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Parts of Speech in Spanish Grammar

Beginner spanish grammar lesson.

We can divide parts of speech in Spanish into nine different types. Let's idetify them first:

Nouns are names of things, places, ideas/concepts, or people.

SUSTANTIVOS (nouns)

Examples of nouns:

• Pedro - name of a person
• Casa (house) - name of a thing
• Centro comercial (shopping mall) - name of a place
• Democracia (democracy) - name of a concept (abstract noun)

Remember that in Spanish nouns need to carry the gender and number. To do this correctly, you need to remember the rules and exceptions for feminine and masculine nouns. The basic rule is that nouns that end in 'o' are masculine, and nouns that end in 'a' are feminine. But there are other rules and exceptions you need to know.

Articles - definite and indefinite define the status of the noun.

ARTICULOS (articles)

Examples of articles:

• The - is the definite article. In singular in Spanish it is "El" or "La" - el niño, la niña
• The definite article in plural in Spanish is "Los" or "Las" - los niños, las niñas
• A - is the indefinite article. In singular in Spanish it is "Un" or "Una" - un niño, una niña.
• The indefinite plural in Spanish is "Unos" or "Unas" - unos niños, unas niñas.

Click here to learn more about Nouns and Articles in Spanish

Pronombres (pronouns).

Pronouns are words we use to replace nouns. Pronouns carry the same number and gender as the noun they replace.

There are many different pronouns, for example:

• Personal pronouns: yo, tú, él, nosotros, vosotros, ellos. (I, you, he/she, we, they)
• Demonstrative pronouns: éste, aquél, ésa. (this, that, those)
• Possessive pronouns: los míos, la mía. (my, your, his, hers, theirs
• Relative pronouns: que, quien, el que, la cual. ( which, who, whose)
• Indefinite pronouns: algo, alguien. (something, someone)

VERBOS (verbs)

Verbs express an action or state that the subject of the sentence performs. In Spanish, there are regular and irregular verbs, and many different verb tenses which you can learn in our Grammar section .

The three infinitive forms that exist are: verbs ending in -ar (hablar), verbs ending in -er (comer) and verbs ending in -ir (vivir).

There are verbs that are transitive (those that need a direct object), and there are verbs that are intransitive (which do not need an object). An example of a transitive verb is preparar . Lucía está preparando la cena (Lucía is preparing dinner). On the other hand, you have intransitive verbs like correr . El corre cada mañana. (He runs every day).

Click here to learn more about Verbs in Spanish in the Present Tense

Adjetivos (adjectives).

Adjectives describe and give extra information about nouns. There are descriptive adjectives such as “tonto”, “grande”, and limiting adjectives such as “este”, “aquel”, “cinco”, “mi”, “la”, “los”, etc. Adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun, so adjectives have different forms. For example: “bueno”, “buena”, “buenos”, “buenas”, “mejor”, “el mejor”.

Click here to learn more about Adjectives in Spanish

Adverbios (adverbs).

Adverbs describe or give extra information about a verb, an adjective or another adverb. There are many different type of adverbs:

• Adverbios de tiempo (adverbs of time): primero, luego, después.
• Adverbios de lugar (adverbs of place): acá, allá.
• Adverbios de modo (adverbs of manner): lentamente, mal, bruscamente.
• Adverbios de afirmación y negación (adverbs of affirmation and negation): sí, no, nunca.

It is important to know that adverbs can have comparative and superlative forms, as well as diminutive forms.

Click here to learn more about Adverbs in Spanish

Preposiciones (preposition).

Prepositions are used to show the relationship between items in the sentence. For instance, these are some of the prepositions you can learn in Spanish:

• con (with) and sin (without)
• antes (before) and después (after)
• arriba (above> and abajo, debajo de (below, underneath)
• contra (against)

There are prepositions of time, place, direction, sequence, etc.

Click here to learn more about Prepositions in Spanish

Conjunciones (conjunctions).

Conjunctions are linkers we use to make sentences and paragraphs more cohesive and natural. The most common ones are y (and) and pero (but). Other common ones are: de manera que , así que , etc.

INTERJECCIONES (interjections)

Interjections are exclamations and sounds one make when speaking to express a certain reaction or emotion:

Multiple-choice questions - Preguntas de múltiple opción

Read the following sentences. Choose the option that best describes the word that is in bold .

1. Pedro jugó al fútbol con María anoche.

Pronombre     Adverbio     Sustantivo      

2. Pedro jugó al fútbol con María anoche.

Verbo     Preposición     Conjunción      

3. Pedro jugó al fútbol con María anoche.

Verbo     Adverbio     Interjección      

4. ¡Ay! Esos niños son muy ruidosos!

Conjunción     Interjección     Preposición      

5. ¡Ay! Esos niños son muy ruidosos!

Sustantivo     Adjetivo     Pronombre      

6. ¡Ay! Esos niños son muy ruidosos!

Adverbio     Adjetivo     Preposición      

7. ¡Ay! Esos niños son muy ruidosos !

Adverbio     Interjección     Adjetivo      

Covered in this lesson: Parts of Speech in Spanish - to form sentences in Spanish learn how to use each of them in the correct order.

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What are the parts of speech in Spanish?

You’re going to learn about this important grammar concept today! Are you ready? Great!

When I think of the parts of speech, it reminds me of the grocery store. You walk down the aisles grab a cart and push it down the aisles. Each item is categorized into groups based on their form and function. There is a section for food, pharmacy, office supplies, furniture, clothing, and more.

We categorize words in the same way based on their form and function. We call these categories the parts of speech.

There’s something important you need to know before we look at the parts of speech. Most words can function in more than one part of speech. I’ll show you what I mean. Look at the word bien in these sentences.

La comida salió bien. The food turned out good.

Here, bien is an adverb. It describes the verb.

El bien y el mal son opuestos. Good and evil are opposites.

Now, bien is a noun. It is the subject of the sentence.

The only way to tell what job a word is doing is to look at how it’s acting in a sentence.

Alright, let’s learn about the parts of speech.

The Eight Parts of Speech in Spanish

In Spanish, the parts of speech are las partes de la oración. What are the parts of speech in Spanish? Las ocho partes de la oracion son el sustantivo, el adjectivo, el pronombre, el verbo, el adverbio, la preposición, la conjunción y la interjección.

A great way to see the parts of speech is with tagging. Here is an example of color-coded tags where each word is tagged with the color of the part of speech.

¡ Ojo ! El hombre perdió todo porque era muy tonto en sus amistades .

Watch out! The man lost everything because he was foolish in his friendships.

I will show examples and tag them as we look at each part of speech.

But wait! Some people categorize words into eight parts of speech and others into nine parts of speech. Both are correct. Here, I categorize them into eight, but I will tell you about the extra category as well below.

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.

In Spanish a noun is el sustantivo. What is the definition of a noun in Spanish? Un sustantivo es una persona, un lugar, una cosa o un idea.

They are important because they do many jobs in a sentence (subjects, direct objects, object complements, and more).

Una garza caza en el agua . A heron hunts in the water.

Mi madre cuida a su hermana porque es buena enfermera . My mother takes care of her sister because she is a good nurse.

Most people have trouble with this part of speech because Spanish nouns have gender. When learning new words you need to know whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

They also show number. A noun can be singular (one) or plural (more than one).

Be careful not to get overwhelmed by this part of speech, since there are many different subcategories of nouns. We can categorize nouns into smaller groups.

Here are some subcategories of nouns: common nouns, proper nouns, collective nouns, and compound nouns.

Many categories have subcategories. If this is your first time learning about categories, ignore the subcategories for now and focus on the categories.

2. Adjectives

An adjective describes a noun or pronoun.

In Spanish adjective is el adjetivo. What is the definition of a noun in Spanish? Un adjetivo describe un sustantivo o pronombre.

Adjectives add details to language. Adjectives tell us what kind, how many, which, and whose.

La flor roja es hermosa . The flower is beautiful.

Adjectives agree with nouns and pronouns in gender and number (known as gender number agreement).

el libro interesante , los libros interesantes the interesting book, the interesting books

Libro is a singular noun. Interesante is a singular adjective. Libros is a plural noun. Interesantes is a plural adjective. The form of the adjective changes to match the gender and number of the noun.

Isn’t that a great way to see the difference using the color-coded tags?

The Nine Parts of Speech

Many people say articles are a subcategory of adjectives. They describe adjectives.

People who categorize words into nine parts of speech say articles are not a subcategory of adjectives and they make articles a category of their own. They still describe adjectives.

The articles identify the gender and number of the nouns. When you learn new words, it’s important to learn the definite article with a noun.

3. Pronouns

A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition.

In Spanish a pronoun is el pronombre. What is the definition of a pronoun in Spanish? Un pronombre sustituye un sutantive para evitar la repetición.

Some people get confused with this part of speech because there are so many of these little words.

Here are a few subcategories of pronouns: personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, possessive pronouns. object pronouns, reflexive pronouns, relative pronouns, and more.

A verb expresses action or a state of being.

