Free Spanish Grammar

Spanish Prepositions – Por vs Para

July 25, 2017 By docmolly Leave a Comment

Do you know when to use POR vs PARA?

Today’s podcast is a quiz on the Spanish prepositions POR y PARA. It kicks off a series of audio lessons that will cover these two prepositions at docmolly.com.

Audio Quiz

1. Me voy ______ Madrid en Julio. (para) I’m leaving for Madrid in July.
2. Este libro es ______ mi hijo. Hoy es su cumpleaños. (para) This book is for my son. It’s his birthday today.
3. Quiero viajar ______ avión, en lugar de barco. (por) I want to travel by plane, rather than boat.
4. Tengo mucho cariño ______ mis hijos. (por) I am very fond of my children.
5. Estudio mucho ______ sacar buenas notas. (para) I study a lot to get good grades.
6. No lo hice _______ falta de respeto. (por) I didn’t do it out of lack of respect.
7. Gracias _______ el regalo. (por) Thank you for the gift.
8. Ella faltó a clase _____ tener demasiado trabajo. (por) She skipped class because she had too much work.
9. Cuando vaya a mi trabajo, voy a pasar ______ la casa de María. (por) When I go to work, I am going to stop by María’s house.
10. Voy a trabajar ______ Mario, porque hoy está enfermo. (por) I am going to work for Mario, because he is sick today.
11. Este podcast es ______ practicar español. (para) This podcast is for practicing Spanish.
12. El maestro nos dijo que tenemos que terminar nuestros proyectos _______ el viernes. (para) The teacher told us that we have to complete our projects by Friday.
13. Él habla español muy bien ______ ser de los estados unidos. (para) He speaks Spanish very well for being from the United States.
14. Él me llama dos o tres veces ____ día. (por) He calls me 2 or 3 times per/a day.

Want to learn more?

Subscribe to the premium audio lessons at docmolly.com. This quiz introduces a series of audio lessons covering the Spanish prepositions, POR y PARA. The first premium audio lesson will cover PARA. Then we’ll cover POR. Finally we’ll wrap things up with an audio lesson comparing the two prepositions. Therefore, depending on when you listen to this quiz, it will either serve as a preview or a review for the POR vs PARA series at docmolly.com.

Listen to more free audio lessons covering advanced Spanish grammar.

Member? Access the premium series: Prepositions

Spanish Grammar from Folk Medicine Interview

July 7, 2017 By docmolly Leave a Comment

Learn Grammar with the Medical Spanish Podcast

This podcast reviews some of the grammar points covered during an interview I did for the Medical Spanish Podcast. I interviewed folk healer, Francisco Chavajay, while studying at the San Pedro Spanish School in Guatemala. The clinical dialogues and interviews presented in the Medical Spanish Podcast provide an effective method of learning key grammatical concepts used in everyday Spanish conversation. In this free grammar podcast, we go over a sampling of the grammar points covered in my interview with don Francisco.

Grammar Points from the Interview

“Fíjese que para ser curandero uno no aprende, no le enseñan.”

Fijarse

Fíjate que son muy caros.
Look, they are very expensive.

Fíjese que para ser curandero uno no aprende.
You see, to be a curandero one doesn´t learn.

The Third Person Plural to Express a Passive Action in Spanish

“No le enseñan.”
One is not taught.

Me ingresaron en el hospital.
I was admitted to the hospital.

Le enseñaron a respetar a los mayores.
She was taught to respect her elders.

Sino Que

“No le enseñan, sino que lo trae desde el vientre de la madre.”
One isn’t taught, rather one gets it from the womb of the mother.

No me riñeron, sino que me animaron.
They did not scold me, instead they encouraged me.

Want to review more grammar points from the interview?

Subscribe to the premium Spanish Grammar podcast at docmolly.com.
Premium Members: Listen to the premium grammar episode. Listen to the premium Folk Medicine series.

Listen to the free podcasts of on my interview with folk healer, Francisco Chavajay.

I highly recommend San Pedro Spanish School in Guatemala. My niece and I had an amazing experience living with a host family and studying at the school. Listen to this podcast to hear more about our experience.

Subjunctive Quiz #5 – Spanish Grammar

June 14, 2017 By docmolly Leave a Comment

Are you ready to take on some advanced Spanish grammar?

This audio quiz reviews the following premium podcasts covering the Subjunctive:

Subjunctive 15 – Conditional (If… then… ) statements about the present
Subjunctive 16 – Conditional statements about the past
Subjunctive 17 – The subjunctive following the phrase “como si”
Subjunctive 18 – The subjunctive following “ojalá”
Subjunctive 19 – How to say “no matter how much” in Spanish
Subjunctive 20 – La Forma Reduplicativa

Subj 15

Si supieran / supiesen* la verdad, nunca nos dejarían entrar.
If they knew the truth, they would never let us in.

