Asking for a grammar explanation | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: In a language classroom, two adults discuss a grammar pattern, why a verb form changes, and how to make another example..

EN → ES / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Asking for a grammar explanation to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

¿Podrías explicar este patrón gramatical otra vez?

poh-DREE-ahs ehk-splee-KAR EH-steh pah-TROHN grah-mah-tee-KAHL OH-trah behss Could you explain this grammar pattern again?
B

Muestra que una acción ya está terminada.

MWEHS-trah keh OO-nah ahk-see-OHN yah ehs-TAH tehr-mee-NAH-dah It shows that an action is already complete.
A

¿Por qué cambia el verbo en esta oración?

pohr KEH KAHM-byah ehl BEHR-boh ehn EH-stah oh-rah-SYOHN Why does the verb change in this sentence?
B

La forma cambia porque el evento ya terminó.

lah FOHR-mah KAHM-byah POHR-keh ehl eh-BEHN-toh yah tehr-mee-NOH The form changes because the event is finished.
A

¿Puedes darme otro ejemplo?

PWEH-dehs DAHR-meh OH-troh ehk-SEHM-ploh Can you give me another example?
B

Alguien abrió el libro antes de la clase.

ahl-GYEN ah-BRYOH ehl LEE-broh AHN-tehs deh lah KLAH-seh Someone opened the book before class.
A

Eso hace que el patrón sea más fácil de entender.

EH-soh AH-seh keh ehl pah-TROHN SEH-ah mahs fah-SEEL deh ehn-tehn-DEHR That makes the pattern easier to understand.
B

Ahora intenta crear tu propia oración.

ah-OH-rah een-TEHN-tah kreh-AHR too PROH-pyah oh-rah-SYOHN Now try making your own sentence.

