speech marks spanish

Spanish Punctuation

Spanish and English use the same punctuation for many things. For example, both use periods at the end of statements and commas to separate elements in a list. There are also some punctuation marks used only in Spanish, as well as some punctuation marks that English and Spanish use differently.

First, here are some common punctuation marks, or signos de puntuación !

List of Spanish Punctuation Marks

And now, on to some of the uses of these signos de puntuación !

Punto : Uses and Examples

• Used at the end of a statement .
• Used at the end of an abbreviation .
• Used in urls and email addresses .
• Used to separate the hour and minute in time expressions (using a colon is also ok).

Coma : Uses and Examples

• Used to separate dependent and independent clauses .
• Used to separate elements in a list .

There is no coma used before conjunctions like y or o in Spanish lists.

• Used before question tags .

Question tags are short, often one-word questions used to affirm a previous statement.

Comillas : Uses and Examples

• Used to denote quoted speech .

Las comillas españolas are often used in quoted speech, especially in books written in Spanish.

In Spanish, final punctuation falls outside of quotations, whereas in American English, it falls inside the quotations. The Spanish style can sometimes lead to what would be considered double punctuation in English (like the . following the ? in the example above). In Spanish, this is correct!

Puntos de Exclamación : Uses and Examples

• Used to frame exclamations .

Although often omitted in texts and emails, Spanish exclamations should open with a signo de apertura de exclamación ( opening exclamation mark ). Note how the opening exclamation mark goes just before the part of a sentence that is the actual exclamation.

Puntos de Interrogación : Uses and Examples

• Used to frame questions .

Although often omitted in texts and emails, Spanish questions should open with a signo de apertura de interrogación ( opening question mark ). Note how the opening question mark goes just before the question tag or the part of a sentence that is the actual question.

Learn more about Spanish punctuation with these articles!

• Advanced Spanish Punctuation
• How to Type Spanish Accents and Letters
• What Is the Upside-Down Question Mark?
• What Is the Upside-Down Exclamation Point?
• Written Accent Marks (Tildes)

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The 10 Most Important Spanish Punctuation Marks to Know

Punctuation is more important than you might think— it can save lives .

But that does not mean all punctuation marks are used the same in both Spanish and English .

By the end of this post you will be able to write with confidence without ever having to worry whether your mistakes have put lives in danger.

Why Is Learning Spanish Punctuation Important?

Essential spanish punctuation marks, 1. punto (period), 2. coma (comma), 3. dos puntos (colon), 4. punto y coma (semicolon), 5. puntos suspensivos (ellipsis), 6. signo de interrogación (question mark), 7. signo de exclamación (exclamation point), 8. guion y raya (hyphen and em-dash), 9. paréntesis (parentheses), 10. comillas españolas (angle quotes) and comillas inglesas (quotation marks), where to practice using spanish punctuation, find and correct the mistakes in the following sentences:, and one more thing….

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

We all know that we finish sentences by using a period, we separate items in a list with commas and we close questions with question marks. You might think that is all you need to know, but if you really want to be fluent in Spanish, it is not!

Punctuation mastery is crucial for professional- or academic-grade writing skills . You will need it to write resumes or cover letters if you ever want to land a job in a Spanish-speaking environment .

But understanding Spanish punctuation has a broader benefit, as well—it will make Spanish grammar easier by forcing you to think about sentence structure and parts of speech.

Ultimately, mastering Spanish punctuation is an important way to cut down on written mistakes and start using the language like a true native. And FluentU might be the ideal Spanish learning program to help you achieve that goal.

The period is the punctuation mark we use in order to tell the reader he or she needs to make a long pause. Generally speaking, periods come at the end of the sentence (as long as it is not a question or an exclamation) and they tell us the main idea of the sentence has been conveyed and we can make a pause.

El niño juega en el parque. (The boy is playing in the park.)

Tengo sueño. (I am sleepy.)

Easy! You convey your message and close it with a period. Cool and simple. Everybody knows that, I am sure.

What maybe not everybody knows is that there are three important different kinds of periods  in Spanish: the punto y seguido , the punto y aparte and the punto final .

If we translate their names literally, we get “period and continued,” “period and aside” and “final period,” respectively.

And what is the difference between them?

We use a punto y seguido when we keep on writing after that period without starting a new paragraph . All the periods inside a paragraph except for the last one are puntos y seguido .

For the sake of space, the following examples are not whole paragraphs but pairs of sentences together. The periods separating each pair of sentences is a punto y seguido :

Tengo sueño. Me voy a la cama. (I am sleepy. I am going to bed.)

He comprado un coche. El coche es rojo. (I have bought a car. The car is red.)

We use a punto y aparte when we want to start a new paragraph. Typically, with the punto y aparte we mark a change of topic or an idea not directly related to the previous one:

… cuando llegó.

Cerró la puerta y…

(…when she arrived.

She closed the door and…)

Finally, a punto final is any period that closes a single isolated sentence or closes the whole writing. I know it may seem a bit weird to have a specific name for something that only occurs once in a chapter, essay or composition, but since we have it, why not boast about it?

Take the closest book you have. Open it and have a look at the last sentence of the last paragraph of the last page. There will probably be a period. There you have your example of a  punto final .

The uses of the comma in Spanish and English are very similar. We mainly use it to make shorter pauses in a sentence, separate items on a list or add explanatory phrases:

Mis colores favoritos son el rojo, el amarillo y el verde. (My favorite colors are red, yellow and green.)

Mi hermano, que es médico, vive en Barcelona. (My brother, who is a doctor, lives in Barcelona)

However, there are a couple of differences between the use of the comma in American English and Spanish . Have a look:

When writing quotation marks (more on those later in this post), add the comma after them in Spanish, but include the comma before them in American English:

“Tengo sueño”, dijo María. (“I am sleepy,” said María.)

“He comprado un coche rojo”, dije. (“I have bought a red car,” I said.)

When you have a long number, especially if it is a decimal one, use commas and periods in Spanish in the opposite way you would do it in English:

Spanish: 1.234.567,89

English: 1,234,567.89

Remember one last thing regarding commas, both in Spanish and English: you typically should not separate a subject from its predicate by a comma.

Incorrect: Ella, ha comprado un coche.  (She, has bought a car.)

Correct: Ella ha comprado un coche. (She has bought a car.)

As it happened with the comma, the use of the colon in Spanish and English is pretty much the same.

Although it can be used for many different purposes, when it comes to writing, the colon is mainly used to indicate that what comes next is an explanation of what has just been said, an enumeration, a list or a quote.

For example:

Estaba cansado: había estado escribiendo toda la noche.  (He was tired: he had been writing all night long.)

When read aloud, the pause for the colon is generally longer than the comma’s, but shorter than the period’s.

You typically need to write a lowercase letter after the colon. Even though we call the colon two points in Spanish, that does not mean it follows the same rules as the period!

There is one last thing you should bear in mind when using the colon in Spanish. Everybody writes letters or emails. There are literally thousands of ways of starting a letter, but let us say the easiest one is writing “Dear Mr. X,” and then continuing on another line.

If you have a look, you will notice you add a comma after “Mr. X” in English. Avoid doing this in Spanish! Instead, use a colon because… well, just because!

So remember to write it properly when you start writing an email to your boss!

I have always loved that the semicolon is called punto y coma in Spanish, because you actually have to write a period and a comma to produce a semicolon.

But besides that, I think the semicolon is not only the punctuation mark I have used the least in my life, but also the one that took me the longest amount of time to understand!

The semicolon is some weird hybrid between a comma and a period. It is like a comma and a period but it is neither the former nor the latter… it is here to complicate our lives… only if we let it win!

The truth is, the semicolon is very easy to use, and it is used in the same exact way in both English and Spanish .

So when should we use it?

There are two main uses of the semicolon, and while one is very precise and easy to understand, the other is abstract and absolutely open to interpretation. But we will start with the easier one:

• Use the semicolon when making a list in order to separate the different items, especially if the items are long sentences and include commas. Easy. Here the semicolon acts as a “bigger brother” who tries to help the comma so it knows when each item ends.

Me gusta hacer muchas cosas, sobre todo viajar por el mundo; descubrir nuevas culturas, si tengo tiempo, claro; y comer la comida local. (I like to do a lot of things, especially travel around the world; discover new cultures, if I have the time, of course; and eat the local food).

• Use the semicolon instead of the period in order to join independent clauses if they are closely related to each other. For example:

En verano voy a España; en invierno voy a las montañas. (In summer I go to Spain; in winter I go to the mountains.)

Tu hermano es médico; mi hermano es profesor. (Your brother is a doctor; my brother is a professor.)

If the sentences are short, do not overthink it. Just use a comma:

Te amo, te adoro. (I love you, I adore you).

The ellipsis is another punctuation mark that works practically the same way in Spanish as in English .

Lately, especially thanks to the use of texts, instant messaging and emails, a lot of people tend to overuse it by adding it to the end of almost every sentence. However, the uses of the ellipsis are very well defined and we should go back to using it properly.

Of the many uses of the ellipsis, the three main ones are:

• To mark an interruption or speech that trails off. This is the main use of the ellipsis.

Pensaba que me querías… (I thought you loved me…)

Algún día lo entenderás… (Someday you will get it…)

• To show fear or suspense. This time you use the ellipsis to make a pause, but then you continue with your speech or writing:

Y entonces… lo maté. (And then… I killed him.)

Oí una voz… pero no podía ver nada… estaba temblando… (I heard a voice… but I could not see anything… I was shaking…)

• To make a non-comprehensive list of items. When you add the ellipsis at the end of the list, the reader understands there are more examples aside from the ones you are naming:

Tenemos todos los colores: azul, amarillo, rojo, rosa, verde… (We have all the colors: blue, yellow, red, pink, green…)

Algunos ejemplos de esto pueden ser perros, gatos, pájaros, conejos, peces… (Some examples of this can be dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, fish…)

The question mark is one of the easiest-to-use punctuation marks because it is universally used to close questions.

The only thing you need to remember and bear in mind is that in Spanish you need to use an inverted question mark (also known as an opening question mark) at the beginning of every question !

Do Spanish people write it? Yes, we do!

Is it necessary? Yes, it is!

Will I get lower grades if I leave it out? Yes, of course!

Forget about lazy Spanish people who now have a tendency to ignore the opening question mark when chatting or writing emails. That is as big an error as writing “velieve” instead of “believe” or using a comma at the end of a sentence. Just learn to use it, because it is a must!

Here you have some examples:

¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?)

¿Estás seguro? (Are you sure?)

We have exactly the same situation when it comes to the exclamation point. We use it for the same purpose both in Spanish and English, but we need to add exclamation points at the beginning of every exclamation.

Once again, do not try to find excuses and ignore the lazy people who try not to use it. You would not start a sentence with a lowercase letter, right? Exactly…

¡Qué bonito! (How beautiful!)

¡No lo hagas! (Do not do it!)

¡Me estoy volviendo loco! (I am going crazy!)

I have a confession to make: I used to get lost every time I had to use the hyphen and the em-dash because, for me, they have always been one and the same thing, except one is longer than the other…

Do not judge me, nobody is perfect!

However, I can share a little trick with you that has made my life easier and has helped me remember (most of the time) when I should use each of them.

To put it simply, remember the following: the raya separates and the guion unites.

Once you internalize that little mnemonic, you will easily remember that we use the raya to separate the different voices in a dialog in Spanish (i.e., each new line of dialog is separated from the rest and starts with an em-dash):

—Hola, María. (—Hello, María.)

—Hola, ¿qué tal estás? (—Hello, how are you?)

— Muy bien, gracias. (—Very well, thanks.)

The em-dash can also be used in Spanish to  separate  side notes or explanatory information somewhat like parentheses,  although this usage is more common in English than Spanish .

We use the hyphen to unite . In other words, hyphens can show two words are related, show the rest of a word continues on the next line or show that two numbers form an interval.

físico-químico (physicochemical)

páginas 45-50 (pages 45-50)

There are other minor uses of the em-dash and hyphen, but if you master this little trick, you are good to go for sure!

Parentheses are another punctuation mark you use practically in the same way in Spanish as in English.

Parentheses can be used for many different purposes, but there is always one thing in common: you will always need an opening parenthesis and a closing one.

The main uses of the parentheses in Spanish are:

• To clarify aside from the main point. This use of the parentheses is quite subjective, because sometimes they can be replaced by commas and the sentence remains the same. Where should you draw the line?

There is not a universal answer to this question, but bear in mind the closer you are to the main point, the better it is to use commas:

María (mi vecina) es estudiante. María (my neighbor) is a student.

El coche de mi hermano (un BMW) es blanco. My brother’s car (a BMW) is white.

• To add meanings of abbreviations. It is not compulsory, but it is always good practice if you think the reader may have problems with the text:

OMS (Organización Mundial de la Salud). WHO (World Health Organization).

• To add dates and/or places. This is quite self-explanatory, so just have a look at the examples:

Vivo en Madrid (España) . I live in Madrid (Spain).