In Spanish, verb is el verbo. What is the definition of a verb in Spanish? Un verbo expresa una acción o estado de ser.

amar, ser, vivir

Shakira baila con ritmo. Shakira dances with rhythm. La sombra es oscuro. The shadow is dark.

Verbs are the nucleus of a sentence. In fact, a verb can make a complete sentence in Spanish because they change form to show the subject of the sentence. The subject can drop.

You can learn about action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs on the verb page here .

Verb tenses are described on that link.

An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

In Spanish, an adverb is el adverbio. What is the definition of a verb in Spanish? Un adverbio modifica un verbo, un adjectivo, o otro adverbio.

They add precision to description.

El joven corre furiosamente . The teen runs furiously . El batido es muy espeso. The smoothie is very thick.

6. Prepositions

Prepositions relate a noun or pronoun to another word.

In Spanish, a preposition is la preposición. What is the definition of a preposition in Spanish? Una preposición relaciona un sustantivo o pronombre con otra palabra.

Let’s look at some examples of prepositions in action.

a, con, de, en, por, para

Voy a la piscina. La pelota es hecho de goma. Pasé por tu casa. I’m going to the pool. The ball is made of rubber. I passed by your house.

See the list of the 22 prepositions. It’s a good idea to memorize them.

7. Conjunctions

Conjunctions connect things.

In Spanish, a conjunction is la conjunción. What is the definition of a conjunction in Spanish? Una conjunción une cosas.

They can connect words, phrases, and sentences.

La limonada con fresas y pepino es refrescante. Lemonade with strawberry and cucumber is refreshing.

The conjunction y connects the words fresas and pepino .

¿Quieres comer bien o picar algo ligero ? Do you want to eat well or snack light?

The conjunction o connects the phrases comer bien and picar algo ligero.

The two we just looked at (y and o) belong to a subcategory called coordinating conjunctions. There are others as well. The one we use most often is subordinating conjunctions. They are trickier because they create complex sentences.

8. Interjections

Interjections show strong emotion.

In Spanish, an interjection is la interjección. What is the definition of an interjection in Spanish? Una interjección es una palabra o frase que muestra fuerte emoción.

¡Guau! Wow !

Interjections are different from the other parts of speech. They stand alone and often have exclamation marks ¡Vale! Okay!

It’s time to see what we’ve learned today!

• We categorize words into groups based on their function and features. These groups are called the parts of speech. In Spanish they are called las partes de la oración.
• The eight parts of speech are noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.
• In Spanish, las ocho partes de la oración son sustantivo, pronombre, verbo, adverbio, adjetivo, preposición, conjunción, y interjección.

Great job you’ve learned the eight parts of speech in Spanish!

It’ll save you time and wasted effort, and it will bring you well-earned confidence.

I hope you enjoyed the conjugation exercises!

This is original content from https://www.growspanish.com/what-are-the-parts-of-speech-in-spanish

Other Helpful Resources

What is a verb in Spanish?

How to Conjugate Spanish Verbs

Instant Conjugation Kit

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Spanish Grammar Lesson: Direct vs Indirect Speech

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March 25, 2017

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The difference between direct and indirect speech (also called reported speech) is pretty easy to understand.  

But it's not very easy to apply when speaking in a foreign language. It is a very important part of communicating, however, and plays an major role in most conversations.

Read on for a quick introduction and guide to direct vs indirect speech in Spanish.

So, what’s the difference?

That’s a very good question! Before we get too far ahead of ourselves with all the little technicalities, let’s make sure that we understand what we’re dealing with here.

In order to do this, take the following conversation:

Pedro: Where are you going?

Jose: To the store.

1: Will you get milk?

2: Sure, no problem.

Now, let’s say Pedro later goes on to have a conversation with someone else, about the above mentioned interaction. There are some options for how they could go about doing this. Let’s just say it looked something like this:

• Pedro: I asked Jose where he was going. He said, “to the store.” So, I asked if he would get some milk, and he said “sure, no problem.”

The above recounting of a previous event or exchange with another person is what we’re going to look at. You have two options when doing this.

The first, is by using quotation marks. This is direct speech. This means that the words are being repeated exactly like they were said.

• He said, “to the store.”
• ...and he said, “sure, no problem.”

The second way of recounting a conversation is through indirect speech. In the example above, this is done through changing the verb tense, although that isn’t always required (we will look at that more later).  

• Reported: I asked him where he was going.
• Reported: I asked if he would get some milk.

Basically, there are 3 important rules to keep in mind when using indirect (reported) speech. They are:

• You will not use quotation marks
• Since you’re not quoting, you don’t need to say word-for-word what the person said
• When reporting what someone said, you generally change the verb tense.

Reporting Verbs

There are still a few things we need to talk about before getting into everyone’s favorite part about grammar--the technicalities.

In order to identify that something is being “reported” or to communicate that you are repeating something that someone said previously, you’ll use a reporting verb. We have them in English as well. The most common are:

*Most common of the most common

“Que”--your new best friend

You’ll notice that (almost) all of the examples above in the chart using reported speech include the little word “que.” This is not a coincidence.

When speaking in reported speech you will always use the “que” (meaning “that”). Even if in English we can and would omit the “that” you still need it in Spanish.”  

“She said that she was tired.”- Here, in English the “that” is optional. This is not the case in Spanish.

“He asked that I go to the store.” (He asked me to go to the store.) - this is one of the examples where the “that” wouldn’t be use in English, but it would in Spanish.

But wait… the questions…

If you’re reporting a question, you have a few options available as they don’t always need the “que”.

Yes and No Questions.

If the answer to the question being reported can be “yes” or “no” you don’t need the “que.” In these situation we would use the “si” like in English (if).

“He asked me if I could go to the store.”- Me preguntó si iba a la tienda .

Questions with question words

If you are reporting a question that contained the question words  (where, who, when, etc.) you will not need the “que” but stick with the question word used in the original context.

• María: Where is Sara? ( ¿Dónde está Sara? )

Reported speech: Maria wanted to know where Sara was. ( María quería saber donde estaba Sara. )

Let’s get a little more technical.

We’ll try to ease you into all of this grammatical stuff. It seems like a lot to remember. But, a lot of it is very common in English as well, so try to not to get too overwhelmed!

Personal pronouns and Possessive pronouns.

Again, let’s start with an example:

• María: Can you tell my brother that I need to talk to him? ¿Puedes decirle a mi hermano que le tengo que hablar?

Here, obviously a few things need to change if you want to report this statement. For one, he’s not your brother and for another you’re not the one that needs to speak to him.

In this situation, the personal pronouns (you, I) need to change, as well as the possessive (my). Here’s how this statement would sound when repeating it later on to someone else:

• The pronouns remain the same.
• Here, you can see that the pronouns did change.

So far so good, right? It’s pretty basic stuff up to this point. Just like in English, we need to change the subject and the pronouns.

Time phrases

Obviously, more often than not, if you’re reporting something that happened it’s because the person you’re recounting the event to wasn’t there when it took place--i.e. it was in the past.

So, here’s how you would change around your time phrases so they line up with what you’re saying:

As you’ll notice above, all of the examples are written in the past. This is also something important to pay attention to, and probably one of the most important grammatical points of reported speech. So, let’s go ahead and dive right into that!

Verb tenses in indirect (reported) speech.

The tense the reporting verb is in (present, past, future) will have a big impact on the rest of the sentence. Not only will you need to pay attention to the tense, but also to what is being said.

Command/Request vs information

Depending on the context of the conversation being reported, you’ll need to use different ways of repeating it.

This is where things can start to get a little tricky. We do have similar rules in English as they do in Spanish, but in English they are a little more flexible, and followed less frequently.

Here are some good rules to keep in mind when using indirect speech in Spanish:

• If the reporting verb is in the present or present perfect tense you do not need to change the verb tense--unless it’s a command (we’ll talk more about this in a minute).
• If the reporting verb is in the preterite, imperfect, or the past perfect tense you do need to change the  verb tense.

Let’s look at a quick scenario and see what we have:

Scenario: Let’s say you’re texting with someone, and your friend (who you’re with physically) wants to know what the person texting you is saying.

Person 1: What did he say?

Person 2: He asked if we are free tonight. ( reporting information )

1: Why? What does he want?

2: He wants us to help him move. ( reporting a request )

Here, we can see that in the first part, Person 2 is simply repeating the information . He asked a question, and this is what it is. The reporting verb “want to know” is in the present, so the second verb is in the present as well.

In the second part of the exchange, the reporting verb is in the present, so in English, we keep the it in the present as well. In Spanish, however, if we are reporting a request or command , we need to use the subjunctive. In this case it will be the present subjunctive because the reporting verb is in present.

In Spanish the conversation would go like this:

Person 1: ¿Qué dijo?”

Person 2: Quiere saber si estamos libres esta noche. (present-present)

1: ¿Por qué? ¿Qué quiere?

2: Quiere que le ayudemos a hacer la mudanza. (present-present subjunctive)

Note: This change to the subjunctive only happens with certain verbs: Decir, Pedir, Querer. An easy way to remember this is if they verb will be followed by “si” or “que.”

