LESSON 5: How to Build Spanish Sentences – Basic Structure, Word Order, and Common Patterns

🎯 Goal

Learn the basic word order in Spanish, including subject + verb + object, and how to build full sentences.

🧠 Why You Need This

You can’t communicate with just words. This lesson shows you how to start forming complete, real-life Spanish sentences step by step.

🔧 1. Basic Word Order: Spanish vs. English

Spanish and English have similar basic sentence structure:
Subject + Verb + Object
BUT Spanish allows for more flexibility.

🟢 Examples:

• Yo como pan. – I eat bread.

• Ella tiene un perro. – She has a dog.

• Nosotros leemos libros. – We read books.

🧠 Tip: Subject pronouns (like yo, tú, ella) are often optional in Spanish.
Spanish verbs already contain the subject.

❓"Yo como" = "I eat"
✅ You can just say: Como pan. – I eat bread.

---

🧱 2. Sentence Building Formula (Beginner Version)

You can start most beginner sentences using this formula:

[Subject] + [Verb] + [Object]

Role	Example
Subject	Yo (I)
Verb	estudio (study)
Object	español (Spanish)

➡️ Yo estudio español. – I study Spanish.
➡️ Estudio español. – Same meaning, more natural.

---

🎯 3. How to Ask Questions (Structure)

In English, we usually change word order or use “do/does.”

In Spanish, questions are often formed by changing intonation (if spoken) or adding question words.

✅ Yes/No Questions

Spanish uses the same word order but adds rising tone (or written question marks):

• ¿Tienes hambre? – Are you hungry?

• ¿Estás cansado? – Are you tired?

✅ No "do/does/did" is needed in Spanish.

---

✅ Using Question Words (from Lesson 4)

Put the question word at the beginning, followed by the verb, then the subject (if needed):

• ¿Dónde vives tú? – Where do you live?

• ¿Qué haces? – What are you doing?

• ¿Cuándo comes? – When do you eat?

🧠 Subject pronouns (like tú) can still be dropped for fluency:
➡️ ¿Dónde vives?
➡️ ¿Qué haces?

---

🚫 4. What NOT to Do

❌ Don’t use English-style helpers like “do,” “does,” or “is” for present tense.

Bad: “Do tú tienes un libro?” ❌
Correct: ¿Tienes un libro? ✅

---

🔀 5. Flexible Word Order (When You Get Comfortable)

In Spanish, you can rearrange sentence parts for emphasis or style — especially in questions or poetic writing.

Examples:

• Español estudio yo. – I study Spanish (emphasis on the language).

• Un perro tiene ella. – She has a dog (emphasis on “a dog”).

🧠 This is advanced but very natural in native speech, especially in Latin America and Spain.

---

🧱 6. Common Sentence Patterns to Practice

Sentence Type	Spanish	English
Statement	Yo hablo inglés.	I speak English.
Yes/No Question	¿Hablas inglés?	Do you speak English?
Info Question	¿Por qué estudias español?	Why do you study Spanish?
Answer	Porque me gusta.	Because I like it.
Description	Ella es simpática.	She is nice.

---

📝 7. Practice Time – Build These Sentences

Write these in Spanish using Subject + Verb + Object:

1. I study Spanish.

2. He has a cat.

3. We read books.

4. She eats bread.

5. They write letters.

---

🔄 BONUS: Reverse Practice

Now translate from Spanish to English:

1. Leo libros.

2. Tienes una pregunta.

3. Comemos arroz.

4. Ellos trabajan mucho.

5. Estudia medicina.

---

📌 Final Tips:

• Spanish is flexible, but start with Subject–Verb–Object until you're confident.

• Drop the subject pronoun when it’s obvious (like yo, tú, nosotros).

• Focus on verbs: knowing how to conjugate is the real key to fluency.