Si lo pones en la mesa de la cocina, no lo olvidaré. If you put it on the kitchen table, I won’t forget it.

Si no costara / costase tanto, lo compraría. If it didn’t cost so much, I would buy it.

Si no te importa, voy a llevar a Sofía conmigo.
If you don’t mind, I am going to take Sofía with me.

We use the indicative when speaking of likely possibilities and we use the subjunctive when speaking more hypothetically.

*I have included the alternative form of the imperfect subjunctive in these show notes. We use the more common form of the imperfect subjunctive in this podcast. We cover the alternative conjugation in

Subj 16

Si te hubiera / hubiese visto, te habría / hubiera* saludado.
If I had seen you, I would have said hi.

Yo me habría / hubiera roto una pierna si (yo) hubiera / hubiese hecho eso.
I would have broken a leg if I had done that.

*You can use either the perfect conditional or the common form of the pluperfect subjunctive here. This is explained further in the premium podcast.

Subj 17

Hazlo como si tu vida dependiera / dependiese de ello.
Do it like you life depends on it.

Se porta como si no le molestara / molestase.
He acts as if it didn’t bother him.

Mauricio me trataba como si nunca hubiéramos / hubiésemos trabajado juntos.
Mauricio was treating me as if we had never worked together.

Subj 18

Ojalá (que) todas mis cosas quepan en mi maleta.
I hope all my things fit in my suitcase.

Ojalá (que) todas mis cosas cupieran / cupiesen dentro de una maleta.
I wish all my things fit inside one suitcase.

Subj 19

Por más que quieras, no puedes cambiarlo.
As much as you would like to, you can’t change him.

Por muy barato que sea, no voy a comprarlo.
No matter how cheap it is, I’m not going to buy it.

Subj 20

Hagas lo que hagas, no olvides tu pasaporte.
Whatever you do, don’t forget your passport.

Shout out to Ángel Bahena whose voice you heard for most of the Spanish interpretations in this podcast. Ángel teaches Spanish over Skype at SpanishPRN.com

Want to hear more podcasts like this?

Listen to more free podcasts covering the subjunctive.
Premium Members: Access the premium Subjunctive series.
Subscribe to the premium Spanish Grammar podcast.

PDF of Show Notes: Subjunctive Quiz #5

Quedar y Quedarse – I’m back with a quiz!

April 10, 2017 By docmolly Leave a Comment

This is my first free podcast since September and my first free grammar podcast for over a year! As many of you know I host two podcasts: the Spanish Grammar Review and the Medical Spanish Podcast. In 2016, I finished up the premium series on the Subjunctive for the grammar podcast and then kept busy making premium lessons for the Medical Spanish Podcast. More recently, I took a break from podcasting to build this new website at docmolly.com. Since building this site I have added two premium lessons to the Verbs series of the Spanish Grammar Subscription covering QUEDAR and QUEDARSE and today’s free podcast is a quiz reviewing what we learned in these premium lessons.

QUEDAR Y QUEDARSE

Me quedé en casa de un amigo.
(I stayed at a friends house.)

Quedamos a las siete en la plaza.
(We’re meeting at seven at the plaza.)

(Ellos) quedaron en ir hoy.
They decided / agreed to go today.

Nos quedan tres invitaciones por escribir.
(We have three invitations left to write.)

Quedan cinco días para navidad.
(There are five days left until Christmas.)

Él siempre queda bien con las chicas.
(He always makes a good impression with the girls.)

Esa corbata queda bien con tus ojos.
(That tie goes well with your eyes.)

Se quedó pensativa un largo rato.
(She remained deep in thought for a long time.)

Aún queda comida.
(There’s still food left.)

La escuela queda a tres millas de aquí.
(The school is 3 miles from here.)

Siempre se me quedan los guantes en casa!
(I always leave my gloves at home.)

No nos queda más remedio.
(We have no choice.)

Gracias por escuchar.
Subscribe to the premium podcast at docmolly.com/subscribe/.

If you’re a premium subscriber, check out the premium lessons covering QUEDAR y QUEDARSE here.

The Subjunctive in Adverbial Clauses

December 6, 2015 By docmolly Leave a Comment

This podcast is a quiz on the use of the subjunctive in adverbial clauses. It reviews what we covered in the following premium podcasts.

Subjunctive 10 and 11 – covering adverbial clauses introduced by conjunctions that require the subjunctive (e.g. a menos que, con tal que)
Subjunctive 12 and 13 – covering adverbial clauses of time
Subjunctive 14 – covering adverbial clauses that describe how or where the verb in the main clause takes place

You can subscribe to the premium podcast at docmolly.com/sbuscribe/.

PODCASTS 10 AND 11: CONJUNCTIONS THAT REQUIRE THE SUBJUNCTIVE

LLOVER
I will bring my umbrella IN CASE it rains.
Llevaré mi paraguas EN CASO DE QUE llueva.