• Quiere saber si podemos salir esta noche. (He wants to know if I can go out tonight.)
• Me pregunta si quiero quedar mañana. (He’s asking if I can meet up tomorrow.)
• Again, in this situation you’re not necessarily relaying the request or the command, but merely the information contained in the request itself.
• Me dice que tenga cuidado. (He tells me to be careful.)
• Frenando me pide que le ayude con los deberes. (Franks asks me to help with the homework.)
• Fernando me dice que tengo que ir a clase mañana.

Verb Tense Changes

So, if you feel like all of that has settled into your mind and it’s not going to explode just yet, let’s keep chugging along!

As mentioned above, if the reporting verb is in present, it will only change (to present subjunctive) if the thing being reported is a command/ request. When the reporting verb is in the past, however, the rest of the information being reported will need to change tense. Here’s how that is going to work:

Present Simple--Imperfect

• Direct speech: Angela dijo, “No puedo ir.” (Angela said, “I can’t go.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Angela dijo que no podía ir. (Angela said that she couldn’t go.)

Preterite--Pluscuamperfecto (past perfect)

• Direct speech: Sergio dijo, “Ayer compré un movil nuevo.”  (Sergio said, “Yesterday I bought a new cell phone.)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Sergio dijo que el día anterior había comprado un movil nuevo. (Sergio said that the day before he had bought a new phone.)

Future simple (will)--Conditional simple (would)

• Direct speech : Candela dijo, “Llegaré tarde.” - (Candela said, “I’ll arrive late.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Candela dijo que llegaría tarde. - (Candela said that she would arrive late.)

Imperfect/Conditional/Past Perfect

With these, you will not change second verb tense. Yay!

• Direct speech: Juan dijo, “la playa era muy bonita.” (Juan said, “the beach was very pretty.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Juan dijo que la playa era muy bonita . (Juan said that beach was very pretty.)

Conditional:  

• Direct speech: María dijo, “Me gustaría vivir en Nueva York.” (Maria said, “I would like to live in New York.”
• Indirect/ Reported speech: María dijo que le gustaría vivir en Nueva York. (Maria said she would like to live in New York.
• Past Perfect
• Direct speech: Mi padre me dijo, “a las 5 ya había llegado. ” (My dad told me, “at 5 I had already arrived.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Mi padre me dijo que a las 5 ya había llegado . (My dad told me that a 5 he had already arrived.)

Just one more thing… I promise!

One last thing to remember, like we saw with the present tense, if the verb in the past is a reporting verb, and what is being reported is a command or request, you will use the subjunctive--past subjunctive this time!

• Direct speech: Mis padres me dijeron, “vuelve a casa a las 23.00. ” (My parents told me, “be home at 11:00pm.)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Mis padres me dijeron que volviera a casa a las 23.00 . (My parents told me to be home by 11:00 pm.)

¡Madre Mía! That was a lot of information!

Let’s see if we can condense it down just a little bit.

Important rules to remember. If you are using reporting speech:

If you do need to change the verb tense, this is why and when:

• Commands or requests with a present tense reporting verb will take the present subjunctive conjugation in the following verb.
• Again, commands or requests with a past tense reporting verb will need to take the past subjunctive conjugation in the following verb.

If the reporting verb is in the past, these are the changes you’ll make:

• Present simple--imperfect
• Preterite-Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)
• Will future--simple continual (would)

Verbs that will not change the tense of the others verbs:

• Conditional

Things to keep in mind:

• Remember your reporting verbs
• Remember to change the personal and possessive pronouns
• Remember your time phrases

In reality, it’s not as complicated as it looks. It may take a little practice to get used to, but after a while, you’ll find that is relatively similar to what we do in English. Do you have any shortcuts you use to remember the rules mentioned above? Is reported (indirect) speech something you struggle with? Let us know in the comments!

About the author 

Anastasia is a Chicago, Illinois native. She began studying Spanish over 10 years ago, and hasn’t stopped since. Living in Spain since 2012, she loves Spanish tortilla, vino tinto, and anything that contains jamón ibérico.

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How to Use Reported Speech in Spanish

Reported speech is everywhere.

In English, you use it dozens (if not hundreds) of times every day without even realizing it.

The good news is that you can be that natural in Spanish, too. You’re literally just an article away from becoming a Spanish reported speech master yourself!

Don’t believe me? Give this post just 10 minutes of your time, and you’ll see how easy it can be.

What Is Spanish Reported Speech?

Basics of spanish reported speech, spanish reporting verbs, decir  (to say, to tell), preguntar  (to ask), querer saber (to want to know), pedir  (to ask), querer (to want), other reporting verbs in spanish, using  que (that), spanish reported speech word order: subject + verb + object, spanish reported speech based on questions, yes or no questions, “wh-” questions, other changes in spanish reported speech, personal pronouns and possessives, time and place expressions, verb tenses, and one more thing….

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Direct and reported speech are two of the most frequently-used grammar points in languages, and Spanish is no exception. Whenever you talk about what someone else has said, you use either direct or reported speech.

When you repeat exactly what another person has said and explicitly indicate who said it, you’re using direct speech. For example:

Daniel dice: “Estoy muy cansado hoy.” (Daniel says: “I am very tired today.”)

Now, let’s say you don’t remember exactly what your  compadre (buddy) Daniel said, but you do remember the gist of it. If someone else asks you what Daniel said, you’d say something like:

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Daniel dice que está muy cansado hoy.  (Daniel says he is very tired today.)

That, in a nutshell, is reported speech. Spanish reported speech is where you talk about someone (other than yourself and the person you’re talking to) and what that person said without necessarily quoting them verbatim.

In written texts or messages, it’s usually easier to differentiate between Spanish direct and reported speech. For starters, direct speech uses quotation marks to enclose the statement being quoted, while reported speech doesn’t. Direct speech quotes the person being talked about word-for-word, while reported speech may or may not use their exact words, though the gist of what they said is always present.

So that’s it, right? Differentiating direct and reported speech in Spanish is just a matter of using the right punctuation marks and whether you used the other person’s exact words, yes? 

Not quite. Although English and Spanish reported speech are similar for the most part, the latter has some unique quirks that we’ll be discussing in the next sections.

Like in English, reported speech in Spanish consists of a few basic elements: reporting verbs, connecting words like que (“that”) and the message from the person being talked about—whether the message is verbatim or not.

Let’s break them down below.

Similar to English, Spanish reporting verbs (also known as communication verbs ) are used to signal that you’re either quoting someone directly (direct speech) or paraphrasing them (reported speech).

There are dozens of reporting verbs in every language, although we tend to use some of them more often than others.

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Here are a few of the most common reporting verbs in Spanish:

Decir is probably the most common Spanish word to use when talking about what someone else said.

If you want to tell someone about what another person is asking, use preguntar.

Querer saber can be used in a similar way as preguntar.

When you’re talking about what someone else wants, use pedir.

Instead of pedir, you can also use querer.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, there are so many Spanish reporting verbs that it would be impossible to list them all here. However, I can give you some of the most common ones:

You may have noticed that almost all of our examples above have the word que . I’m telling you now: que is going to be your new best friend, because every single reported statement and command in Spanish will include it, even if you omit or don’t need “that” in English.

Let’s look at a few examples:

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It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about a statement, command or question. The word order will always be Subject + Verb + Object, as is typical of Spanish sentence structure .

When the reported speech Spanish speakers use is based on questions , it deviates slightly from the structure we just discussed and is based on whether you’re using a “yes or no” question or a “wh-” question.

In reported speech that’s based on this kind of question, you use si (if, whether) instead of que .

Recall the Spanish equivalents of the English “wh-” questions:

When you’re reporting a “wh-” question, you use the appropriate question words above instead of  que or  si .

One thing to keep in mind: when using the verb preguntar , you can add que just before the question word.

Don’t be afraid to write two que together! They aren’t the same word, and they don’t have the same function.

In reported speech, the personal pronouns and possessives change from the reported version. Luckily, it works the same way in English—that is, the change is necessary so that the core message isn’t lost or misinterpreted.

Again like English, time and place expressions in the reported speech Spanish speakers use change from their direct counterparts.

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Here are some of the main changes that take place:

There’s a group of words I’d like to include in this section. They’re neither time nor place expressions, but they imply distance from the speaker.

Undoubtedly, the most troublesome part of reported speech in Spanish is that the verbs change their tenses.

The good news is that these changes don’t happen all the time, and you have almost identical changes in English.

But when do we need to make changes in verb tenses? How do we know?

The only thing you have to bear in mind here is the reporting verb. Yes, that little friend present at the beginning of the reported sentences we studied before.

There are only two straightforward rules, really:

1. If the reporting verb is in the present simple or the present perfect tense, you DON’T have to change any verb tenses unless you have a command.

2. If the reporting verb is in the preterite, the imperfect or the past perfect tense ( pluscuamperfecto ), you DO need to make changes.

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Have a look at the following examples. The reporting verbs (in bold) are in the present simple or the present perfect, so there are no verb changes in the reported sentences.

As stated before, when you have a command, you do need to make changes even when the reporting verb is in the present or the present perfect tense. Therefore, the imperative changes into the present subjunctive .