Word by Word

Podrías In “Podrías explicar...”, this means “could you” and makes the request polite. It is a form of poder. A reusable pattern is Podrías + infinitive when asking someone politely to do something.
explicar In “Podrías explicar este patrón gramatical...”, explicar means “to explain.” It is used after Podrías and names the requested action. A reusable pattern is explicar + a topic or object.
este In “este patrón gramatical”, este means “this” and points to a specific pattern being discussed. It agrees with the masculine noun patrón. A reusable pattern is este + noun for something near or currently under discussion.
patrón In “este patrón gramatical”, patrón means “pattern,” here referring to the grammar pattern the learners are discussing. It is the object of explicar. A reusable pattern is explicar un patrón or entender un patrón.
gramatical In “patrón gramatical”, gramatical means “grammatical” and specifies that the pattern concerns grammar. It describes patrón. A reusable pattern is gramatical + a language-related noun.
otra In “otra vez”, otra contributes the meaning “another” to the expression “again.” It modifies vez and agrees with that feminine noun. A reusable pattern is otra + feminine noun when referring to another one.
vez In “otra vez”, vez refers to a time or occasion, and the whole expression means “again.” The word vez combines with otra here rather than meaning a separate physical object. A reusable pattern is otra vez when asking for or describing repetition.
Muestra In “Muestra que una acción...”, Muestra means “shows” and introduces what the grammar pattern demonstrates. It is a form of mostrar. A reusable pattern is muestra que + a clause.
que In “Muestra que una acción ya está terminada”, que introduces the statement being shown: that an action is complete. It links Muestra with the following clause. A reusable pattern is a verb of showing or explaining + que + a clause.
una In “una acción”, una means “an” or “one” and introduces a single action without identifying a specific one. It agrees with the feminine noun acción. A reusable pattern is una + feminine noun.
acción In “una acción ya está terminada”, acción means “action.” It is the thing described as already complete. A reusable pattern is hablar de una acción or describir una acción.
ya In “ya está terminada”, ya means “already” and marks the action as complete by this point. It also appears in “ya terminó” with the same completed-time meaning. A reusable pattern is ya + verb or ya + está + adjective.
está In “está terminada”, está means “is” and connects the action with its completed state. It is a form of estar. A reusable pattern is está + adjective or está + a state description.
terminada In “una acción ya está terminada”, terminada means “finished” or “complete.” Its feminine form matches acción and describes the action’s state. It comes from terminar. A reusable pattern is está terminada when something has been completed.
Por In “Por qué cambia el verbo...”, Por forms the question expression “why” together with qué. It does not express the reason by itself in this question. A reusable pattern is Por qué + verb when asking for a reason.
qué In “Por qué cambia el verbo...”, qué combines with Por to form “why.” Together, Por qué asks for the reason for the verb change. A reusable pattern is Por qué + clause.
cambia In “cambia el verbo”, cambia means “changes” and describes what happens to the verb in the sentence. It is a form of cambiar. A reusable pattern is cambia + noun for something that changes.
el In “el verbo”, el means “the” and identifies the specific verb being discussed. It agrees with the masculine singular noun verbo. A reusable pattern is el + masculine singular noun.
verbo In “cambia el verbo”, verbo means “verb.” It is the grammatical element whose form changes in the question. A reusable pattern is cambiar el verbo or explicar el verbo.
en In “en esta oración”, en means “in” and locates the verb change within the sentence. It connects the action or situation with a sentence or context. A reusable pattern is en + noun for a place, text, or context.
esta In “esta oración”, esta means “this” and points to the particular sentence being examined. It agrees with the feminine noun oración. A reusable pattern is esta + feminine noun for something currently identified.
oración In “esta oración”, oración means “sentence,” referring to the sentence that contains the changing verb. It is the object of the preposition en. A reusable pattern is leer, escribir, or analizar una oración.
La In “La forma cambia...”, La means “the” and identifies the particular form under discussion. It agrees with the feminine singular noun forma. A reusable pattern is La + feminine singular noun.
forma In “La forma cambia”, forma means “form,” here referring to the grammatical form of a verb. It is the subject described as changing. A reusable pattern is cambiar la forma or explicar la forma.
porque In “porque el evento ya terminó”, porque means “because” and introduces the reason for the change. It connects the explanation with a complete clause. A reusable pattern is porque + clause when giving a reason.
evento In “el evento ya terminó”, evento means “event.” It is the event described as having ended. A reusable pattern is un evento or el evento when discussing an occurrence.
terminó In “el evento ya terminó”, terminó means “finished” or “ended,” referring to the event’s completion. It is a form of terminar. A reusable pattern is ya terminó when saying that something has ended.
Puedes In “¿Puedes darme otro ejemplo?”, Puedes means “can you” and asks whether the listener is able or willing to provide something. It is a form of poder. A reusable pattern is Puedes + infinitive for a direct request.
darme In “Puedes darme otro ejemplo?”, darme means “give me.” It combines the action dar with me, the person receiving the example. A reusable pattern is darme + a noun for asking someone to give something to you.
otro In “otro ejemplo”, otro means “another” and asks for one more example. It agrees with the masculine noun ejemplo. A reusable pattern is otro + masculine noun when requesting or identifying an additional item.
ejemplo In “darme otro ejemplo”, ejemplo means “example.” It is the thing the speaker asks the other person to provide. A reusable pattern is dar un ejemplo or pedir un ejemplo.
Alguien In “Alguien abrió el libro”, Alguien means “someone” and refers to an unidentified person. It is the person who opened the book. A reusable pattern is Alguien + verb when the person is unknown or not specified.
abrió In “abrió el libro”, abrió means “opened,” describing the completed action of opening the book. It is a form of abrir. A reusable pattern is abrió + direct object when stating that someone opened something.
libro In “abrió el libro”, libro means “book.” It is the object that someone opened before class. A reusable pattern is leer, abrir, or cerrar un libro.
antes In “antes de la clase”, antes means “before” and places the opening of the book earlier in time. It is followed by de before the noun phrase la clase. A reusable pattern is antes de + noun when comparing times.
de In “antes de la clase”, de completes the time expression before the noun phrase la clase. Here it links antes with the event used as the time reference. A reusable pattern is antes de + noun.
clase In “antes de la clase”, clase means “class.” It provides the time reference for when the book was opened. A reusable pattern is asistir a una clase or antes de la clase.
Eso In “Eso hace que...”, Eso means “that” and refers to the preceding explanation or example. It functions as the subject of the statement about making the pattern easier to understand. A reusable pattern is Eso + verb when referring back to something just mentioned.
hace In “Eso hace que el patrón sea más fácil...”, hace means “makes” and expresses that the preceding explanation has an effect. It is a form of hacer. A reusable pattern is hacer que + clause to describe causing a result.
más In “más fácil de entender”, más means “more” and forms the comparison “easier.” It modifies fácil. A reusable pattern is más + adjective when comparing degrees.
fácil In “sea más fácil de entender”, fácil means “easy” and describes the pattern as easier to understand. It appears after más and before de entender. A reusable pattern is ser más fácil de + infinitive.
entender In “más fácil de entender”, entender means “to understand.” It names the activity that becomes easier because of the explanation. A reusable pattern is fácil de + infinitive when describing something that is easy to do.
Ahora In “Ahora intenta...”, Ahora means “now” and marks the next step in the classroom activity. It places the instruction in the present moment. A reusable pattern is Ahora + instruction when directing someone to act next.
intenta In “intenta crear tu propia oración”, intenta means “try” and gives the learner an instruction. It is a form of intentar. A reusable pattern is intenta + infinitive when telling someone to try an action.
crear In “intenta crear tu propia oración”, crear means “to create.” It names the action the learner is asked to try. A reusable pattern is intentar + infinitive, such as intentar crear something.
tu In “tu propia oración”, tu means “your” and identifies the sentence as belonging to or being made by the learner. It comes directly before the noun phrase. A reusable pattern is tu + noun when referring to something connected with the listener.
propia In “tu propia oración”, propia means “own” and emphasizes that the learner should make the sentence themselves. It agrees with the feminine noun oración. A reusable pattern is tu propia + noun when emphasizing personal ownership or creation.

