Why is it important to know and understand English vs.Spanish syntax? But wait! What is syntax in the first place?
Syntax is the word order in which a sentence is written in its full grammatical aspects.
Languages develop with time, and vocabulary keeps on adding or depleting from any language.
One thing remains the same —- The Syntax
To understand English vs.Spanish syntax, let’s take the example of the word “beautiful girl” vs. “la chica bella”. Here, the English adjective ” beautiful” comes before the noun “girl”, while in Spanish, “Bella” is an adjective, and it follows the noun.
Understanding and comparing such differences and similarities will increase your fluency in Spanish and let you communicate effectively. In the article, you will learn how to analyze the key differences and similarities between syntaxes for both English and Spanish.
What Is Syntax and Why Does It Matter?
The syntax is a set of rules in a sentence structure. Simply put, syntax is the order in which a sentence has to form. Syntax plays an integral role in sentence formation.
Normally, an English sentence follows this pattern
Subject —Verb — Object
Why we need to understand syntax, let’s take a mini quiz.
Identify the correct syntax from the options below:
- Choose the correct English sentence:
a) Plays Sara football in the afternoon.
b) Sara football plays in the afternoon.
c) Sara plays football in the afternoon. - Choose the correct Spanish sentence:
a) El niño alto corre rápido.
b) Alto el niño rápido corre.
c) Corre el niño rápido alto.
Before checking the answers given at the bottom of this page, you can understand how easy/difficult it was to find the correct sentence.
That’s the power of knowing — syntax!
Word Order in English vs.Spanish Syntax
Both English and Spanish sentences generally follow the structure Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), but in Spanish, the order is more flexible, especially in the spoken language, and changes according to the tone of the sentence and what the speaker wants to emphasize.
For example, the sentence:
Ellos llegaron ayer. (They arrived yesterday.)
It can be changed to emphasize that it was yesterday, and not any other day, that they arrived:
Ayer llegaron ellos. (It was yesterday that they arrived.)
Or to emphasize that they, and not someone else, arrived yesterday:
Llegaron ellos ayer. (They are the ones who arrived yesterday.)
Another example is questions that can be answered with yes or no. In this case, the order is also more flexible, as compared to English.
When asking: “Is Sam English”?, it is possible to ask either:
¿Es inglés Sam? (with subject-verb inversion)
or
¿Sam es inglés? (like the sentence: Sam es inglés, but with a rising intonation at the end to indicate a question).
Pro Tip: When translating, focus on meaning rather than directly copying word order. A literal translation won’t make sense in English. For example, for the Spanish sentence:
Me gusta el queso (I like cheese),
a literal translation would be “To me pleases the cheese,” which sounds unnatural in English. Instead, focusing on the meaning accurately conveys the intended message while adhering to natural English word order and structure.
Definite and Indefinite Articles In English vs.Spanish Syntax
In Spanish, words can have two genders, so the definite article (in English: the) changes according to whether the word is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, with four possibilities in total. Take, for example, the words for book and table, libro and mesa.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | El libro | Los libros |
| Feminine | La mesa | Las mesas |
Indefinite articles (in English: a, an) also change according to gender in Spanish and, contrary to English, they also exist in the plural (in English: some)
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Un libro | Unos libros |
| Feminine | Una mesa | Unas mesas |
Adjectives also can change according to gender, adding complexity to the whole picture.
Gender of Nouns In Spanish
For Spanish learners, it is key to recognize the gender of a word. Although there are many exceptions, in general:
| Gender | Ending | Examples | Exceptions |
| Masculine | -o, -ma, most consonants | el libro (the book) el problema (the problem) el papel (the paper) el tren (the train) | la mano (the hand)la flor (the flower) |
| Feminine | -a, -d, -z, -ción, -sión, -dad | la casa (the house) la luz (the light) la canción (the song) la pared (the wall) la amistad (friendship) | el día (the day)el lápiz (the pencil) |
Real-Life Context: Misusing gendered articles just doesn’t sound right to a native speaker, and they might think that your Spanish is not so good. However, as far as communication is concerned, it generally doesn’t create misunderstandings.
