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Spanish (Spain)

### Coming and Going for a Purpose

When you go somewhere to do something yourself, you use a motion verb like **ir** (to go) or **venir** (to come) followed by **a** and an infinitive. But if you go somewhere so that *someone else* does something, use **a que** followed by the **present subjunctive**.

This signals a change in subject—for example, visiting the tailor so that *they* can let out (**ensanchar**) or take in (**estrechar**) your clothes.

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### Shortening and Lengthening

Whether you need a professional to shorten (**acortar**) or lengthen (**alargar**) your clothes, remember the formula: **ir** / **venir** + **a que** + **subjunctive**.

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### Major Alterations

Use this same structure for any repair, like asking the dressmaker to unstitch (**descoser**) an old lining (**el forro**) or mend (**remendar**) a hole with a patch (**el parche**).

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Purpose with motion verbs (a 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)

Obligation (tener que)

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)

Question	Answer
to let out (to widen)	ensanchar
the waist	la cintura
Good morning, I've come for you to let out the waist of these pants.	Buenos días, vengo a que ensanches la cintura de este pantalón.
to take in (to narrow)	estrechar
the hip	la cadera
I want to wear this dress, so I've come for you to take in the hip.	Quiero ponerme este vestido, así que vengo a que estreches la cadera.
to shorten	acortar
I've been coming to this shop for years for you to shorten my clothes.	Llevo años viniendo a esta tienda a que acortes mi ropa.
to lengthen	alargar
The coat is still very short, so she's going to the workshop for them to lengthen it.	El abrigo todavía es muy corto, por eso va al taller a que lo alarguen.
to unstitch	descoser
the lining	el forro
I'm going to the dressmaker for her to unstitch the old lining of the jacket.	Voy a la modista a que descosa el forro viejo de la chaqueta.
to mend	remendar
the patch	el parche
We've come for you to mend the lining with a patch.	Venimos a que remiendes el forro con un parche.
She's going to the dressmaker for her to unstitch the buttons and let out the chest.	Va a la modista a que descosa los botones y ensanche el pecho.
I haven't sewn the patch yet, so I've come for you to mend the pants.	Todavía no he cosido el parche, así que vengo a que remiendes el pantalón.
This is the prettiest dress, but I've come for you to take in the waist.	Este es el vestido más bonito, pero vengo a que estreches la cintura.
I've come for you to shorten the skirt and lengthen the sleeves.	Vengo a que acortes la falda y alargues las mangas.
I am coming to the tailor so that he widens the hip of the trousers.	Vengo al sastre a que ensanche la cadera del pantalón.