Spanish Sentence Construction

Spanish sentences follow a structured yet flexible word order, with grammar rules that determine word placement, agreement, and meaning.

Basic Sentence Structure

Spanish generally follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, similar to English. However, the structure can change depending on emphasis or context.

María come una manzana.
(María eats an apple.)

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb endings indicate the subject.

Instead of Yo hablo español (I speak Spanish), it is common to say Hablo español.

Noun-Adjective Agreement

Adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun.

El coche rojo (The red car)
Los coches rojos (The red cars)
La casa grande (The big house)
Las casas grandes (The big houses)

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Articles must agree with the noun in gender and number.

Definite Articles:

• el (masculine singular)
• los (masculine plural)
• la (feminine singular)
• las (feminine plural)

Indefinite Articles:

• un (masculine singular)
• unos (masculine plural)
• una (feminine singular)
• unas (feminine plural)

Negation

Negation is formed by placing no before the verb.

No quiero comer. (I do not want to eat.)
No tengo dinero. (I do not have money.)

Questions

Questions are formed using rising intonation or question words.

¿Hablas español? (Do you speak Spanish?)
¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?)

Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

Object pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition.

Veo a María. (I see María.) → La veo. (I see her.)
Doy el libro a Juan. (I give the book to Juan.) → Le doy el libro. (I give him the book.)

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs require reflexive pronouns.

Me despierto temprano. (I wake up early.)

Word Order Variations

Although SVO is the default order, it can change for emphasis.

Una manzana come María. (An apple is eaten by María – emphasis on the apple.)

Common Sentence Connectors

Conjunctions and connectors help form complex sentences.

porque (because)
pero (but)
entonces (then)
si (if)

These structures create clear and grammatically correct Spanish sentences.