La Segunda Guerra Mundial (1939-1945) fue un conflicto militar global.  WWII (1939-1945) was a global military conflict.

Even though there are different kinds of quotes, almost every language has a preference and will make use of one type more often than the others .

Spanish uses three types of quotes: guillemets or angle quotes (« »), quotation marks (” “) and simple quotation marks (‘ ‘), but our favorite are the guillemets.

In recent years, more and more Spanish-speaking people are using the so-called English quotation marks (” “), but Spanish newspapers and publishing houses in general tend to stick to tradition and keep on using angle quotes.

But what are angle quotes for?

We can use angle quotes for many different reasons, but the common denominator is always one: we are marking another level in the sentence. This “new level” can be a quotation, an ironic remark, a different sense of a common word, an expression, a thought or even a foreign word, but overall it is on a different level than the rest of the sentence, and we need to indicate that.

So, imagine you are writing a text in Spanish and want to quote what an author said in a book. How would you let the reader know the following words are on a different level and have not been written or said by you? Exactly! You use angle quotes:

…como dijo José M., «Eso es una pena». (…as José M. said, “That is a pity.”)

As I have just mentioned, you can also use angle quotes to mark irony, add expressions or use words with an uncommon meaning.

Compré este vestido en una «boutique». (I bought this dress in a “boutique.”)

Eres un chico muy «inteligente». (You are a very “intelligent” guy.)

Earlier I mentioned Spanish makes use of three different kinds of quotes. But why? Well, it would be a real mess to have quotes inside of quotes inside of quotes if you used the same angle marks all the time!

Chaos, I tell you!

The following example is written twice. In the first instance, I have used angle quotes only. The second one contains three different types of quotes. Which one is more clear and prettier for you?

Entonces dijo: «Me parece que decir «compar en una «boutique»» es algo muy tonto». (Then he said: “I think saying “buying in a “boutique”” is something very silly.”)

Entonces dijo: «Me parece que decir “comprar en una ’boutique'” es algo muy tonto». (Then he said: “I think saying ‘buying in a ’boutique” is something very silly.”)

Now that you have studied the theory, how about doing some exercises so you can check if you have understood everything?

In the first part of this section, you will have some sentences with punctuation errors. Your task will be to find the errors and correct them.

You will find the correct answers just below.

In the second part, I will give you some external links where you can practice more Spanish punctuation if you feel you still need some more.

Are you ready?

Pepe, corre por el parque.

Me gusta cocinar

Compré uno verde; uno amarillo y uno azul.

Nació en Sevilla, España.

No sabía lo que significaba “bailar el agua”.

Una ONG – Organización No Gubernamental – es imprescindible en la zona.

No puedo lo siento.

He comprado zumo. Manzanas, peras y leche.

Pepe corre por el parque.

Me gusta cocinar.

Compré uno verde, uno amarillo y uno azul.

Nació en Sevilla (España).

No sabía lo que significaba « bailar el agua » .

Una ONG (Organización No Gubernamental) es imprescindible en la zona.

No puedo, lo siento.

He comprado zumo, manzanas, peras y leche.

All these punctuation marks may be confusing at the beginning, but I promise after you do a couple of exercises, you will learn to see the differences.

I hope after reading this post you feel more comfortable when presented with writing assignments or any time you need to write a letter or email to your friend or your new boss! You will certainly see your Spanish writing improve.

I have thoroughly enjoyed showing you a little part of the marvelous world of punctuation, and I really hope you have enjoyed learning about it as well.

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Spanish Punctuation Marks: The Complete Guide | Learn, Mastering

• 25 Feb, 2024
• 5 Mins Read

There are 18 punctuation marks in Spanish. Examples of the most commonly used Spanish punctuation marks are punto, coma, dos puntos, barra, signo de interregación, signo de exclamación.

Spanish Punctuation forms the basis of written language. They express the meaning of the sentence and provide effective communication. Punctuation in Spanish is the same as in other languages. Knowing Spanish punctuation marks is necessary to write Spanish accurately and fluently.

Table of Contents

Punto – Period(.)

Coma – comma(,), dos puntos – colon(:), punto y coma – semicolon(;), puntos suspensivos -ellipsis(…), signo de interrogación – question mark(), signs de exclamación – exclamation mark(), comillas – quotation marks(«»), barra – slash(/), how to make spanish punctuation marks on the keyboard, how to use punctuation marks in spanish.

The types of punctuation in Spanish are listed below.

 The period, known as “punto” in Spanish, is the most fundamental punctuation mark. It serves the same purpose as in English, indicating the end of a sentence or an abbreviation. For example:

• El niño juega en el parque. (The boy is playing in the park.)
• Tengo sueño. (I am sleepy.)

The period is straightforward to use, and it signifies the completion of a thought or idea. It is worth noting that there are three types of periods in Spanish: “punto y seguido,” “punto y aparte,” and “punto final.” These variations indicate different contexts within a paragraph, indicating whether to continue within the same section or start a new paragraph.

 The comma, known as “coma” in Spanish, is another essential punctuation mark that assists in creating clarity and conveying meaning. It is used to indicate pauses, separate items in a list, and set off clauses or phrases within a sentence.

In Spanish, the usage of the comma is similar to English, with a few notable differences. Unlike in English, Spanish does not use the Oxford comma (a comma before the conjunction “and” in a list). Additionally, when using quotation marks, the comma is placed after the closing quotation mark in Spanish, while it is placed before in English. For example:

• Mis colores favoritos son el rojo, el amarillo y el verde. (My favorite colors are red, yellow, and green.)
• “Te amo”, le dijo con una sonrisa en la cara. (“I love you,” he said with a smile on his face.)

The colon, known as “dos puntos” in Spanish, is used to introduce an explanation, list, enumeration, or quotation. It signals that what follows the colon provides further information or elaborates on the preceding statement. For example:

• Estaba cansado: había estado escribiendo toda la noche. (He was tired: he had been writing all night long.)
• Los signos de puntuación son los siguientes: el punto, la coma, el punto y coma, etc. (The punctuation marks are as follows: period, comma, semicolon, etc.)

The semicolon, known as “punto y coma” in Spanish, is a versatile punctuation mark that bridges the gap between a comma and a period. It indicates a longer pause than a comma but shorter than a period. The semicolon is primarily used to separate closely related independent clauses and to clarify complex lists or ideas. For example:

• En verano voy a España; en invierno voy a las montañas. (In summer I go to Spain; in winter I go to the mountains.)
• En la reunión se discutirán los avances en el programa de pagos automáticos; las nuevas ideas de producto; los ganadores del premio de puntualidad y las propuestas para la cena de Navidad. (At the meeting, we’ll discuss the advances in the automatic payments program; the new product ideas; the winners of the attendance and punctuality prize, and the proposals for the Christmas party.)

The ellipsis, known as “puntos suspensivos” in Spanish, serves the same purpose as in English. It indicates an omission, creates suspense or expectation, or suggests a trailing off of thought. The ellipsis can also be used to express hesitation or uncertainty. For example:

• Si tan solo… bueno, ya no importa. (If only… well, it doesn’t matter anymore.)

In Spanish, the question mark is called “signo de interrogación.” It is used in the same way as in English, with one key difference: Spanish requires an upside-down question mark at the beginning of a question in addition to the regular question mark at the end. For example:

• ¿Cómo te llamas? (What’s your name?)
• ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)

Similar to the question mark, the exclamation point in Spanish is called “signo de exclamación.” It is used to convey strong emotions, exclamations, or direct commands. Like the question mark, Spanish requires an upside-down exclamation point at the beginning of an exclamation. For example:

• ¡Qué maravilloso! (How marvelous!)
• ¡Cuidado! (Be careful!)

Quotation marks, known as “comillas” in Spanish, are used to indicate direct speech, quotes, or titles of short works. Spanish utilizes different types of quotation marks for aesthetic purposes, such as angled quotation marks (“comillas españolas”) and straight quotation marks (“comillas inglesas”). For example:

• “Tengo sueño”, dijo María. (“I am sleepy,” said María.)
• Quiero leer «Romeo y Julieta». (I want to read “Romeo and Juliet.”)

The slash, known as “barra” in Spanish, is a special character used to indicate alternatives, dates, or fractions. It can be used to replace the conjunction “or” in lists or to express a range of possibilities. For example:

• El libro está escrito en inglés/español. (The book is written in English/Spanish.)
• La reunión será el 10/03/2022. (The meeting will be on 10/03/2022.)

Mastering Spanish punctuation marks is essential for effective communication and accurate expression in writing. By understanding the usage and nuances of each punctuation mark, you can elevate your Spanish language skills and convey your thoughts and ideas with clarity and precision.

Each of these marks serves a unique purpose, and understanding their usage will enhance your writing and enable you to communicate more effectively in Spanish.

To use Spanish punctuation marks on your keyboard, you must hold down the “ALT” or “CTRL” keys and click on the relevant punctuation mark.

Patricia Doval

Patricia Doval is a Spanish linguist at onlinelearnspanish.com. She holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Western Ontario, specializing in language contact. She's a bilingual Spanish-English. She has a master's in Spanish grammar and is responsible for our grammar-related articles.

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Lesson 2 – Spanish Speech Markers (Marcadores del Discurso)

What are “los marcadores del discurso”.

The Spanish speech markers (“Los marcadores del discurso”) are linguistic elements that help to structure and organize a text or speech. They serve as connectors or links between sentences, providing cohesion and coherence to the discourse. In Spanish, these markers can be words or phrases that indicate the relationship between the ideas expressed, making it easier for the reader or listener to follow the flow of the text.

Let’s start with the connectors

Connectors (los conectores)

These are the markers that link one part of the speech with a previous one. Their function is to maintain logical relationships or dependencies between the ideas conveyed by different statements.

They can be

• María y Juan fueron al cine.
• No me gusta la comida picante. Además , soy alérgico a los camarones.
• Me gusta leer libros de ciencia ficción. También disfruto de las películas de ese género.
• Estudia mucho para sus exámenes. Asimismo , participa en actividades extracurriculares.
• No me gusta el café ni el té.

Consecutivos

• No tenía dinero, entonces no pudo comprar el libro.
• Estaba lloviendo, por lo tanto , decidimos quedarnos en casa.
• No había luz en la casa, así que encendimos velas.
• No estudió para el examen, en consecuencia , reprobó.
• El tráfico estaba terrible, de modo que llegamos tarde al evento.

Contraargumentativos

• Me gusta el cine, pero no quiero ir hoy.
• Estaba cansado, sin embargo , siguió trabajando.
• Aunque tenía miedo, decidió enfrentar la situación.
• Sabía que era difícil, no obstante , se esforzó al máximo.
• A él le gusta el fútbol, en cambio , a ella le gusta el baloncesto.

Justificativos

• No fui a la fiesta porque estaba enfermo.
• No puedo ir al cine contigo ya que tengo mucho trabajo.
• No salimos a caminar puesto que estaba lloviendo.
• El vuelo se retrasó debido a mal tiempo.
• La carretera estaba cerrada a causa de un accidente.

Condicionales

• Si estudias, aprobarás el examen.
• Lleva un paraguas en caso de que llueva.
• No podrás entrar a menos que tengas una invitación.
• Puedes usar mi coche siempre que lo devuelvas antes de las 10 pm.
• Te ayudaré a condición de que me lo pidas.

Information structurers

• These speech markers serve to signal the beginning, continuity, or closure of an idea within a text or speech. They help to guide the reader or listener through the development of the argument or narrative.

They can be “de”

• Para empezar , quiero decir que estoy de acuerdo con la propuesta.
• En primer lugar , debemos analizar la situación actual.
• Antes que nada , agradezco la oportunidad de hablar ante ustedes.
• En segundo lugar , es importante considerar las posibles soluciones.
• La empresa ha tenido éxito en el pasado. Además , cuenta con un equipo altamente capacitado.
• El proyecto es costoso. Por otro lado , tiene el potencial de generar ingresos significativos.
• En resumen , la propuesta tiene ventajas y desventajas, pero vale la pena considerarla.
• Por último , quiero agradecer a todos por su atención y participación.
• En conclusión , creo que debemos seguir adelante con el proyecto.

Comentadores (Commentary)

• El proyecto es ambicioso, es decir , requerirá de mucho esfuerzo y dedicación.
• La situación es complicada; en otras palabras , no hay una solución fácil.
• A mi parecer , la mejor opción es seguir adelante con la propuesta.
• Desde mi punto de vista , debemos ser cautelosos al tomar una decisión.
• En efecto , los datos muestran que la estrategia ha sido exitosa.

Digresores (Digressions)

• A propósito , ¿has hablado con Juan sobre el tema?
• Por cierto , me encontré con María ayer y me comentó sobre los cambios en la empresa.
• A todo esto , ¿qué pasó con el informe que ibas a presentar?
• Volviendo al tema , creo que debemos centrarnos en las prioridades principales.
• En cuanto a la propuesta, creo que debemos analizarla detenidamente antes de tomar una decisión.

