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Spanish Language Core Grammar Syllabus

The Core Grammar syllabus for Spanish Language in full: 6 chapters and 27 topics, every one listed below, plus 50 Core Grammar flashcards with answers.

6Chapters
27Topics
50Flashcards

Core Grammar syllabus: all 6 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

  1. Nouns and Articles

     5 topics
    • Grammatical Gender
    • Singular and Plural Formation
    • Definite Articles (el, la, los, las)
    • Indefinite Articles (un, una, unos, unas)
    • Contractions al and del

  2. Adjectives

     5 topics
    • Agreement in Gender and Number
    • Position of Adjectives
    • Comparatives and Superlatives
    • Possessive Adjectives
    • Demonstrative Adjectives

  3. Pronouns

     6 topics
    • Subject Pronouns
    • Direct Object Pronouns
    • Indirect Object Pronouns
    • Combining Double Object Pronouns
    • Reflexive Pronouns
    • Prepositional Pronouns

  4. Ser, Estar, and Hay

     4 topics
    • Uses of Ser
    • Uses of Estar
    • Ser vs Estar Contrast
    • Existential Hay

  5. Prepositions and Connectors

     4 topics
    • Por vs Para
    • A, En, De, Con
    • Personal A
    • Conjunctions and Connectors (y, o, pero, porque)

  6. Adverbs and Negation

     3 topics
    • Adverbs of Manner, Time, and Place
    • Adverbs Ending in -mente
    • Negation and Double Negatives

Spanish Language Core Grammar flashcards — 50 questions with answers

  1. What is grammatical gender in Spanish, and what are the two genders?

    Every Spanish noun has a grammatical gender: masculine or feminine. Gender affects the articles, adjectives, and pronouns that accompany the noun.

  2. What ending do most masculine nouns have, and what ending do most feminine nouns have?

    Most masculine nouns end in -o (el libro), and most feminine nouns end in -a (la casa). This is a general tendency, not an absolute rule.

  3. Name three noun endings (besides -a) that are typically feminine.

    -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad, -tud, and -umbre are typically feminine (e.g., la nación, la ciudad, la virtud, la costumbre).

  4. Give two common exceptions where a noun ending in -a is masculine.

    El día (day), el mapa (map), el problema, el tema, el idioma, el sistema. Many words ending in -ma of Greek origin are masculine.

  5. How do you form the plural of a Spanish noun that ends in a vowel?

    Add -s to the singular form (e.g., libro → libros, casa → casas).

  6. How do you form the plural of a Spanish noun that ends in a consonant?

    Add -es to the singular form (e.g., papel → papeles, ciudad → ciudades).

  7. How do you pluralize a noun ending in -z, such as 'lápiz'?

    Change the -z to -c and add -es: lápiz → lápices, luz → luces, vez → veces.

  8. What are the four Spanish definite articles and which noun each accompanies?

    el (masculine singular), la (feminine singular), los (masculine plural), las (feminine plural). All translate as 'the'.

  9. Which definite article is used before a feminine singular noun beginning with a stressed 'a' or 'ha' sound, and why?

    The article el is used (el agua, el águila, el hambre) to avoid the awkward a-a sound, even though the noun stays feminine (el agua fría). The plural returns to las (las aguas).

  10. What are the four Spanish indefinite articles and their meanings?

    un (masculine singular, 'a/an'), una (feminine singular, 'a/an'), unos (masculine plural, 'some/a few'), unas (feminine plural, 'some/a few').

  11. What are the only two contractions in Spanish, and how are they formed?

    al = a + el (to the), and del = de + el (of/from the). Contraction is mandatory.

  12. Do the contractions 'al' and 'del' occur with the articles la, los, or las?

    No. Contraction only happens with the masculine singular article el. With la, los, and las the words stay separate (a la, de los, a las).

  13. Is the contraction 'al' or 'del' used when el is part of a proper name, e.g., 'El Salvador'?

    No, contraction is not made with capitalized el in proper names: 'Vengo de El Salvador' (not 'del Salvador').

