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Spanish (Spain)

### Expressing Obligation (tener que)

To talk about rules, duties, and things you must do, Spanish uses a formula that closely matches the English "have to": the verb **tener** (to have) + **que** + an **infinitive** (the unconjugated action verb).

First, use the present tense form of **tener** that matches the person who has to do the action:

| | |
| :--- | :--- |
| **yo** | tengo |
| **tú** | tienes |
| **él / ella / usted** | tiene |
| **nosotros / nosotras** | tenemos |
| **vosotros / vosotras** | tenéis |
| **ellos / ellas / ustedes** | tienen |

Then, simply add **que** followed by the action:

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### Daily Tasks and the Personal "a"

You will use this structure frequently to divide up household chores and daily responsibilities. 

Keep in mind that if your responsibility involves caring for or interacting with a specific person or a pet, you must use the personal **a** before their noun. If the word following **a** is the masculine article **el**, they combine to form the contraction **al**.

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### Reflexive Pronouns with Obligations

If the action you have to do is a reflexive verb (like getting yourself up or showering), you can attach the reflexive pronoun directly to the end of the infinitive. 

Just remember to change the pronoun (like *me* or *te*) so that it matches the person doing the action!

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Obligation (tener que)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular subjects and 'ser' (yo soy, esto es)

Plural nouns and definite articles (los, las)

Plural pronouns and 'ser' (somos, sois, son)

Adjective agreement (-o, -a, -os, -as)

Indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas)

Simple negation (no)

Yes/no questions

Regular '-ar' verbs (-o, -as, -a...)

Regular '-er' verbs (-o, -es, -e...)

Regular '-ir' verbs (-o, -es, -e...)

Locative adverbs (aquí, allí)

Question words (quién, cómo)

The verb estar (estoy, estás)

The preposition en (en)

Ser vs. estar

The verb tener (tengo, tienes)

Possessive determiners (mi, tu, su)

Origin and possession (de, del)

The verb ir (voy, vas)

Destination (a, al)

The personal 'a' (a)

Stem-changing verbs: e to ie

Stem-changing verbs: o to ue

Irregular first-person verbs

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se)

Numbers 1 to 10 (uno, dos, tres)

Numbers 11 to 20 (once, doce, trece)

Counting by tens to 100 (treinta, cuarenta, cien)

Compound numbers up to 99 (veintiuno, treinta y uno)

Days of the week (el lunes, el martes)

The family and the personal 'a' (a mi tío, a mi prima)

Months of the year

Telling time (es la, son las)

Verbs of liking (me gusta)

Plural agreement with verbs of liking (gustan)

Degree modifiers (muy, mucho)

Formal address (usted, ustedes)

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

The near future (ir a)

Present continuous (-ando, -iendo)

Affirmative commands (tú, vosotros)

Basic Food and Drink

The Human Body: Head and Arms

The Human Body: Legs and Health

Wardrobe Essentials

Fresh Produce

Meals and Proteins

Public Transport

Hello and goodbye (hola, ¿qué tal?)

Thank you, sorry, OK (gracias, vale)

There is, there are (hay)

My building (la escalera, el ascensor)

Describing people (moreno, rubio, tímido)

Land and sea (el mar, el río, el norte)

Sightseeing (la plaza, la catedral)

Asking the way (cerca, a la derecha, todo recto)

In class (¿puedes repetir?)

Verb + infinitive (quiero comer, sé leer)

What's your name? (me llamo, encantado)

Phone, computer and email

Hundreds and thousands (doscientos, mil)

What do you do? (¿a qué te dedicas?)

Personal details (la edad, la fecha de nacimiento)

Me neither (también, tampoco, ni)

How much is it? (el precio, la vuelta)

What's the weather like? (hace sol, nieva)

Free time (el concierto, el tenis)

At the bar (¿qué vas a tomar?)

The Natural World

Demonstratives (este, ese, aquel)

Prepositions of place (encima de, debajo de)

Prepositional pronouns (para mí, contigo)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero to décimo)

Adverbs of frequency (a veces, nunca)

Exclamations (¡qué...!)

Indefinite pronouns (algo, alguien)

Indefinite determiners (algún, ningún)

Indirect object pronouns (le, les)

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

Double object pronouns (se lo, se la)

Verbs of preference (encantar, interesar)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Starting and finishing actions (empezar a, terminar de)

Adjective comparatives (más que, menos que)

Comparatives of equality (tan como)

Noun comparatives (tanto como)

Irregular comparatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor)

Question	Answer
the exam	el examen
I have to study for the exam.	Tengo que estudiar para el examen.
The exams are difficult; we have to study a lot.	Los exámenes son difíciles; tenemos que estudiar mucho.
to hand in / to hand over, to present	entregar
the report	el informe
They have to hand in the report tomorrow.	Ellos tienen que entregar el informe mañana.
Do you have to hand in the reports now?	¿Tenéis que entregar los informes ahora?
to prepare	preparar
You have to prepare the meeting for tomorrow.	Tienes que preparar la reunión para mañana.
We have to prepare dinner for our friends.	Tenemos que preparar la cena para nuestros amigos.
to cook	cocinar
You have to cook and I have to set the table.	Tú tienes que cocinar y yo tengo que poner la mesa.
My father has to cook today.	Mi padre tiene que cocinar hoy.
to iron	planchar
I have to iron the clothes for the trip.	Tengo que planchar la ropa para el viaje.
My sister has to iron her clothes.	Mi hermana tiene que planchar su ropa.
to take out	sacar
At what time do you have to take the luggage out?	¿A qué hora tienes que sacar el equipaje?
I have to take the dog out to the park.	Tengo que sacar al perro al parque.
to take care of	cuidar
We have to take care of our grandfather.	Tenemos que cuidar a nuestro abuelo.
She has to take care of the sick children.	Ella tiene que cuidar a los niños enfermos.
to pay	pagar
the bill	la cuenta
I have to pay the bill at the restaurant.	Tengo que pagar la cuenta en el restaurante.
Who has to pay the bill today?	¿Quién tiene que pagar la cuenta hoy?
I have to get up early tomorrow.	Tengo que levantarme temprano mañana.
Do you have to shower now?	¿Tienes que ducharte ahora?