Reformulating speech markers

are used to rephrase, clarify or summarize information within a text or speech. They help to ensure that the intended message is conveyed accurately and effectively. We will explore four main categories of reformulating discourse markers: explicativos, rectificativos, de distanciamiento, and recapitulativos.

Explicativos (Explanatory)

• La situación es complicada; o sea , no hay una solución fácil.
• No estoy de acuerdo con la propuesta. Me explico , creo que hay otras opciones más viables.
• No me gusta el diseño. Aclaro , no es que esté mal hecho, sino que prefiero otro estilo.
• El proceso es lento y tedioso; en otras palabras , llevará tiempo completarlo.

Rectificativos (Rectifying)

• El proyecto es costoso, mejor dicho , es una inversión importante.
• La reunión es mañana, no hoy. Rectifico , me equivoqué en la fecha.
• En realidad , la situación no es tan grave como parece.
• De hecho , los datos demuestran que la estrategia ha sido exitosa.
• El problema no es la falta de recursos, más bien es la mala administración de los mismos.

De Distanciamiento (Distancing)

• La propuesta tiene ventajas. Sin embargo , también presenta desventajas importantes.
• Aunque entiendo tu punto de vista, no estoy de acuerdo con él.
• El equipo ha trabajado duro. No obstante , los resultados no son los esperados.
• La idea es interesante, pero creo que necesita más desarrollo.
• A pesar de los contratiempos, seguimos adelante con el proyecto.

Recapitulativos (Recapitulating)

• En síntesis , el proyecto presenta oportunidades de crecimiento y desarrollo.
• Para concluir , creo que debemos seguir adelante con el proyecto.
• En pocas palabras , la situación es complicada pero no imposible de resolver.
• En suma , los beneficios superan los riesgos y debemos continuar con la propuesta.

Argumentative operators

“Los operadores argumentativos,” are essential tools for constructing logical and persuasive arguments in both written and spoken Spanish. They help to establish relationships between ideas and guide the reader or listener through the argument. We will examine two main categories of argumentative operators: gradativos and no gradativos.

Gradativos (Gradual)

• En primer lugar , debemos analizar los datos disponibles.
• Además , es importante tener en cuenta las opiniones de los expertos.
• También debemos considerar las posibles consecuencias a largo plazo.
• Asimismo , es crucial evaluar los costos y beneficios.
• Por último , debemos tomar una decisión basada en la información recopilada.

No Gradativos (Non-gradual)

No gradativos are argumentative operators that do not indicate a gradual progression or hierarchy within an argument. Instead, they help to establish relationships between ideas, such as cause and effect, contrast, or concession. Some common no gradativos include:

Causales (Causal)

• No podemos continuar con el proyecto porque no tenemos suficientes recursos.
• Puesto que no hay consenso, debemos buscar otra solución.
• No es posible avanzar ya que no hemos recibido la aprobación necesaria.

Concesivos (Concessive)

• Aunque hay argumentos en contra, creo que debemos seguir adelante.
• La propuesta tiene sus desventajas, sin embargo , sus beneficios son mayores.
• No obstante las dificultades, el equipo logró cumplir con los objetivos.

Contrastivos (Contrastive)

• La idea es interesante, pero necesita más desarrollo.
• La opción A es más costosa, en cambio , la opción B es más económica.
• La empresa X ha tenido éxito, mientras que la empresa Y ha enfrentado dificultades.

Informal Discourse Markers

• ¿Vamos al cine? – Pues sí, me parece buena idea. (Shall we go to the movies? – Well, yes, that sounds like a good idea.)
• ¿Qué te parece la propuesta? – Pues … no sé, tengo que pensarlo. (What do you think about the proposal? – Well… I don’t know, I have to think about it.)
• No puedo ir a la fiesta, pues tengo que estudiar para un examen. (I can’t go to the party, as I have to study for an exam.)
• Ya entiendo lo que quieres decir. (Now I understand what you’re saying.)
• Ya veo que tienes razón. (I see that you’re right.)
• Ya terminé el trabajo. (I’ve already finished the work.)
• Hombre , ¡no me esperaba verte aquí! (Man, I didn’t expect to see you here!)
• Hombre , no estoy de acuerdo con esa idea. (Man, I don’t agree with that idea.)
• Hombre , tienes que ver esta película. (Man, you have to see this movie.)
• Mujer , ¡cuánto tiempo sin verte! (Girl, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you!)
• Mujer , creo que te estás equivocando. (Girl, I think you’re mistaken.)
• Mujer , este restaurante es increíble. (Girl, this restaurant is amazing.)
• Hija , ¿estás bien? Te ves cansada. (Sweetheart, are you okay? You look tired.)
• Hijo , ¡no sabía que venías a visitarme! (Son, I didn’t know you were coming to visit me!)
• Hija , no te preocupes tanto por lo que piensen los demás. (Sweetheart, don’t worry so much about what others think.)

Writing Dialogues in Spanish - Punctuation

Spanish grammar.

Dialogues in Spanish start with a long dash – (raya) not a short dash - (guión).

In this article, we will simply call the long dash, a dash.

–Estoy listo. (= "I am ready")

Notice how there is no space between the dash and the first letter.

Dialogues do not end in a dash (–) , only the normal punctuation sign (normally a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark).

Punctuation with Attributives

A dash is also used to introduce an attributive. An attributive in a dialogue credits the speech to the person who said it. It refers to a verb or action associated with speaking and who said it.

–dijo él. (= he said) –respondió ella. (= she responded) –preguntó. (= he/she asked)

Again, the dash is joined to first letter of the first word. Also notice how that first word, normally a “speaking” verb starts with a lowercase letter.

More examples of “speaking” verbs in Spanish are:

aceptó (accepted), aconsejó (advised), admitió (admitted), afirmó (affirmed/asserted), amenazó (threatened), bromeó (joked), comentó (commented), concluyó (concluded), dijo (said), gritó (shouted), mintió (lied), preguntó (asked), prometió (promised), repitió (repeated), respondió (responded), rogó (begged), sugirió (suggested), susurró (whispered).

Now let’s look at both parts joined together: The speech and the attributive.

–Estoy lista –dijo ella.

There is no period (full stop) at the end of the first part since it is continued by an attributive. We can only put a question mark, an explanation mark or ellipsis (three dots) in the speech part when it is followed by an attributive. See how there is a space between what is being said and the dash that is joined to the attributive. Remember, the speaker’s attributive begins with a lowercase letter.

–¿Estás bien? –preguntó Diego. –Sí, estoy bien –le contestó Angélica con una sonrisa.

The speech of each person is written a separate line. The first speech has the question marks directly after the words. The second speech does NOT have the period (full stop) directly after what is said. Here it appears at the end of the attributive.

What happens if there is more dialogue after the attributive?

–Estoy lista –dijo ella–. Me voy a la fiesta.

First we add a dash to the end of the attributive. This is followed by the final punctuation mark of the first part of speech. In the example above, Estoy lista should end in a period (full stop) but instead, it goes after the dash at the end of the attributive. Since it is a new sentence, the second part begins with a capital letter.

If it helps, you can think of the dashes in –dijo ella– as parentheses.

But look at the following:

–Estoy lista –dijo ella–, y nadie me va a parar.

Here the dialogue is a longer sentence that is interrupted by the attributive. Since the punctuation mark is a comma, the second part continues with a lowercase letter.

However, if the first part ends in a question mark, exclamation mark or an ellipsis (three dots), then this goes at the end of the first part.

–¡Estás loco! –gritó Daniel–. Tienes que parar inmediatamente.

If the narrator’s comment has nothing to do with a speaking or thinking verb (including related actions like shouting, whispering etc.) then the narrator’s sentence begins with a capital letter.

–Me voy. –Cerró la puerta y salió.

Using the Colon in dialogue

Until now, we have only seen the attributive (speaking verb) after what is being said. However, sometimes you have what the narrator says before the speech. In this case we use a colon after the "speaking verb".

Mi madre dijo: –Vamos en diez minutos.

Le preguntó al doctor: –¿Estaré bien?

The dialogue goes on the next line.

Punctuation when thinking

When a person is directly THINKING instead of speaking, then the punctuation « » (comillas) are used instead of the dash. These are known as comillas angulares , comillas latinas , and also comillas españolas .

«¡Qué aburrido!», pensé. Pero no me atreví a decirlo. «Hay algo raro aquí», pensó el detective. –Puedes llegar a ser un buen jugador –le expliqué y pensé, «aunque nunca tan bueno como yo».

Notice the position of the period (full stop) and comma go after the final closing comilla.

Punctuation when quoting

Quotes, or repeating what someone else has said, are enclosed in comillas.

Fue Descartes quien dijo: «Pienso, luego existo» . Sus últimas palabras fueron: «No pasará nada» .

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A guide to the most important spanish punctuation marks.

Many languages share certain punctuation marks, so often you won’t have to relearn them from scratch. Spanish punctuation marks share quite a bit in common with English ones, but there are certainly differences. You may already know this, but one thing unique to Spanish is that question marks and exclamation marks are used at both the beginning and end of a question or exclamation.

A fundamental aspect of using punctuation marks is knowing whether you need to leave spaces before or after them. As a general rule, punctuation marks in Spanish are written right next to the previous word and are separated from the following word by a space, for example with the comma or period. Of course, there are some exceptions, which we’ll explain in this article. Let’s see which punctuation marks are the most used in Spanish.

The Most Important Spanish Punctuation Marks

Punto — period (.).

It’s mainly used to indicate the end of a sentence, paragraph, or text. It’s also used with abbreviations ( Sra. Robles — “Mrs. Robles”) and to express the time (14.45). The period is never used to separate or group the digits in a number in Spanish, regardless of its length (for example, the number 10 million is “10 000 000”).

Coma — Comma (,)

In general, the comma is used to separate elements within the same sentence. It appears in a number of different situations, but ;et’s take a look at the main ways this punctuation mark is used.

• To separate items in a list. For example, Tienen un perro, un gato y un ratón. (“They have a dog, a cat, and a mouse.”) Remember that a comma isn’t used before the y (“and”) at the end of a list in Spanish.
• To write numbers with decimals. For example, as 2,25 (although it’s also valid to use a period).
• To indicate when you’re addressing someone. For example, Pablo, ayúdame con esto. (“Pablo, help me with this.”) or Venid, niños, la cena está lista. (“Come, children, dinner is ready.”) In these cases, the comma is crucial to avoid misunderstandings. After all, just like in English, it’s not the same to say Vamos a comer, niños (“Let’s eat, children”) as it is to say Vamos a comer niños  (“Let’s eat children”).

Also, remember not to use a comma between the subject and the verb in a sentence. For example, in the sentence Yo, voy al parque (“I, go to the park”) it’s not correct to put a comma between yo and voy .

Puntos Suspensivos — Ellipsis (…)

The ellipsis is mainly used at the end of an incomplete list ( Tenemos café, té, zumo… — “We have coffee, tea, juice…”) or to show doubt or suspense ( No lo sé… ¿tú que piensas? — “I don’t know… what do you think?”). The correct version of this punctuation mark contains only three dots. In addition, a space is always left after the ellipsis and the following word is only capitalized if it’s part of a new sentence, for example: En esta tienda venden comida, ropa, juguetes… Además, los dueños son muy amables. (“In this store they sell food, clothes, toys… Besides, the owners are very kind.”)

Dos Puntos — Colon (:)

This sign has several uses — let’s take a look at some of the most important ones:

• To introduce a list. For example, Necesitamos estos ingredientes: harina, huevos y azúcar. (“We need these ingredients: flour, eggs, and sugar.”), or to introduce an example like Algunos días hago deporte: hoy he ido a nadar. (“Some days I do sports: today I went swimming.”) In this case, the following word is written in lowercase.
• To write the time. E.g. 06:30 (although, as mentioned, it’s also valid to use a period).
• In the header of letters and emails. For example, Hola, Laura: (“Hello, Laura:”) or Estimado cliente:  (“Dear customer:”). In this case, the colon is followed by a new line and the first word is capitalized.

As you’ve seen, colons are written right next to the previous word and separated from the following word with a space.

Signos De Interrogación — Question Marks (¿?)

They’re used to indicate the beginning and end of a question. As mentioned before, Spanish has both an opening sign (¿) and a closing sign (?), and you need to use both to write a question. Let’s look at a few examples.

• ¿Dónde está tu chaqueta? (“Where’s your jacket?”)
• Tengo un coche nuevo, ¿quieres verlo? (“I have a new car, want to see it?”)

Signos De Exclamación — Exclamation Marks (¡!)

They’re used in the same way as question marks, but for exclamations.

• ¡Qué buena idea! (“What a good idea!”)
• Me encanta esta canción, ¡es genial! (“I love this song, it’s great!”)

Comillas — Quotation Marks («»)

Spanish traditionally uses angle brackets («»), but it’s also not incorrect to use English quotation marks (“”). They’re mainly used with words from other languages and quotations, as well as for titles of books, movies and other artistic works.

• La película «Dunkerque» se estrenó en 2017. (The film “Dunkirk” was released in 2017.)
• Su respuesta fue: «Debería estar en un museo». (His response was, “It should be in a museum.”)