Similarly, if the command’s reporting verb is in the past tense, the imperative changes into the imperfect subjunctive.

In those sentences where the reporting verb appears in the past tense, you need to make verb tense changes in the reported fragment. These changes are almost identical to those in English, but here are the most important ones for your convenience:

In those sentences where the verb is in the imperfect , conditional or past perfect ( pluscuamperfecto ), there are no tense changes.

I know this can all sound very overwhelming and confusing, so I’d like to introduce you to the language learning platform FluentU , where you can watch reported speech in Spanish in action.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. If you decide to sign up now, you can take advantage of our current sale!

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And that’s all!

As you can see, Spanish and English reported speeches are very similar.

Just remember the few rules I’ve taught you in this post, and you’ll have no problem at all!

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU .

Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.

Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab .

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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• She suffers from a speech defect .
• From her slow , deliberate speech I guessed she must be drunk .
• Freedom of speech and freedom of thought were both denied under the dictatorship .
• As a child , she had some speech problems .
• We use these aids to develop speech in small children .

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• Her speech was received with cheers and a standing ovation .
• She closed the meeting with a short speech.
• The vicar's forgetting his lines in the middle of the speech provided some good comedy .
• Her speech caused outrage among the gay community .
• She concluded the speech by reminding us of our responsibility .

(Traducción de speech del Cambridge English-Spanish Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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How to Speak Spanish (Basics)

Last Updated: December 1, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Diana Con Webber and by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure . Diana Con Webber is a Teacher in Arizona. She received her Standard Elementary Education, K-8 Certificate in 2017. There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 569,516 times.

Believe it or not, Spanish is the second-most spoken language on the planet. [1] X Research source Developing your Spanish-speaking skills is a great way to meet new people, communicate with Spanish speakers, and immerse yourself in a new way of thinking. If you want to speak Spanish, start by learning the common phrases and vocabulary terms. Once you feel a little more comfortable with the language, you can learn a lot more by immersing yourself in the language, taking classes, and practicing to develop fluency in the language.

Learning Common Phrases

• ”Hola” (OH-la) means hello in Spanish. Other common greetings include “buenos días” (booEHN-os DEE-as), which means “good morning,” and “buenas noches” (booEHN-ahs NO-chehs), which means “good evening.”
• Following a hello, you may say “¿Cómo estás?” (KOH-moh ess-TAHS), which means "How are you?" This might be answered by saying “estoy bien” (ESS-toy bee-EHN), which means "I'm fine."
• You may also reply with “mucho gusto” (MOO-choh GOOS-toh), which means "nice to meet you." Then learn how to say "my name is" by saying “me llamo” (meh YAH-moh). Put them together, and you might greet someone in Spanish by saying, "Mucho gusto, me llamo Juan," which means, "Nice to meet you, my name is John."

• Making a list of Spanish words that you already know can be a good way to build your Spanish vocabulary. This will give you a solid, basic foundation.
• For example, there probably are a number of Spanish foods that you already know, such as “taco,” “avocado,” and “burrito.”
• There also are a number of words that are the same in Spanish and in English (although they may be spelled or pronounced differently), such as “animal” and “chocolate.”

• Unlike many other languages, there is no version of “it” in Spanish. All nouns have a gender, and even inanimate objects are referred to with gendered pronouns. The third person pronouns are “el” (masculine), and “la” (feminine). Words that end in -o almost always use “el” while words that end in -a typically use “la.”
• Keep in mind that the gender you use must match the gender of the word, not the gender of the thing. This can be an issue when the thing you're talking about is an animal. For example, if you're talking about a dog, you would say "el perro" (ehl PEH-rroh) even if the dog was female.

• For example, if you want to say you want something, you could say "yo quiero" (YO kee-EHR-OH), which means "I want," but you could also simply say "quiero" and the pronoun would be understood.
• Spanish pronouns include “yo” (I), “nosotros” (we), “él” (he), “ella” (she), and “ellos” and “ellas” (they). Use “ellas” if you are referring to a group that is entirely feminine and “ellos” for a group that is either all male or a mixed-gender group.
• The plural of you (meaning "you all") is “ustedes.” In Spain, there is another familiar form of the plural you: “vosotros” or “vosotras.” In other Spanish-speaking countries, only “ustedes” is used.

Tip: Spanish has two different forms of the pronoun "you." Use “tú” if you are speaking to someone with whom you're familiar. For older people, people in positions of authority, or people you don't know, use the formal “usted,” which is more polite.

• Like English, Spanish sentences are formed with a subject, followed by a verb, followed by the object of that verb. For example, suppose you said "yo quiero un burrito." This means “I” (subject) “want” (verb) “a burrito” (object).
• Unlike English, Spanish adjectives usually go after the thing they describe. For example, if you were talking about a red book, in English you would put the adjective (red) first. In Spanish, you would be talking about a “libro rojo” (LEE-bro ROH-ho), which literally translates to “book red” in English.
• There are exceptions to the rule. For instance, demonstrative adjectives (such as ese, este, and aquel) and possessive adjectives (including mí, tu, and su) come before the thing they describe. [7] X Research source

• Think about words or phrases that you say frequently throughout your day. For example, “por favor” (pohr fah-VOR), which means “please,” and “gracías” (gra-SEE-ahs), which means “thank you,” are essential phrases in basically every conversational setting.
• If someone says “gracías” to you, you can respond by saying “de nada” (deh NA-da), which means "you're welcome" (literally "it was nothing").
• You also want to learn the Spanish words for "yes" and "no" early on, if you don't already know them. They are “sí” (see), for yes, and “no.”

Immersing Yourself in the Language

• The process of immersion may be the quickest way to learn any language. If you think about it, that's the way you learned your first language.
• Foreign exchange and study abroad programs are a great way to immerse yourself if you’re in school.

Tip: Immersion is a great option if you want to be conversational in a language. However, it will not teach you how to read and write. You still will have to learn spelling and grammar, but this might be easier if you already know how to speak.

• Talking and listening to Spanish speakers can help you better understand the flow of conversation. Native speakers also can correct errors you're making before you embarrass yourself or end up committing errors to memory.

• As you get better at the language, add Spanish subtitles while listening in Spanish to train yourself to commit the words and sounds to memory.

• Depending on where you live, you may even be able to find a Spanish-language radio station on the AM or FM dial.
• Apart from radio, you can easily find Spanish music online.
• Find some songs you like, then do an internet search for the lyrics. That way you can read along as the song plays to better connect the written and spoken word in your mind.

• Many websites and social media platforms also allow you to change your default language. You could even change the language for your web browser, or use a translate plugin to translate web pages into Spanish.
• You also can look for Spanish-language websites and try to read those. Many news sites will have a video along with a transcript of the video, so you can read and listen at the same time.

• Make sure you're using an adhesive that won't peel paint or damage the item you're labeling, since you'll probably want to take it off later.
• Don't try to label everything at once. Start off with 5-10 items, look up the Spanish word for those things, and label them. Once you know those words, take the labels off and move on to a different set of items. If you forget a word, simply go back and do it again.

Taking a Class and Practicing

• The benefit of having a coach or tutor is that you have someone else who is holding you accountable.
• If you can't afford to hire someone yourself, or don't have the opportunity to take a class, consider learning the language with a friend so the two of you can hold each other accountable.
• Sites like OpenLearn ( https://www.open.edu/ ) and Open Yale ( https://oyc.yale.edu/ ) have free online classes you can take from the comfort of your own home. You won’t get any one-on-one practice or feedback, but these courses are great if you’re looking for something free!

• Websites and mobile apps are good for drilling vocabulary and basic phrases, but you’ll end up with a pretty scattered understanding of Spanish if you rely on them alone. Be prepared to do some immersion (either at home or abroad) if you want to become truly fluent.

• Set a notification on your computer or phone to go off at the same time every day and remind you that it’s time to practice.

Tip: Always spend the first 5-10 minutes of your practice sessions reviewing the material from the previous day. You’re much more likely to retain the information if you revisit what you just learned before starting on something new. [18] X Research source

• For example, you may set the goal of memorizing the Spanish pronouns in one week, learning the words for common foods in two days, or writing a paragraph in Spanish at the end of your first month.
• Write your goals down and evaluate your progress each week. If you fail to meet a goal, try not to get too down about it. Simply reassess and figure out what went wrong. If it's something you can correct by making an adjustment, make that adjustment and try again next week.

