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Oraciones
A sentence is a group of words that form a complete unit of meaning. Sentences can be as short as a single word or as long as the Amazon; the minimum criterion is that they contain a subject and verb.
If you’re thinking, "But that means they need at least two words!" remember that subject pronouns are optional in Spanish: a conjugated verb contains a subject.
Characteristics of sentences
- May be any length
- Must contain a subject and verb
- May include one or more other parts of speech
- Can usually be divided into two parts: subject and predicate
Parts of sentences
Subject | Sujeto
- May be a name, noun, or pronoun
- May be singular or plural
- May be modified by an adjective or other determiner
- May be stated or implicit
Predicate | Predicado
- Must include a verb
- Usually begins with the verb
- Contains everything that is not part of the subject
Por ejemplo…
| María está lista. | María is ready. | |
| El restaurante peruano abre a mediodía. | The Peruvian restaurant opens at noon. | |
| Él y yo tenemos tres gatos. | He and I have three cats. |
When the subject pronoun is omitted and there’s no visible subject in Spanish, it’s un sujeto implícito.
Por ejemplo…
| (ella) Está lista. | She is ready. | |
| (nosotros) Tenemos tres gatos. | We have three cats. |
Types of sentences
There are four different kinds of sentences.
1) Statements | Oraciones enunciativas / declarativas
Statements, aka assertive sentences or declarative sentences, are the most common type of sentence. They make a statement, whether fact or opinion; can be affirmative or negative; and almost always end in a period.
Por ejemplo…
| Es abogada. | She’s a lawyer. | |
| No nos gusta el chocolate. | We don’t like chocolate. | |
| Creo que no. | I don’t think so. | |
| Tienes que parar de correr. | You have to stop running. |
2) Exclamatives | Oraciones exclamativas
Exclamative sentences are the excited siblings of statements: they express a strong feeling like joy, surprise, or anger, and usually start (in Spanish) and end (in both languages) in an exclamation point.
Por ejemplo…
| ¡Nos mudamos a España! | We’re moving to Spain! | |
| ¡Todavía no están listos! | They’re not ready yet! | |
| ¡Espero que no! | I hope not! |
3) Interrogatives | Oraciones interrogativas
Interrogative sentences, aka questions, ask for information, a service, or something tangible. They always start (in Spanish) and end (in both languages) in a question mark.
Por ejemplo…
| ¿Puedes ayudarme? | Can you help me? | |
| ¿Están en el coche? | Are they in the car? |
Unlike statements and exclamatives, which usually begin with the subject, interrogatives often begin with a question word.
Por ejemplo…
| ¿Cuándo os vais a mudar allí? | When are you going to move there? | |
| ¿Por qué no te gusta mi idea? | Why don’t you like my idea? |
When the question word is an interrogative pronoun, it is the subject.
Por ejemplo…
| ¿Quién quiere ir al cine? | Who wants to go to the movies? | |
| ¿Qué haces? | What are you doing? |
4) Commands | Oraciones imperativas
Commands are statements in the imperative, which means the subject is always implicit. They may end in a period or exclamation point, depending on how urgent the command is.
Por ejemplo…
| Cuéntame un cuento. | Tell me a story. | |
| Vamos a la playa. | Let’s go to the beach. | |
| ¡Parad! | Stop! |
Related lessons
En français
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