Verbal Constructions

🚂 Spanish Verbal Constructions: Your Train to Fluency!

Imagine you’re a train conductor. Your train (the verb) can carry different cars (constructions) that change HOW your journey feels. Sometimes you’re moving right NOW. Sometimes you JUST arrived. Sometimes you KEEP going. Let’s explore all these amazing train cars!

🎬 Progressive Tenses: “Action Happening RIGHT NOW!”

Think of this like watching a movie. The action is happening in front of your eyes!

The Magic Formula

Estar + Gerund (-ando/-iendo)

It’s like saying “to be” + “doing something”

How It Works

Simple Examples

• Estoy estudiando español → I am studying Spanish
• Están jugando fútbol → They are playing soccer
• Estamos aprendiendo → We are learning

🎯 Remember: Use progressive when the action is happening AT THIS VERY MOMENT!

🔧 Gerund Formation: Building Your “-ing” Words

The gerund is like adding a special ending to make verbs show ongoing action.

The Rules (Super Easy!)

graph TD
    A["Regular Verb"] --> B{What ending?}
    B -->|AR verbs| C["Remove -ar → Add -ando"]
    B -->|ER/IR verbs| D["Remove -er/-ir → Add -iendo"]
    C --> E["hablar → hablando"]
    D --> F["comer → comiendo"]
    D --> G["vivir → viviendo"]

Regular Gerunds

Tricky Ones (Stem Changes!)

Some verbs are special snowflakes:

• dormir → durmiendo (sleeping)
• leer → leyendo (reading)
• ir → yendo (going)
• decir → diciendo (saying)

⚠️ Watch out! When the stem ends in a vowel, -iendo becomes -yendo (leyendo, not leiendo)

🎁 Infinitive Uses: The Swiss Army Knife of Verbs

The infinitive (-ar, -er, -ir form) is the MOST versatile tool in Spanish!

5 Super Powers of the Infinitive

1. As a Noun (Subject)

• Bailar es divertido → Dancing is fun
• Cocinar me relaja → Cooking relaxes me

2. After Prepositions

• antes de comer → before eating
• después de estudiar → after studying
• para aprender → in order to learn

3. After Certain Verbs

• Quiero bailar → I want to dance
• Puedo nadar → I can swim
• Necesito dormir → I need to sleep

4. In Commands (Impersonal)

• No fumar → No smoking
• No pisar el césped → Don’t step on the grass

5. After “Al” (Upon doing)

• Al llegar, llamé → Upon arriving, I called
• Al ver la película → Upon watching the movie

⏰ Acabar de + Infinitive: “I JUST Did It!”

This is your time machine to the IMMEDIATE past!

The Formula

Acabar (conjugated) + de + Infinitive

It’s like saying: “I finish from doing” = “I just did”

Examples That Stick

Real Life Moments

• 📞 Acabo de llamar a mi mamá → I just called my mom
• 🎬 Acabamos de ver esa película → We just watched that movie
• 🏃 Él acaba de correr 5 km → He just ran 5 km

💡 Pro Tip: Only use this for things that happened SECONDS or MINUTES ago!

🔄 Soler + Infinitive: “I Usually Do This”

This is your HABIT machine! It shows what you typically do.

The Formula

Soler (conjugated) + Infinitive

Conjugation of Soler (Present)

Your Daily Habits

• ☀️ Suelo despertarme a las 7 → I usually wake up at 7
• 🍳 Solemos desayunar juntos → We usually eat breakfast together
• 🏃 Suele correr los lunes → She usually runs on Mondays

Past Habits (Imperfect: Solía)

• Solía jugar al fútbol → I used to play soccer
• Solían vivir aquí → They used to live here

⏳ Llevar + Gerund: “I’ve Been Doing This FOR…”

This shows HOW LONG you’ve been doing something continuously!

The Magic Formula

Llevar + time + Gerund

Think of it as “carrying” time while doing something!

Structure

Llevo + [time] + [gerund]
     ↓
"I've been [doing] for [time]"

Examples

Questions with Llevar

• ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas aprendiendo español?
• How long have you been learning Spanish?

🎯 Key: This ONLY works for actions STILL happening now!

➡️ Seguir + Gerund: “Still Doing It / Keep Doing It”

When you want to say the action CONTINUES!

The Formula

Seguir (conjugated) + Gerund

Conjugation of Seguir (Present)

Examples of Persistence

• 📚 Sigo estudiando → I keep studying / I’m still studying
• 🌧️ Sigue lloviendo → It keeps raining / It’s still raining
• 💪 Seguimos intentando → We keep trying

The Difference

💡 Use seguir when you want to emphasize the CONTINUATION!

⚡ Expressing Obligation: “You MUST / HAVE TO”

Spanish has THREE ways to say you must do something!

1. Tener que + Infinitive (Personal Obligation)

The most common! It’s like having a weight on your shoulders.

• Tengo que estudiar → I have to study
• Tienes que comer → You have to eat
• Tenemos que irnos → We have to leave

2. Hay que + Infinitive (General/Impersonal)

For everyone in general, no specific person.

• Hay que practicar → One must practice / You gotta practice
• Hay que ser paciente → One must be patient
• Hay que estudiar más → You need to study more (general)

3. Deber + Infinitive (Moral Obligation)

A SHOULD situation, like a recommendation.

• Debes descansar → You should rest
• Debemos ayudar → We should help
• Deben ser honestos → They should be honest

Quick Comparison

graph TD
    A["Obligation in Spanish"] --> B["Personal?"]
    B -->|Yes| C["TENER QUE"]
    B -->|No, General| D["HAY QUE"]
    A --> E["Moral/Should?"]
    E -->|Yes| F["DEBER"]

🎯 Quick Reference: All Constructions at a Glance

🌟 Your Journey Map

You’ve learned 8 powerful verbal constructions! Each one is like a new train car that changes how your sentence travels through time:

1. Progressive → Shows NOW
2. Gerund → The -ing engine
3. Infinitive → The versatile tool
4. Acabar de → The “just happened” moment
5. Soler → Your habits
6. Llevar → The duration tracker
7. Seguir → The continuation
8. Obligation → The must-do’s

🚂 Conductor’s Final Tip: Practice one construction at a time. Use it 10 times in real sentences before moving to the next. Soon, you’ll be driving this train like a pro!

¡Buena suerte! 🇪🇸