Expert Q&A

• Learning a second language can be difficult. Don't be too hard on yourself if you forget something or make mistakes. Try to practice every day, and have patience. Thanks Helpful 8 Not Helpful 0
• Keep in mind that there are pronunciation differences in different countries. Someone from Spain is going to sound very different from someone who learned to speak in Mexico, and someone from Mexico will have a different accent than someone from Colombia—just as people from Great Britain speak English differently than Americans. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• Try learning at least one phrase a day. Common phrases like, “How are you,” "What is your name," and, “What time is it,” are great places to start. Thanks Helpful 8 Not Helpful 2

• Along with English, Spanish is different in every country. For example, there are some words that the British use but Americans don't, but there are words that Americans use but not the British. For example, while Mexicans and Caribbean people will understand each other, Mexicans use "autobús" to refer to a Bus, while Caribbean people call it a "guagua". Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.ef.edu/blog/language/spoken-languages-world/
• ↑ https://www.rosettastone.com/languages/spanish-words
• ↑ https://www.dailywritingtips.com/spanish-loan-words/
• ↑ https://www.spanishveryeasy.com/gender
• ↑ https://www.spanish.academy/blog/a-simple-guide-to-spanish-sentences-and-their-structure/
• ↑ https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/adjective-placement
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/learning-a-second-language/
• ↑ https://youtu.be/p3atRNJANK8?t=132
• ↑ https://carla.umn.edu/immersion/documents/ImmersionResearch_TaraFortune.html
• ↑ https://blog.esl-languages.com/blog/learn-languages/5-reasons-to-learn-a-language-through-music/
• ↑ https://youtu.be/GabOVTdD5g4?t=14
• ↑ https://youtu.be/d2GpLWopvU0?t=11
• ↑ https://umaine.edu/mlandc/home/why-learn-languages/why-learn-spanish/
• ↑ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/recall/article/abs/mobileassisted-language-learning-a-duolingo-case-study/A4D7C8F71782A37D258C19F357DDBCBE
• ↑ https://verbalicity.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-spanish/
• ↑ https://www.cuesta.edu/student/resources/ssc/study_guides/study_skills/502_study_goals.html

About This Article

If you want to speak Spanish, start by learning common phrases, such as “Hola,” which means “Hello.” “Buenos dias” means “Good morning,” and “Buenas noches” means “Good evening” or “Good night.” Consider taking a Spanish class or using websites and mobile apps to help you learn the basics quickly. As you become familiar with some basic vocabulary, watch Spanish-language television and movies, along with Spanish subtitles, to help immerse you in that language. Keep reading to learn about gendered nouns in the Spanish language! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Reported Speech Spanish Guide: Examples + Verb Changes 

Reported speech is an overlooked yet crucial feature in everyday conversations. In short, it allows you to convey what someone else said adequately. Since mastering this topic can boost your fluency, in this reported speech Spanish guide, you’ll learn: 

• How to form reported speech
• Verb Changes in Indirect Speech
• Downloadable PDF

In addition to this, I’ve also included different examples of how to apply this concept in real-life situations. Let’s do this! 

What Is the Reported Speech in Spanish?

Reported speech in Spanish, also known as indirect speech, conveys what someone else said without quoting their exact words. 

Simply put, Spanish indirect speech allows you to rephrase and report what someone said. On the contrary, direct speech involves quoting the exact words a person used. For instance: 

In Spanish, decir is the most common verb to form the reported speech. However, you can also use the following verbs: 

• Aclarar : Clarify / Explain
• Afirmar : Affirm / Clair
• Anunciar : Announce
• Contar : Tell
• Explicar : Explain
• Pedir : Ask 
• Preguntar : Ask
• Prometer : Promise
• Recordar : Remember 
• Recomendar : Recommend 
• Sugerir : Suggest

Spanish indirect speech allows you to share information and someone’s thoughts or opinions with different people. As a result, it’s commonly used in news and writing environments, but also in daily conversations. 

How to form indirect speech 

To report what someone said, we use one of the previous verbs followed by que: 

[Verb] + que + [statement]

When using reported speech in Spanish you’re repeating what another person said, we must do some modifications to preserve the meaning of the original sentence. These changes include: 

• Adjust the pronouns and adjectives
• Change the verb tense (if applicable)

Take this graphic as an example: 

Spanish Reported Speech: Verb Backshifting 

When it comes to reported speech, verb conjugations are one of the major adjustments you must make. In simple words, we must change the tense of the original verb to maintain a logical sequence. In Spanish grammar , this is known as backshifting . 

To help you understand and apply backshifting in reported speech, I’ve prepared this table that compares the original tenses with their backshifted equivalents: 

We only change the tense of a verb when the original action already took place . Let me break this down for you. 

Let’s say you’re traveling and you call me today to tell me when you arrive. You’ll say: 

Llegaré a las dos.  I will arrive at two. 

But the time comes, and you’re not here. Everybody is asking me what time you’re supposed to arrive and I repeat what you said: 

Me dijo que llegaría a las 2.  He said he would arrive at 2. 

In this case, I backshifted the verb because the original action (arrival time) had already passed. The same happens with other tenses. 

However, the tense of the original statement doesn’t change when talking about facts or when the action is still relevant (it just happened). 

Take this sentence as an example: 

This example implies that I’m immediately telling you what our friend said. 

Reported Speech: Additional Spanish Resources

Transforming from direct and indirect speech requires knowledge of diverse grammatical elements. For starters, you must have a good command of Spanish pronouns so you know which pronoun to use for your sentence. 

On that same note, you should also get familiar with possessive adjectives in case you need to mention someone’s belongings. And, of course, you must be comfortable conjugating verbs in different Spanish tenses . 

Make sure you know how to form the:

• Present indicative
• Present perfect
• Present subjunctive
• Preterite tense
• Imperfect subjunctive
• Past perfect
• Imperative  
• Future simple
• Conditional tense

Download the Spanish Reported Speech PDF

Download a free PDF made for this guide including the graphics for reported speech as well as the backshifting verbs table so you can learn how to convert direct into indirect speech.

Daniela Sanchez

¡Hola! Soy Daniela Sanchez, I've been studying Spanish professionally as well as teaching it in Mexico and online for over 10 years. I’ve taught Spanish to a wide array of foreigners from many backgrounds. Over the years, I've made it my mission to work hard on refining many challenging to understand grammar topics to make my students' learning experiences easier, faster and more enjoyable. Read More About Me

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Today we are going to talk about speech development in Spanish and English. We will break down this seemingly daunting topic so that you walk away feeling ready to answer any speech sound question that comes your way. You’ll learn about the acquisition of speech sounds in both languages, which speech patterns in Spanish and English are shared and which are different, and how phonological processes manifest in each language. We will also look at differences between Spanish and English in the acquisition and use of vowels and consonants, as well as differences in syllable types. So sit back, relax and enjoy this blog post!

Ladies and Gentlemen! Before we begin…

  It goes without saying that regardless of the language of intervention that you use in speech therapy, you’ve come across questions about speech development differences between Spanish and English. We’re guessing that’s why you’re here right now! And you’re in the right place—in the United States alone, 10% (35 million) of the population is Hispanic, and that number is expected to double by 2030 (United States Census, 2000). In short, we ALL need this information in our tool kits.

Presenting…The phonologies of English and Spanish!

Speech development in Spanish and English has many similarities, such as a shared alphabet. Spanish is more concise in that it has 18 consonant phonemes compared to 26 in English. See the handy chart below for an illustration of Spanish phonemes.

Table 1:  Spanish Phonemes

Note: From Maez (1985).

One of the most important things to know about the acquisition of these sounds is that nearly all of them are emerging by the end of four years of age. Universally, stop consonants are acquired first, followed by nasals, then fricatives and affricates, and liquids are the last sounds to appear (Goldstein & Washington, 2001).  That being said, there are also allophonic or dialectal variations within either language. Spanish lacks the glottal /’/, the voiced affricate /ʤ/ (judge), the voiced /ð/ and unvoiced /θ/ (thigh, thy), the voiced /ž/ and unvoiced /ʃ/ (azure, shy), the /z/, the /ŋ/ (sing), and the flap /ɾ/ (as in butter) (Quilis, 1999).  English, on the other hand, does not use the trilled /rr/ or the /ɲ/of Spanish (Quilis, 1999).  When speaking strictly of sound class, order of acquisition in Spanish resembles the progression of sound acquisition per class in English.  Check out the following chart depicting the results of numerous studies on the age of acquisition of sounds in Spanish:

I would like to buy a  vowel, please!

The Spanish vowel space is like most Latin languages, relying on five vowels /a/,/e/,/i/,/o/and /u/.  These vowels are represented in the English sound system.  However, English also employs an additional eight vowels on average (13 total).  A Spanish-speaker learning to speak English would be expected to create additional vowel sounds that are not native to her.  In contrast, an English-speaker would be expected to compress her speech to rely on less than half of the typical number of vowels used.

Did you know?

  Diphthongs exist in both languages—they are as prevalent in Spanish as they are in English.  Like English, a Spanish diphthong is normally the combination of one hard vowel (/a/,/o/,/u/) and one weak vowel (/i/,/e/).  The combination of two weak vowels also exists but is used less frequently (Quilis, 1999).  Be aware! A lack of or excessive use of diphthongs is considered atypical in either language when taken as a whole.

Table 4:  Examples of English and Spanish Diphthongs

  Syllable Structure and Complexity in Spanish (What a mouthful!)

  The syllable structures in Spanish are highly dominated by CV sequences (Goldstein & Cintron, 1985).  This is a cross-linguistic phenomenon in babbling (MacNeilage, Davis, Kinney, & Matyear, 2000), but Spanish retains the CV dominated syllable type (Quilis, 1999).  The second most common syllable type is isolated vowels (18%), followed by syllables ending with consonants as the least common (e.g., CVC, VC, CCVC) (Goldstein & Cintron, 1985). In one study, a whopping 83% of the words created by Spanish-speaking children were comprised of two syllables (Goldstein & Cintron, 2001)!