Barra — Slash (/)

The slash is used in some abbreviations, such as c/ (for calle , meaning “street”), which is common when writing postal addresses. It’s also used to show several possibilities ( Indique el/los día/días de la reserva. — “Enter the day/day(s) of the reservation.”) and to separate the day, month and year in dates (10/11/2005). For dates, keep in mind that the recommended date format in Spanish is “day/month/year.”

List Of Spanish Punctuation Marks

A Guide to Spanish Punctuation, Capitalization, and Accents

Kaitlin whitman.

Are you a grammar whiz in your native language? The same may not be said about your second language. In this article, you'll master Spanish punctuation, capitalization, and accents.

It’s easy to think that Spanish punctuation will be the same as it is in English. There are, however, a few differences that a language learner should keep in mind. All the same parts will make an appearance. They use commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points just like we do. A few minor alterations in how these punctuation marks are used will be what sets your Spanish apart. Read on to take your Spanish to the next level with proper Spanish punctuation.

Upside Down Marks

One symbol that we don’t see in English is an upside down question mark and exclamation point. Both appear in Spanish. They simply mark the beginning of a question or exclamation. These marks can be helpful because they allow a speaker to indicate where a question or exclamation starts. This eliminates any guess work or confusion. The beginning mark can be placed at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of one. Here are some examples.

¿Cómo estás? - How are you? ¡Estoy bien! - I’m great! Y tú, ¿cómo the llamas? - And you, what is your name? No me reconoces, pero, ¡soy Pedro! - You don’t recognize me, but I’m Pedro!

As you can see in the examples above, it is possible to begin a question or exclamation in the middle of a sentence using the upside down mark. In this instance, there is always a comma placed before the mark.

Comma Similarities

Luckily, with commas, there are a few similarities that make the work of learning Spanish punctuation a bit easier. Here are some ways we use commas in English that you can also expect to find in Spanish.

-With introductory clauses or phrases When she finished the work, she sat on the couch. Al terminar el trabajo, se sentó en el sofá.

-To set off clauses or phrases Sarah, a talented painter, finished the painting. Sara, una pintora talentosa, terminó el cuadro.

-With two or more coordinate adjectives describing the same noun He’s a smart, funny guy from a good family. Es un tío inteligente, cómico y de buena familia.

- With compound sentences and before conjunctions We’ll go to the store, and we’ll buy milk. Vamos a la tienda, y compramos leche.

-When addressing others Diego, can you meet me there at 6:00? Diego, ¿podríamos encontrarnos allí a las 6:00?

-With quotes “I don’t know,” he said. —No sé, dijo.

In Spanish, it is more common to see an em dash (—) to introduce dialogue or «guillemets».

Comma Differences

There are a few subtle differences with how we use commas in English and Spanish. Knowing them will make your Spanish seem elevated and sophisticated. Here are some comma rules in Spanish .

-The Oxford comma is never used We went to the store for bread, milk, and eggs. Fuimos a la tienda por pan, leche y huevos.

-Before an upside down question mark or exclamation As explained prior, if your beginning question mark or exclamation point falls in the middle of a sentence, it should have a comma before it. This is something we don’t have in English since we don’t use these special punctuation marks.

-As decimals in numbers When writing out numbers in Spain, the comma is used where a decimal point would be in English. Spaniards place a decimal point where we would put a comma in English. In Latin America, they use the same system as we do. In case you’re traveling to Spain, here are some examples:

$9.99 - 9,99 € $1,000.00 - 1.000,00 €

Capitalization

Spanish capitalization rules can take some getting used to for native speakers of English. Here are some general guidelines:

-Capitalize proper nouns All names are capitalized, as in the case of Javier, Francisco, Brenda, or Lola, for example.

-Capitalize cardinal directions North, south, east, and west are capitalized in Spanish if referring to directions. As an adjective, we would use a lower case letter.

Go north! ¡Ve hacia el Norte!

I want to see the north of Spain. Quiero conocer el norte de España.

-Use lowercase letters for names of streets and other generic monuments and landmarks In this case, however, the name of the monument, street, or landmark should have an uppercase letter. This rule also extends to geographic phenomena like rivers and lakes.

Turn on San Antonio Street. Gira en la calle San Antonio.

I visited Saint Mary’s Church. Visité la iglesia de Santa María.

Let’s go to Lake Titicaca. Vamos al lago Titicaca.

-Do not capitalize days of the week or months of the year In Spanish, these are never capitalized. For example, March will be written marzo and Tuesday, martes.

-Capitalize the names of countries but not languages or the people who live there All countries should be capitalized in Spanish, such as España (Spain). The language español (Spanish) is not capitalized, and when speaking about españoles or españolas (Spaniards), those words should not be capitalized either. Consider the following example:

En Francia, los franceses hablan francés. In France, the French speak French.

-Capitalize only the first word of titles The first word of books, movies, and other works are capitalized, but each word after that is to start with a lower case letter. The only exception would be if there is a proper noun elsewhere in the title. Here are some examples:

One Hundred Years of Solitude Cien años de soledad

The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland Las aventuras de Alicia en el país de las maravillas

Knowing when to use accent marks plagues Spanish students everywhere! I often tell my students to memorize words that have and do not have accents, and I do believe that this is the easiest way to tackle the issue. There are, however, rules that you can use to tell whether a word will have an accent. It depends on the type of word we are dealing with. There are 4 types.

1. Aguda If your spoken emphasis occurs in the last syllable of the word, it’s aguda. These words will have a written accent if they end in a vowel other than y or the letters n or s. If there is a consonant before the n or s, this word will not have a written accent mark. Here are some examples of aguda words with and without written accents.

Avión - Plane Inglés - English Hablar - To speak Bailar - To dance

2. Llana If your spoken emphasis occurs in the second to last syllable of the word, it’s llana. These words are opposite the aguda words. They get a written accent if they do end in a vowel or the consonants n or s. Here are some examples of llana words with and without written accents.

Azúcar - Sugar Césped - Grass Rojo - Red Puerta - Door

3. Esdrújula If your spoken emphasis occurs in the antepenultimate syllable of the word, it’s esdrújula. These words always have a written accent. Here are some examples of esdrújula words.

Sábado - Saturday México - Mexico

4. Sobresdrújula If your spoken emphasis occurs before the antepenultimate syllable of the word, it’s sobresdrújula. These words always have a written accent. Here are some examples of sobresdrújula words.

Rápidamente - Quickly Cuéntamelo - Tell me it

In addition, there are words that are spelled the same that have written accents to differentiate their meanings. Here are a few examples:

Now It's Your Turn!

Learning a new language always presents a unique set of challenges. Punctuation can be tedious, and it’s easy to get discouraged. With a little practice, you can master this concept and set your Spanish apart! Reading is a great way to expose yourself to punctuation and grammar. Finding a pen pal to practice writing can also help. It is equally important to train your ear to hear where accents might fall and where pauses naturally happen in sentences. Speechling offers a curriculum based on speech training that will ultimately help you speak and write with greater fluency. Give it a try!

Speechling is a nonprofit app and website that combines human coaching with technology to improve your foreign language speaking.

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StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

The Complete Guide To Spanish Punctuation

Understanding Spanish punctuation is a key part of learning Spanish reading and writing. While most Spanish punctuation marks will be familiar to you, some of them are used slightly differently or have different meanings.

Knowing how to use Spanish punctuation marks correctly will make your written Spanish more accurate and improve your chances of success in a Spanish-language job or academic environment.

It will also help you improve your reading comprehension and interpret Spanish texts more accurately – from newspapers to novels.

In this post, you'll discover some of the most common Spanish punctuation marks and how to use them. You'll also look at their names in Spanish, so that you can identify them when you hear people talk about them in conversation.

By the way, if you want to learn Spanish fast and have fun, my top recommendation for language learners is my Uncovered courses, which teach you through StoryLearning®.  Click here  to find out about my beginner course, Spanish Uncovered and try out the method for free.

22 Punctuation Marks And Symbols In Spanish

To start, here's a handy list of Spanish punctuation marks. In the next section, you'll discover how to use them.

How To Use Punctuation Marks In Spanish

Punto (Period/Full Stop)

The period or full stop is one of the most common punctuation marks in any language. Just like in English, it’s used to mark the end of a sentence in written Spanish. However, Spanish has three different types of periods depending on where it’s used in the sentence:

• When the paragraph continues you use punto y seguido
• Punto y aparte is used for ending a paragraph
• You use punto final for ending an entire document

These periods all look the same, so you don’t really need to be on the lookout for them; it’s only really important if you’re discussing the text academically.

The punto can be used in other contexts too. As in English, it’s used in urls and email addresses: instead of “dot com,” .com is read as punto com .

The period is also used for abbreviations, such as:

• Sr. ( Señor)
• c.c. ( centímetros cúbicos )
• EE. UU. ( Estados Unidos)

You can also use a period when referring to the time. This is more common than using a colon, as we do English. For example, 1 o’clock is 1.00 instead of 1:00.

Finally, the period is used to write numerals . Unlike in English, though, the period and comma are reversed. Periods are used to separate thousands, while a comma is used to separate decimals. For example, a large sum might look like this:

Keep in mind that if you encounter numerals in the U.S. or Mexico , they’ll typically follow U.S. conventions, so they would be written like this:

We won’t spend any time here on the colon ( dos puntos ), semicolon ( punto y coma) , or ellipsis ( punto suspensivos) because they’re used just as they are in English.

Next, let's look at the coma (comma).

Coma (Comma)

The coma, or comma, is another punctuation mark that’s used a lot like it is in written English. We’ve already seen one use for it (as a decimal marker), but it’s also used in written text to separate different parts of a sentence.

For example:

One difference that you may notice is that Spanish doesn’t use the Oxford comma. Or a comma after the second-to-last item in a list. In English, the use of the Oxford comma varies from country to country. But in Spanish, it’s avoided entirely.

This means that if you’re listing three or more items, you don’t include a comma before the word “ y ” or “and,” even if you would ordinarily use it in English.

Next you'll discover one of the punctuation marks that differs most from English.

Signos De Interrogación Y Exclamación (Question Marks And Exclamation Points)

The use of question marks and exclamation points is one of the most visible differences between English and Spanish punctuation marks.

Those upside-down questions marks are hard to miss when reading written Spanish. But you can struggle to find them on a keyboard when trying to type in Spanish!

These punctuation marks serve the same purpose in Spanish – to ask a question or to show excitement – but you must use them before and after the phrase.

Omitting the inverted question mark at the beginning may happen in some contexts, such as a text message or social media post, but it looks unprofessional in formal writing.

It’s important to note that in some cases, only part of the sentence needs to be included within the question marks or exclamation points. For example, if the name of the person who’s being addressed comes at the beginning of the sentence, it isn’t included:

But everything that comes after the first question mark or exclamation point is included:

You’ll notice that the first word of the question or exclamation isn’t capitalised, unless it’s at the beginning of the sentence or happens to be a proper noun or name.

For an explanation (in Spanish) of how to use Spanish question and exclamation marks, hit play on the video below from the StoryLearning Spanish YouTube channel.

Multiple Spanish Punctuation Marks

You can also use question marks and exclamation points together, which isn’t common in formal English, as well as multiple exclamation points to increase the emphasis:

As you can see, either the question mark or exclamation point can be used first, or they can be combined in either order.

Comillas (Quotation Marks)

Comillas, or quotation marks, come in several different forms in Spanish. Firstly, there’s the angled quotation mark (« »), or comilla española, which you'll find in European Spanish and other Romance languages like French.

Secondly, there’s the English quotation mark (“ “), or comillas inglesas , and also the single quotation mark, comilla simple , which in English also serves as an apostrophe. But these quotation marks are more commonly used in Latin American Spanish.

You can use quotation marks just as you would in English: to identify a quotation or dialogue, or to write the title of a book or movie:

While comillas are mostly used the same way in both languages, you might notice a few differences in how other punctuation marks are applied.

For example, in Spanish, you’ll need to use a punto after the quotation mark, even if it already includes another mark, like a question mark or exclamation point, that would be sufficient in English.

Also, English allows for some marks, like the comma, to fall within the quotation marks even if it isn’t part of the title of a book or movie; Spanish does not.

Because of the above rules you’ll occasionally end up with more punctuation marks in a row than would be natural in English.

Other Spanish Punctuation Marks And Symbols

So far, you've seen most of the major Spanish punctuation marks that you need to know in order to read and write in Spanish . But there are a few other symbols you may encounter, such as accent marks and numerical symbols.

Accent marks in Spanish are called tildes , although in English, we use the term tilde to refer only to a single diacritical mark, the (~) that goes over the letter n .

In Spanish, this isn’t actually treated as an accent mark, because the n and ñ are distinct letters of the Spanish alphabet! Instead, the (~) is referred to as virgulilla .

You can learn more about how and when to use Spanish accent marks in the video below.

When it comes to numerical symbols, (%) is referred to as por ciento , while (+) and (-) are más and menos .

