Reference · module 7
Can, want, must
Everything this module explains, on one page.
Poder
Say what you can do and ask permission.
- puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden. The o becomes ue in four forms, and podemos and podéis keep the plain o.
- The verb after it stays in the infinitive with nothing between: Puedo hablar español. No to, no que, no ending.
- It also asks permission: ¿Puedo entrar? And ¿Puedes ayudarme? asks for help, with the pronoun stuck onto the end of the infinitive.
The mistake you are about to make
Puedo a hablar.
Puedo hablar.
English "able to speak" brings a to, and a follows. After poder the infinitive comes straight: puedo hablar.
Querer
Say what you want.
- quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren. The same pattern as tener: e becomes ie except in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
- It takes a noun or an infinitive: Quiero un café. Quiero ir. Both are direct, and Querría is the polite version of either.
- querer a somebody means to love them: Te quiero. It is the everyday I love you, and te amo is stronger and rarer.
The mistake you are about to make
Quiero a un café.
Quiero un café.
Quiero a mi madre has an a, so it spreads to everything. That a is only for people: you want a coffee with no a.
Ir
Say where you are going.
- voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. The verb is ir and none of its forms looks like it, which makes it the second most irregular after ser.
- It always takes a before a place: Voy a Madrid. Voy al cine. The a is not optional even when English would use nothing.
- a plus el becomes al, and de plus el becomes del. Those are the only two contractions in the whole language, and both are compulsory.
The mistake you are about to make
Voy en Madrid.
Voy a Madrid.
En looks like the word for going into a place. Direction is a: voy a Madrid; en is for where you already are.
Come in, don't worry
Give a simple instruction.
- The tú command is the él form of the present: habla, come, escribe. So he speaks and speak! are the same word.
- For usted the vowel flips: hable, coma, escriba. An -ar verb takes e and an -er or -ir verb takes a, which is the opposite of the present.
- Vamos a plus an infinitive is let's: Vamos a comer. It is the friendliest instruction in the language, because it includes you.
The mistake you are about to make
Hablas más despacio.
Habla más despacio.
Telling a friend feels like a tú form, so hablas comes out. The tú command is the él form: habla.