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Voice setup

Browser voices come from your system — install the voice in your OS settings:

  • Windows: Settings → Time & language → Speech → Manage voices → Add voices → select Spanish (Spain)
  • macOS: System Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → System voice → Manage voices → download Spanish (Spain)
  • iPhone / iPad setup: Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices → Tap Spanish (Spain), download a voice
  • Android setup: Settings → Language & Input → Text-to-speech output → Tap gear icon next to Google TTS → Install voice data → Download Spanish (Spain) voice
4Mi casaSection 4 of 8

4.4

Grammar

Hay or está?

Look and think

Javier says but . Look at the word after hay and the word before está.

Hay (there is / there are) introduces something new. It has one form for singular and plural and goes with , numbers, , or no article:

Estar tells you where a specific, known thing is. It goes with , names or possessives:

Questions: (Is there a balcony?) — (Where is the balcony?)

estar — present tense
estar
yoestoy
túestás
él / ella / ustedestá
nosotros / nosotrasestamos
vosotros / vosotrasestáis
ellos / ellas / ustedesestán
new informationknown thing + location
singularHay un sofá.El sofá está en el salón.
pluralHay dos sofás.Los sofás están en el salón.

Examples

  • En mi calle hay un supermercado.
    There's a supermarket on my street.

  • ¿Dónde están mis libros?
    Where are my books?

  • Estoy en casa.
    I'm at home.

Prepositions of place, al and del

Look and think

Find , , . What happens to and ?

Most place expressions end in de: , , , , , . means between… and….

de + el = del and a + el = al. These are the only two contractions in Spanish: , . With , , nothing changes: .

+ el+ la+ los / las
dedel sofáde la mesade los libros
aal salóna la cocinaa las habitaciones

Examples

  • La lámpara está encima de la mesa.
    The lamp is on the table.

  • El perro está debajo del sofá.
    The dog is under the sofa.

  • La cocina está entre el baño y el salón.
    The kitchen is between the bathroom and the living room.

Colors

Look and think

Javier says . Where does the color go?

Colors usually go after the noun and agree with it: , . Colors ending in -e or a consonant have one form for both genders: , , .

and are often used without changing: , ; the plural forms and are also correct.

masc.fem.masc. pl.fem. pl.
-orojorojarojosrojas
-everdeverdeverdesverdes
consonantazulazulazulesazules

Examples

  • Tengo un sofá gris y una alfombra roja.
    I have a gray sofa and a red rug.

  • Las sillas de la terraza son verdes.
    The balcony chairs are green.

  • Mi habitación es blanca y azul.
    My room is white and blue.