Note:  From Goldstein & Cintron (2001).

And now, what you’ve all been waiting for: Phonological processes!

  As we all know, phonological processes are speech pattern regularities occurring during the normal course of development (Goldstein, 1999).  Spanish and English share similarities in how phonological processes present in early acquisition (Mann & Hodson, 1994).  In both languages, we hear phonological processes in early speech productions and these decrease in frequency as the child gets older (Anderson & Smith, 1987).  The most common processes that are shared between languages are cluster reduction, pre- and post-vocalic singleton omission, unstressed syllable deletion, and glottalization of velars (Mann & Hodson, 1994). While researchers have found some differences in the frequency of each process (Mann & Hodson, 1994), the use of processes tended to decrease as the child approached five years of age (Maez, 1985).  Below is a handy chart illustrating phonological processes in Spanish:

Table 6:  Spanish Phonological Processes

Note:  From Goldstein (1999).

But wait! It’s not THAT simple!

While both languages share the presence of phonological processes, differences exist in how they are employed (Goldstein & Cintron, 2001).  Substitutions in English occur most often when liquids (/l/,/r/) are replaced by glides (/j/,/w/) (Goldstein & Cintron, 2001).  In Spanish however, /r/ is more commonly replaced by /l/ (Anderson & Smith, 1987).  Cluster reduction in English normally retains the first consonant of the cluster (pow for plow).  In contrast, Spanish deletes the first consonant (lojo for flojo) (Goldstein & Cintron, 2001).

We leave you with one final and important word…

 An understanding of typical development is necessary in order to identify a disorder (Mann & Hodson, 1994).  While English and Spanish share many phonological tendencies (Goldstein & Iglesias, 1996), there are enough phonological differences to warrant a closer look at a Spanish-speaking child’s processes in both languages.  Accounting for patterns specific to Spanish ensures that phonological differences reflecting the individual’s limited proficiency in English are not viewed as a disorder. And that’s something to applaud.

Speech Development in Spanish and English Resources

Include Appendices A-C, Activity 1

Acevedo, M.A. (1993). Development of Spanish consonants in preschool children. Journal of

Childhood communication disorders, 15, 9-15.,  anderson, r., & smith, b. (1987). phonological development of two-year-old monolingual, puerto rican spanish-speaking children. journal of child language , 14, 57-78,  bedore, l. (1999). the acquisition of spanish, in o. taylor & l. leonard (eds.), language, acquisition across north america: cross-cultural and cross-linguistic perspectives (pp. 157, 208). san diego: singular publishing group.,  goldstein, b. (1999).  cultural and linguistic diversity resource guide for speech language, pathologists.   new york,  singular publishing group, inc.,  goldstein, b. & citron, p. (2001). an investigation of phonological skills in puerto rican, spanish-speaking 2-year-olds.  clinical linguistics & phonetics, 15 (5), 343-361.,  goldstein, b. & iglesias, a. (1996).  phonological patterns in normally developing spanish, speaking 3- and 4-year-olds of puerto rican descent.  language, speech and hearing services in, the schools , 27, 82-90.,  goldstein, b. & washington, p.s. (2001). an initial investigation of phonological patterns in, typically developing 4-year-old spanish-english bilingual children.  language, speech and, hearing services in schools, 32, 153-164, jimenez, b.c. (1987).  acquisition of spanish consonants in children aged 3-5 years, 7 months., language, speech, and hearing services in the schools , 18(4), 357-363,  macneilage, p.f., davis, b.l., kinney, a., & matyear, c.l. (2000). the motor core of speech:, a comparison of serial organization patterns in infants and languages. child development , 71(1),,  maez, l., 1985, the acquisition of the spanish sound system by native spanish-speaking, children.  in e. garcia and r. padilla (eds.) advances in bilingual education research (tucson,, az: the university of arizona press), pp. 3-26.,  mann, d. and hodson, b., 1994, spanish-speaking children’s phonologies; assessment and, remediation of disorders. seminars in speech and language, 15, 137-147.,  quilis, a., fernandez, j.a. (1999).  curso de fonetica y fonologia españolas.  madrid: consejo, superior de investigaciones científicas (csic)., terrero, i. (1979). spanish phonological acquisition.  paper presented at the american speech,, language, and hearing association conference: 2322.74.  atlanta, ga., united states census bureau.  census 2000.  retrieved january 7, 2004, from, http://eire.census.gov/popest/data/national/tables/asro/na-est2002-asro-04.php, submit a comment cancel reply.

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Punctuation Marks, Special Characters, and Other Symbols in Spanish

Have you ever come across weird symbols in Spanish? Perhaps you don’t know what they mean or how to write them?

Well, you’re not alone. Pretty much every Spanish student has gone through the same situation during their learning process. Part of learning Spanish is discovering these special characters and finding out how to use them. 

Today, we’ll discuss why you need to learn the Spanish punctuation rules; discover the most commonly used punctuation marks in Spanish; find out how to type the Spanish special characters; and see what other symbols in Spanish exist. 

Why Learn to Use Punctuation Marks and Other Symbols in Spanish?

Although some “international” punctuation marks and special characters are used and recognized in different languages, every language has its own punctuation rules and unique symbols. Learning them is a crucial part of your language acquisition process, as they are vital to developing your writing skills in the new language. 

These unique punctuation marks and other symbols in Spanish generally work in similar ways to how they behave in English, which make it easier to understand their use. Some slight variations and different special characters are the main issues to focus on, and that’s what we’ll do in the following sections. 

How to Use Punctuation Marks in Spanish

The correct use of punctuation marks and other symbols in Spanish is a sign of advanced writing and reading skills. These special characters tell you when to pause, how to adapt the tone of your voice, and other important information. 

A hidden benefit of learning punctuation rules in Spanish is that by mastering them, you’ll start thinking more about the structure of your sentences and the parts of speech you’ll use with them. In other words, you’ll become more “grammar conscious,” and your Spanish will improve as a result. 

Punto – Period 

The “period” is one of the symbols in Spanish that works just like in English, only it’s called by slightly different names. 

To explain the three types of periods in Spanish, we’ll use the following passage:

El español es un idioma popular. No solo se habla en Latinoamérica, sino también en muchas partes de Estados Unidos. (punto y aparte after “Estados Unidos”)

Sin embargo, es importante recordar que existen diferentes maneras de hablar el español.  

Spanish is a popular language. It’s not only spoken in Latin America, but also in many parts of the United States. 

However, it’s important to remember that there are different ways to speak Spanish. 

1. Punto y seguido

Translated literally, this means “period and continue.” It’s the one you use when you continue writing in the same paragraph after the period. Every time you see a period in the middle of a paragraph, it’s a punto y seguido . 

For example, there is a punto y seguido after the word popular at the end of the first sentence in the passage.

2. Punto y aparte

The “period and aside” is the period you use to end a paragraph. After using this period, you have to start a new idea in a new paragraph. 

A punto y aparte comes after Estados Unidos in the passage.

3. Punto y final

The “final period” is the period you use to end a chapter, article, or letter. You use punto y final when you have finished writing. 

In the passage, the punto final comes at the end, after the word español.

In all cases, the Spanish punto plays the same role as the English period. It simply tells the reader to make a long pause. 

Coma – Comma

The comma indicates a brief pause to be made within a sentence. Its use in Spanish has three key differences to how it’s used in English. 

1. In Spanish, we don’t use the Oxford Comma . This means that when you’re listing a series of things, you don’t write a comma before the word y (“and”).

Compré pan, leche y tortillas. 

I bought bread, milk, and tortillas. 

2. When you use quotation marks in English, and need to add a comma after them, you add the comma before the last quotation mark. In Spanish, you add it after the last quotation mark. 

“Te amo”, le dijo con una sonrisa en la cara. 

“I love you,” he said with a smile on his face. 

3. In Spain, people use the periods and commas in numbers in the opposite way as in Latin American and the United States. They use periods for numbers in the thousands and millions and a comma as a decimal point. 

1.987.654,32 (Spain and Europe)

1,987,654.32 (Latin America and U.S.)

Punto y Coma – Semicolon

The semicolon is formed by a period and a comma, hence its name in Spanish. It indicates a longer pause than a comma, but a shorter one than a period. It’s mostly used to separate different ideas within a single sentence, in complex lists, and before conjunctions and transition words. 

En la reunión se discutirán los avances en el programa de pagos automáticos; las nuevas ideas de producto; los ganadores del premio de puntualidad y las propuestas para la cena de Navidad.  

At the meeting, we’ll discuss the automatic payments program advances; the new product ideas; the winners of the attendance; and punctuality prize and the proposals for the Christmas party.

Dos Puntos – Colon

Just as in English, los dos puntos are used to indicate that an explanation, a list, a numeration, or a quote is coming next. Also, use a colon after the initial greeting in a business letter or email. 

