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Grammar Summary

Spanish-2 Unidad 3 Etapa 3

Hacer with Expressions of Time

In Spanish, if someone asks, "How long has this been going on?" or "How long has it been?" or "How long ago?" you answer with the verb hacer.

How long has it been raining?  

It's been raining for a week.

 ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que llueve?

Hace una semana que llueve.

PRESENT TENSE
How long ago did you shower?

I showered a week ago.

 ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que te duchaste?

Hace una semana que me duché.

PRETERITE TENSE

The Subjunctive Mood with Impersonal Expressions

You already know how to form Usted commands.  You form the subjunctive the same way:  Start with the yo form present tense, drop the "o" and add an ending that has the opposite vowel.

  -AR

hablar

 -ER

comer

 -IR

escribir
yo hable coma escriba
tú hables comas escribas
él, ella, Usted hable coma escriba
Nosotros(as) hablemos comamos escribamos
Vosotros(as) hableis comáis escribáis
ellos, Ustedes hablen coman escriban

In Spanish, you use the Present Indicative Tense to make a plain statement of fact.   You use the subjunctive after verbs and expressions that involve uncertainty.   For example, I could say "It's better if you study for this test."   "It's better" is a plain statement of fact, and so is in the Present Indicative.  "you study for this test" is uncertain, because I don't know whether you will or not.  So it is subjunctive.  Here are some examples:

It's better if you study Es mejor que estudies
It's necessary that you arrive on time Es necesario que llegues a tiempo
It's good that we win the game Es bueno que ganemos el partido
It's probable that it'll rain today Es probable que llueva hoy