LESSON I.
THE ARTICLE.
The =Definite Article= in Spanish is
=El= before a masculine[7] noun singular
=La= " feminine[7] " "
[Footnote 7: Spanish nouns are all masculine or feminine. There are no neuter nouns.]
as—
El hombre (the man)—La mujer (the woman)
El libro (the book)—La pluma (the pen)
El recibo (the receipt)—La cuenta (the account)
=Los= before a masculine noun plural
=Las= " feminine " "
as—
Los muchachos (the boys)—Las señoras (the ladies)
Los géneros (the goods)—Las facturas (the invoices)
Los lápices (the pencils)—Las cartas (the letters).
The =Indefinite Article= is—
=Un= before a masculine noun singular
=Una= " feminine " "
as—
Un amigo (a friend)—Una amiga (a lady-friend)
Un padre (a father)—Una madre (a mother)
The Indefinite Article has no plural, but the Spanish plural forms "unos" (masc.) and "unas" (fem.) translate the English words "some" or "any," as Unos hermanos (some brothers), Unas hermanas (some sisters), Unos tinteros (some inkstands), Unas mesas (some tables). (The Spanish words "Algunos," "Algunas," are also used for the same purpose.)
NOTE 1.—Before a feminine noun singular commencing with a or ha use =El= and =Un= instead of La and Una if such nouns are stressed on the first syllable, as El águila (the eagle), El agua (the water), El alma (the soul). (The plural is regular, as Las águilas (the eagles).)
NOTE 2.—The Definite Article has a "neuter form" which is =Lo=. It cannot be used before a noun but before other parts of speech used to represent an abstract idea, as Yo amo lo bello (I love the beautiful, viz., all that which is beautiful), Lo sublime (the sublime, viz., all that which is sublime).
REGULAR VERBS.
1st Conjugation. Hablar (to speak). Pres. Part. Hablando (speaking). Past Part. Hablado (spoken).
Present Tense, Indicative Mood.
Yo hablo (I speak) Nosotros (m.) hablamos (we speak)
Nosotras (f.) hablamos (we speak)
Tú hablas[8] (thou speakest) Vosotros (m.) habláis (you speak)
Vosotras (f.) habláis (you speak)
Él or Ella habla (he or she speaks) Ellos (m.) hablan (they speak)
Ellas (f.) hablan (they speak)
Usted habla (you speak)[9]. Ustedes hablan (you speak).[9]
[Footnote 8: The second person is only used in the familiar style, practically when in English the 2nd person would be addressed as "John" or "Frank" and not as "Mr. Smith" or "Mr. Brown.">[
[Footnote 9: This is called the polite way of addressing and is the form in use. Note that the verb after it is in the 3rd person, because "Usted," "Ustedes" (which can be abbreviated as V. Vs.) are contractions of Vuestra merced (your grace), Vuestras mercedes (your graces). V. ama = your grace loves.]
2nd Conjugation. Temer (to fear). Pres. Part. Temiendo. Past Part. Temido.
Pres. Tense, Indic. Mood.
Yo temo Nosotros (m.) temenos
Nosotras (f.) temenos
Tú temes Vosotros (m.) teméis
Vosotras (f.) teméis
Él teme Ellos (m.) temen
Ella teme Ellas (f.) temen
V. teme Vs. temen
3rd Conjugation. Partir (to depart, to set out). Pres. Part. Partiendo. Past Part. Partido.
Pres. Tense, Indic. Mood.
Yo parto Nosotros (m.) partimos
Nosotras (f.) partimos
Tú partes Vosotros (m.) partís
Vosotras (f.) partís
Él parte Ellos (m.) parten
Ella parte Ellas (f.) parten
V. parte Vs. parten