Los signos de puntuación son los siguientes: el punto, la coma, el punto y coma, etc.

The punctuation marks are as follows : period, comma, semicolon, etc. 

Estimados padres de familia: 

Dear Parents: 

Puntos Suspensivos – Ellipsis

This is one of the symbols in Spanish that works exactly the same as in English. We use puntos suspensivos to express suspense, create expectation, or indicate hesitation. You can also use it to indicate an omission or represent a trailing off of thought. 

Si tan solo… bueno, ya no importa. 

If only… well, it doesn’t matter anymore. 

Signos de Interrogación – Question Mark

You use the question mark in Spanish in exactly the same situations as in English, with the only difference being that in Spanish you need to add a signo de interrogación at the beginning of the question. This symbol doesn’t exist in English, but it’s basically an upside down question mark. 

¿ Cómo te llamas ?

What’s your name?

¿ De dónde eres ?

Where are you from?

Signos de Exclamación – Exclamation Point

Same thing with question marks. You need to add an upside down exclamation point to the start of the exclamation sentence.

¡ Me gané la lotería !

I won the lottery!

¡ Conseguí el trabajo !

I got the job!

Paréntesis – Parentheses

These symbols in Spanish also work exactly the same as in English. You use parentheses to clarify an idea aside from the main point, to add abbreviations or their meaning, and to add places and dates. 

La Organización de las Naciones Unidas ( ONU ) celebró su Asamblea General. 

The UN (United Nations) celebrated its General Assembly. 

Pablo Neruda ( 1904-1973 ) fue un gran poeta chileno. 

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was an outstanding Chilean poet.

Comillas – Quotation Marks

Use the quotation marks to reproduce textual quotes, to indicate that a word or expression is being used ironically or that it comes from another language, and to quote titles of movies, books, articles, etc. In Spanish, the punctuation mark goes outside the quotation marks, unlike in American English.

La llamada “ Oxford comma ” no se usa en español. 

The so-called Oxford comma is not used in Spanish. 

El presidente señaló que la economía está “ mejor que nunca ” .

The president said that the economy is “better than ever.”

Guion Largo o Raya – Em Dash

The raya is used to clarify something, in a similar way to parentheses. It can also be used to indicate each person’s speech in a dialogue. 

— Este libro es mío.—dijo María con calma. 

— Lo siento, no lo sabía.—respondió Carlos. 

“This is my book,” said María calmly. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” answered Carlos. 

Guion Corto – Hyphen

Shorter than the raya ( corto means “short”), this guion is used to unite words to form a complex term and to serve as a link between two numbers that form an interval. A good way to differentiate between both guiones is to remember that we use the raya to “separate” and the guion corto to “unite.”

Post-modernidad

Post-modernity

Mexico-americano

Mexican-American

How to Use Special Characters in Spanish

When learning about punctuation marks, special characters and other symbols in Spanish, you discover the challenge involved in typing them on an electronic device. 

At the beginning of the computer age, this was a real challenge. Nowadays, it’s still an issue but not as complicated as it used to be. If you want to be able to type anything in Spanish, I recommend reading this post .

Acentos – Accent Marks

The accent marks are the most common special characters and symbols in Spanish that you need to learn. We write them on top of vowels to mark where a word is stressed .

Number 

Diéresis – Umlaut

In Spanish, you only use the umlaut when you have a gue or gui syllable and you want to include the sound of the letter u . In other words, if you don’t add the umlaut, that u between the g and the e or i , would be silent. 

Biling ü e 

This letter doesn’t exist in English, but it’s important in Spanish. Its sound is similar to the “ny” sound of an English word such as “canyon.”  

Espa ñ ol 

How to Use Other Symbols in Spanish

Besides the special characters mentioned above, there are other symbols in Spanish that you need to master. These symbols are mostly related to money or the internet and are pretty much the same as in English. 

I’m talking about symbols such as $, €, #, @, *, and /. In all these cases, their use in Spanish is exactly the same as in English, although the way to type them can vary depending on your keyboard settings . 

¿ Qui é n Hablar á con el Ni ñ o Biling ü e?

Who will talk with the bilingual boy? That question may not make a lot of sense to you, but please notice how many of the new punctuation marks, special characters, and other symbols in Spanish it includes. 

You learned all of them just by reading this single blog post. Imagine what you could do, if you were to engage in real life conversations with native Spanish speaker teachers. Learn to write and speak like a pro by signing up for a free class !

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Trump, RFK Jr. face hostile reception at Libertarian convention amid efforts to sway voters

By Jacob Rosen , Allison Novelo

Updated on: May 26, 2024 / 9:25 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Former President Donald Trump and independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s attempts to appeal to the Libertarian Party fell on deaf ears this weekend, with the third-party crowd interrupting and mocking both at the party's convention in Washington, D.C.

A chaotic scene unfolded as Trump took the stage Saturday, as Libertarians clashed with pro-Trump attendees throughout his speech, resulting in multiple people being removed from the room and the crowd split between jeers, boos and chants directed at Trump.

"You can either nominate us and give us the position, or give us your votes," Trump said to boos as he departed the stage. 

Trump repeatedly snapped back at the crowd and their hostility, telling them at one point to "keep getting your 3% [of the national vote] every four years," adding "maybe you don't want to win." 

Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian Party's nominee in 2020, got 1.85 million votes, under 1.2% of the popular vote. And in 2016, Gary Johnson, the party's nominee that cycle, received 4.48 million votes, about 3.3% of the popular vote.

In his pitch to Libertarian voters, Trump called for the commutation of Ross Ulbricht 's life sentence. Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road website, was found guilty of multiple felonies tied to  the black market site. Silk Road allowed users to buy and sell products anonymously, including drugs and fake government documents. The Libertarian Party has made freeing Ulbricht a part of its platform.

However, during his 2024 reelection campaign announcement two years ago, Trump called on Congress to pass a law mandating the death penalty for drug dealers.

On Friday, Kennedy — who faced a warmer reception than Trump —  tried to win Libertarians over to his camp by promising to pardon government whistleblower Edward Snowden, currently exiled in Russia , and to drop espionage charges against Julian Assange , the WikiLeaks founder battling U.S. attempts to extradite him from Britain — two figures revered by Libertarians. He also criticized Trump several times for his handling of the pandemic, claiming that Trump violated the Constitution by allowing lockdowns and travel restrictions. 

Kennedy's remarks on Snowden and Assange drew cheers. While his audience was comprised of many former Democrats and Republicans, some Libertarians felt he wasn't a true candidate for their party.  

The decision by Libertarian Party leadership to host Trump and Kennedy divided the party and prompted aggressive reactions from some delegates who sought to exclude both candidates from the event. 

While neither candidate is vying for the Libertarian nomination, both were hoping to win over some uncommitted Libertarian voters.

Convention organizers also invited President Biden, but he declined to deliver remarks.

Libertarian Party leaders said they chose to invite the candidates as a way for members to speak directly to those who might win the White House in November.

"We are denied a place on the debate stage, so we decided to make our own stage the focal point of the world's eyes," said Brian McWilliams, Libertarian National Party communications director. 

During a business session Friday, several delegates were heard yelling profanities at the Libertarian Party chair, Angela McArdle, in objection to Trump and Kennedy taking the stage at the convention.

Several booed and yelled obscenities at McArdle as she attempted to calm the crowd. Security later escorted one man out of the session. 

Arielle Shack, a Libertarian voter at the convention Friday, told CBS News she was attending Kennedy's speech in protest, which took place at the same time as the rowdy business session.

Shack said she traveled to the convention from New Jersey to represent other New Jersey Libertarian voters who felt Kennedy and Trump should not have been invited because they were not true Libertarians.

"We don't want people that are not Libertarians here. If they don't have our principles, we're not going to vote for them," Shack said. "You're not gonna see Libertarians coming in, voting for a Kennedy, a Kennedy Democrat. He didn't get the Democratic [candidacy], so now he wants to be independent. But I think we can see right through that."

Another Libertarian voter, Richard Edgar from New Jersey, said he felt the invitation of both Trump and Kennedy was a "slap in the face" to Libertarian voters, who were expecting to hear Libertarian candidates make their case.

Michael Reeves — a Libertarian delegate from Daphne, Alabama who said he had been a member of the party for about 25 years — said that Trump and Kennedy's attendance at the convention "speaks well for the influence that we could exert on an election at this point, that they feel like they need to cater to us in any way."

Reeves said he would likely vote for the Libertarian nominee after sitting out in 2020. Reeves said that Kennedy's speech was "not bold enough," and he was "disappointed" by Trump's first term in the White House.

"I thought he had an opportunity to really make some changes in D.C., and he didn't," Reeves said about Trump. "The best we can say is that he didn't start any new wars, and that's a pretty low bar." 

He added that both Democrats and Republicans are moving the country towards a "more collectivist and authoritarian state."

"To me, they represent essentially the same thing, the things that they disagree about are kind of minor compared to the things that they do agree about," Reeves said. "And they make all the wrong calls on the things that they do agree about."

