English Grammar and Vocabulary Guide for Spanish Speakers

Numbers

Cardinal Numbers

Spanish: 1.350
English: 1,350 or 1350
Spanish: 1.258.321
English: 1,258,321 or 1258321

Teens

  • 13: thirteen
  • 14: fourteen
  • 15: fifteen
  • 16: sixteen
  • 17: seventeen

Tens

  • 20: twenty
  • 30: thirty
  • 40: forty
  • 50: fifty
  • 60: sixty

Compound Numbers

  • 21: twenty-one
  • 33: thirty-three
  • 97: ninety-seven

Hundreds and Thousands

  • 100: one hundred
  • 200: two hundred
  • 1,000: one thousand
  • 3,000: three thousand
  • 10,000: ten thousand
  • 1,000,000: one million
  • 4,000,000: four million

Example:
153: one hundred fifty-three
857,112: eight hundred fifty-seven thousand one hundred twelve

Decimal Numbers

Spanish: 4,5
English: 4.5
Spanish: 0,250
English: 0.250

Ordinal Numbers

  • 1st: first
  • 2nd: second
  • 3rd: third
  • 4th: fourth
  • 5th: fifth
  • 6th: sixth
  • 7th: seventh
  • 20th: twentieth
  • 40th: fortieth
  • 21st: twenty-first
  • 52nd: fifty-second
  • 73rd: seventy-third

Fractions

  • 1/2: one-half
  • 1/4: one-quarter or one-fourth
  • 3/4: three-fourths
  • 9/7: nine-sevenths
  • 9/9: nine-ninths
  • 19/90: nineteen-ninetieths
  • 16/60: sixteen-sixtieths

Abbreviations

  • e.g.: for example
  • i.e.: that is to say
  • cf.: compare with
  • p.: page
  • pp.: pages
  • ch.: chapter
  • fig.: figure
  • op. cit.: in the work cited
  • vide: see
  • vide supra: see above
  • vide infra: see below
  • T: temperature
  • Vol.: Volume
  • wt.: weight

Common Words

  • certain: cierta(o), ciertas(os)
  • every: cada
  • each: cada
  • all: todo(s), toda(s)
  • no: ninguno, ninguna
  • many: muchos, muchas (countable)
  • much: mucho, mucha (uncountable)
  • a lot of: mucho(s), mucha(s)
  • some: alguno(s), alguna(s)
  • several: varios, varias
  • a few: pocos, pocas
  • a little: poco, poca

Demonstrative Adjectives

Near

  • Singular: this (este, esta, esto)
  • Plural: these (estos, estas)

Far

  • Singular: that (ese, esa, eso, aquel, aquella, aquello)
  • Plural: those (esos, esas, aquellos, aquellas)

Verb “To Be”

  • I: am
  • He, She, It: is
  • We, You, They: are

Contractions

  • I’m
  • He’s
  • She’s
  • It’s
  • We’re
  • You’re
  • They’re

Negative Contractions

  • isn’t
  • aren’t

Pronouns

Nominative Pronouns

  • I: yo
  • You: tú, usted
  • He: él
  • She: ella
  • It: eso, esa
  • We: nosotros
  • You: ustedes
  • They: ellos, ellas

Possessives

Possessive Adjectives

  • My: mi(s)
  • Your: tu(s), su(s)
  • His: su(s)
  • Her: su(s)
  • Its: su(s)
  • Our: nuestro(a), nuestros(as)
  • Your: vuestro(a), vuestros(as), su(s)
  • Their: su(s)

Possessive Pronouns

  • Mine: mío
  • Yours: tuyo
  • His: suyo (de él)
  • Hers: suyo (de ella)
  • Ours: nuestro
  • Yours: suyo (de ustedes)
  • Theirs: suyo (de ellos)

Question Words

  • Where: dónde
  • Why: por qué
  • Who: quién
  • What: qué
  • Which: cuál
  • How long: cuánto tiempo
  • How often: con qué frecuencia
  • Whose: de quién
  • How many/much: cuántos, cuántas
  • How old: qué edad
  • How: cómo

Examples

Spanish: Algunos edificios altos
English: Some tall buildings

Spanish: Ningún ladrillo roto
English: No broken brick

Spanish: Aquellos materiales peligrosos
English: Those dangerous materials

Spanish: Sus computadoras no funcionan (de ustedes)
English: Your computers don’t work.

Spanish: Su diccionario (de ellos)
English: Their dictionary

Spanish: Su universidad (de ella)
English: Her university

Spanish: Esos documentos son de él
English: Those documents are his.

Spanish: Sus problemas son terribles (de ellos)
English: Their problems are terrible.

Spanish: Sus materiales son firmes (de un edificio)
English: Its materials are firm.

Spanish: Varias lámparas eléctricas son de nosotros
English: Several electric lamps are ours.

Spanish: Nuestras lámparas eléctricas
English: Our electric lamps

Examples with “To Be”

Spanish: Estos materiales nuevos están listos
English: These new materials are ready.

Spanish: Este material nuevo es listo
English: This new material is ready.

Spanish: El diccionario de su compañero
English: His/Her classmate’s dictionary

Spanish: Los materiales del constructor
English: The constructor’s materials

Spanish: El diseño de los expertos
English: The experts’ design

Question: Is your name Manuel?
Answer: Yes, it is. / No, it isn’t.

Question: What is your name?
Answer: My name is [Name].

Question: How old are you?
Answer: I’m nineteen years old.

Question: How old is Brian?
Answer: He is nineteen years old.