ACOMPAÑAR
I will help you AS LONG AS you come with me to the theatre tonight.
Te ayudaré CON TAL (DE) QUE me acompañes al teatro esta noche.

CREER
I am going to show it to Miguel SO THAT he believes me.
Voy a enseñárselo a Miguel PARA QUE me crea.

TENER
They created this group SO THAT we would have a safe place to talk.
Ellos crearon este grupo A FIN DE QUE tuviéramos / tuviésemos un lugar seguro para hablar.

TEMBLAR
I can not do it WITHOUT my hands trembling.
No puedo hacerlo SIN QUE me tiemblen las manos.

When there is no change in subject, most of these conjunctions can be followed by an infinitive, in which case the QUE is omitted. (QUE is only required prior to a conjugated verb.) A MENOS DE QUE is an exception. It is almost always followed by the subjunctive.

I am on a diet to lose weight.
Estoy a dieta PARA bajar de peso.

We will all have to make sacrifices in order to arrive at an agreement.
Todos tendremos que hacer sacrificios A FIN DE llegar a un acuerdo.

However, A MENOS QUE (UNLESS) is usually followed by the subjunctive, even when the subject remains the same.

You can not participate UNLESS you follow the rules.
No puedes participar A MENOS QUE sigas las reglas.

PODCASTS 12 AND 13: ADVERBIAL CLAUSES OF TIME

Now you will have to choose when to use the subjunctive or the indicative.

LLEGAR
I prepared the meal before they arrived.
Preparé la comida ANTES DE QUE llegaran / llegasen.
* subjunctive

ESTAR
Call me when you’re ready. (addressing a girlfriend)
Llámame CUANDO estés lista.
* subjunctive

LADRAR
The baby always cries when the dog cries.
El niño siempre llora CUANDO el perro ladra.
* indicative

SONAR
Get up as soon as the alarm clock goes off. (addressing more than one person)
Ustedes levántense EN CUANTO suene la alarma.
* subjunctive

TENER
I visit her whenever I have the chance.
La visito SIEMPRE QUE tengo la oportunidad.
* indicative

SALIR
Put on sunscreen every time you go out in the sun.
Ponte bloqueador SIEMPRE QUE salgas al sol.
* subjunctive

PODCAST 14: ADVERBIAL CLAUSES DESCRIBING HOW AND WHERE

Aunque tiene el dinero, no va a comprar la casa.
Although she has the money, she’s not going to buy the house.

Even if she had the money, she couldn’t buy the house.
Aunque tuviera / tuviese el dinero, no podría comprar la casa.

Let’s go where you want (to go).
Vamos donde tú quieres.

Let’s go wherever you want (to go).
Vamos donde tú quieras.

Check out more free podcasts on the Subjunctive here.

Premium members: Access the premium Subjunctive series here.

The Subjunctive in Adjective Clauses

March 26, 2015 By docmolly Leave a Comment

This podcast is a quiz that reviews what we covered in the premium podcasts: Subjunctive 7 and 8.

Check out more free podcasts in the Subjunctive series here.
Premium members: Access the premium series here.

A subordinate adjective clause describes a noun or pronoun in the main clause of a sentence. When it describes something KNOWN AND SPECIFIC, we use the INDICATIVE. When the subordinate adjective clause describes something NOT YET IDENTIFIED, which may or may not exist, we use the SUBJUNCTIVE.

Identify the adjective clause in the following sentences.

Conozco a un chico que vive en Santiago.
(I know a boy who lives in Santiago.)
– que vive en Santiago

No conozco a nadie que viva en Santiago.
(I don’t know anyone who lives in Santiago.)
– que viva en Santiago

****

Conjugate the verb in the subjunctive or the indicative.
¿Sabes de alguien que DÉ clases de español por Skype? SUBJUNTIVO
(Do you know of anyone who gives Spanish lessons by Skype?)

Sí. Conozco a alguien que DA clases de español por Skype. INDICATIVO
(Yes. I know someone who gives Spanish lessons by Skype.)

Necesitamos a alguien que TENGA mucha paciente. SUBJUNTIVO
(We need someone who has a lot of patience.)

No hay nada en la carta que me APETEZCA. SUBJUNTIVO
(There´s nothing on the menu that looks good to me.)

Vivo en un lugar que HACE mucho frío. INDICATIVO
(I live in a place that is very cold.)

Deseaba estudiantes que HICIERAN/HICIESEN su tarea. SUBJUNTIVO
(I wanted students that did their homework.)

Nunca nos ofrecen nada que nos GUSTE. SUBJUNTIVO
They never offer us anything that we like.

¿Recuerdas esa casa que te ENSEÑÉ? INDICATIVO
(Do you remember that house that I showed you?)

Buscamos una casa que ESTÉ cerca del centro. SUBJUNTIVO
(We are looking for a house that is close to downtown.)

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