Introducción

Knowing the función (role or function) that each word plays inside a Spanish sentence helps you understand what you read, and also helps you build your own sentences with confidence.

In Spanish grammar, words are grouped into types called partes del habla or clases de palabras (parts of speech). Each type has a different job. Once you know the role of a word, you can use it naturally in conversation and in writing.

The main partes del habla in Spanish are:

• Sustantivo (noun) — names a person, animal, thing, or idea. Juan, perro ("dog"), mesa ("table"), bondad ("kindness").
• Adjetivo (adjective) — describes or determines a noun. Libro verde ("green book"), casa grande ("big house").
• Verbo (verb) — expresses an action or a state. Hablar ("to speak"), comer ("to eat"), vivir ("to live").
• Adverbio (adverb) — modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Habla rápidamente ("speaks quickly").
• Pronombre (pronoun) — replaces a noun. Yo ("I"), tú ("you"), él ("he"), ella ("she").
• Preposición (preposition) — links words. De ("of / from"), en ("in / on / at"), con ("with"), para ("for").
• Conjunción (conjunction) — joins words or clauses. Y ("and"), pero ("but"), o ("or").
• Artículo (article) — introduces a noun and marks gender and number. El, la, los, las ("the"), un, una ("a / an").
• Interjección (interjection) — expresses a sudden feeling. ¡Ay! ("ouch!"), ¡Uy! ("oops!"), ¡Oh! ("oh!").

Unlike English, most Spanish words carry information in their ending. A sustantivo tells you whether it is masculine or feminine and singular or plural; an adjetivo changes its ending to match; a verbo changes its ending to show who is doing the action and when. Because of this, learning the partes del habla is really learning how Spanish words change shape to fit together.