / aquellos / aquellas	Aquella casa es de mi abuela.	That house over there is my grandmother's.
Agreement	gender and number of the noun	Me gustan estos zapatos.	I like these shoes.
Alone	for a known noun, with no written accent	No quiero este libro; quiero ese.	I don't want this book; I want that one.
Neuter	esto, eso: a thing with no name yet	¿Qué es esto?	What is this?
Trap	before a noun, este, never esto	Quiero este pastel.	I want this cake.
Trap	introducing a person: este / esta	Este es mi hermano.	This is my brother.

Possessives

Point	Rule	Example	English
Before the noun	mi / tu / su / nuestro / su	Mi casa es pequeña.	My house is small.
Before the noun	vosotros: vuestro	¿Es vuestra casa?	Is it your house?
Agreement	the number of the thing owned; nuestro also its gender	Nuestros hijos viven en Quito.	Our children live in Quito.
Owner as a noun	de + owner	la casa de Ana	Ana's house
Trap	su is his, her, its, their, and your for usted	Ana vive con su hermano.	Ana lives with her brother.
Trap	mis before a plural noun	Mis padres son de Cuba.	My parents are from Cuba.

Quantifiers

Point	Rule	Example	English
mucho	a lot of; agrees with the noun	mucha agua / muchos libros	a lot of water / a lot of books
poco	little, few: not enough	Tengo poco tiempo.	I have little time.
un poco de	a little: there is some	¿Quieres un poco de agua?	Would you like a little water?
After a verb	mucho and poco never change	Mi hijo come mucho.	My son eats a lot.
bastante	enough, quite a lot; plural -s	Hay bastantes sillas.	There are enough chairs.
Trap	gente is feminine singular	Hay mucha gente.	There are a lot of people.

Adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives: Agreement and Position

Point	Rule	Example	English
Ending in -o	four forms: -o / -a / -os / -as	un libro blanco / unas casas blancas	a white book / some white houses
Ending in -e or a consonant	one form for both genders	un examen fácil / una pregunta fácil	an easy exam / an easy question
Nationality	a consonant ending adds -a for the feminine	un chico español / una chica española	a Spanish boy / a Spanish girl
Plural	-s after a vowel, -es after a consonant	verde → verdes / azul → azules
Position	after the noun as a rule	un vestido rojo	a red dress
Mixed group	masculine and feminine nouns together take the masculine plural	Juan y Ana son simpáticos.	Juan and Ana are nice.
Trap	the noun's gender decides, even when it ends in -a	el mapa nuevo	the new map

Adverbs

Point	Rule	Example	English
bien / mal	the adverbs of bueno and malo	Hablas bien español.	You speak Spanish well.
muy	before an adjective or an adverb	Es muy simpática.	She's very nice.
mucho	after a verb; as an adverb it never changes	Trabajo mucho.	I work a lot.
Place	aquí / ahí / allí: here, there, over there	El libro está aquí.	The book is here.
acá / allá	very frequent in Latin America, above all in Mexico and the Southern Cone, beside aquí and allí	Vivo acá.	I live here.
Time	hoy / mañana / ahora / después	Mañana tengo clase.	Tomorrow I have class.
Frequency	siempre / normalmente / todos los días / a veces	Siempre desayuno en casa.	I always have breakfast at home.
también / tampoco	también agrees with a positive, tampoco with a negative	No tengo hambre. — Yo tampoco.	I'm not hungry. — Me neither.

Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

Point	Rule	Example	English
Singular	yo / tú / él / ella / usted	¿Tú eres Pablo?	Are you Pablo?
Plural	nosotros / nosotras / ellos / ellas / ustedes	Ellos son mis padres.	They're my parents.
Plural “you”	ustedes for any group: friends or strangers	¿Ustedes son hermanos?	Are you brothers?
Plural “you”	vosotros / vosotras for friends and family, ustedes for strangers	¿Vosotros sois hermanos?	Are you brothers?
A1Usted	formal “you”: it takes the verb form of él	¿Usted habla inglés?	Do you speak English?
A1No pronoun	the verb ending names the person, so the pronoun drops	Vivo en Lima.	I live in Lima.
A1Contrast	the pronoun stays to set two people apart	Yo trabajo y tú estudias.	I work and you study.
A1Mixed group	men and women together take nosotros or ellos	¿Ana y Pedro? Ellos también son de Chile.	Ana and Pedro? They're from Chile too.

