Every Spanish sentence is made of small building blocks — and once you understand these blocks, making sense of Spanish becomes much easier. These building blocks are called parts of speech. They tell you what each word does inside a sentence, and they help you see patterns instead of memorizing rules.

For learners who feel like Spanish sentences look “messy,” the parts of speech bring structure and clarity. And if you love visuals, sentence diagramming makes these patterns click instantly.

In this guide, you’ll learn the 8 parts of speech in Spanish, how each one works, and how to “see” them through simple diagrams.

What Are the Parts of Speech? (A Clear Starting Point)

Before we look at Spanish specifically, let’s define what a part of speech actually is.
A part of speech is a label that tells you the function of a word in a sentence. Instead of memorizing rules, you learn to identify what each word is doing.

Many of my students used to say, “I can translate words, but I don’t understand the sentence.” Once we labeled each word with its part of speech, the sentence suddenly made sense. Sentence diagramming brought those labels to life visually — and everything clicked.

In Spanish, the parts of speech are called las partes de la oración.

What are the parts of speech in Spanish?

Las ocho partes de la oración son el sustantivo, el adjetivo, el pronombre, el verbo, el adverbio, la preposición, la conjunción, y la interjección.

Now, let’s walk through each of the eight parts of speech in Spanish, with examples and simple diagrams to help you visualize how they work.

1. Nouns (Sustantivos)

Nouns name people, places, things, and ideas.
They are often the “main character” of the sentence.

In Spanish a noun is el sustantivo.

What is the definition of a noun in Spanish?

Un sustantivo es una persona, un lugar, una cosa o un idea.

Examples:

• casa — house
• libro — book
• mamá — mom
• comida — food

Sentence Example:
La casa es grande. — The house is big.

Sentence Diagram:

   casa
 /       \
es     grande

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by nouns at first because there are many different subcategories. But the good news is this: you don’t need to learn every category right away. Start with the basics, and the more detailed labels will make sense later.

Spanish Noun Categories

Nouns matter because they do the core jobs in a sentence — like acting as the subject, the direct object, or the object of a preposition. In simple terms, they’re the “people, places, and things” your sentences are built around.

Spanish nouns also show gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). These details help you match articles and, later, adjectives correctly.

There are different types of nouns too, including common nouns, proper nouns, collective nouns, and compound nouns.

If you’re just starting, don’t worry about every category — focus on recognizing nouns first. The subcategories will make more sense as you keep learning.

Once you can identify nouns, you’re ready for the shortcut that helps you avoid repeating them over and over: pronouns.

2. Pronouns (Pronombres)

Pronouns replace nouns so you don’t repeat the same word over and over.

In Spanish a pronoun is el pronombre.

What is the definition of a pronoun in Spanish?

Un pronombre sustituye un sutantive para evitar la repetición.

Common pronouns:

• yo — I
• tú — you
• él/ella — he/she
• nosotros — we
• ellos — they
• lo, la, me, te — object pronouns

Sentence Example:
Yo la veo. — I see it/her.

Él lo quiere.
He wants it.

Mini Diagram:

Yo 
  \
   veo
      \
       la

Some people get confused with this part of speech because there are so many of these little words.

There are several subcategories of pronouns: personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, possessive pronouns. object pronouns, reflexive pronouns, relative pronouns, and more. See the complete list of Spanish pronouns.

Pronouns help us avoid repetition — but to describe nouns, we need adjectives.

3. Adjectives (Adjetivos)

Adjectives describe nouns. They tell you what kind, which one, how many, or whose. In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun.

In Spanish adjective is el adjetivo.

What is the definition of an adjective in Spanish?

Un adjetivo describe un sustantivo o pronombre.

Examples:

• casa bonita — pretty house
• perro blanco — white dog

Sentence Example:
El perro blanco corre. — The white dog runs.

El perro blanco corre.
The flower is beautiful.

Isn’t that a great way to see the difference using the color-coded tags?

Mini Diagram:

            perro
          /    |     \
        El   blanco   corre

What do Adjectives Tell Us?

Adjectives give more detail about a noun. They can describe:

• what kind (flor roja — red flower)
• which one (este libro — this book)
• how many (tres gatos — three cats)
• whose (mi casa — my house)

Spanish adjectives must match the noun in gender and number. This is called gender-number agreement.

About Articles / The “Ninth” Part of Speech

Some teachers consider articles (el, la, los, las) a subcategory of adjectives because they also describe nouns. Others treat them as a ninth part of speech. Both are correct.

Either way: Articles show the gender and number of the noun. It’s helpful to learn a noun together with its article (for example: la mesa, el gato).

Adjectives help you describe nouns, but to show what those nouns do, you need verbs. Let’s look at how Spanish verbs work.

4. Verbs (Verbos)

Verbs express actions, states, or conditions. They tell you what the subject is doing.

In Spanish, verb is el verbo.

What is the definition of a verb in Spanish?

Un verbo expresa una acción o estado de ser.

Examples:

• hablar — to speak
• comer — to eat
• vivir — to live

Sentence Example:
Ella vive aquí. — She lives here.

Shakira baila con ritmo.
Shakira dances with rhythm.

La sombra es oscuro.
The shadow is dark.

Mini Diagram:

       Ella
          \
          vive
             \
             aquí

Verbs are essential in a sentence. In fact, a verb can make a complete sentence in Spanish.

