Impersonal Verb Forms in Spanish. Adjective Agreement with Nouns of Different Genders

Una escuela

Pa ... dre nuestro ...
Dos por dos ... cuuuuuatro ...

Los gorriones que huían de los chicos como del demonio, cuando les veían en el parque, se posaban con la mayor confianza en los árboles inmediatos y hasta se paseaban frente a la puerta de la escuela y se reían de sus fieros enemigos, enjaulados, que repetían bajo la amenaza de la caña un canto tan fastidioso y feo ...

Vocablos

Notes

The meaning of words and expressions

In Spanish, instead of sólo, solamente only; just the expressions no ... más que ... not more than is used more often.

hasta

The word combination desde ... hasta means from ... to, but hasta without desde, if goes before a verb, has the meaning even.

Learn the expressions:

Grammar points

1. Impersonal Verb Forms

se oía was heard, could be heard

Impersonal verbs are verbs that express an action or a state that happen without indicating the person of the action or the state.

In Spanish, an impersonal verb is formed with the pronoun se and a verb in 3^rd person singular or plural, for example:

Note that impersonal verbs can be translated into English either by using passive forms (e.g. to be worked) or by using: you, they, one, people etc, just remember that in the original sentence there is no actual subject, it’s what makes them impersonal.

If after the verb a noun is used, we can talk about two forms of impersonal sentences:

1. Sentences with an inanimate noun, for example:

    

   este cuadro se vende

   this painting is for sale (lit.: is sold)

    

   estos cuadros se venden

   these paintings are for sale (are sold)

    

   se oyen canciones

   songs can be heard

   In this case, the impersonal verb form is expressed with a reflexive verb in 3^rd person with the particle se that agrees with the noun in number:

    

   un cuadro se vende

   — singular

    

   cuadros se venden

   — plural

2. Sentences with a noun denoting a person.

    

   se pregunta al médico

   you ask the doctor / the doctor is asked

    

   se pregunta a los médicos

   the doctors are asked

   In this sentence the impersonal verb form is also expressed by the reflexive verb in 3^rd person singular with the particle se but the reflexive verb doesn’t agree with the noun in number. The noun in this case is used with the preposition a.

2. Adjective Agreement with Nouns of Different Genders

In Spanish, after two or several nouns of the same gender, the adjective usually goes in the plural form and takes the gender of the nouns.

After nouns of different genders, the adjective is used in the plural form and masculine gender. In this case, the masculine noun goes before the adjective.

Exercises

I. Translate into English:

En casa de Juana se reunían siempre el domingo sus amigas y charlaban desde las cuatro de la tarde hasta la noche. A las siete entraba la madre con el té. Las muchachas bebían. Una muchacha tenía un tío relojero y hablaba siempre de su tío y de las reuniones de esperantistas en su casa. Las muchachas eran guapas, pero reían demasiado y José se iba a casa de sus abuelos para no oír a las muchachas.

II. Rewrite the text above replacing the Pretérito imperfecto verbs with the present tense.

III. Translate into English:

Siempre cuando el padre regresa a casa ve a Carmen con un libro. Carmen lee mucho, pero cuando ve a su padre, da un salto y le besa. También el padre la besa y después todos comen. Por la noche, viene el padrino de Carmen. El padrino de Carmen es ciego, pero cuando viene, toca el piano, Carmen canta y todos escuchan.

IV. Translate into Spanish:

I don’t remember when I was in Santander, but I remember White street. It’s a nice/beautiful street and I used to like to get up very early and look at it in the morning and then in the afternoon. In the afternoon I would buy bread and sugar in the store on the first floor of a big house and go back home. Now I am in London and I am writing a letter to my Spanish friends.

V. Put the adjectives given in brackets in the right form: