| Part | Description |
|---|---|
VERB |
A verb expresses action, occurrence, or state of being. (jump, is, write, become) |
ADVERB |
An adverb modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. (gently, extremely, carefully, well, also, too, as well, always) |
NOUN |
A noun is the name of a person, place, animals, thing, or idea. Every noun has a gender and number. man, house, happiness, college |
PRONOUN |
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun, or to replace certain prepositional phrases. (she, we, it, they) |
ADJECTIVE |
An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. (pretty, old, blue, smart) |
PREPOSITION |
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence. (but, with, about, until) |
CONJUNCTION |
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. (and, or, but, while, because) |
INTERJECTION |
An interjection is a word used to express emotion. (oh, wow, oops) |
ARTICLE |
Words used to qualify nouns (a, the, some) and their meanings. Must agree in gender and number with the nouns they accompany. |
a in front of (a teacher)is in front of (is big)-o; nouns change
gender to differentiateTransitive verbs are verbs that need a direct object. A direct object is essentially the person or thing the subject performs an action upon.
You can yourself ask the questions What? or Who? to determine what the direct object of a verb is.
Tener is a transitive verb, which means it needs a direct object. Look at the example of tener given below.
| Example |
|---|
| Tengo una manzana. I have an apple. |
I have what? - An apple (una manzana).
So, una manzana is the direct object of the transitive verb tener.
Sorprender is another example of a transitive verb.
| Example |
|---|
| Sorprendimos a mi novio. We surprised my boyfriend. |
Who did we surprise? - My boyfriend (mi novio).
So, mi novio is the direct object of the transitive verb sorprender.
Intransitive verbs are verbs that do not need a direct object. Intransitive verbs often form one-word sentences in Spanish.
| Example |
|---|
| Corre cada día. He runs every day. |
Transitivity test: You can't ask either What? or Who? about this sentence. Cada día only tells you how often. The sentence could also just have been one word: Corre.
(He/She runs.) Therefore, this verb is intransitive in the sense shown.
Pronominal verbs are, simply put, verbs whose infinitives end with the pronoun se. For example, arrepentirse (to regret or to be sorry). Pronominal verbs are often incorrectly called reflexive verbs, when in reality reflexive verbs and reciprocal verbs are just two types of pronominal verb.
Pronominal verbs must be conjugated along with a reflexive or reciprocal pronoun.