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Spanish (Latin America)

You already know the basic conjunctions **y** ("and") and **o** ("or"). But Spanish likes its sentences to flow smoothly. To prevent an awkward pause or a "hiccup" in speech, these conjunctions change their spelling when the next word starts with the same vowel sound.

### Changing 'y' to 'e'

When "and" comes directly before a word that starts with an *ee* sound (spelled with an **i-** or **hi-**), **y** changes to **e**.

For example, if you are describing someone as young and independent, saying "joven y independiente" forces you to say two *ee* sounds in a row. Instead, use **e**:

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If the following word does *not* start with an *ee* sound, **y** stays exactly the same:

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### Changing 'o' to 'u'

Similarly, when "or" comes directly before a word starting with an *oh* sound (spelled with an **o-** or **ho-**), **o** changes to **u**.

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Remember that the letter **h** is always silent in Spanish! Because a word like **honesto** starts with an *oh* sound, the rule still applies:

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Conjunction spelling changes (e, u)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

expression

interjection

noun

numeral

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Subject pronouns and the verb to be (yo soy)

Noun gender and definite articles (el, la)

Basic sentences and negation (no)

Indefinite articles (un, una)

Formal and informal you (tú vs. usted)

Plural pronouns and the verb to be (somos, son)

Making nouns plural (-s, -es)

Plural articles (los, las, unos, unas)

Noun gender exceptions

Adjective agreement

Invariable adjectives

State and location (estar)

Ser vs. estar

There is / there are (hay)

Hay vs. estar

To have (tener)

Possession (de)

Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su)

Regular -ar verbs

Yes/No questions

What and who (qué, quién)

Regular -er verbs

Regular -ir verbs

Asking where (dónde, adónde)

How, when, and why (cómo, cuándo, por qué)

How much and how many (cuánto)

Days of the week

Going to a place (ir a)

Preposition contractions (al, del)

In and by (en)

With me and with you (conmigo, contigo)

Prepositional pronouns (mí, ti)

Conjunctions (y, o, pero)

Giving reasons (porque)

Stem-changing verbs (e to ie)

Stem-changing verbs (o to ue)

Stem-changing verbs (e to i)

Irregular yo forms (hago, salgo)

To know (saber vs. conocer)

Weather expressions (hace, está)

Desires and plans (querer)

Ability and requests (poder)

Obligations (tener que)

Expressing likes (me gusta)

Plural likes (me gustan)

Verbs like gustar (encantar, doler)

Very vs. a lot (muy, mucho)

Numbers 0 to 15 (cero, uno, dos…)

Numbers 16 to 31 (dieciséis, veinte…)

Numbers 30 to 1000 (treinta, cien, mil)

Months of the year (enero, febrero, marzo)

Seasons and dates (el dos de mayo)

Telling time (es la..., son las...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero, segundo, tercero)

Reflexive pronouns and verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)

The near future (ir a)

The present continuous (estar + -ando, -iendo)

Near demonstrative adjectives (este, esta, estos, estas)

Medium demonstrative adjectives (ese, esa, esos, esas)

Comparatives of inequality (más / menos ... que)

Comparatives of equality (tan ... como)

Indefinite and negative pronouns (algo, nada, alguien, nadie)

Affirmative commands

Far demonstratives (aquel, aquella)

Possessive pronouns (el mío, el tuyo)

Shortened indefinite adjectives (algún, ningún)

Adverbs of quantity (demasiado, bastante)

Adverbs of frequency (a menudo, a veces)

Adverb formation (-mente)

Exclamations (¡Qué...!)

Irregular comparatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor)

Relative superlatives (el más... de)

Adjective intensification (-ísimo)

Indirect object pronouns

Pronoun placement with infinitives

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

The 'se lo' rule (se lo, se la)

Impersonal statements (se)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Personal obligation (deber)

Starting actions (empezar a)

Finishing and quitting actions (terminar de, dejar de)

Repeating actions (volver a)

Continuing actions (seguir + gerundio)

Question	Answer
independent	independiente
My brother is young and independent.	Mi hermano es joven e independiente.
She is strong and independent.	Ella es fuerte e independiente.
impatient	impaciente
The actor is famous and impatient.	El actor es famoso e impaciente.
We are young and impatient.	Nosotros somos jóvenes e impacientes.
insecure	inseguro
Our friend is sad and insecure.	Nuestro amigo está triste e inseguro.
Are you calm or insecure?	¿Eres tranquilo o inseguro?
introverted	introvertido
The boy is calm and introverted.	El chico es tranquilo e introvertido.
Are you fun or introverted?	¿Ustedes son divertidos o introvertidos?
impulsive	impulsivo
I am intelligent and impulsive.	Soy inteligente e impulsivo.
Is the boss strict or impulsive?	¿El jefe es estricto o impulsivo?
proud	orgulloso
Are you happy or proud?	¿Estás feliz u orgulloso?
My grandfather is old and proud.	Mi abuelo es viejo y orgulloso.
optimistic	optimista
Is the doctor negative or optimistic?	¿El doctor es negativo u optimista?
My colleague is very nice and optimistic.	Mi colega es muy simpático y optimista.
tidy	ordenado
Is he careful or tidy?	¿Él es cuidadoso u ordenado?
The office is clean and tidy.	La oficina está limpia y ordenada.
honest	honesto
Is the lawyer fake or honest?	¿El abogado es falso u honesto?
She is a loyal and honest friend.	Ella es una amiga leal y honesta.
obedient	obediente
Is the boy rebellious or obedient?	¿El niño es rebelde u obediente?
The dog is calm and obedient.	El perro es tranquilo y obediente.