If you want to learn the Spanish language, then you’ll have to learn Spanish grammar. There’s no way around it. Granted, there are native Spanish speakers who never learned proper Spanish grammar because they never went to school, and so, yes, it is possible to learn how to speak Spanish without ever studying Spanish grammar. In fact, there are a number of CDs that you can purchase which claim to teach you to speak Spanish in just minutes a day. Well, this is a question of how serious you are about learning the Spanish language, and also it involves consideration of the purpose of wanting to learning Spanish.

The Internet has been great to students of foreign languages. And the Internet should be your first stop to learning Spanish grammar for free. There is no reason to pay for books or audio CDs. There are a number of very useful websites that go over the many Spanish grammar rules that you will need to learn, such as OuterSpanish and StudySpanish.

Another way to learn Spanish grammar for free is to find an exchange partner. Yes, that’s right. Language exchange partners aren’t just for conversational practice. A native Spanish speaker who is learning your native language is probably in just as much need to learn the grammar rules of your native language as you are to learn Spanish grammar. Check out the local community colleges and their E.S.L. departments. There you will be able to find students who are native Spanish speakers that are trying to learn your native tongue.

A great way to meet other students studying Spanish is through MeetUp.com. Pretty much every major city has an organized Spanish language meetup group, in which fellow students, from beginners to advanced, meet up once or twice a month to speak Spanish. This is a great place to meet others who are learning Spanish and ask questions. Generally, the organizer will arrange to have native Spanish speakers present.

Also check out Yahoo Groups. There are a ton of Spanish groups that you can join. As you are learning Spanish grammar, you can post questions in the forums and get feedback.

Finally, go meet native Spanish speakers wherever you can find them! Make new friends, find a boyfriend or girlfriend that speaks Spanish, and you’re Spanish grammar will instantly take off!!!

Best of luck studying Spanish and learning Spanish grammar!

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Many Spanish students are dumbfounded when they find out that Spanish doesn’t have a single word to mean “become” as it is in English. Check out these two examples:
1. I become frustrated when I don’t know how to do something.
2. I want to become a doctor.

In English, it’s nice and simple. But in Spanish it’s different!

1. Me frustro cuando no sé hacer algo. (I become frustrated when I don’t know how to do something). Note that the literal translation is “I frustrated myself …”

2. Quiero ser doctor. (I want to become a doctor). Note that the literal translation is “I want to be a doctor.”

The point I’m trying to make is that there isn’t one single way to say “become” in Spanish. Here are three common ways:

Ponerse - Me pongo triste cuando te veo así. I become sad when I see you like this.

Hacerse - Te haces frustrado cada día. You become frustrated (you make yourself frustrated) every day.

Volverse (used more for something that take a long time to accomplish) - Él se volvío un autor famoso. He became a famous author.

Many Spanish verbs when turned reflexive carry the meaning of “become.”

Compare:

Me pongo frustrado cada día. I become frustrated every day.
Me frustro (the verb frustrar) cada día. I become frustrated every day.

Other verbs that follow this pattern:

enojar (to anger)
alegrar (to make happy)

There are other verbs that essentially mean to convert or transform into something:

convertirse
transformarse

Don’t be surprised if you come across other verbs or ways to say “become” in Spanish!

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Today we’re going to analyze a few paragraphs in Spanish from an article published on BBC Mundo about the invention of the radio.

“En efecto, entusiastas de la nueva tecnología pusieron presión y el 14 de noviembre de 1921 se inauguró el primer servicio diario de radio en Inglaterra.

La radio capturó la imaginación del público y se convirtió en un fenómeno social y cultural.

El rey Jorge V fue uno de los primeros en hacer uso de ella, el 23 de abril de 1924, con ocasión de la apertura de la primera exhibición en el estadio Wembley Empire.”

First, let’s point out some useful vocabulary:

En efecto means “In fact, indeed, really.”
La entusiasta means “fan, lover”
La tecnología means “technology.”
Poner is a verb that means “to put, place.”
Inaugurar is a verb that means “to inaugurate.”
Diario means “daily.”
Inglaterra means “England” in Spanish.
Capturar means “to capture.”
La imaginación means “imagination.”
Convertir means to convert, and when it’s reflexive like convertirse it means to convert itself or to become.
El rey means “king.”
La apertura means “the opening.”
El estadio means “stadium.”

Let’s now translate the first sentence from Spanish to English: “En efecto, entusiastas de la nueva tecnología pusieron presión y el 14 de noviembre de 1921 se inauguró el primer servicio diario de radio en Inglaterra.”

In fact, fans of the new technology placed pressure, and on November 14, 1921, the first daily radio service in England was inaugurated.

Notice that the verb Poner was conjugated in the preterit and not in the imperfect tense because the action of putting pressure was completed in a specific time frame. Here’s another Spanish grammar lesson we can come away with here. In Spanish, the most common way of writing in the passive form is to place “se” in front of the verb. Now remember “sé” with an accent mark is the first person conjugation for the Spanish verb Saber, and “se” can also be the reflexive direct object pronoun or even the conversion of “le/les” into “se” when “le/les” is placed in front of the direct object prounouns “lo/la/los/las.” But here, in this example, “se inauguró,” (also conjugated in the preterit) was written in the passive form to mean - was inaugurated. And it was writteen passively because the author doesn’t define who inaugurated the first daily radio service in England.

Let’s translate the next sentence from Spanish to English. “La radio capturó la imaginación del público y se convirtió en un fenómeno social y cultural.”

Radio captured the imagination of the public and became a social and cultural phenomenon.

Again, the Spanish verb Capturar was conjugated in the preterit. Also note that you can translate “se convirtió” (also in the preterit) as “converted itself” or “became.” Also let’s note how the two adjectives describing “fenómeno” followed this noun rather than preceded it.

Finally, the last translation from Spanish to English: “El rey Jorge V fue uno de los primeros en hacer uso de ella, el 23 de abril de 1924, con ocasión de la apertura de la primera exhibición en el estadio Wembley Empire.”

King George V was one of the firsts to make use of it, the 23rd of April, 1924, with the opportunity of the opening of the first exhibition in the Wembley Empire stadium.

Okay, maybe you’re wondering why “fue” was used (the preterit) instead of “era” (the imperfect), right? Well, take this into account - the purpose of this sentence was not to give a description of something in the past, but rather, to express an action that occurred at a specific point in time in the past.

If you have any Spanish grammar questions related to this post, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to explain, otherwise, review Spanish grammar rules here.

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