It’s a good idea to be familiar with the names of these symbols, because they may come up when speaking aloud in Spanish. For example, a phone number with an area code (+57) would be pronounced as más cinco siete .

Likewise, some common Internet symbols have different names in Spanish. The at sign (@) is called arroba , while the backslash is barra invertida (although may be referred to as “slash” even in spoken Spanish). Guion bajo refers to an underscore.

If you listen to Spanish podcasts , you may hear the host invite you to email them at an address like “ info guion bajo 2021 arroba podcast punto com”, which means:

[email protected]

How To Type Spanish Punctuation Marks On Your Keyboard

Learning Spanish punctuation marks is fairly easy. But typing in Spanish on your keyboard is a different story. Depending on your operating system, you can use keyboard shortcuts to access Spanish punctuation marks, such as the ¡ and ¿.

On a Mac, you can use the Option key for some of them. Opt + 1 gives you an inverted exclamation point, while Opt + Shift + ? gets you an inverted question mark.

However, other devices have different keyboard shortcuts, so we won’t go into them all here.

Spanish Punctuation: Wrapping It Up

Just remember that punctuation marks are an integral part of Spanish, and leaving them out isn’t an option.

Take the time to learn them and use them properly, and you’ll be able to express yourself more accurately in Spanish and read it aloud more fluently!

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Understanding Basic Spanish Punctuation

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• Writing Skills
• History & Culture
• Pronunciation
• B.A., Seattle Pacific University

Spanish punctuation is so much like English's that some textbooks and reference books don't even discuss it. But there are a few significant differences.

Learn all the Spanish punctuation marks and their names. The marks whose uses are significantly different than those of English are explained below.

Punctuation Used in Spanish

• . : punto, punto final (period)
• , : coma (comma)
• : : dos puntos (colon)
• ; : punto y coma ( semicolon )
• — : raya (dash)
• - : guión (hyphen)
• « » : comillas (quotation marks)
• " : comillas (quotation marks)
• ' : comillas simples (single quotation marks)
• ¿ ? : principio y fin de interrogación (question marks)
• ¡ ! : principio y fin de exclamación o admiración (exclamation points)
• ( ) : paréntesis (parenthesis)
• [ ] : corchetes, parénteses cuadrados (brackets)
• { } : corchetes (braces, curly brackets)
• * : asterisco ( asterisk )
• ... : puntos suspensivos (ellipsis)

Question Marks

In Spanish, question marks are used at the beginning and the end of a question. If a sentence contains more than a question, the question marks frame the question when the question part comes at the end of the sentence.

• Si no te gusta la comida, ¿por qué la comes?
• If you don't like the food, why are you eating it?

Only the last four words form the question, and thus the inverted question mark, comes near the middle of the sentence.

• ¿Por qué la comes si no te gusta la comida?
• Why are you eating the food if you don't like it?

Since the question part of the sentence comes at the beginning, the entire sentence is surrounded by question marks.

• Katarina, ¿qué haces hoy?
• Katarina, what are you doing today?

Exclamation Point

Exclamation points are used in the same way as question marks are except to indicate exclamations instead of questions. Exclamation marks are also sometimes used for direct commands. If a sentence contains a question and an exclamation, it is okay to use one of the marks at the beginning of the sentence and the other at the end.

• Vi la película la noche pasada. ¡Qué susto!
• I saw the movie last night. What a fright!
• ¡Qué lástima, estás bien?
• What a pity, are you all right?

It is acceptable in Spanish to use up to three consecutive exclamation points to show emphasis.

• ¡¡¡No lo creo!!!

I don't believe it!

In regular text, the period is used essentially the same as in English, coming at the end of sentences and most abbreviations. However, in Spanish numerals, a comma is often used instead of a period and vice versa. In U.S. and Mexican Spanish, however, the same pattern as English is often followed.

• Ganó $16.416,87 el año pasado.
• She earned $16,416.87 last year.

This punctuation would be used in Spain and most of Latin America.

• Ganó $16,416.87 el año pasado.
• She earned $16,416.87 last year.

This punctuation would be used primarily in Mexico, the U.S., and Puerto Rico.

The comma usually is used the same as in English, being used to indicate a break in thought or to set off clauses or words. One difference is that in lists, there is no comma between the next-to-last item and the y , whereas in English some writers use a comma before the "and." This use in English is sometimes called the serial comma or the Oxford comma.

• Compré una camisa, dos zapatos y tres libros.
• I bought a shirt, two shoes, and three books.
• Vine, vi y vencí.
• I came, I saw, I conquered .

The dash is used most frequently in Spanish to indicate a change in speakers during a dialogue, thus replacing quotation marks. In English, it is customary to separate each speaker's remarks into a separate paragraph, but that typically isn't done in Spanish.

• — ¿Cómo estás? — Muy bien ¿y tú? — Muy bien también.
• "How are you?"
• "I'm fine. And you?"
• "I'm fine too."

Dashes can also be used to set off material from the rest of the text, much as they are in English.

• Si quieres una taza de café — es muy cara — puedes comprarla aquí.
• If you want a cup of coffee — it's very expensive — you can buy it here.

Angled Quotation Marks

The angled quotation marks and the English-style quotation marks are equivalent. The choice is primarily a matter of regional custom or the capabilities of the typesetting system. The angled quotation marks are more common in Spain than in Latin America, perhaps because they are used in some other Romance languages (such as French).

The main difference between the English and Spanish uses of quotation marks is that sentence punctuation in Spanish goes outside the quote marks, while in American English the punctuation is on the inside.

• Quiero leer "Romeo y Julieta".

I want to read "Romeo and Juliet."

• Quiero leer «Romeo y Julieta».
• 3 Key Differences Between English and Spanish Punctuation
• Using the Comma in Spanish
• How to Use Angular Quotation Marks in Spanish
• Exclamations in Spanish
• How Does Spanish Use Upside-Down Question and Exclamation Marks?
• How to Use a Semicolon in Spanish
• How To Make Spanish Accents and Symbols in Ubuntu Linux
• How to Type Spanish Accents and Punctuation on a Mac
• Asking Questions in Spanish
• When To Place the Verb Before the Subject in Spanish
• Using 'No' and Related Words in Spanish
• 10 Facts About Spanish Prepositions
• Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns in Spanish
• Writing Dates in Spanish
• Using the Spanish Conjunction ‘Y’
• Using the Spanish Verb ‘Gustar’

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Spanish Grammar for Beginners: The 9 Parts of Speech

One of the most important parts of Spanish grammar for beginners is parts of speech!

You’ve probably heard your Spanish teacher talk about terms like sustantivo, verbo, and artículo in class, but what do they mean? Well, these are just a few of the parts of speech in Spanish!

Today, you’ll learn what these terms mean as I go over the 9 parts of speech in Spanish. Understanding how to use these terms can even help you learn Spanish faster! You can even test your new knowledge at the end of the post with a fun grammar quiz. 

What is a “Part of Speech”?

There are thousands of words in English and Spanish. Luckily, parts of speech exist to help categorize these words.

Parts of speech group words together based on their function in a sentence. In Spanish, the main parts of speech are: 

• Preposition
• Conjunction
• interjection 

The parts of speech are one of the most important Spanish grammar rules for beginners. There is lots of information packed into these 9 categories!

Knowing the Parts of Speech Makes Learning Spanish Easier

Understanding parts of speech is incredibly useful when learning a foreign language. Knowing a word’s part of speech tells you how to use it in a sentence. This knowledge makes it easier to properly construct sentences. 

Additionally, it’s important to know the parts of speech so that you’re not confused when your Spanish teacher talks about conjunctions, adverbs, and articles. Knowing some basic grammar terminology will help you better understand what’s going on in class. 

Discover the 9 Parts of Speech in Spanish

If you want to learn Spanish grammar for beginners, then knowing the parts of speech is a must. These categories are the building blocks for Spanish grammar. 

1. Articles ( Los artículos )

Articles draw special attention to the noun that they precede. The type of article shows the way that the speaker is thinking about the noun. The speaker could be talking about the noun in a general sense or as a specific item. The two distinct types of articles are definite and indefinite. 

Definite Articles

Definite articles specify which object, person, or place the speaker is talking about.

“The” is the only definite article in English. In Spanish, however, there are 4 definitive articles: los, las, el , and la . 

Again, these artículos change depending on the noun that they precede.

• Masculine singular: el
• Masculine plural: los
• Feminine singular: la
• Feminine plural: las

Let’s look at some examples.

La maestra pone el lápiz en la mesa. The teacher puts the pencil on the table.

El perro corre en el patio. The dog runs in the yard.

Indefinite Articles

Indefinite articles are a nonspecific way to refer to a noun. “A” and “an” are the only two English indefinite articles that exist. However, in Spanish, there are four.

Again, these artículos change depending on the noun that they proceed.

• Masculine singular: un 
• Masculine plural: unos
• Feminine singular: una 
• Feminine plural: unas

Look how the sentences change with indefinite articles.

Una maestra pone un lápiz en una mesa. A teacher puts a pencil on a table.

Un perro corre en un patio. A dog runs in a yard.

2. Nouns ( Los sustantivos )

You’ve probably heard that nouns in English are people, places, and things. Luckily, the same holds true in Spanish!

Nouns, or sustantivos , can be objects, feelings, and even concepts. They help you talk about the physical and imaginary world. Nouns are essentially names that identify objects. 

Many Spanish words have a specific ending that tells you that the word is a noun. 

Spanish Noun Endings

– ción/-ión

• canción – song
• transición – transition
• aprobación – approval
• unidad – unity
• profundidad – depth
• hermandad – brother/sisterhood
• sencillez – simplicity
• fluidez – fluidity
• diez – ten

Nouns can occur anywhere in a sentence, but they usually appear as the subject at the beginning of the sentence or as an object at the end. 

El perro corre en el jardín. The dog runs in the yard.

Los niños juegan con el gato en la sala. The children play with the cat in the living room.

3. Adjectives (Los adjetivos)

Adjectives describe nouns. You use adjectives all the time! They add creativity, detail, and personality to your sentences. Adjectives help describe people, places, and the things around you. 

Common Adjectives

• grande – big/large
• hermoso –  beautiful
• azul – blue
• rápido – fast

Be careful with your adjective placement! In English, adjectives come before the noun that they describe. However, in Spanish, they come after the noun. 

Example Sentences

La maestra nueva pone el lápiz amarillo en la mesa sucia. The new teacher puts the yellow pencil on the dirty table.

El perro feo corre en el patio grande. The ugly dog runs in the big yard.

Los niños traviesos juegan con el gato gris en la sala desorganizada. The mischievous children play with the gray cat in the messy living room.

4.  Verbs ( Los verbos )

Los verbos describe an action or a state of being. Verbs make up an important part of Spanish grammar for beginners. Every sentence has a verb! 

Common Verbs

• pensar – to think
• vivir – to live
• ser – to be

The above verbs are in their neutral state, which is called the infinitive form. You can tell when a verb is in its infinitive form because it will end in -ar, -er, or -ir . 

However, most sentences won’t use verbs in their infinitive form. Instead, verbs are usually conjugated in the present, past, future, or other tenses. Spanish verbs require a lot of conjugating! Learn more about Spanish verb conjugation with this guide .

See if you can identify the verbs in each of the following sentences. 

La maestra pone el lápiz en la mesa. (poner) The teacher puts the pencil on the table.

El perro corre en el patio. (correr) The dog runs in the yard.

5.  Adverbs ( Los adverbios )

Just like how adjectives describe nouns, adverbs add a description to verbs. Adverb even has the word “verb” inside of it!

For example, instead of saying “he runs,” you can say “he runs fast.” “Fast” describes how the action is done. 

Common Spanish Adverbs

Los adverbios in Spanish have many different forms, but the most common ending is – mente . In English, they end in -ly. 

• lentamente – slowly
• felizmente – happily
• cuidadosamente – carefully

Take a look at how adverbs affect these sentences.

La maestra pone el lápiz cuidadosamente en la mesa. The teacher carefully puts the pencil on the table.

El perro corre rápidamente en el patio. The dog runs quickly in the yard.

Los niños juegan silenciosamente con el gato en la sala. The children play quietly with the cat in the living room.

6. Pronouns ( Los pronombres )

A pronoun is essentially a word that substitutes a noun. You don’t want to keep using the same noun over and over again when telling a story. This repetition would sound boring and cluttered. Instead, you use a pronoun to replace the noun that you are talking about. 

Take a look at this paragraph without pronouns:

The teacher walked into class. Then the teacher told us that the teacher had a surprise. The teacher brought cupcakes to class!

Now take a look at the same paragraph using pronouns:

The teacher walked into class. Then she told us that she had a surprise. She brought cupcakes to class!

See how important pronouns are? They make the paragraph much more clear and concise!

Spanish Subject Pronouns

Spanish subject pronouns are the most common type of pronoun. They are broken down by the gender and number of the noun they replace. 

Try to identify the subject pronouns in these sentences. 

