What are the parts of speech in Spanish?
You’re going to learn about this important grammar concept today! Are you ready? Great!
When I think of the parts of speech, it reminds me of the grocery store. You grab a cart and push it down the aisles. Each item is categorized into groups based on its form and function. There is a section for dairy, bakery, meats, produce, and more.
In the same way, we categorize words based on their form and function in a sentence. These categories are known as parts of speech.
There’s something important you need to know before we dive into the parts of speech. Most Spanish words can function in more than one part of speech. I’ll show you what I mean. Look at the word bien in these sentences.
La comida salió bien. The food turned out good.
Here, bien is an adverb. It describes the verb.
El bien y el mal son opuestos. Good and evil are opposites.
Now, bien is a noun. It is the subject of the sentence.
The only way to tell what job a Spanish word is doing is to look at how it’s acting in the sentence.
Alright, let’s learn about the parts of speech in Spanish grammar.
The Eight Parts of Speech in Spanish
In Spanish, the parts of speech are called las partes de la oración. So, 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.
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.
¡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.
I will show examples and tag them as we look at each part of speech.
But wait! Some people categorize words into eight parts of speech while others use nine parts of speech. Both are correct. Here, I categorize them into eight, but I will tell you about the extra category as well below.
1. Nouns
A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
They are important because they do many jobs in a sentence like acting as subjects, direct objects, object complements, and more.
Una garza caza en el agua.
A heron hunts in the water.
Mi madre cuida a su hermana porque es buena enfermera.
My mother takes care of her sister because she is a good nurse.
Tip for learners: Spanish nouns have gender. Learn whether the noun is masculine or feminine. They also show number (singular or plural).
Be careful not to get overwhelmed by this part of speech, since there are many different subcategories of nouns. We can categorize nouns into smaller groups.
Here are some subcategories of nouns: common nouns, proper nouns, collective nouns, and compound nouns.
Many categories have subcategories. If this is your first time learning about categories, ignore the subcategories for now and focus on the categories.
2. Adjectives
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun.
In Spanish adjective is el adjetivo. What is the definition of a noun in Spanish? Un adjetivo describe un sustantivo o pronombre.
Adjectives tell us what kind, how many, which, and whose.
La flor roja es hermosa.
The flower is beautiful.
Adjectives agree with nouns and pronouns in gender and number (known as gender number agreement).
el libro interesante, los libros interesantes
the interesting book, the interesting books
Libro is a singular noun. Interesante is a singular adjective. Libros is a plural noun. Interesantes is a plural adjective. The form of the adjective changes to match the gender and number of the noun.
Isn’t that a great way to see the difference using the color-coded tags?
The Nine Parts of Speech
Many people say articles are a subcategory of adjectives. They describe adjectives.
People who categorize words into nine parts of speech say articles are not a subcategory of adjectives and they make articles a category of their own. They still describe adjectives.
The articles identify the gender and number of the nouns. When you learn new words, it’s important to learn the definite article with a noun.
3. Pronouns
A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition.
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.
Él lo quiere.
He wants it.
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.
4. Verbs
A verb expresses action or a state of being.
In Spanish, verb is el verbo. What is the definition of a verb in Spanish? Un verbo expresa una acción o estado de ser.
amar, ser, vivir
Shakira baila con ritmo.
Shakira dances with rhythm.
La sombra es oscuro.
The shadow is dark.
Tip for learners: Verbs are essential in a sentence. In fact, a verb can make a complete sentence in Spanish.
You can learn about action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs on the verb page here.
Verb tenses are described on that link.
5. Adverbs
An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
In Spanish, an adverb is el adverbio. What is the definition of a verb in Spanish? Un adverbio modifica un verbo, un adjectivo, o otro adverbio.
They add precision to descriptions.
El joven corre furiosamente.
The teen runs furiously.
El batido es muy espeso.
The smoothie is very thick.
Adverbs add precision to how actions, descriptions, or other adverbs are expressed.
6. Prepositions
Prepositions relate a noun or pronoun to another word.
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.
a, con, de, en, por, para
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.
See the list of the 22 prepositions. It’s a good idea to memorize them.
7. Conjunctions
Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or sentences.
In Spanish, a conjunction is la conjunción. What is the definition of a conjunction in Spanish? Una conjunción une cosas.
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.
These are coordinating conjunctions. Another type, subordinating conjunctions, are used to link main and dependent clauses. These help you create more complex sentences.
Understanding conjunctions will make your Spanish more fluid and connected!
8. Interjections
Interjections show strong emotion.
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.
¡Guau!
Wow!
Interjections are different from the other parts of speech. They stand alone and often have exclamation marks ¡Vale! Okay!
Summary
It’s time to see what we’ve learned today!
- We categorize words into groups based on their function and features. These groups are called the parts of speech. In Spanish they are called las partes de la oración.
- The eight parts of speech are noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.
- In Spanish, las ocho partes de la oración son sustantivo, pronombre, verbo, adverbio, adjetivo, preposición, conjunción, y interjección.
Now you know the eight parts of speech in Spanish. Great job! Keep practicing these foundational concepts to boost your Spanish grammar skills.
This is original content from https://www.growspanish.com/parts-of-speech-in-spanish
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