Spanish Grammar For Dummies

Spanish Grammar For Dummies is a logical extension and complement to the successful language learning books, Spanish For Dummies and 500 Spanish Verb For Dummies. In plain English, it teaches you the grammatical rules of the Spanish language, including parts of speech, sentence construction, pronouns, adjectives, punctuation, stress and verb tenses, and moods. Throughout the book, you get plenty of practice opportunities to help you on your goal of mastering Spanish grammar.

• Grasp the grammatical rules of Spanish
• Benefit from plenty of practice opportunities throughout the book
• Use the Spanish language confidently and correctly

Whether you're a student studying Spanish or a professional looking to get ahead of the pack by learning a second language, Spanish Grammar For Dummies is your hands-on guide to quickly and painlessly master the written aspect of this popular language.

Introduction 1

Part I: Starting with the Basics 7

Chapter 1: Spanish Grammar in a Nutshell 9

Chapter 2: Sounding Out Spanish Words 19

Chapter 3: Naming Things with Nouns and Articles 29

Chapter 4: Describing Stuff with Adjectives 47

Chapter 5: Dealing with Numbers, Dates, and Time 67

Part II: Constructing Simple Sentences and Asking Questions 81

Chapter 6: Writing in the Present Tense 83

Chapter 7: Expressing a State of Being with Ser and Estar 107

Chapter 8: Talking about Action in Progress with the Present Progressive 121

Chapter 9: Replacing Nouns with Pronouns 133

Chapter 10: Expressing Likes and Dislikes 149

Chapter 11: Handling Questions and Exclamations 163

Part III: Beefing Up Your Sentences with More Description 179

Chapter 12: Describing Action with Adverbs 181

Chapter 13: Modifying Meaning with Prepositions 195

Chapter 14: Acting on Oneself with the Reflexive 213

Chapter 15: Using the Passive Voice 227

Chapter 16: It’s All Relative: Making Comparisons 237

Chapter 17: Just Say "No": Negative Words and Expressions 249

Part IV: Talking about the Past or Future 261

Chapter 18: Looking Back with the Preterit 263

Chapter 19: Describing Ongoing Past Action with the Imperfect 281

Chapter 20: Projecting Forward with the Future Tense 295

Chapter 21: Forming Compound Tenses with the Helping Verb Haber 305

Part V: Expressing Conditions and Giving Commands 319

Chapter 22: Wondering "What If" with the Conditional Mood 321

Chapter 23: Taking Command with the Imperative Mood 329

Part VI: The Part of Tens 345

Chapter 24: Ten Common Spanish Grammar Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) 347

Chapter 25: Ten Useful Spanish Idioms 353

Index 357

Cecie Kraynak, MA, is a Spanish teacher, ESL coordinator, and author/editor of numerous Spanish books, including Spanish For Dummies. She has taught and tutored Spanish at the junior high school and college levels for more than 25 years.

The fast and easy way to improve your Spanish grammar

Do you need help with using Spanish? This hands-on, friendly guide teaches you the grammatical rules of the Spanish language, including parts of speech, sentence construction, and verb tenses and moods. Throughout the book, you get lots of practice exercises to help you retain what you've learned.

• Begin with the basics — discover how to use various parts of speech and deal with numbers, dates, and times

• Simple stuff — find out how to build simple sentences, express likes and dislikes, ask questions, and use exclamations

• Go to the next level — get the scoop on using the reflexive, employing passive voice, making comparisons, and adding negative words

• Don't be so tense — grasp verb tenses you'll use all the time: the present, the preterit, the imperfect, and the future

• Be moody — get up to speed in a hurry on the conditional mood and the imperative mood

Open the book and find:

• Information on nouns, adjectives, verbs, and other basic parts of speech

• Guidance on dealing with numbers, dates, and times

• Tips for constructing simple sentences and questions

• The scoop on making sentences more descriptive with comparisons, negative words, and more

• Different verb tenses and moods

• Ten common grammar mistakes (and how to avoid them)

• Plenty of examples and practice opportunities

Learn to:

• Grasp parts of speech, sentence construction, and verb tenses

• Enhance your descriptive speech with adverbs, adjectives, and prepositions

• Practice your grammar skills as you go