Ella pone el lápiz en la mesa. She puts the pencil on the table.

Él corre en el patio. He runs in the yard.

7. Prepositions ( Las preposiciones )

Prepositions explain the relationships between nouns. They tell you how two nouns are related, often referring to a location. 

Common Spanish Prepositions

• en – in, on
• por – by, because of
• debajo – below
• adentro – inside

These words are normally sandwiched by two nouns, as you can see in the following examples.

El perro corre alrededor del patio. The dog runs around the yard.

8. Conjunctions ( Las conjunciones )

Conjunctions are words that connect nouns, verbs, phrases, and sentences. They help you piece together different ideas. 

There are two main types of conjunctions: simple and complex. The simple conjunctions are the ones that you use all the time. In English, they are “and”, “but”, and “or”. Complex conjunctions, on the other hand, have a little more depth. 

Simple Spanish Conjunctions

• y – and
• o – or
• pero – but

Complex Spanish Conjunctions

• sin embargo – however 
• por lo tanto – therefore 
• así que – so
• aunque – even though

Take a look at how these conjunctions act in a sentence. 

La maestra pone el lápiz en la mesa pero se cae. The teacher puts the pencil on the table but it falls off.

Aunque el perro y el niño corrieron en el patio, todavía tienen energía. Even though the dog and the boy ran in the yard, they still have energy.

Los niños juegan con el gato en la sala. Así que, no nos van a molestar. The children play with the cat in the living room. So, they will not bother us.

9. Interjections ( Las interjecciones )

Interjections are abrupt remarks that help you to express different emotions. They also help to improve your Spanish by making it sound more natural! 

Interjections are a fun part of Spanish grammar for beginners. They are short words or phrases so they are easy to remember. Plus, native speakers will love hearing you use these natural Spanish sounds. 

Common Interjections in English

Common interjections in spanish.

Interjections can vary in their meaning. Context is extremely important to help decode them. Volume, pitch, and speed can also help show meaning. Interjections can also be filler words. They are a way to fill in a space or pause while the speaker thinks of the next thing they want to say. In this way, they are a means of not giving up airtime or preventing someone from interrupting.

Take a look at how interjections add emotion and feeling to these sentences. 

¡Venga! La maestra ya ha empezado la clase. Come on! The teacher already started class.

¡Ay! El perro está fuera del patio. Hey! The dog is outside of the yard.

Spanish Grammar Books

Here are some of the best Spanish grammar for beginners books. Whether you’re looking for grammar books for preschoolers , kids , or adults , there is a book for everyone!

Spanish Grammar for Beginners Quiz

Grammar exercises are a great way to reinforce what you’ve learned. This Spanish grammar test for beginners is an easy way to practice. Try to see if you can get all 10 questions right!

1. Gato is a…

2. ella is a…, 3. alto is an…, 5. en is a...., 6. las is an…, 7. ah is an…, 8. lentamente is an…, 9. correr is a…, 10. ciudad is a…, learn even more spanish grammar for beginners with a free class.

Now that you’ve explored Spanish grammar for beginners, it’s time to impress your language teacher! If you’re still searching for the perfect Spanish teacher, consider trying a free class with Homeschool Spanish Academy. We offer programs for students of all ages at competitive pricing . Sign up today and our certified teachers from Guatemala will have you speaking Spanish after just one class!

Ready to learn more Spanish grammar and vocabulary? Check these out!

• 25 Common Subjunctive Phrases in Spanish Conversation
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• A Complete Guide to Imperfect Conjugation for Beginners
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• Spanish Words with Multiple Meanings in Latin America
• How Many Words Are in the Spanish Language? Really?
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Parts of Speech in Spanish: A Simple Guide to the 9 Parts

Parts of speech in Spanish are the different words we use to form a sentence. In short, they’re the fundamentals of Spanish grammar. So, getting familiar with parts of speech is crucial for articulating coherent sentences. 

For that reason, in this guide, we’ll go over the 9 parts of speech in Spanish. Here is a quick overview of what you’ll learn: 

• What Are Parts of Speech
• Determiners
• Conjunctions
• Prepositions
• Interjections
• Downloadable PDF

By the end of this, you’ll better understand the building blocks we use to form sentences in Spanish. 

What Are Parts of Speech in Spanish

In Spanish, a sentence is composed of different words or elements. These elements are called parts of speech: 

Check the graphic above. Each part of speech in Spanish has a different purpose in the sentence. But before learning the specifics of these elements, there’s a general rule you should know. 

Spanish parts of speech can be variable or invariable words. In simple terms, variable parts of speech are words that change to mark gender or number, whereas invariable parts of speech are unchangeable grammatical terms. 

This is a basic Spanish grammar rule that you need to apply. Use the following graphic as a reference whenever you wonder if a word has a plural form or gender in Spanish: 

Take Note : In Spanish, parts of speech are called categorías gramaticales . 

Different Parts of Speech in Spanish

In Spanish, there are 9 parts of speech: 

• Prepositions 

In the sections below, we’ll learn how each part of speech in Spanish works. I’ve included examples of each category so you can relate the vocabulary you already know with its corresponding part of speech. 

Take Note : Some articles or books may use the category ‘articles’ instead of ‘determiners’ as part of the speech. But, as you’re about to learn, articles are a subset of Spanish determiners. 

Nouns (sustantivos)

Nouns, called sustantivos in Spanish, are words we use to name things, people, or concepts. These words are variable, which means they often have variations to mark gender or number. 

Here are some examples of basic nouns in Spanish : 

• Mesa: Table
• Español: Spanish
• Casa : House
• Coche : Car
• Gente : People
• Juan : Juan 
• Lugar : Place
• Trabajo : Job
• Perro : Dog

In Spanish sentences, nouns can work as the subject, direct or indirect object . You can see this in the example below. I’ve bolded the subject and underlined the object so they’re easy to identify.

La mesa es grande. The table is big.

La niña come manzanas. The girl eats apples.

Juan no tiene trabajo. Juan doesn’t have a job.

Take Note: Nouns in Spanish have their own classifications and rules. As a variable part of speech, one of their most important rules is related to marking their gender. Check my guide on gender of nouns in Spanish to learn more about this. 

Verbs (verbos)

Verbs express the action performed by the subject or its state of being. When we conjugate them, verbs agree with the subject and convey the time when the action took place (called Spanish tense ). 

Here are some examples of words that fall into this Spanish part of speech: 

• Beber : To drink
• Estar : To be
• Hay : There is / There are / To be
• Hablar : To speak
• Ponerse : To put on
• Quedar : To fit
• Ser : To be
• Tener : To have
• Vivir : To live

No hay leche. There’s no more milk.

Yo estoy cansada. I am tired.

Susy es mi prima. Susy is my cousin.

Take Note: Verbs are the core of a sentence. Without them, our statement would be incomplete. Depending on their characteristics, verbs can be transitive, intransitive, or impersonal .

Adjectives (adjetivos)

Adjectives are the Spanish part of speech that defines or describes the characteristics of a noun. Adjectives mark the number and, sometimes, the gender of the noun they accompany.

Check this list with common adjectives in Spanish : 

• Amable : Nice
• Alto : Tall
• Bonito : Pretty
• Caro : Expensive
• Divertido : Fun
• Guapo : Handsome
• Inteligente : Intelligente
• Morado : Purple 
• Paciente : Patient 
• Pequeño : Small

La mesa es pequeña . The table is small .

Me gusta el celular morado . I like the purple phone.

As you can see from the examples above, adjectives enrich your ability to express ideas, from describing the size of things to colors and much more.

Take Note: Because they’re qualifying words, adjectives are commonly used to describe someone or something. 

Adverbs (adverbios)

Adverbs, or adverbios in Spanish , provide more information about the verb. They also intensify a quality expressed by an adjective or another adverb. 

• Aquí : Here
• Ayer : Yesterday
• Bien : Well
• Encima : On top of
• Mal : Badly
• Pronto : Soon
• Rápidamente : Quickly
• Ya : Already

Notice that adverbs do not have gender or number: 

La casa es muy bonita. The house is very pretty.

Tus llaves están aquí . Your keys are here .

Take Note: Spanish adverbs have different classifications depending on the information they deliver. Such as time, manner, place, quantity, or degree. 

Pronouns (pronombres)

Spanish pronouns are words used to replace a noun. Pronouns maintain the same functions and properties as the noun they’re substituting.

Some examples of words that fall into this part of speech in Spanish are: 

• Yo : I ( subject pronouns )
• Te: yourself ( reflexive pronouns )
• Le : him / her / it ( indirect object pronouns )
• Lo : him / it ( direct object pronouns )
• Este : this ( demonstrative pronouns )
• La cual : which ( relative pronouns )

¿Y los chocolates? Los dejé aquí. And the chocolates? I left them here.

Ellos no hablan español, pero nosotros sí. They don’t speak Spanish, but we do.

Check my guide on Spanish pronouns to learn more about how and when to use each type of pronoun. 

Determiners (determinantes)

Determiners is the part of speech in Spanish that makes a noun more specific. They’re always placed in front of nouns.  

Some examples of determiners in Spanish are: 

• Possessive adjectives
• Demonstratives
• Quantifiers

[Determiner] + [noun]

El niño come galletas. The boy eats cookies.

Tengo muchos amigos. I have a lot of friends.

Estos libros son azules. These books are blue.

Except for definite and indefinite articles , the other types of determiners are also known as ‘adjectives’ (e.g. possessive adjectives , demonstrative adjectives , etc.). The main difference is that determiners always go before the noun, while qualifying adjectives go after it. 

Conjunctions (conjunciones)

Spanish conjunctions are connecting words that help you join words and sentences together. Some common examples of conjunctions are: 

• Que : That / Who / Which
• Sino : But 

As you can see in the examples below, conjunctions in Spanish join simple or more complex sentences. 

Clara y Patricia son mis primas. Clara and Patricia are my cousins.

Recuerda que debes limpiar las ventanas. Remember that you must clean the windows.

Prepositions (preposiciones)

Prepositions in Spanish allow you to link words to indicate origin, destiny, direction, place, cause, and other similar concepts. Simply put, prepositions explain the relationship between the elements you’re linking. 

Here are some examples of basic prepositions: 

• A : To / At / By 
• De : From / Of
• En : On / In / For
• Para : For / To
• Por : For / By
• Sobre : On / Over / Above / About

Dejé el lápiz en la mesa. I left the pencil on the table.

Lleva esto a la sala, por favor. Take this to the living room, please.

Interjections (interjecciones)

Interjections are used to express an emotion or reaction to something. This Spanish part of speech is unchangeable unless it’s built with a verb and you’re addressing someone: 

• Ay : Ouch / Oh
• Olé: Bravo / Hurray 
• Ojalá : Hopefully 
• Uy : Wow / Ow
• Vaya : Damn / Well
• No manches: Damn / You’re kidding

¡Ay! ¡Las llaves! Oh! The keys!

¡Uy! Casi chocamos. Wow! We almost crashed.

¿Por qué hicieron eso? ¡ No manchen! Why did you guys do that? Damn!

Notice that each Spanish dialect may have its own informal interjections. For example, olé is only applicable in Castilian Spanish . 

Parts of speech in Spanish are the core elements of sentences. It’s highly likely that you already know some of these terms individually. Here are some key points you should remember: 

• Spanish parts of speech are the different types of words we use in a sentence. 
• Parts of speech change to mark gender or number ( variable ) or may never change ( invariable ).
• Determiners make the noun more specific.
• Nouns name or label things, people, or concepts.
• Verbs express the action or state of being of a noun.
• Adjectives qualify and describe nouns.
• Pronouns replace nouns and represent their characteristics.
• Adverbs provide additional information about the circumstances surrounding an action. They also intensify the quality of an adverb or adjective. 
• Prepositions link two words together while indicating their relationship. 
• Conjunctions link words and sentences together.
• Interjections express emotions or reactions.

Building sentences correctly should be easier now that you know the parts of speech in Spanish. Buena suerte 😉

Download the Spanish Parts of Speech PDF

The 9 parts of speech are critical to learning Spanish grammar and mastering the language. That’s why I’ve created a free PDF for you with the graphics, important notes and key points from this guide as well as links to relevant Spanish language resources.

Daniela Sanchez

¡Hola! Soy Daniela Sanchez, I've been studying Spanish professionally as well as teaching it in Mexico and online for over 10 years. I’ve taught Spanish to a wide array of foreigners from many backgrounds. Over the years, I've made it my mission to work hard on refining many challenging to understand grammar topics to make my students' learning experiences easier, faster and more enjoyable. Read More About Me

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Spanish Grammar Lesson: Direct vs Indirect Speech

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March 25, 2017

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The difference between direct and indirect speech (also called reported speech) is pretty easy to understand.  

But it's not very easy to apply when speaking in a foreign language. It is a very important part of communicating, however, and plays an major role in most conversations.

Read on for a quick introduction and guide to direct vs indirect speech in Spanish.

So, what’s the difference?

That’s a very good question! Before we get too far ahead of ourselves with all the little technicalities, let’s make sure that we understand what we’re dealing with here.