How You Can Memorize Spanish Gender
Pro Tip: When it comes to memorizing the gender of a word, the best approach is to always learn a sentence connected with it. For instance, do not just learn “luna” (moon), instead memorize: “la luna está llena” (the moon is full). This way, you will be able to recall the example and you will immediately know that luna is a feminine noun.
How Can You Memorize Spanish Vocabulary
This method not only helps you learn the gender of nouns but also aids in memorizing vocabulary in general. Learning new words in sentences is key to memorizing them for the long term. And this is exactly what Jolii does. It provides real-life examples to ensure you learn and retain your newly learned vocabulary from youtube and Netflix videos. With Jolii, you can learn Spanish faster.
Comparison: Verb Tenses and Conjugation In English & Spanish
Verbs in Spanish conjugate. That means that their endings change according to the subject. Here is an example of the verb trabajar (to work):
| Spanish | English | ||
| trabajar | To work | ||
| yo | trabajo | I | work |
| tú | trabajas | you | work |
| Él / ella / usted | trabaja | He / she / it | works |
| nosotros/as | trabajamos | we | work |
| vosotros/as | trabajáis | You (pl.) | work |
| Ellos / ellas / ustedes | trabajan | they | work |
As you can see, the verb changes according to the subject, making it different for every person. The same applies not only to the present but to all the other verb tenses, such as past, future, conditional, etc.. making learning verb conjugation quite a long process.
A Tip To Start Speaking Any Foreign Language Quickly
When trying to speak a foreign language for the first time, you will often want to say everything correctly. However, focusing too much on proper conjugations, articles, and tenses can slow you down or even cause you to get stuck in the conversation.
To engage in real Spanish conversations, it is necessary to find a compromise: keeping the conversation going is more important than perfect grammar. If you feel unsure about a verb conjugation, just use it in infinitive instead. For example:
¿Dónde.. trabajar ..tú? (literally: where to work you?)
While it is not grammatically correct, the other person will understand. In the meantime, you can keep practicing verb conjugation with Jolii until you have mastered them. Jolii adapts to your learning pace and creates personalized exercises to help you become a conjugating champion!
Pronouns: Overt vs. Implicit Usage in Spanish
In English, personal pronouns are always required. However, Spanish speakers often omit the personal pronouns in their conversations. This happens mainly because, as seen above, each verb conjugates differently depending on the subject, so it is not strictly necessary to say the personal pronouns. Dropping them eliminates redundancy. For example:
| Spanish | English | ||
| Hablo español | I speak Spanish |
A native Spanish speaker would use personal pronouns mainly for emphasis, such as to clarify that I (yo) speak Spanish and not someone else.
Pro Tip:
As a beginner in Spanish, wait until you are confident with the verb conjugations before omitting personal pronouns. It may sound a bit repetitive at times, but consistently using pronouns ensures that people will most likely understand what you mean even if you make a mistake in your conjugations.
Adjective Placement and Style In English and Spanish
Contrary to English, in Spanish, adjectives are generally placed after the noun.
For instance:
| Spanish | Literal Translation | English | ||
| Tengo un coche rojo | I have a car red | I have a red car | ||
This takes a while to get used to, but it is doable. However, in a few cases, the adjective can appear before the noun to add emphasis or change the meaning slightly.
For example:
Un hombre grande — A big man (physically large).
Un gran hombre (A great man) — A great man (emphasizes qualities like character and achievements, rather than size).
Tip To Understand Placement of Spanish Adjectives
Imagine language learning as a sponge — you need to absorb a lot of input before being able to produce the language. Focus on passive use of the language, such as reading and listening, and over time, your sentence structure will naturally improve. Immerse yourself in the Spanish language with Jolii, and language learning will come to you effortlessly!
Phonetics and Pronunciation Rules English vs.Spanish
Spanish has some sounds that are not found in English, such as the distinctive rolled ‘r’, as in the word “perro” (dog). Aside from these sounds, Spanish pronunciation is generally more phonetic and consistent than English, with straightforward spelling and clear vowel sounds. Once you know a few pronunciation rules you will be able to read any word in Spanish.
