Gr Spa & Ing Modificata

8/2/2019 Gr Spa & Ing Modificata

1/6

UNIT ONE Expressions of timeantes de + infinitive before . . . ingdespus de + infinitive after . . . ingal + infinitive on . . . ingacabar de + infinitive to have just . . .NB: acabar can be used in the imperfect tense with the meaning had just. . .Present tense of the verb + desde hace + length of time

hace + length of time + present tense of the verb(The present continuous tense may also be used with the above constructions, buttends to suggest that the action has literally been going on uninterrupted forthe specified period of time.)Present tense of llevar + length of time + gerundThe corresponding question forms for the above constructions is:have been v-ing...These constructions can also be used in the past tense with the meaning had been. . . ing (and still was). The imperfect tense of the verb is used instead of thepresent in such cases.UNIT TWO The passiveThe reflexive passive:

The passive is used quite frequently in English but in Spanish it is generally avoided by using a different construction. The most common way of avoiding the passive in Spanish is by using a reflexive construction:v TO BE + past participleSE v-3pers sing/plThe se is sometimes treated as an impersonal pronoun, rather like one in English:Se dice que . . .It is said that . . ./People say that . . .The literal passive:This is formed with the verb ser in the appropriate tense and the past participle: by=porser and estar with past participle:It is important to distinguish between the use of ser with the past participle i

n the passive construction used above and the use of estar with the past participle to indicate a state resulting from an action.Notice that the imperfect tense of estar, rather than the preterite, will nearlyalways be used when talking about the past. This is because states are not sudden or completed actions for which the preterite is used.UNIT THREE Verbs with prepositionsSome verbs in Spanish can be followed immediately by an infinitive, in much thesame way as the English construction.Many verbs in Spanish, however, require the use of a preposition before a following infinitive. The most common prepositions used are a and de.Some of the most common verbs which require the preposition a before a followinginfinitive are:

acostumbrarse a to be accustomed to/to get used toaprender a to learn toatreverse a to dare toayudar a to help tocomenzar a to begin toempezar a to begin toinvitar a to invite toponerse a to begin to*decidirse a to decide tonegarse a to refuse totender a to tend tovolver a to do again*The verb decidir in its non-reflexive form can be used directly before an infin

itive without the need for a preposition, as shown on the previous page.Some of the most common verbs which require the preposition de before a following infinitive are:


2/6

cansarse de to tire of/get tired ofcesar de to cease todejar de to cease toterminar de to finishalegrarse de to be pleased toolvidarse de to forget totratar de to try to

A few verbs take other prepositions such as por, en or con:poresforzarse por to strive toluchar por to struggle tooptar por to opt toconamenazar con to threaten tosoar con to dream ofenconsentir en to agree todudar en to hesitate toempearse en to insist on

insistir en to insist ontardar en to take time toThe verb acabar is a little unusual in that it has different meanings dependingon which preposition is used.acabar de to have justacabar por to end up byVerbs with prepositions before nounsSome verbs also require prepositions before a following noun.Here are some of the most common ones:aacercarse a to approachasistir a to be present atllegar a to arrive at/to reach

oler a to smell ofsaber a to taste ofdedepender de to depend ondespedirse de to say goodbye toenamorarse de to fall in love withrerse de to laugh atenfijarse en to noticeconsistir en to consist ofporpreocuparse por to worry aboutestar por to be in favour ofThe verb pensar has different meanings depending on which preposition is used:EN> aboutDE> opinionSome verbs need special attention because they do not take a preposition in Spanish although they do in English:buscar to look forescuchar to listen toesperar to wait formirar to look atpagar to pay forpedir to ask forUNIT FOUR The present subjunctiveThe subjunctive is a form of verb which hardly exists in English, being restrict

ed nowadays to only a few instances.Even in these cases the subjunctive is often replaced by an alternative expression using the indicative.


3/6


4/6

Extraarse de que to be surprised thatSorprenderse de que to be surprised thatLamentar que to regret thatEstar contento/triste etc. de que to be happy/sad thatIn the case of esperar, it is more usual to find it used with the indicative when the meaning is to expect rather than to hope because the second verb is more likely to become a reality if the speaker expects rather than hopes it will happen:

The verb temerse does not always imply the emotion fear, but is often used to meanIm afraid when you apologise for something that is going to happen, as in the example below. In such cases it does not take the subjunctive.The speaker is not literally afraid, but is really saying that he thinks he will be late, therefore there is no need to use a subjunctive in this sentence.Impersonal expressionsThere are also some impersonal expressions which are followed by the subjunctive, as they are also expressing emotions:Me molesta que... It irritates me that.Nos extraa que...We are surprised that.No me gusta queI dont like you.UNIT EIGHTSubjunctive after impersonal expressions

An impersonal expression is one which does not have a personal subject.This often means the expression consists of the verb to be + adjective + that + verb:It is possible that . . .It is unlikely that . . .It is incredible that . . .It is amazing that . . .The verb to be can be used in any tense:It was important that . . .It will be unlikely that . . .Spanish uses the same sort of construction: ser + adjective + que + verb:Es importante que . . .Es increble que . . .

the subjunctive is used after impersonal expressions which can be classed as emotions:It is sad that you have those doubts.Es lamentable queIt is regrettable that.NB: These expressions can be used in any tense, but as we have so far only seenthe present tense of the subjunctive.Other impersonal expressions which behave in this way are:Es de extraar que . . . It is surprising that . . .Es dudoso que . . . It is doubtful that . . .Es importante que . . . It is important that . . .Es impensable que . . . It is unthinkable that . . .There are other ways of expressing these ideas which do not follow exactly the same construction, but nevertheless still require the use of the subjunctive.Puede que We may.Posiblemente tenga que (It is possible that ) I will possibly have to...Logically those expressions which imply knowledge or certainty do not require the use of the subjunctive:Es cierto que ha... has definitely...No cabe duda de que *es verdad(It is certain that . . .) There is no doubt that it is true.*Nowadays you will often hear the subjunctive being used after no cabe duda de que . . . This is because of the association of the word duda with the subjunctive.Other such expressions which do not require the use of the subjunctive are:Es seguro que . . . It is certain that . . .

Es verdad que . . . It is true that . . .Es correcto que . . . It is correct that . . .UNIT NINE The imperfect subjunctive


5/6


6/6

Use of the conditionalOne of the most common uses of the conditional is in reported speech, where theuse of tenses is the same as in English.Future and conditional to express suppositionJust as the future tense can be used to express uncertainty or supposition in the present tense, the conditional can also be used to express uncertainty or supposition in the past, as it can in English.

Formation of the conditional perfectUNIT SIXTEEN Conditional sentencesOpen conditionsAs the name suggests, these are conditions which are open to being fulfilled, and there is nothing in the sentence to suggest that the event will or will not take place.Open conditions are translated with the present indicative and the future tense,or sometimes the present. In other words the tense usage is more or less the same as in EnglishImprobable or impossible conditionsAs the name suggests, these are conditions in which the outcome is in more doubt. The implication of the sentence will be that the condition is unlikely to be f

ulfilled or may be almost impossible. Consider the implication of these sentences in English.Conditions which cannot be fulfilledcomo siComo si (as if), by its very nature, always introduces a condition which is unrealand therefore it will always be followed by a past subjunctive.

Documents

Gr Spa & Ing Modificata