In order to do this, take the following conversation:

Pedro: Where are you going?

Jose: To the store.

1: Will you get milk?

2: Sure, no problem.

Now, let’s say Pedro later goes on to have a conversation with someone else, about the above mentioned interaction. There are some options for how they could go about doing this. Let’s just say it looked something like this:

• Pedro: I asked Jose where he was going. He said, “to the store.” So, I asked if he would get some milk, and he said “sure, no problem.”

The above recounting of a previous event or exchange with another person is what we’re going to look at. You have two options when doing this.

The first, is by using quotation marks. This is direct speech. This means that the words are being repeated exactly like they were said.

• He said, “to the store.”
• ...and he said, “sure, no problem.”

The second way of recounting a conversation is through indirect speech. In the example above, this is done through changing the verb tense, although that isn’t always required (we will look at that more later).  

• Reported: I asked him where he was going.
• Reported: I asked if he would get some milk.

Basically, there are 3 important rules to keep in mind when using indirect (reported) speech. They are:

• You will not use quotation marks
• Since you’re not quoting, you don’t need to say word-for-word what the person said
• When reporting what someone said, you generally change the verb tense.

Reporting Verbs

There are still a few things we need to talk about before getting into everyone’s favorite part about grammar--the technicalities.

In order to identify that something is being “reported” or to communicate that you are repeating something that someone said previously, you’ll use a reporting verb. We have them in English as well. The most common are:

*Most common of the most common

“Que”--your new best friend

You’ll notice that (almost) all of the examples above in the chart using reported speech include the little word “que.” This is not a coincidence.

When speaking in reported speech you will always use the “que” (meaning “that”). Even if in English we can and would omit the “that” you still need it in Spanish.”  

“She said that she was tired.”- Here, in English the “that” is optional. This is not the case in Spanish.

“He asked that I go to the store.” (He asked me to go to the store.) - this is one of the examples where the “that” wouldn’t be use in English, but it would in Spanish.

But wait… the questions…

If you’re reporting a question, you have a few options available as they don’t always need the “que”.

Yes and No Questions.

If the answer to the question being reported can be “yes” or “no” you don’t need the “que.” In these situation we would use the “si” like in English (if).

“He asked me if I could go to the store.”- Me preguntó si iba a la tienda .

Questions with question words

If you are reporting a question that contained the question words  (where, who, when, etc.) you will not need the “que” but stick with the question word used in the original context.

• María: Where is Sara? ( ¿Dónde está Sara? )

Reported speech: Maria wanted to know where Sara was. ( María quería saber donde estaba Sara. )

Let’s get a little more technical.

We’ll try to ease you into all of this grammatical stuff. It seems like a lot to remember. But, a lot of it is very common in English as well, so try to not to get too overwhelmed!

Personal pronouns and Possessive pronouns.

Again, let’s start with an example:

• María: Can you tell my brother that I need to talk to him? ¿Puedes decirle a mi hermano que le tengo que hablar?

Here, obviously a few things need to change if you want to report this statement. For one, he’s not your brother and for another you’re not the one that needs to speak to him.

In this situation, the personal pronouns (you, I) need to change, as well as the possessive (my). Here’s how this statement would sound when repeating it later on to someone else:

• The pronouns remain the same.
• Here, you can see that the pronouns did change.

So far so good, right? It’s pretty basic stuff up to this point. Just like in English, we need to change the subject and the pronouns.

Time phrases

Obviously, more often than not, if you’re reporting something that happened it’s because the person you’re recounting the event to wasn’t there when it took place--i.e. it was in the past.

So, here’s how you would change around your time phrases so they line up with what you’re saying:

As you’ll notice above, all of the examples are written in the past. This is also something important to pay attention to, and probably one of the most important grammatical points of reported speech. So, let’s go ahead and dive right into that!

Verb tenses in indirect (reported) speech.

The tense the reporting verb is in (present, past, future) will have a big impact on the rest of the sentence. Not only will you need to pay attention to the tense, but also to what is being said.

Command/Request vs information

Depending on the context of the conversation being reported, you’ll need to use different ways of repeating it.

This is where things can start to get a little tricky. We do have similar rules in English as they do in Spanish, but in English they are a little more flexible, and followed less frequently.

Here are some good rules to keep in mind when using indirect speech in Spanish:

• If the reporting verb is in the present or present perfect tense you do not need to change the verb tense--unless it’s a command (we’ll talk more about this in a minute).
• If the reporting verb is in the preterite, imperfect, or the past perfect tense you do need to change the  verb tense.

Let’s look at a quick scenario and see what we have:

Scenario: Let’s say you’re texting with someone, and your friend (who you’re with physically) wants to know what the person texting you is saying.

Person 1: What did he say?

Person 2: He asked if we are free tonight. ( reporting information )

1: Why? What does he want?

2: He wants us to help him move. ( reporting a request )

Here, we can see that in the first part, Person 2 is simply repeating the information . He asked a question, and this is what it is. The reporting verb “want to know” is in the present, so the second verb is in the present as well.

In the second part of the exchange, the reporting verb is in the present, so in English, we keep the it in the present as well. In Spanish, however, if we are reporting a request or command , we need to use the subjunctive. In this case it will be the present subjunctive because the reporting verb is in present.

In Spanish the conversation would go like this:

Person 1: ¿Qué dijo?”

Person 2: Quiere saber si estamos libres esta noche. (present-present)

1: ¿Por qué? ¿Qué quiere?

2: Quiere que le ayudemos a hacer la mudanza. (present-present subjunctive)

Note: This change to the subjunctive only happens with certain verbs: Decir, Pedir, Querer. An easy way to remember this is if they verb will be followed by “si” or “que.”

• Quiere saber si podemos salir esta noche. (He wants to know if I can go out tonight.)
• Me pregunta si quiero quedar mañana. (He’s asking if I can meet up tomorrow.)
• Again, in this situation you’re not necessarily relaying the request or the command, but merely the information contained in the request itself.
• Me dice que tenga cuidado. (He tells me to be careful.)
• Frenando me pide que le ayude con los deberes. (Franks asks me to help with the homework.)
• Fernando me dice que tengo que ir a clase mañana.

Verb Tense Changes

So, if you feel like all of that has settled into your mind and it’s not going to explode just yet, let’s keep chugging along!

As mentioned above, if the reporting verb is in present, it will only change (to present subjunctive) if the thing being reported is a command/ request. When the reporting verb is in the past, however, the rest of the information being reported will need to change tense. Here’s how that is going to work:

Present Simple--Imperfect

• Direct speech: Angela dijo, “No puedo ir.” (Angela said, “I can’t go.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Angela dijo que no podía ir. (Angela said that she couldn’t go.)

Preterite--Pluscuamperfecto (past perfect)

• Direct speech: Sergio dijo, “Ayer compré un movil nuevo.”  (Sergio said, “Yesterday I bought a new cell phone.)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Sergio dijo que el día anterior había comprado un movil nuevo. (Sergio said that the day before he had bought a new phone.)

Future simple (will)--Conditional simple (would)

• Direct speech : Candela dijo, “Llegaré tarde.” - (Candela said, “I’ll arrive late.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Candela dijo que llegaría tarde. - (Candela said that she would arrive late.)

Imperfect/Conditional/Past Perfect

With these, you will not change second verb tense. Yay!

• Direct speech: Juan dijo, “la playa era muy bonita.” (Juan said, “the beach was very pretty.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Juan dijo que la playa era muy bonita . (Juan said that beach was very pretty.)

Conditional:  

• Direct speech: María dijo, “Me gustaría vivir en Nueva York.” (Maria said, “I would like to live in New York.”
• Indirect/ Reported speech: María dijo que le gustaría vivir en Nueva York. (Maria said she would like to live in New York.
• Past Perfect
• Direct speech: Mi padre me dijo, “a las 5 ya había llegado. ” (My dad told me, “at 5 I had already arrived.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Mi padre me dijo que a las 5 ya había llegado . (My dad told me that a 5 he had already arrived.)

Just one more thing… I promise!

One last thing to remember, like we saw with the present tense, if the verb in the past is a reporting verb, and what is being reported is a command or request, you will use the subjunctive--past subjunctive this time!

• Direct speech: Mis padres me dijeron, “vuelve a casa a las 23.00. ” (My parents told me, “be home at 11:00pm.)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Mis padres me dijeron que volviera a casa a las 23.00 . (My parents told me to be home by 11:00 pm.)

¡Madre Mía! That was a lot of information!

Let’s see if we can condense it down just a little bit.

Important rules to remember. If you are using reporting speech:

If you do need to change the verb tense, this is why and when:

• Commands or requests with a present tense reporting verb will take the present subjunctive conjugation in the following verb.
• Again, commands or requests with a past tense reporting verb will need to take the past subjunctive conjugation in the following verb.

If the reporting verb is in the past, these are the changes you’ll make:

• Present simple--imperfect
• Preterite-Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)
• Will future--simple continual (would)

Verbs that will not change the tense of the others verbs:

• Conditional

Things to keep in mind:

• Remember your reporting verbs
• Remember to change the personal and possessive pronouns
• Remember your time phrases

In reality, it’s not as complicated as it looks. It may take a little practice to get used to, but after a while, you’ll find that is relatively similar to what we do in English. Do you have any shortcuts you use to remember the rules mentioned above? Is reported (indirect) speech something you struggle with? Let us know in the comments!

About the author 

Anastasia is a Chicago, Illinois native. She began studying Spanish over 10 years ago, and hasn’t stopped since. Living in Spain since 2012, she loves Spanish tortilla, vino tinto, and anything that contains jamón ibérico.

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Spanish Punctuation: An easy guide

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Spanish punctuation  is essential, but far too often overlooked by language learners. At first glance, it may seem like English speakers and Spanish speakers use punctuation in the same ways. However, that’s actually not always the case.

At the end of this post, the principal differences between English and Spanish punctuation  will be clear to you, and you will be able to use Spanish punctuation marks  correctly, not only to understand texts better but also to write more precisely.

Spanish Punctuation Marks and their Symbols

Before we even get into any explanations, let’s just have a quick overview of the different punctuation marks in Spanish along with their names in both languages.

Now that you recognize the most important Spanish punctuation marks , let’s discover their most common uses and differences between Spanish and English.

Question Marks – Signos de Interrogación

Just like in English, Spanish question marks  indicate the existence of a question; the main difference is that, when writing in Spanish, you must include an upside-down question mark at the beginning of the interrogative phrase.

This significant difference in Spanish has an advantage. Seeing the Spanish upside-down question mark at the beginning of a phrase gives you a clue to identify that you’re reading an interrogative sentence, which means a different intonation is required.

Let’s look at some examples:

• How old are you ?  – ¿ Cuántos años tienes ?
• What did you have for breakfast ?  – ¿ Qué desayunaste esta mañana ?

Note that the opening  question mark in Spanish  must be placed where the question begins, even if it does not correspond to the beginning of the sentence. In that case, the word after the question mark starts in lowercase, and the upside-down question mark is preceded by a comma.

• You didn’t come to work yesterday; were you sick ?  – Ayer no viniste a trabajar, ¿ estabas enfermo ?

In English, when we stick a question onto the end of a sentence, changing the sentence from a phrase to a question, these are called “tag questions,” as in this next example:

• It’s still too early for dinner, don’t you think? – Aún es muy temprano para cenar, ¿ no crees ?

Exclamation Marks – Signos de Exclamación

Spanish exclamation marks help demonstrate that we’re exclaiming or interjecting.

They have something in common with Spanish question marks : you must include an opening exclamation mark at the beginning of the phrase and a closing exclamation mark at the end:

• You look gorgeous in that dress !  – ¡ Te ves preciosa con ese vestido !
• Run !  The train is about to leave. – ¡ Corre ! El tren ya va a partir.

When the meaning of a sentence is interrogative and exclamatory at the same time, question marks and exclamation points can be combined. In these cases, you can open with the exclamation point and close with the question mark, or vice versa.

For example:

• Oh no, what are you doing !?  – ¡ Ay no, qué estás haciendo ?

Period – Punto

In both English and Spanish, a period  indicates a pause and marks the end of a statement in a sentence or text. In both languages, the word that follows the period is always written with a capital letter.

• The class is over. Please put your things away. – La clase ya terminó. Guarda tus cosas, por favor.

Types of periods in Spanish

Now, there is a peculiarity concerning the Spanish period : it can have three different names depending on its function.

These names are punto seguido – period and continued , punto y aparte – period and aside , and punto final – final period .

The punto seguido  is used when you want to separate two consecutive sentences within the same paragraph.

The punto y aparte indicates the end of a paragraph and the beginning of a new one with a different idea.

And, last but not least, a punto final is used when you have finished writing. You can find it at the end of an email, letter, article, chapter, book, etc.

Periods for abbreviations and for time

The period is also present after abbreviations and sometimes for referring to the time.

• Mr .  – Sr .
• The library closes at 5:30 p . m .  – La biblioteca cierra a las 17 . 30 h .

