Complete Spanish

Track 22

1. -er and -ir verbs take -ido Rule

The other half of the rule. Drop the -er or -ir and add -ido. There is no separate "-edo": remember that the only place these two groups ever differ is the present "we" form.

-ar → -ado  ·  -er / -ir → -ido
terminar → terminado
to finish → finished
vender → vendido
to sell → sold
venir → venido
to come → come
perder → perdido
to lose → lost

Now bienvenido makes sense: well-come.

He terminado · Lo he terminado · Los he terminado · He perdido · Yo he perdido · Hemos perdido

Terminar is to terminate, but the everyday English word for it is to finish.

2. "Before the changed verb", not "at the beginning" Rule

The student simplifies the rule to "at the beginning of the sentence" and the teacher pushes back: that simplification will let you down.

after the complete "to" form  ·  or before the changed verb

Why it matters here: he terminado is a rare case of two changed verbs together. Usually a changed verb is followed by a complete one (quiero terminar, puedo terminar, debo terminar). With two changed verbs there is only one place the little word can go, and "he lo terminado" puts it after a changed verb, which is wrong.

If you simplify the thought to "at the beginning or at the end", then once other words are in the sentence you will be confused about where it can go. Think "after the complete verb, or before the changed verb".

3. The two sets of words Grammar

The core of this track. There are two separate groups, and the job is to stop letting a vague sense of gender pick one for you.

yo
I
tú
you (informal)
usted
you (formal)
él / ella
he / she
nosotros / nosotras
we (male or mixed / all female)
ellos / ellas
they (male or mixed / all female)

And the other set, the little words:

me
me
te
you (informal)
lo
him, it, you (formal), neuter
la
her, it, you (formal, female)
los / las
them
nos
us

Build the whole little set from lo: change the o to a for feminine, add s for plural.

Lo veo · La veo · Los veo · Las veo · Yo veo · Tú ves · Usted ve · Él ve · Ella ve · Nosotros vemos · Ellos ven · Ellos los ven · Ellos me ven

4. Why English speakers trip on tú and te Concept

The difference between tú and te is the same as between he and him, or she and her. English changes those without a thought: he sees, I see him.

tú
goes with yo, él, ella
te
goes with lo, la, me

The trap is that English you does not change: you see, I see you. Since English gives you no signal, Spanish can confuse you here.

Do not just let a feminine idea come into your mind and pick one. Take the time to decide: is it she or is it her?

5. usted, and flexible word order Grammar

Usted is formal you, a contraction of vuestra merced, "your honour".

Word order in Spanish is much more flexible than in English. The subject words move freely, but the little words do not.

usted lo ve
both fine, usted is flexible
lo ve usted
but lo is not flexible

Usted los ve · Los ve usted

6. Pronunciation notes Pronunciation

Two places where English pulls you the wrong way, plus one dialect note.