No Latin American Spanish voice installed — playing the Spain voice.
7.4
Grammar
Querer and preferir: e → ie
Look and think
Find , , . Where does the e change to ie?
Some verbs change the vowel of the stem when it is stressed: e → ie. The change happens in all forms except nosotros and vosotros, where the stress falls on the ending: but .
The endings stay regular. Other verbs like this: (to start), (to think), (to close).
| querer | preferir | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | quiero | prefiero |
| tú | quieres | prefieres |
| él / ella / usted | quiere | prefiere |
| nosotros / nosotras | queremos | preferimos |
| vosotros / vosotras | queréis | preferís |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | quieren | prefieren |
Examples
¿Quieres un café?
Do you want a coffee?Preferimos la carne al pescado.
We prefer meat to fish.La clase empieza a las nueve.
The class starts at nine.
Ordering politely
Look and think
How do Marta and Daniel ask for things? Look at , , .
In a Spanish bar, ordering is short and direct: (literally: will you put me a juice?). at the end is enough to be polite.
(I wanted…) is a very polite way to ask for something in shops and restaurants: is fine too — tone and matter more.
To pay: / (can I / we pay?) or
| situation | Spanish |
|---|---|
| ordering | ¿Me pone un café con leche, por favor? |
| ordering for yourself | Para mí, una tortilla. |
| asking for a table | Quería una mesa para dos. |
| asking for the bill | La cuenta, por favor. / ¿Me cobra? |
| asking the price | ¿Cuánto es? |
Examples
¿Me pone un zumo de naranja?
Can I have an orange juice?Para nosotros, dos batidos.
Two milkshakes for us.Quería un bocadillo de queso.
I'd like a cheese sandwich.
Lo, la, los, las: it and them
Look and think
Daniel asks — what does la refer to?
To avoid repeating a noun, use lo (masculine), la (feminine), los, las (plural). They go before the conjugated verb:
With an infinitive, they can also go at the end, joined to it: = .
| noun | pronoun | example |
|---|---|---|
| el batido | lo | Lo prefiero de fresa. |
| la tortilla | la | La quiero probar. |
| los huevos | los | Los como fritos. |
| las patatas | las | Las prefiero con sal. |
Examples
— ¿Y el agua? — La quiero sin gas.
— And the water? — I want it still.— ¿Bebes café? — Sí, lo bebo todos los días.
— Do you drink coffee? — Yes, I drink it every day.Quiero probarlas.
I want to try them.