Elma Eagles  

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Grammar Summary

Spanish 1 Unidad 3 Etapa 2

Talking About Playing a Sport or Game with jugar

The forms of jugar are unique.  In some of them the u changes to ue.  When you use jugar with the name of a sport, use jugar + a + sport: Juego al béisbol.

Stem-Changing Verbs (E --> IE)

When you learn one of these "stem-changing verbs" the change is indicated in parentheses after the verb.  For example:  cerrar (ie) - to close.  In stem-changing verbs it is always the next-to-last syllable that changes, but only when the STRESS falls on that syllable.  For example with cerrar, yo cIErro, but nosotros cerrAmos.  These are sometimes called "boot" verbs, because when you look at the conjugation chart, the forms that have a spelling change would look like a boot if you drew a line around them:

Stem-Changing (e-->ie) Verbs in This Lesson:

Saying What You Know with saber

You already know how to say "I know (a person or place):" Conozco a (person).  Saber is used when you want to say "I know (facts, information or how to...)."  Like conocer, it has an irregular yo form.

Using Two Verbs Together

To say that someone knows how to do something, use saber + infinitive:  Yo sé patinar - I know how to skate.   Notice that when two verbs are used together, the first verb is conjugated and the second is in its infinitive form.  Usually this is obvious from the English meaning of "to...." as in the sentence "I want to eat. =  Yo quiero comer."

Using "a" for Action When Using Two Verbs Together

Another useful thing to remember about using two verbs together is that a conjugated verb that involves an "action" will usually have the word "a" between it and the infinitive.   Verbs that don't involve an "action" (such as "I know" or "I plan") do not.  Usually these NOT verbs involve something "inside your head."

Phrases for Making Comparisons

There are several phrases for making comparisons.