Here are a few subcategories of Spanish verbs: verb conjugation, verb tenses, regular and irregular verbs, the three verb groups (-ar, -er, -ir), high-frequency verbs, reflexive verbs, stem-changing verbs, and gustar-type verbs.

But how do we describe how an action happens? That’s where adverbs come in.

5. Adverbs (Adverbios)

Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs. They explain how, when, where, or how often something happens.

In Spanish, an adverb is el adverbio.

What is the definition of adverb in Spanish?

Un adverbio modifica un verbo, un adjectivo, o otro adverbio.

Examples:

• rápido — quickly
• hoy — today
• aquí — here

Sentence Example:
Ella corre rápido. — She runs quickly.

El joven corre furiosamente.
The teen runs furiously.

El batido es muy espeso.
The smoothie is very thick.

Mini Diagram:

        Ella
           \
           corre
               \
               rápido

Adverbs add precision to how actions, descriptions, or other adverbs are expressed.

Now it’s time for the connectors that glue the sentence together.

6. Prepositions (Preposiciones)

Prepositions show relationships of time, place, direction, or purpose. They usually appear in short chunks: a, en, para, con, por, sobre.

In Spanish, a preposition is la preposición.

What is the definition of a preposition in Spanish?

Una preposición relaciona un sustantivo o pronombre con otra palabra.

Let’s look at some examples of prepositions in action.

Examples:

• en la casa — in the house
• con amigos — with friends

Sentence Example:
Vivo en México. — I live in Mexico.

Voy a la piscina. La pelota es hecho de goma. Pasé por tu casa.
I’m going to the pool. The ball is made of rubber. I passed by your house.

Mini Diagram:

        Vivo
          \
          en
            \
           México

See the list of the 22 prepositions. It’s a good idea to memorize them and their meaning.

Once you can express relationships, you can connect full ideas using conjunctions.

7. Conjunctions (Conjunciones)

Conjunctions connect words, phrases, and sentences.

In Spanish, a conjunction is la conjunción.

What is the definition of a conjunction in Spanish?

Una conjunción une cosas.

Common conjunctions you’ll see often:

• y — and
• pero — but
• o — or
• porque — because

Sentence Example:
Estudio español y leo libros. — I study Spanish and read books.

Mini Diagram:

Estudio    leo
   \       /
     español
          \
            y

Spanish Conjunction Categories

These are coordinating conjunctions. Another type, subordinating conjunctions, are used to link main and dependent clauses. These help you create more complex sentences.

La limonada con fresas y pepino es refrescante.
Lemonade with strawberry and cucumber is refreshing.

The conjunction y connects the words fresas and pepino.

¿Quieres comer bien o picar algo ligero?
Do you want to eat well or snack light?

The conjunction o connects the phrases comer bien and picar algo ligero.

Understanding conjunctions will make your Spanish more fluid and connected!

Finally, let’s look at the part of speech that expresses emotion, reaction, or sudden feeling.

8. Interjections (Interjecciones)

Interjections express emotion, surprise, or reaction. They often appear in conversation and add personality.

In Spanish, an interjection is la interjección.

What is the definition of an interjection in Spanish?

Una interjección es una palabra o frase que muestra fuerte emoción.

Examples:

• ¡Ay! — Ouch!
• ¡Oye! — Hey!
• ¡Guau! — Wow!

Sentence Example:
¡Ay! Me duele. — Ouch! It hurts.

¡Guau!
Wow!

Interjections are different from the other parts of speech. They stand alone and often have exclamation marks ¡Vale! Okay!

Now that you know all eight parts of speech, let’s bring everything together visually.

How Sentence Diagramming Helps You Learn the Parts of Speech

Sentence diagramming is one of the fastest ways to understand Spanish grammar visually. Instead of memorizing long explanations, you see how the words in a sentence connect and what role each one plays.

Why diagramming works for Spanish:

• It shows you which words work together.
• It reveals sentence patterns instantly.
• It helps you understand word order.
• It makes grammar feel like a puzzle instead of a rulebook.

Example sentence:

La niña pequeña lee un libro interesante.
(The little girl reads an interesting book.)

Simple Diagram:

                   lee
               /          \
         niña              libro
        /    \          /         \
      La   pequeña    un     interesante

From a single diagram, learners can identify nouns, adjectives, articles, verbs, objects, and word order—all at the same time. That’s the power of visual grammar.

Part of Speech Tags

A great way to see the parts of speech is with tagging. Here is an example of color-coded tags where each word is tagged with the color of the part of speech.

Example with Color-Coded Tags:

¡Ojo! El hombre perdió todo porque era muy tonto en sus amistades.

Watch out! The man lost everything because he was foolish in his friendships.

Tagging helps you notice patterns like articles, adjectives, conjunctions, verb tenses, and prepositional phrases in real sentences.

There are many visual tools—diagramming, tagging, color-coding, and chunking—that help you understand how Spanish sentences are built and how words connect correctly.

Now let’s wrap everything up so you know your next step.

In summary, Spanish sentences become much easier to understand once you know the eight parts of speech. These labels help you see what each word is doing and how everything fits together. And when you combine them with sentence diagramming, grammar stops feeling abstract and becomes something you can actually see.

• Focus on patterns.
• Use diagrams.
• Practice with real sentences.

Spanish grammar becomes clear, visual, and surprisingly simple.

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