ORDINAL NUMBERS: HOW DO YOU TALK ABOUT ORDER OF EVENTS?
Ordinal Numbers
Here are the ordinal numbers first - tenth:
primero
first
sexto
sixth
segundo
second
séptimo
seventh
tercero
third
octavo
eighth
cuarto
fourth
noveno
ninth
quinto
fifth
décimo
tenth
Like many other adjectives, the ordinal numbers have a masculine and a feminine form.
primero
primera
sexto
sexta
segundo
segunda
séptimo
séptima
tercero
tercera
octavo
octava
cuarto
cuarta
noveno
novena
quinto
quinta
décimo
décima
They also have a singular and plural form.
primero
primeros
sexto
sextos
segundo
segundos
séptimo
séptimos
tercero
terceros
octavo
octavos
cuarto
cuartos
noveno
novenos
quinto
quintos
décimo
décimos
So, the ordinal numbers have four forms, just like other adjectives that end in -o.
primero
primeros
primera
primeras
Primero and tercero drop the -o in the masculine singular adjective form.
el primer día
el tercer año
Ordinal numbers usually precede the noun. However, if the noun they refer to is royalty, a pope, or a street, they come after the noun.
Carlos Quinto
("Quinto" comes after "Carlos" - royalty)
el quinto libro
("quinto" comes before "libro")
la Calle Sexta
("sexta" comes after "calle" - street)
la sexta pluma
("sexta" comes before "pluma")
Ordinal numbers are not normally used after 10.
la Calle Dieciséis
Sixteenth Avenue
el siglo diecinueve
the nineteenth century
In the Mood: The Subjunctive, Part 1
Learning when to use the subjunctive mood can be particularly challenging
for English-speakers learning Spanish. That's probably because the subjunctive
mood is distinguished from the indicative mood so infrequently in English.
Subjunctive? Indicative? Mood? What in the world do those mean?
OK. Let's start with the basics. (If you already know these basics of
grammar, skip ahead to the explanation of when the
subjunctive is used.) First of all, the mood (sometimes called the
mode) of the verb expresses either the speaker's attitude toward the verb
or describes how it is used in the sentence. This can better better be
described by examples of the six moods in both English and Spanish.
Mood
Description
Examples
infinitive (infinitivo)
The name of a verb. It can be used as the subject or object of a sentence.
In English it takes the form of "to + verb." In Spanish, infinitives end
in -ar, -er, or -ir.
I want to go. Quiero ir.
gerund (gerundio)
The gerund is used with the auxiliary "to be" (estar), and it
can also be used as a noun (far more frequently in English than in Spanish).
He is speaking. Él está hablando.
participle (participio)
The participle is used with the auxiliary "to have" (haber)
to form various tenses. In both languages, the participles frequently are
used as adjectives.
I have fallen. Me he caído.
imperative (imperativo)
Commands or suggestions.
Click here. Haz clic aquí.
indicative (indicativo)
Indicates action, process, or identity as taking place in reality.
See examples below.
subjunctive (subjuntivo)
Indicates action, process, or identity as dependent on the speaker's
reaction to it.
See examples below.
That may seem as clear as Mexico City on a smoggy day. Another way of
expressing the concept is that the indicative expresses reality or what
is believed to be reality. But the subjunctive is used for different purposes:
It expresses facts that are contrary to reality. It expresses doubt
that something is or will be a fact. It expresses how a person feels
about a possible action or state of being. It expresses a wish,
intent
or command for a possible action or state of being. It is usually
used in subordinate clauses that begin with que or si, although
in some sentences (such as simple sentences expressing doubt), a subjunctive
verb can be the main verb in the sentence.
How the subjective is used can best be seen through
examples of various uses:
Example
Reason
Quiero que no tengas frío. I want you to be not
cold.
It's irrelevant whether the person is cold or not. The sentence expresses
a wish, not reality.
Siento que tengas frío. I'm sorry you're cold.
The sentence expresses the speaker's emotions about a perceived
reality. What is important in this sentence is the speaker's feelings,
not whether the other person is cold.
Te doy mi chaqueta para que no tengas frío. I'm
giving you my coat so you won't be cold.
The sentence expresses the speaker's intent, not necessarily
reality.
Se permite que lleven chaquetas allí. People are
allowed to wear jackets there.
The phrase expresses permission for an action to take place.
Di a ella que lleve una chaqueta. Tell her to wear her
jacket.
Expresses a command or wish of the speaker.
No hay nadie que tenga frío. Nobody is cold.
Expression of negation of the action in a subordinate clause.
Tal vez tenga frío. Perhaps he is cold.
Expression of doubt.
Si yo fuera un rico, tocaría el violín. If
I were a rich man, I would play the fiddle.
Expression of a statement contrary to fact.
Here are some examples of sentences showing differences between the
indicative and subjunctive.
Indicative
Subjunctive
Explanation
Es cierto que sale tarde. He is definitely leaving late
Es imposible que salga tarde. Es probable que salga
tarde. It is impossible that she is leaving late. It is likely that
she will leave late.
The indicative is used to express perceived reality, while the subjunctive
is used to express doubt, negation or mere probability.
Busco el carro barato que funciona. I'm looking for the
cheap car that works.
Busco un carro barato que funcione. I'm looking for a
cheap car that works.
In the first example, the speaker knows that there is a car that matches
the description, so the indicative is used as an expression of reality.
In the second example, there is doubt that such a car exists, so the subjunctive
is used.
Creo que es ella. I believe it is she.
No creo que sea ella. I don't believe it's she.
The subjunctive is used in the second example because the subordinate
clause is negated by the main clause. Generally, the indicative is used
with creer que or pensar que, while the subjunctive is used
with no creer que or no pensar que. (The Spanish verb pensar
has more of a feeling of definitiveness than does the English equivalent,
"to think."