Forms of Address: tú, usted, vosotros, ustedes

Point	Rule	Example	English
tú	one person you know well: friends, family, children	¿Tienes hambre?	Are you hungry?
usted	one person, formally: strangers, older people, customers	¿Tiene usted hora?	Do you have the time?
ustedes	any group: friends or strangers	Chicos, ¿tienen hambre?	Guys, are you hungry?
vosotros	a group you know well	Chicos, ¿tenéis hambre?	Guys, are you hungry?
ustedes	a group, formally	¿Qué desean, señores?	What would you like?
Trap	usted takes the verb form of él, never of tú	¿Usted es de aquí?	Are you from here?

Ser, estar, hay, gustar

Ser and Estar

Point	Rule	Example	English
First phrases	ser in the first phrases: soy / eres / es / son	Soy Ana. / ¿Eres Pablo? / Son las dos.	I'm Ana. / Are you Pablo? / It's two o'clock.
First phrases	vosotros: sois	¿Vosotros sois hermanos?	Are you brothers?
A1Form	ser: soy / eres / es / somos / son	Soy de México.	I'm from Mexico.
A1Form	estar: estoy / estás / está / estamos / están	Estoy en casa.	I'm at home.
A1Form	vosotros: sois / estáis	¿Sois hermanos?	Are you brothers?
A1Identity	ser: name, job, nationality, origin	Mi madre es médica.	My mother is a doctor.
A1Description	ser: what someone or something is like	La casa es grande.	The house is big.
A1Time and date	ser: the hour, the day, the date	Son las tres.	It's three o'clock.
A1Place	estar: where someone or something is	El banco está en la plaza.	The bank is in the square.
A1State	estar: how someone feels or how something is now	Estoy cansada.	I'm tired.
A1Material	ser + de: what it is made of	La mesa es de madera.	The table is made of wood.
A1Trap	a place that never moves still takes estar	Madrid está en España.	Madrid is in Spain.

Ser or Estar with Adjectives

Point	Rule	Example	English
ser	what someone or something is like	Mi jefe es simpático.	My boss is nice.
Trap	bien and mal are adverbs: they take estar	Todo está bien.	Everything is fine.

Hay and Está

Point	Rule	Example	English
hay	un / una / unos, a number, mucho / poco	Hay una farmacia cerca.	There's a chemist's nearby.
hay	a plural or uncountable noun alone	Hay pan en la mesa.	There's bread on the table.
está	el / la / mi / este, a proper name	Mi casa está cerca.	My house is nearby.
Number	está for one thing, están for several	Los niños están en el parque.	The children are in the park.
Question	hay to find something, dónde está for its place	¿Hay un baño por aquí? / ¿Dónde está el baño?	Is there a toilet around here? / Where is the toilet?
Negative	no hay, usually without un / una	No hay leche.	There's no milk.
Trap	hay has one form for the singular and the plural	Hay muchos turistas.	There are lots of tourists.
Trap	a known thing takes está	El supermercado está en esta calle.	The supermarket is on this street.

Gustar and Similar Verbs

Point	Rule	Example	English
First forms	me gusta / te gusta / le gusta	¿Te gusta el café? — Sí, me gusta mucho.	Do you like coffee? — Yes, I like it a lot.
gusta	one thing, or one or more infinitives	Me gusta bailar.	I like dancing.
gustan	several things	Me gustan los perros.	I like dogs.
Trap	the person is me / te / le, never the subject	Me gusta el chocolate.	I like chocolate.
Trap	the thing liked takes its article: la música	Me gusta la música.	I like music.

The present

Present Tense: Regular Verbs

Point	Rule	Example	English
Form	hablar: hablo / hablas / habla / hablamos / hablan	Hablo español.	I speak Spanish.
Form	comer: como / comes / come / comemos / comen	¿Qué comes?	What do you eat?
Form	vivir: vivo / vives / vive / vivimos / viven	Mis padres viven en Lima.	My parents live in Lima.
Form	vosotros: habláis / coméis / vivís	¿Dónde vivís?	Where do you live?
Person	the ending names the person; the pronoun usually drops	Vivo en Quito.	I live in Quito.
Use	what happens now, habits and facts	Todos los días camino al trabajo.	I walk to work every day.
Negative	no goes before the verb	No como carne.	I don't eat meat.
Question	the same words, between ¿ and ?, with a rising voice	¿Hablas inglés?	Do you speak English?
Trap	usted takes the forms of él and ella	¿Habla usted inglés?	Do you speak English?
Trap	-er and -ir differ with nosotros	Comemos aquí. / Vivimos aquí.	We eat here. / We live here.

