Linking sentences · Spanish grammar A1

The infinitive: quiero comer, para viajar, estudiar es fácil#

Formation

The infinitive ends in -ar, -er or -ir and does not change. The infinitive of a reflexive verb has the pronoun attached to its end: levantarse.

Use

The infinitive is used:

after querer or necesitar, when the subject is the same (Quiero dormir, Necesito estudiar), and after me gusta: Me gusta cocinar;
after the preposition para, which expresses purpose: para viajar, para aprender;
as the subject of the sentence, with no article: Estudiar es importante; Es fácil aprender español. The verb ser is then in the third person singular and the adjective is masculine singular.

On its own, an infinitive can also answer a question that contains one: ¿Qué quieres hacer? — Dormir.

Queremos viajar a México.We want to travel to Mexico.
Mi hermana trabaja para pagar el piso.My sister works to pay for the flat.
Nadar es muy bueno para la salud.Swimming is very good for your health.
Es importante dormir bien.It is important to sleep well.

Difference from English

The Spanish infinitive is one word: the ending -ar, -er or -ir does the work of English “to”, so “I want to eat” is Quiero comer, with no preposition after querer. Where English uses a form in “-ing” as a subject or after “like”, Spanish uses the infinitive: “Swimming is good” is Nadar es bueno, “I like cooking” is Me gusta cocinar. “It is important to…” has no word for “it” and no word for “to”: Es importante dormir.

Common mistakes

~~Quiero a comer.~~ → Quiero comer.After querer, the infinitive follows with no preposition.
~~Cocinando es fácil.~~ → Cocinar es fácil.The subject of a sentence is the infinitive, not the form in -ndo.
~~Me gusta bailando.~~ → Me gusta bailar.After me gusta, an activity is an infinitive.

Practise

“Gustar: me gusta, me gustan”, Liking one thing: me gusta with a singular noun or an infinitive “Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, Wanting to do something: quiero, quieres, quiere + infinitive “Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, The infinitive as subject: estudiar español es fácil

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Infinitive or que: quiero comer, creo que…#

Use

After querer, the second verb is in the infinitive when its subject is the subject of querer: Quiero salir. After creer (“to think, to believe”), the opinion is introduced by que and a conjugated verb, even when both verbs have the same subject: Creo que tengo un examen. Que is never left out. The short answer is Creo que sí (“I think so”) or Creo que no (“I don't think so”).

When the subject of the second verb is not the subject of querer (“I want you to…”), the construction changes: que is followed by a mood other than the indicative, which comes at a later level.

Quiero comprar un coche nuevo.I want to buy a new car.
Creo que la tienda está cerrada.I think the shop is closed.
Mi madre cree que es tarde.My mother thinks it's late.
¿Hay clase mañana? — Creo que no.Is there a class tomorrow? — I don't think so.

Difference from English

English often leaves out “that”: “I think the shop is closed”. Spanish always has que after creer: Creo que la tienda está cerrada. “I think so” and “I don't think so” are Creo que sí and Creo que no, with que and no word for “so”. Que (“that”) is written without an accent, qué (“what”) with one.

Common mistakes

~~Creo es caro.~~ → Creo que es caro.Que is never left out after creer.
~~Creo así.~~ → Creo que sí.“I think so” is creo que sí.

Practise

“Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, Wanting to do something: quiero, quieres, quiere + infinitive “Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, Thinking that: creo que

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Cause and purpose: porque, para + infinitive#

Use

Porque (“because”) introduces a cause, with a conjugated verb: Estudio español porque vivo en Lima. Para + infinitive expresses purpose, like English “to” or “in order to”: Trabajo para comprar una casa. A question about the cause is asked with por qué, two words with an accent: ¿Por qué aprendes chino?

Meaning	Form	Example
asking the cause	por qué	¿Por qué estás aquí?
cause	porque + conjugated verb	Porque vivo cerca.
purpose	para + infinitive	para aprender

No como porque no tengo hambre.I'm not eating because I'm not hungry.
¿Por qué estás en casa? — Porque estoy cansada.Why are you at home? — Because I'm tired.
Voy al supermercado para comprar fruta.I'm going to the supermarket to buy fruit.
Leo el periódico para aprender español.I read the newspaper to learn Spanish.

Difference from English

Por qué and porque sound almost the same, and only the spelling tells them apart: por qué asks “why”, porque gives the reason, “because”. English expresses purpose with “to” alone (“I work to buy a house”); Spanish needs para before the infinitive: Trabajo para comprar una casa. English “for” is sometimes por and sometimes para; purpose expressed with an infinitive is always para.

Common mistakes

~~Estudio porqué me gusta.~~ → Estudio porque me gusta.“Because” is written porque, one word with no accent.
~~Trabajo por comprar un coche.~~ → Trabajo para comprar un coche.Purpose is expressed with para + infinitive.
~~¿Porque no comes?~~ → ¿Por qué no comes?The question “why” is written por qué, two words with an accent.