Complex English Vowels
In contrast, English has complex vowel sounds, silent letters, and variable stress patterns that can change word meanings. For instance, the word “ough” can be pronounced in multiple ways:
‘though’ → oh
‘through’ → oo
‘thought’ → aw
‘cough’ → off
‘bough’ → ow
These aspects make English pronunciation particularly tricky for non-native speakers.
How Can You Master Spanish Pronunciation
The key to mastering Spanish pronunciation is exposure—practicing by listening to native speakers through videos, music, or conversations will naturally get you to internalize the phonetics and correct pronunciation. With Jolii, you can practice your pronunciation, getting instant feedback and practical tips to improve!
Common Syntax Pitfalls to Watch Out For
A little mindful usage of syntax can make you fluent in Spanish, but you need to watch out for these.
1. Do not translate Spanish sentences literally
The sentence “Me gusta el cafe” = “I like coffee,“ not “To me pleases the coffee.”.
2. You might forget the gender rules; please don’t do it in Spanish
3. Follow the correct verb conjugation
The subject-verb agreement in a Spanish sentence is implicit, so you don’t need to add extra things in a sentence.
Hablo español is correct and sufficient. Yo hablo español is also correct, but yo hablar español is not.
Tip To Avoid Syntax Mistakes In Spanish
Try to learn a language using its context. It makes it closer to the natives. If you want to enhance your Spanish learning, how about giving Jolii a try? Jolii helps you learn the language using contextual sentences from a movie, a drama, or a song.
Which One Is Easier to Learn? English or Spanish?
Following our analysis, here is a recap table of different aspects like definite and indefinite articles, gender of nouns, verb conjugations, pronouns and pronunciation rules.
| Spanish | English | Which one is easier? | |
| Word Order | Flexible word order for tone and emphasis | Fixed Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure | English Reason: fixed structure |
| Definite and Indefinite Articles | Change based on gender and number. Four forms for definite articles (el, la, los, las) and four for indefinite (un, una, unos, unas). | Only “the” for definite and “a/an” for indefinite (singular). No gender distinction. | EnglishReason: fewer forms. |
| Gender of Nouns | Nouns have gender (masculine or feminine). General rules exist, but with exceptions. | No grammatical gender for nouns. | EnglishReason: no gender distinctions |
| Verb Conjugation | Verbs change endings based on subject, tense, and mood. | Limited conjugation. Mainly changes for third person singular in present tense. | EnglishReason: simpler conjugation rules. |
| Pronouns: Overt vs. Implicit usage | Often omitted as verb conjugations indicate the subject. | Always required in sentences. | EnglishReason: never omitted |
| Adjective Placement and Style | Usually after the noun, but can be placed before for emphasis or in certain expressions. | Generally before the noun. | EnglishReason: more consistent placement |
| Pronunciation | Phonetic language. Each letter generally has one sound. | Complex pronunciation rules with many exceptions. Silent letters and varied vowel sounds. | SpanishReason: phonetic language |
All in all, English is the easier language to learn, while Spanish is more challenging because of the many points mentioned above. But don’t get discouraged! First, because what is or isn’t difficult is subjective and depends on several factors.
Second, Spanish is not the most difficult language in the world! It is actually ranked as one of the easiest to learn for English speakers. In any case, even the most difficult language in the world can feel easy to learn if you have the right tools. Download Jolii today for free and become a Spanish pro!
Conclusion
English vs.Spanish syntax are not different, they follow the same (subject-verb-object) order. Spanish syntax is more flexible than English. In Spanish, the verbs need to conjugate with the noun’s usage, while it is absent in English. Spanish adjectives come after the object, while in English is the opposite. Pronouns are often omitted in Spanish, unlike in English where they are always used, These are some of the most common English vs. Spanish syntax. Jolii with the immersive power of Netflix movies, can get you to Spanish fluency.
Mini Quiz Answers:
- c) Sara plays football in the afternoon.
- a) El niño alto corre rápido.