Present Tense: Irregular Verbs

Point	Rule	Example	English
Set phrases	first met as whole phrases: quiero / tengo … años	Quiero un café. / Tengo veinte años.	I want a coffee. / I'm twenty.
ir	voy / vas / va / vamos / van	Voy al cine.	I'm going to the cinema.

Reflexive Verbs

Point	Rule	Example	English
Form	a pronoun for each person: me / te / se / nos	Me lavo los dientes.	I brush my teeth.
Form	vosotros: os	¿A qué hora os levantáis?	What time do you get up?
Daily routine	getting up, washing, showering, combing your hair	Me levanto a las siete.	I get up at seven.
Names	llamarse: what someone is called	Me llamo Lucía.	My name is Lucía.
Trap	the pronoun stays even with yo	Yo me levanto temprano.	I get up early.
Trap	without se, the action falls on something else	Lavo los platos. / Me lavo.	I wash the dishes. / I have a wash.

Prepositions

Prepositions of Place and Time

Point	Rule	Example	English
en	where something is: in, on, at	El libro está en la mesa.	The book is on the table.
a	where something goes: to	Voy a la playa.	I'm going to the beach.
de	where something comes from, and whose it is	Soy de Colombia.	I'm from Colombia.
al / del	a + el = al / de + el = del	Voy al cine. / Salgo del trabajo.	I'm going to the cinema. / I leave work.
al lado de / cerca de / lejos de / entre	next to, near, far from, between	Vivo cerca del centro.	I live near the centre.
Time	a a clock time; en a month, a season, a year	a las tres / en julio	at three / in July
Days	no preposition: el lunes, el 5 de mayo	Te veo el lunes.	See you on Monday.
de … a	from a start to an end in time	Trabajo de nueve a cinco.	I work from nine to five.
con / sin	with, without	Un café con leche y sin azúcar.	A coffee with milk and without sugar.
Trap	llegar takes a: the place you reach	Llego a Lima mañana.	I arrive in Lima tomorrow.

Por and Para

Point	Rule	Example	English
para + infinitive	purpose: in order to	Estudio para aprender.	I study to learn.
por	a part of the day	Trabajo por la mañana.	I work in the morning.

Sentence building

Questions and Negatives

Point	Rule	Example	English
Question marks	¿ opens and ? closes every question	¿Hablas inglés?	Do you speak English?
Negative	no goes right before the verb	No hablo inglés.	I don't speak English.
Answers	the first no answers, the second makes the verb negative	¿Tienes hermanos? — No, no tengo hermanos.	Have you got any brothers or sisters? — No, I haven't got any brothers or sisters.
Question words	qué / quién / dónde / cómo / cuánto / por qué open the question, with a written accent	¿Dónde vives?	Where do you live?
Agreeing	también after a statement, tampoco after a negative	No hablo francés. — Yo tampoco.	I don't speak French. — Neither do I.
Prepositions	the preposition comes first, before the question word	¿Con quién trabajas?	Who do you work with?

Linkers

Point	Rule	Example	English
Adding	y joins two words or two clauses	Soy americana y vivo en Los Ángeles.	I'm American and I live in Los Angeles.
Choice	o offers a choice	¿Eres americano o inglés?	Are you American or English?
Contrast	pero sets two facts against each other, after a comma	Soy alemán, pero vivo en Suiza.	I'm German, but I live in Switzerland.
Negative	after a negative, ni adds the next item	No me gusta el otoño ni el invierno.	I don't like autumn or winter.
Reason	porque gives a reason, after the main clause	Estoy en España porque me gusta.	I'm in Spain because I like it.

Relative Clauses

Point	Rule	Example	English
Subject	que is the subject of the clause	Tengo una amiga que vive en Lima.	I've got a friend who lives in Lima.
Object	que is the object of the clause	La profesora que tengo es muy buena.	The teacher I've got is very good.
Trap	que never drops	El libro que leo es interesante.	The book I'm reading is interesting.