Practise

“Questions and negation: no, qué, dónde, por qué”, Asking and giving reasons: por qué, porque “Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, Purpose: para + infinitive

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And, or, nor, but: y, o, ni, pero; uno… otro#

Use

Y (“and”) joins two words or two clauses: Soy francés y vivo en Lyon. O (“or”) offers a choice: ¿Té o café? Ni (“nor, or”) joins two items in a negative sentence: no is placed before the verb and ni before each item, or before the second item only: No bebo café ni té. Pero (“but”) expresses a contrast: El piso es pequeño, pero bonito.

Before a word beginning with the sound [i], y becomes e (padre e hijo); before the sound [o], o becomes u (siete u ocho) (level A2). When y joins two subjects, the verb is plural: Ana y Pablo viven aquí. Pero is spelt with a single r; perro, with a rolled rr, means “dog”.

Uno… otro. Uno… otro (“one… the other”) contrasts two people or two things: Tengo dos hermanos: uno vive en Lima y el otro en Quito. In the feminine, it is una… la otra. Otro is used without un (“The indefinite article: un, una, unos, unas”).

Mi hermano habla inglés y francés.My brother speaks English and French.
¿Vamos en tren o en autobús?Shall we go by train or by bus?
No tengo hermanos ni hermanas.I have no brothers or sisters.
La casa es vieja, pero muy bonita.The house is old, but very pretty.
Tengo dos gatas: una es blanca y la otra es negra.I have two cats: one is white and the other is black.

Difference from English

In a negative sentence, English “or” and “neither… nor” are expressed with no before the verb and ni before the items: “I don't drink tea or coffee” is No bebo ni té ni café or No bebo té ni café.

Common mistakes

~~Quiero un otro té.~~ → Quiero otro té.Otro is used without un.
~~No bebo té y café.~~ → No bebo té ni café.In a negative sentence, two items are joined with ni.
~~Es caro, perro bonito.~~ → Es caro, pero bonito.“But” is spelt pero, with a single r.

Practise

“Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, Joining two words or ideas: y, o, ni, pero “Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, So, also, one… the other: entonces, también, uno… otro

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Entonces: so, then#

Use

Entonces (“so, then”) links two sentences and introduces a consequence: Tengo hambre, entonces como. It comes at the start of the second sentence. También and tampoco also link two sentences; their use is explained in “Also and not either: también, tampoco”.

Hoy hace sol, entonces vamos a la playa.It's sunny today, so we're going to the beach.
No tengo coche, entonces voy en autobús.I don't have a car, so I go by bus.

Difference from English

Entonces is the “so” of a consequence; like “so”, it is placed at the start of the clause that gives the consequence.

Practise

“Questions and negation: no, qué, dónde, por qué”, Also and not either: también, tampoco “Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, So, also, one… the other: entonces, también, uno… otro

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The relative que: la chica que lleva gafas#

Formation

The relative pronoun que introduces a clause that tells more about a noun, its antecedent, and comes straight after it. It does not change, and it is used for a person as well as for a thing, whether it is the subject or the direct object of the verb in the relative clause: el chico que vive aquí, el libro que leo.

Use

When que is the subject, the verb of the relative clause agrees with the antecedent: la chica que canta, las chicas que cantan. When it is the object, the relative clause has its own subject: la casa que compramos. The relative clause says which person or which thing is meant.

El chico que baila con Ana es mi primo.The boy who is dancing with Ana is my cousin.
Tengo una amiga que habla chino.I have a friend who speaks Chinese.
La película que vemos esta noche es francesa.The film we're watching tonight is French.
Los zapatos que quiero son caros.The shoes I want are expensive.

Difference from English

English has three relative words, “who”, “which” and “that”, and often leaves the pronoun out when it is the object: “the film we're watching”, “the shoes I want”. Spanish uses que in every case and never leaves it out: la película que vemos, los zapatos que quiero. “The girl who sings” is la chica que canta: English “who” in such a clause is que, not quien. Relative que is written without an accent.

Common mistakes

~~el libro leo~~ → el libro que leoThe relative que is never left out.
~~la chica quien canta~~ → la chica que cantaIn a clause that says which person is meant, “who” is que.
~~el libro qué leo~~ → el libro que leoRelative que is written without an accent.
~~las chicas que canta~~ → las chicas que cantanThe verb of the relative clause agrees with the antecedent las chicas.

In short

Point	Rule	Example
infinitive after a verb	same subject; no word for “to”	Quiero dormir.
infinitive after a preposition	para	para viajar
infinitive as subject	no article; es + masculine adjective	Estudiar es fácil.
creer que	que + conjugated verb, never left out	Creo que es tarde.
cause, purpose	porque + conjugated verb; para + infinitive	porque vivo cerca; para viajar
y, o, ni, pero	and, or, nor, but	No bebo café ni té.
uno… otro	one… the other; otro without un	uno… el otro; otro café
entonces	consequence	Tengo hambre, entonces como.
relative que	subject or object; does not change; never left out	la chica que canta, el libro que leo

Practise

“Linking sentences: quiero + infinitive, y, pero, que”, The relative que: la chica que lleva gafas

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