  14. What is the rule of agreement in gender and number in Spanish?

    Articles and adjectives must match the noun they modify in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural): las casas blancas, los libros rojos.

  15. How does an adjective ending in -e or a consonant agree in gender?

    Adjectives ending in -e (inteligente) or most consonants (azul) do not change for gender; they change only for number (inteligentes, azules).

  16. How does an adjective ending in -o form its four agreement forms?

    -o adjectives have four forms: rojo (m.sg), roja (f.sg), rojos (m.pl), rojas (f.pl).

  17. What is the default position of a descriptive adjective relative to the noun in Spanish?

    Descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun: 'la casa blanca', 'un coche rápido'.

  18. Which types of adjectives are typically placed before the noun in Spanish?

    Adjectives of quantity/number (mucho, tres, primer), possessives (mi, tu), and demonstratives (este, ese) go before the noun.

  19. How can placing an adjective before vs. after the noun change meaning, using 'grande' as an example?

    After the noun 'grande' means big (una casa grande = a big house); before the noun it means great/important (una gran casa = a great house). Grande shortens to 'gran' before any singular noun.

  20. How do you form a comparison of superiority (more...than) in Spanish?

    Use más + adjective + que: 'María es más alta que Juan' (María is taller than Juan).

Show the other 30 Core Grammar flashcards

  1. How do you form a comparison of inferiority (less...than) and of equality (as...as) in Spanish?

    Inferiority: menos + adjective + que (menos alto que). Equality: tan + adjective + como (tan alto como).

  2. How is the relative superlative (the most/least) formed in Spanish?

    Use el/la/los/las + (noun) + más/menos + adjective, with 'de' for 'in/of': 'la ciudad más grande de España' (the largest city in Spain).

  3. List the four irregular comparative forms in Spanish.

    bueno → mejor (better), malo → peor (worse), grande → mayor (older/greater), pequeño → menor (younger/lesser).

  4. What is the absolute superlative, and how is it formed with the suffix -ísimo?

    It expresses 'very/extremely' without comparison. Drop the final vowel and add -ísimo/-a/-os/-as: alto → altísimo, grande → grandísimo, fácil → facilísimo.

  5. What are the singular short-form possessive adjectives in Spanish (my, your, his/her)?

    mi (my), tu (your, informal), su (his/her/your-formal/their). These agree only in number: mi/mis, tu/tus, su/sus.

  6. What are the possessive adjectives for 'our' and 'your (vosotros)', and how do they agree?

    nuestro/nuestra/nuestros/nuestras (our) and vuestro/vuestra/vuestros/vuestras (your, plural informal). These agree in both gender and number.

  7. With what does a possessive adjective agree in Spanish—the owner or the thing possessed?

    With the thing possessed, not the owner: 'sus libros' = his/her/their books (plural because 'libros' is plural).

  8. What are the masculine singular demonstrative adjectives for this, that, and that (over there)?

    este (this), ese (that, near listener), aquel (that over there, far from both). They express three degrees of distance.

  9. Give the four forms of the demonstrative 'este' (this).

    este (m.sg), esta (f.sg), estos (m.pl), estas (f.pl).

  10. Give the four forms of the demonstrative 'aquel' (that over there).

    aquel (m.sg), aquella (f.sg), aquellos (m.pl), aquellas (f.pl).

  11. What are the Spanish subject pronouns for the singular persons?

    yo (I), tú (you, informal), usted (you, formal), él (he), ella (she).

  12. What are the Spanish subject pronouns for the plural persons?

    nosotros/nosotras (we), vosotros/vosotras (you all, informal in Spain), ustedes (you all), ellos/ellas (they).

  13. Why are subject pronouns often omitted in Spanish?

    Because the verb ending already indicates the subject; 'hablo' clearly means 'I speak'. Pronouns are used mainly for emphasis or to clarify.