Grammar Points

hacer que + subjuntivo

Eso hace que sea más fácil entender.

EH-soh AH-seh keh SEH-ah mahs fah-SEEL ehn-tehn-DEHR

That makes it easier to understand.

After hacer que, Spanish uses the subjunctive. The form sea agrees with the meaning of the clause, not with eso.

Spanish Vocabulary

acción noun
ahk-see-OHN action

una acción ya está terminada

cambia verb
KAHM-byah changes

¿Por qué cambia el verbo en esta oración?

explicar verb
ehk-splee-KAR to explain

¿Podrías explicar este patrón gramatical otra vez?

gramatical adj
grah-mah-tee-KAHL grammatical

este patrón gramatical

muestra verb
MWEHS-trah shows

Muestra que una acción ya está terminada.

oración noun
oh-rah-SYOHN sentence

el verbo en esta oración

otra vez phrase
OH-trah behss again

¿Podrías explicar este patrón gramatical otra vez?

patrón noun
pah-TROHN pattern

este patrón gramatical

podrías verb
poh-DREE-ahs could you

¿Podrías explicar este patrón gramatical otra vez?

terminada adj
tehr-mee-NAH-dah completed

una acción ya está terminada

verbo noun
BEHR-boh verb

¿Por qué cambia el verbo en esta oración?

ya adv
yah already

una acción ya está terminada

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can you give me another example?

Show Answer¿Puedes darme otro ejemplo?

Now try making your own sentence.

Show AnswerAhora intenta crear tu propia oración.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to explain

Show Answerexplicar

could you

Show Answerpodrías

completed

Show Answerterminada

shows

Show Answermuestra