Es obvio que tienes dinero. It is obvious you have money.
Es bueno que tengas dinero. It is good you have money.
The indicative is used in the first example because it expresses reality
(or apparent reality). The subjunctive is used in the other example because
the sentence is a reaction to the statement in the subordinte clause.
Habla bien porque es un experto. He speaks well because
he's an expert.
Habla como si fuera un experto. He speaks as if he were
an expert.
The subjunctive is used in the second example because it's irrelevant
to the sentence whether he's an expert.
Quizás lo pueden hacer. Perhaps they can do it
(and I'm sure of it).
Quizás lo puedan hacer. Perhaps they can do it
(but I doubt it).
In a sentence such as this, the subjunctive is used to emphasize uncertainty
or doubt, the indicative to emphasize certainly.
Hay políticos que tienen coraje. There are politicians
who have courage.
¿Hay políticos que tengan coraje? Are there
politicians with courage?
The subjunctive is used in the second example to express doubt.
Llegaré aunque mi carro no funciona. I will arrive
even though my car isn't running.
Llegaré aunque mi carro no funcione. I will arrive
even if my car isn't running.
The indicative is used in the first sentence because the speaker knows
his car isn't working. In the second sentence, the speaker doesn't know
whether it is running, so the subjunctive is used.
A final note: The subjunctive used to be used in English more
than it is today, and today it is used more frequently in formal speech
than in everyday use. Cases where it is still in English used might help
you remember some of the instances where it is used in Spanish.
-
Contrary-to-fact condition: If I were the president, I'd
keep us out of war.
-
Expression of a desire: I would like it if he were my father.
-
Expressions of request or advice: I insist that he go. We
recommended that he fill out the form.
But remember that there are numerous instances where the subjunctive is
used in Spanish where we make no distinction in English.
Present subjunctive conjugation
Imperfect subjunctive conjugation
Present perfect subjunctive
conjugation
Past perfect subjunctive (pluperfect)
conjugation
Except those rare few of us who can learn verb conjugations without
effort, mastering them at some point will require rote memorization. While
the verb forms can be confusing at first, with use they become natural
as as conjugations in the native tongue.
The charts below show the forms of the subjunctive for regular verbs
and most of the irregular ones. See earlier lessons on when
to use the subjunctive and the four tenses of
the subjunctive. Note that the verbs in the subjunctive follow a pattern
similar to that used in the indicative mood. Note also that some verbs
(such as those ending in -car, -gar, and -gir,
may make change in spelling to maintain the correct sound). Coming soon:
a quiz.
Present subjunctive
Type of verb
Formation
Examples
Most -ar verbs
Remove the -o from the first-person indicative form and
add the appropriate ending: -e, -es, -e, -emos,
-éis,
en.
que yo hable, que tú hables, que él (o
ella o usted) hable, que nosotros (o nosotras) hablemos,
que vosotros (o vosotras) habléis, que ellos (or ellas o
ustedes)
hablen
Most -er verbs
Remove the -o from the first-person indicative form and
add the appropriate ending: -a, -as, -a, -amos,
-áis,
an.
que yo coma, que tú comas, que él coma,
que nosotros comamos, que vosotros comáis, que ellos
coman
Most -ir verbs
Remove the -o from the first-person indicative form and
add the appropriate ending: -a, -as, -a, -amos,
-áis,
an.
que yo resista, que tú resistas, que él
resista,
que nosotros resistamos, que vosotros resistáis, que
ellos resistan
Stem-changing -ar and -er verbs
Follow the regular rule, except that a stressed -o- in the stem
becomes an -ue-, and a stressed -e- becomes an -ie-.
que yo cuente, que tú cuentes, que él cuente,
que nosotros contemos, que vosotros contéis, que ellos
cuenten
que yo pierda, que tú pierdas, que él pierda,
que nosotros perdamos, que vosotros perdáis, que ellos
pierdan
Stem-changing -ir verbs
Follow the regular rule, except an -e- becomes an -i-
in the next-to-last syllable except in the nosotros and vosotros
forms in some verbs.
In some others, the -e- becomes an -i- in all forms.
The -o- in the next-to-last syllable becomes -ue- except
in the nosotros and vosotros forms, where it becomes a -u-.
que yo mienta, que tú mientas, que él mienta,
que nosotros mintamos, que vosotros mintáis, que ellos
mientan
que yo repita, que tú repitas, que él repita,
que nosotros repitamos, que vosotros repitáis, que
ellos repitan
que yo duerma, que tú duermas, que él duerma,
que nosotros durmamos, que vosotros durmáis,
que ellos duerman
caber
irregular
que yo quepa, que to quepas, que él quepa,
que nosotros quepamos, que vosotros quepáis, que ellos
quepan
dar
irregular
que yo de, que tú des, que él de,
que nosotros demos, que vosotros deis, que ellos den
estar
irregular
que yo esté, que tú estés, que él
esté, que nosotros estemos, que vosotros estéis,
que ellos
estén
haber
irregular
que yo haya, que tú hayas, que él haya,
que nosotros hayamos, que vosotros hayáis, que ellos
hayan
ir
irregular
que yo vaya, que tú vayas, que él vaya,
que nosotros vayamos, que vosotros vayáis, que ellos
vayan
jugar
irregular
que yo juegue, que tú jueges, que él juegue,
quo nosotros juguemos, que vosotros juguéis, que ellos
jueguen
saber
irregular
que yo sepa, que tú sepas, que él sepa,
que nosotros sepamos, que vosotros sepáis, que ellos
sepan
ser
irregular
que yo sea, que tú seas, que él sea,
que nosotros seamos, que vosotros seáis, que ellos
sean