  14. What are the direct object pronouns in Spanish?

    me, te, lo/la (him/it/you-formal, her/it/you-formal), nos, os, los/las. They replace the direct object.

  15. Where are object pronouns placed relative to a conjugated verb, and where with an infinitive or gerund?

    Before a conjugated verb ('lo veo'); attached to the end of an infinitive or gerund ('quiero verlo', 'estoy viéndolo').

  16. What are the indirect object pronouns in Spanish?

    me, te, le, nos, os, les. They indicate to/for whom the action is done.

  17. When two object pronouns are combined, which comes first: the direct or the indirect?

    The indirect object pronoun comes first, then the direct: 'Me lo da' (He gives it to me). Order is Indirect + Direct + verb.

  18. What happens when the indirect pronouns 'le' or 'les' are followed by 'lo, la, los, las'?

    le/les changes to 'se': 'Le doy el libro' → 'Se lo doy' (I give it to him/her). This avoids the sequence le lo/le la.

  19. When double object pronouns attach to an infinitive, is a written accent needed? Give an example.

    Yes, a written accent is added to keep the original stress: 'dar' + se + lo → 'dárselo' (quiero dárselo).

  20. What are the reflexive pronouns in Spanish?

    me, te, se, nos, os, se. They are used when the subject and object are the same person.

  21. Conjugate the reflexive verb 'lavarse' (to wash oneself) in the present tense.

    me lavo, te lavas, se lava, nos lavamos, os laváis, se lavan.

  22. How does the meaning of 'ir' change when made reflexive as 'irse'?

    ir = to go (to a place); irse = to leave/go away. Reflexive forms can add nuance: 'Voy' (I go) vs 'Me voy' (I'm leaving).

  23. What are the prepositional (disjunctive) pronouns in Spanish?

    mí, ti, él, ella, usted, nosotros/as, vosotros/as, ellos/ellas, ustedes. They are used after prepositions like para, de, sin (para mí, sin ti).

  24. What special forms do prepositional pronouns take with the preposition 'con'?

    con + mí = conmigo (with me); con + ti = contigo (with you). Other persons are regular: con él, con nosotros.

  25. State four main uses of the verb 'ser'.

    Ser is used for: identity/definition, permanent characteristics, origin/nationality, profession, time and dates, possession, and events' location. Think of lasting or essential traits.

  26. State the main uses of the verb 'estar'.

    Estar is used for: physical location/position, temporary states and conditions, emotions/health, results of actions, and progressive tenses (estar + gerund).

  27. How does adjective meaning change with ser vs. estar: 'ser aburrido' vs. 'estar aburrido'?

    'Ser aburrido' = to be boring (a permanent trait); 'estar aburrido' = to be bored (a temporary state).

  28. Which verb (ser or estar) is used with location of an event vs. location of a thing/person?

    Ser is used for where an event takes place ('La fiesta es en mi casa'); estar is used for the physical location of objects and people ('Mi casa está en Madrid').

  29. Complete with the correct verb: '___ las tres de la tarde' (It is 3 p.m.).

    Son las tres de la tarde. Time is always expressed with ser (es la una / son las tres).

  30. Which verb pairs with a past participle to describe a resulting condition, as in 'La puerta ___ cerrada' (The door is closed)?

    Estar: 'La puerta está cerrada' describes the resulting state/condition. (Ser + past participle would form the passive voice of the action itself.)

Spanish Language Core Grammar FAQ

What is in the Spanish Language Core Grammar syllabus?

Spanish Language Core Grammar is split into 6 chapters: Nouns and Articles, Adjectives, Pronouns, Ser, Estar, and Hay, Prepositions and Connectors and Adverbs and Negation. Together they contain 27 topics.

How many chapters are in Spanish Language Core Grammar?

6 chapters, containing 27 topics. The largest chapter is Pronouns, with 6 topics.

Are there flashcards for Spanish Language Core Grammar?

Yes — a 50-card Core Grammar deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.