• Donald Trump
• Libertarian

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Boos and anti-Trump chants at Libertarian convention where former president is set to speak

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump is used to warm welcomes by loyal supporters at speaking events on the campaign trail .

This weekend might be different.

Trump is set to deliver a speech Saturday at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, and if Friday night's program is any indication, he could be facing a hostile crowd.

Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who quickly endorsed Trump after dropping out, was booed during his convention remarks Friday night when he mentioned Trump.

"I'm speaking to you as a libertarian at my own core. I have gotten to know Donald Trump over the course of the last several years and the last several months," Ramaswamy said as many in the crowd booed in response.

Ramaswamy continued, urging the audience of about 100 to ask themselves if they wanted to influence the next administration.

Separately, as Libertarian party members reviewed procedures and motions, a person at a microphone proposed that "we go tell Donald Trump to go f--- himself."

The audience cheered and roared with applause.

"That was my motion too!" another man yelled. "We are a Libertarian convention looking to nominate Libertarians. We do not need to give that time to non-Libertarians."

Behind the two men, a third chanted, "F--- Donald Trump."

A spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the crowd's sentiments toward the presumptive Republican nominee for president.

Several voters watching speeches at the convention, where independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke, said they were disillusioned with both major political parties.

Avi Rachlin, a 22-year-old Michigan voter, said he cast a ballot for Trump in 2020 but plans to vote for the Libertarian candidate in November.

"People say that a third party vote is a wasted vote. You’re voting for the other team," Rachlin said on Friday. "And I don’t see it that way. I think it sends a strong message of disapproval with the current contenders for both offices."

John Burke Stringfellow, a Virginia voter who said he backed Trump in 2016 and then President Joe Biden in 2020, said he thought a rematch between the two candidates is "terrible."

"I say ditch the rematch and go for a three match," he said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

Trump Fiercely Booed At Libertarian Convention: Here’s What He Said That Drew Backlash

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Former President Donald Trump was booed and heckled Saturday night as he tried to sway the Libertarian vote in his direction at the party’s national convention, but his efforts—which included promises to nominate a Libertarian to his cabinet and commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, who founded an online marketplace to buy and sell illegal drugs—were largely met with loud jeering and shouted insults from the crowd.

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the Libertarian ... [+] Party National Convention on May 25, 2024.

Some of the loudest boos came when Trump recommended the Libertarian party choose him as its nominee, saying “we should win together,” but jeers repeatedly popped up throughout the speech, including after Trump suggested he may be a libertarian “without even trying to be one.”

After being continuously booed and heckled—audience members called him a "liar," "panderer" and "wannabe dictator"—Trump turned on the audience and mocked the Libertarian Party's poor voting record, telling them if they didn't vote for him, they could "keep getting your 3% every four years.”

The Republican presidential candidate called President Joe Biden the “worst president in the history of the United States”—which was met with response cries of “that’s you”—and Trump begged the Libertarians to “combine with” the Republicans, saying the two parties “should not be fighting each other.”

During at least one point in the speech, a silhouette of a rubber chicken was visible in front of the former president in video of the address—the rubber chickens were circulated among supporters of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a form of protest urging the major candidates to debate him, and Secret Service agents were reportedly confiscating the rubber chickens before Trump spoke.

The would-be president made several promises to the party he said he’d follow through on if Libertarian voters helped elect him, including nominating party members to senior positions, commuting the sentence of Silk Road marketplace founder Ulbricht, cutting taxes, defending gun rights and opposing climate change policies under the Green New Deal.

Other conventional speakers who supported Trump, including Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and former Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy , were also met with boos.

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Trump was cheered at points, including when he condemned the U.S. taking part in “senseless wars.” Opposition to most American foreign military action has historically been a major pillar of the Libertarian Party’s viewpoint.

Crucial Quote

"If I wasn’t a libertarian before, I sure as hell am a libertarian now," Trump said at the convention, referring to the criminal indictments against him.

34 minutes. That's how long Trump spoke at the Libertarian convention, one of his shortest-ever campaign speeches.

Kennedy spoke at the convention Friday and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, is expected to speak Sunday. Kennedy in his speech accused Trump of presiding "over the greatest restriction on individual liberties this country has ever known" in his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and spoke for the freedom of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who he said "should be celebrated as a hero."

Key Background

Libertarians base their core beliefs in the rights of the individual, limited government, free markets and, overall, a balanced society that functions with limited oversight and a collective interest in the common good. Many Libertarians believe the Trump administration wielded too much government power, particularly early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when the government recommended certain businesses shut their doors to the public while urging Americans to stay home, socially distance and wear face masks. The Libertarian Party earned 3.3% of the vote in the 2016 presidential election, when former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson was its nominee, and 1.2% in 2020 , when its nominee was activist Jo Jorgensen. The Libertarian vote has always been small but Republicans have a vested interest in winning it—if Libertarians in Arizona had voted for Trump over Jorgensen , for instance, he would have won the state in 2020. Arizona is another crucial battleground state in the 2024 election, as are Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada and Wisconsin. Polls that show a number of voters are displeased with the Trump-Biden matchup have raised concerns in the former presidents’ camps that disgruntled voters will choose to vote for third-party candidates instead, NPR reported .

What To Watch For

Who wins the Libertarian presidential nomination. Registered delegates at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, which ends Sunday, will choose a party nominee. The most popular candidates for the nomination are Charles Ballay of Louisiana, Chase Oliver of Georgia and Jacob Hornberger of Virginia.

Further Reading

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Photos from Trump's rally in the South Bronx

On one of his days off from his criminal trial in Manhattan, Trump ventured up to the Bronx for a rally.

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump  held a rally in the South Bronx on Thursday  as he seeks to reach out to Black and Hispanic voters who could put him over the top in this fall’s election against President Joe Biden. Though Trump lost the Bronx by 68 points in 2020 — and New York state by 23 points — the rally served as a symbolic event to put on display the small but potentially important shifts in the demographic makeup of his MAGA coalition. 

Though it was far from one of his larger rallies, his address drew one of the more diverse crowds of his political career as he spoke at length about his longtime hometown during a pause in his ongoing criminal hush money trial in Manhattan.

Shahrzad Elghanayan is a senior photo editor for NBC News Digital.

Allan Smith is a political reporter for NBC News.

Trans woman Karla Sofia Gascon wins Cannes best actress award for first time as it goes to ensemble

The Spanish performer says ‘We all have the opportunity to change for the better’ as she made history at the festival with her gong

The Cannes Film Festival’s best actress award has been given to a trans woman for the first time.

Karla Sofia Gascon, 52, starred in the Mexican musical comedy Emily Perez , a film that was lauded by critics, about a man transitioning to escape vengeful criminals.

The Spanish performer gave a lengthy acceptance speech on behalf of the film’s female cast, which was given the best actress award as an ensemble.

The decision came as a surprise to some, with many critics tipping Demi Moore , 61, as a contender for her comeback film The Substance.

The choice of award has sparked controversy with gender critical groups, who claim it is an example of “the way trans ideology takes from women and gives to men”.

Female stars in Gascon’s film included Zoe Saldana, 45, and pop star Selena Gomez, 31, but they were not present at the closing ceremony of the glamorous Riviera event on Saturday night.

During an emotive acceptance speech, a tearful Gascon said: “To every trans person suffering every f- - -ing day with hate. With hatred… they denigrate us… this is for you.”

Gascon also attempted to pre-empt any negative backlash to the choice of a trans performer, urging potential “terrible” critics of the decision to “change you bastards”.

Paying tribute to her absent co-star, she said: “Selena Gomez, I am in love with you.”

She added: “We all have the opportunity to change for the better, to be better people.

“If you have made us suffer, it is time for you also to change.”

The speech was received rapturously by the star-studded audience in Cannes, where the elite of world cinemas had gathered for the 77th iteration of the festival .

The decision to award the “best actresses” a collective prize broke with tradition, and the inclusion of a trans performer in the category was also a first in the storied history of Cannes.

There were 22 films competing in the category and other stars under consideration by the festival jury included Aubrey Plaza, Emma Stone, and Uma Thurman among many others.

Moore was among the favourites for honours for The Substance , a “body horror” drama about ageing actresses in Hollywood.

Meanwhile Bafta’s decision to make the British gongs gender neutral allows stars to choose the term “performer” over actors or actresses when their golden mask awards are inscribed.

Dame Maureen Lipman branded Bafta bosses “numbskulls” following the decision.

Born in Madrid, Gascon has a daughter of 13. Starting her screen career on Spanish television in the Nineties, the actor moved to Mexico and appeared in films there before completing the transition to being a trans woman.

Gender critical campaigners have queried the award. Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at Sex Matters, a human rights charity, said: “This is yet another illustration of the way trans ideology takes from women and gives to men.

“This actor should have been considered in the male category. The indignities and challenges faced by women in the entertainment industry are notorious. Not even the award category for women is allowed to be male-free.”

Speaking to the press in Cannes, Gascon said she had wanted to be a girl since she was four years old.

She said: “We’re normal people who can have the careers they want.

“Being trans is unimportant. A trans person is someone going through a transition. Once they have transitioned, that’s it. They are what they are.”

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