Spanish Grammar: Adjectives and Verb Conjugations

Superlative Adjectives and Their Degrees

In expression, the superlative degree represents the maximum possible quantification of an adjective. For example, "your PC is very old."

• Absolute superlative: Expresses quantification in isolation.
• Relative superlative: Expresses the maximum quantification within a specific group.

Specific and Explanatory Adjectives

Specific adjectives delimit the substantive and significant extension to select a group within its class (e.g., "the blue suit fits you well"; the adjective "blue" determines which suit is being referred to).

Explanatory adjectives merely clarify some quality that may be implied in the noun; these can be subjectively replaced by the speaker.

The Structure and Inflection of Verbs

The verb is composed of a combination of a lexeme and a set of inflections: person, time, number, aspect, and mood.

• Person: Refers to the participants in the speech act (e.g., I go, you go, he goes).
• Number: Indicates whether the grammatical subject is singular or plural (e.g., I ate, we laughed).
• Time: Tells us if the action, process, or state is past, present, or future.
• Aspect: Indicates whether the action of the verb is complete (perfect) or unfinished (imperfect). All compound forms and the preterite perfect simple have a perfect aspect. The imperfect aspect appears in all simple forms, except for the preterite perfect simple.
• Mood: Informs about the point of view of the speaker:
  • Indicative: The speaker considers the action as real.
  • Subjunctive: Expresses desire, doubt, or faith.
  • Imperative: Expresses an order.

Irregular and Defective Verbs

Irregular verbs are those that show variation in form compared to regular models. Major irregularities include:

Lexeme Alterations

• Vowel diphthongization (e.g., close-closed).
• Alternation of vowels (e.g., measure-measured).
• Combination of the two (e.g., die-dying-died).
• Alteration of the last consonant (e.g., do-done).
• Alteration of both vowel and final consonant (e.g., say-said).
• Addition of a consonant (e.g., go-going).

Ending Alterations

• Suppression of the final vowel (e.g., do, put).
• Suppression of the initial vowel (e.g., know).
• Addition of a vowel (e.g., I am, I go).

An irregularity in the present indicative is often repeated in the present subjunctive and the imperative. Similarly, patterns repeat between the preterite perfect simple, imperfect preterite subjunctive, and future, as well as between the future indicative and the conditional simple.