If you want to go into more depth in either of these topics, we have dedicated posts on titles in Spanish , and on telling time in Spanish .

Periods and commas with numbers

Another important detail that can sometimes lead to confusion is the use of periods and commas for separating the thousands  and as the decimal point : In most of the Spanish-speaking world, when writing numbers, we use commas where English speakers use decimal points and periods where English speakers would usually use commas!

• The business made exactly $1 , 143 , 600 . 90 last year. But after taxes, there was only $840 , 401 . 01 left. – El negocio ganó exactamente $1 . 143 . 600 , 90 el año pasado. Pero después de los impuestos, solamente quedó $840 . 401 , 01.
• We got 1 , 500 votes. – Obtuvimos 1 . 500 votos.
• That book cost $15 . 50. – Ese libro cuesta $15 , 50.

However, in Spain and in North America (namely in the US), you may still see numbers written with the same English punctuation.

Periods with other Spanish punctuation marks

As is the norm in English, a period goes after parentheses  in Spanish.

• He lived in Paris for many years (from 1956 to 1980) .  – Vivió en Paris por muchos años (de 1956 a 1980) .

Contrary to the norm in English, however, the period also goes after Spanish quotation marks :

• Antes de salir me dijo: «hoy ceno por fuera» .  – Before leaving, he told me, “I’m having dinner out today.”

Comma – Coma

Similar to English, the comma in Spanish appears when you need to list items, separate clauses, include tag questions, or add explanatory information within a sentence. However, some little aspects change.

For example, Spanish speakers don’t use the Oxford comma, which means that when listing things, we don’t place a comma between the second-to-last list item and the conjunction y or o.

• Tomorrow, I have to prepare breakfast ,  clean the house ,  do the shopping ,  and answer the mail. – Mañana tengo que preparar el desayuno ,  limpiar la casa ,  hacer mercado y responder al correo.
• How delicious is this hamburger ,  right? – Qué rica está esta hamburguesa ,  ¿verdad?
• Lucia ,  my best friend ,  is a renowned scientist. – Lucía , mi mejor amiga ,  es una reconocida científica.
• I like math ,  science ,  and philosophy. – Me gustan las matemáticas ,  la ciencia y la filosofía.

The placement of the comma within a quote is another element that differs between Spanish and English. In Spanish, the comma is placed after the last quotation mark or angle quotes, outside of the quote. In English, on the other hand, we put it before the last quotation mark, even if that punctuation mark isn’t part of the quote.

• “We have to take action to fight corruption , ” said the president. – “Tenemos que tomar acción para combatir la corrupción” ,  dijo el presidente.
• “ It’s time to go to sleep, ”  said the child’s mother. –  « Ya es hora de ir a dormir » , dijo la madre. – “ Ya es hora de ir a dormir ” , dijo la madre.

Colon – Dos puntos

The colon  in Spanish is used for enumeration, explanation, or quotes, just like in English.

However, there is a specific use native speakers give to this Spanish punctuation mark: in emails or letters, greetings are written using colons, whereas in English you usually use a comma unless you’re being very formal.

• Dear Patricia , – Querida Patricia :

Hyphen and Em-dash – Guión y Raya

In Spanish, the em-dash  is used to separate lines within a dialog or to add explanations.

• — Excuse me, what time is it? –   — Disculpe, ¿qué hora es?

— It’s 6:30. – — Son las 6:30.

— Thanks –  —  Gracias

• Toby — my brother’s dog —  is a golden retriever. – Toby — el perro de mi hermano —  es un golden retriever.

Above, we used the em-dash to separate a parenthetical idea. We could also use parentheses for this function.

The hyphen , on the contrary, unites two words or lets the reader know that a word continues in the next line.

• Fact – fiction – Realidad – ficción

Note that in contexts where two English words may be joined with a hyphen to comprise a compound adjective, there is no such hyphen in Spanish:

• Jorge is a full – time employee. – Jorge es un empleado de tiempo completo.

Angle Quotes and Quotation Marks – Comillas Españolas and Comillas Inglesas

In general, quotes indicate expressions, dialogues, irony, titles of books, movies, etc. Native Spanish speakers tend to prefer angle quotes; however, quotation marks are also common nowadays.

As mentioned before, commas, periods, exclamation points, and question marks are placed after the last quotation mark in Spanish, regardless of whether we are using double quotation marks or angle quotes.

• On Monday, didn’t you say, “I promise I will bring pizza to the office on Friday?” – El lunes, ¿no dijiste: «prometo que el viernes traeré pizza a la oficina»?
• “ You must be the change you wish to see in the world. ”  – « Sé el cambio que quieres ver en el mundo » . – “ Sé el cambio que quieres ver en el mundo ” .
• My favorite movie is “The Lord of the Rings.” – Mi película favorita es « El Señor de los Anillos » . – Mi película favorita es “ El Señor de los Anillos ” .

You may also find angle quotes, quotation marks, and even simple quotes together in dialog lines to facilitate comprehension.

• Daniela told me, “he didn’t come with me to get the book ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ because he was ‘ too busy. ’ ” – Daniela me dijo: « no me acompañó a buscar el libro “ Cien años de soledad ”  porque estaba ‘ muy ocupado ’» .

Conclusion: Spanish punctuation

Learning how to use punctuation marks in a new language may seem challenging, but the good news is that Spanish punctuation marks  work pretty similarly to the ones in English. There are only a few crucial differences to be aware of.

Here we took you through the various nuances of Spanish punctuation that differ from English. We started with the two that stand out most to language learners: the upside question mark  and exclamation mark . We then went over the details of the Spanish period , as well as the specifics of the comma  and the colon . We saw how the dash  and em-dash  are both pretty close to their English counterparts. And we rounded out our post with our section on quotation marks  in Spanish, which have both different forms and some different usage rules.

The best way to improve your grasp of punctuation in Spanish is to read plenty of texts in the language. With this detailed introduction to Spanish punctuation , you should be able to recognize the different details we covered here when you see them. And as you continue learning the language, you’re now prepared to use the right Spanish punctuation marks in your own writing!

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Feminine nouns that take masculine articles: EL agua or LA agua, explained

Explained: The Impersonal Se in Spanish

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Indirect Speech in Spanish Grammar

Indirect speech in spanish: the basics, how to change direct speech to indirect speech in spanish, changing the tense in indirect speech, changing information about place and time.

• Lingolia Plus Spanish

What is estilo indirecto ?

Reported speech or indirect speech (el estilo indirecto) is when we repeat what another person has said without directly quoting it.

This means that we often have to adapt or change certain parts of speech such as pronouns , tenses and time and place markers to reflect that we are only reporting what was said, not repeating it word-for-word.

Learn all about reported speech in Spanish with Lingolia, then practise in the interactive exercises.

Direct speech repeats someone’s utterance word-for-word and is placed within quotation marks (comillas: «…»).

Indirect speech reproduces something a person has said without quoting them exactly.

Indirect speech is therefore introduced by a reporting verb such as decir say , afirmar confirm , contar tell , exclamar exclaim , explicar explain , preguntar ask  …

Sentences in reported speech take the following form: reporting verb + que (= that)

Questions in reported speech do not take question marks.

Yes-no questions (oraciones interrogativas totales) take the following form: reporting verb + si (= if)

When a question contains a question word (oración interrogativa parcial) , we use this in place of si : reporting verb + question word

Indirect Questions

Remember: questions in indirect speech are not the same thing as indirect questions (las oraciones interrogativas indirectas).

To learn more, check out our page on indirect questions in Spanish grammar .

There are several parts of speech that we have to change when converting direct speech to indirect speech in Spanish.

Luckily the process is almost exactly the same as it is in English, which means you already know more than you think!

Let’s start off with a simple example in English:

In this example, we can see that the following parts of speech have changed:

• personal pronouns (I → he)
• verb (like → liked)
• demonstrative pronoun (this → that)

In Spanish, we change the exact same things (plus a few others). Let’s break them down in detail:

• personal pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella …) Example: Juan: «( Yo ) estoy estupendamente». Juan: “ I’m great.” → Juan dijo que ( él ) estaba estupendamente. He said that he was great. 1st person to 3rd
• possessives (mi, tu, su …)
• demonstratives (este, esta, ese …)
• information about place and time
• the verb changes its person and tense (more info on this below) Example: Juan: « Estoy estupendamente». Juan: “I am doing great.” → Juan dijo que estaba estupendamente. Juan said that he was doing great. 1st person to 3rd; present tense to imperfect

When moving from direct to indirect speech, we often have to change the tense of the verb.

Whether we have to change the tense depends on the tense of the reporting verb.

No change in tense

The tense in the indirect speech stays the same if the reporting verb is in the present, future or perfect tense (él cuenta, él contará, él ha contado ). The person still changes.

Exception: the imperative

The imperative is a special case. Even if the reporting verb is in the present or perfect, the imperative does not remain the same in the indirect speech; it changes to become the present subjunctive .

However, when the reporting verb is in the past, the imperative behaves like other tenses and changes to the imperfect subjunctive in indirect speech.

When to change the tense in indirect speech

When the reporting verb is in the preterite, imperfect or past perfect (él contó, el contaba, el había contado ), the tense of the indirect speech moves back one. This is known as backshifting.

The table below shows how to backshift the tense from direct speech to indirect speech when you have a reporting verb in the past.

Time and place references have to be adapted in indirect speech.

The table below shows how to convert time and place references from direct speech to indirect speech.

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• Aug 24, 2020

Punctuation Marks in Spanish

English and Spanish punctuation marks are used more or less the same way. There are a few variations, perhaps one of the most significant differences is that Spanish has opening question and exclamation marks while English does not. Opening marks didn't always exist in Spanish. In most languages ​​a single question mark is used at the end of the question phrase. This was the habitual use also in Spanish, until the 18th century, when the Real Academia Española declared it mandatory to start questions with the inverted question mark (¿), and end with the common question mark (?). The institution ordered the same for exclamation marks (¡) and (!). The adoption was slow, and you can find books from the 19th century for example, that don’t use such opening marks.

Eventually, however, it did become widely accepted. This is in part due to the nature of Spanish syntax and at times the difficulty in deducing when an interrogative phrase actually begins, as compared to other languages. Many linguists believe the question mark originated from the Latin word  qvaestio , meaning question. This word was reportedly abbreviated in the Middle Ages by scholars as just  qo . Over time, a capital “Q” was written over the “o”, and formed one letter. Then, it morphed into the modern question mark we know today.

It is worth mentioning that the influence of technology and the English language are changing the use of opening marks in informal contexts. It is not common to see them in online chats, or in text messages between friends. Only the closing marks are commonly used in such settings.

Do you know the names of the punctuation marks in Spanish? Several of these marks are part of expressions in the everyday vocabulary of natives, so it is useful for learners of Spanish to be familiar with them. Here we go:

Punctuation Marks: Signos de Puntuación:

full stop or period . punto

comma , coma

semicolon ; punto y coma

colon : dos puntos

quotation marks “ ” comillas

round brackets, parentheses ( ) paréntesis

apostrophe ’ apóstrofo

question mark ¿? signo de interrogación, de apertura y cierre

exclamation mark ¡! signo de exclamación, de apertura y cierre

ellipsis mark … puntos suspensivos

hyphen - guión

dash — raya

slash / barra

Here are a few expressions:

Michael Jordan es el mejor jugador de la historia, y punto.

Michael Jordan is the best player in history, period.

Creo, entre paréntesis, que este autor no está bien traducido.

As a side note, I think this author is not well translated.

Supongo que él piensa que eso fue, entre comillas, gracioso .

I guess he thinks that was, quote unquote, funny .

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~I’m a Spanish teacher based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since 2007 I have been teaching Spanish to people from all over the world. Whether looking for an online Spanish tutor, or in person while visiting Buenos Aires, please reach out to me with any questions you might have!~

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Conjunctions and discourse markers Posted by Transparent Language on May 30, 2008 in Spanish Grammar

When we read and write in Spanish, or any other language, we need to provide this text (an e-mail, a letter, a report, a memo, or even a simple note) with cohesion and coherence. Conjunctions and discourse markers play a major role in connecting your ideas logically over long stretches of text or speech. They also make your output a lot richer. Here are some of the most common:

Y / e (and) Ni (nor) O / u (or) Pero (but) Mas (but) Aunque (although / though) No solo … sino también (not only … but also …) Sin embargo (however) Antes (before / rather) Antes bien (rather) Más bien (although / even though) Si bien (although / even though) A pesar de (in spite of the fact that) Con todo (in spite of) Así pues (so / therefore) Así que (so) Conque (so) Es decir (that is) Esto es (this is) Luego (so / therefore / afterwards) O sea (in other words, that is) Por esto (because of…) Por (lo) tanto (therefore / so) Por consiguiente (therefore / so) Pues (since / as)

So next time you’re writing or reading a text, pay close attention to these markers. Try to use as many as you can in your speech or writing in order to sound authentic. Start with one or two at a time until you feel comfortable using them. Before you know it, you will start connecting your sentences in more complex and varied ways.

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