Present tense
Use the present for routines and current states. Regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs have different ending patterns. Learn frequent irregulars such as voy, tengo and hago.
Ayudo en una tienda y vendemos fruta.
IGCSE · Spanish · grammar
For Years 9–11 · Learn, try, checkIGCSE Spanish Grammar: Connect Time and Meaning
Build accurate sentences with concise tense notes, examples and short answer-reveal practice.
Build a sentence you can change
Begin with a subject, a verb and one clear detail. For writing and speaking, present-tense routines, completed past events and future plans are useful starting points. For reading and listening, recognising a form matters even before you can produce it quickly.
Practise moving between a past event and its background, then adding a comparison or conditional preference. Check your own board’s grammar list rather than borrowing a UK GCSE tier checklist.
- Say a sentence, change its subject, then check the new ending.
- Move it to a different time frame and change the time marker too.
- Add a negative or reason without changing the intended meaning.
- Keep a small correction log: wrong form → correct form → new example.
Spanish grammar: the useful building blocks
These are concise starting notes, not the entire specification. Each example shows the form doing a job in a sentence.
Preterite
Use the preterite for completed past events. Regular first-person forms include -é for -ar verbs and -í for -er/-ir verbs. Common irregulars include fui, hice and tuve.
El sábado vendimos fruta y fuimos a la plaza.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for habits or background in the past. Regular -ar verbs use -aba endings, and -er/-ir verbs use -ía. Ser, ir and ver are irregular.
La tienda estaba llena mientras hablábamos.
Near future
Use present ir + a + infinitive for a plan. The infinitive does not change with the subject.
Vamos a visitar el museo el domingo.
Simple future
Add -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the infinitive. Irregular stems include tendr-, har- and podr-.
El ayuntamiento preguntará a los vecinos.
Conditional
Add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían to the infinitive or an irregular future stem. Use it for wishes or hypothetical outcomes.
Con más espacio, abriríamos otra sala.
Ser and estar
Ser often describes identity or characteristics; estar describes location and states. They are not simply “permanent” and “temporary”: learn the intended meaning.
Mi tío es comerciante y hoy está preocupado.
Gustar-type verbs
With gustar, the thing liked controls the verb: me gusta el libro, me gustan los libros. Me, te and le identify who has the feeling. An infinitive takes gusta.
A mi prima le interesa el arte y le interesan los museos.
Adjective agreement
Adjectives agree in number and often gender. Those ending in -e commonly have one form for both genders; they still change for plural nouns.
Un pueblo tranquilo ; unas calles tranquilas.
Pronouns
Direct object pronouns include lo, la, los and las. They normally precede a conjugated verb and can attach to an infinitive.
Quiero visitar el museo. Quiero visitarlo.
Negatives
No normally goes before the verb. Nunca can go before it on its own, or after a verb already preceded by no. Ya no means no longer.
Ya no voy en coche al centro.
Comparisons
Use más…que, menos…que and tan…como. Mejor and peor compare good and bad; do not write más mejor.
Esta plaza es tan bonita como la otra.
Connectives
Y adds, pero contrasts, porque gives a reason and por eso introduces a result. Aunque can express a contrast; keep the rest of the sentence manageable.
Hay mucho tráfico, por eso vamos a pie.
Choose the form from the meaning
Original practice · not an exam paper
Four short grammar checks
Write the missing form or correction. Say why it fits before you reveal the answers.
- Complete: De pequeño, ___ (ir, yo) a la plaza.
- Replace el museo: Quiero visitar el museo.
- Complete: Con más tiempo, ___ (poder, nosotros) ayudar.
- Correct the comparison: Esta calle es más mejor.
Reveal answers and explanations
- Iba: an irregular imperfect expressing a habit.
- Quiero visitarlo or Lo quiero visitar: lo replaces el museo.
- Podríamos: conditional with irregular podr- stem.
- Esta calle es mejor: mejor already means better.
Use grammar in a real answer
Antes, iba en coche al centro, pero ahora voy a pie. Con menos tráfico, podríamos pasear más.
Underline the verbs, then label each time frame. Write a version about your own life, keeping the grammatical pattern but changing the detail. Finally say it aloud without reading.
Original practice · not an exam paper
Change one detail, keep the structure
Change the final sentence to a new plan or wish. Then check the subject, verb and any agreement. For example, change voy a hacer to voy a preparar, not voy a preparo.
Reveal answers and explanations
A model adaptation is Con menos tráfico, podríamos ir en bicicleta.. Your own accurate alternative may be different.
Grammar helps writing when it conveys a precise meaning, and speaking when it makes an answer easy to follow. A memorised complex sentence that does not fit the question is not an improvement.
Check the assessment for your board
Confirm your board with your teacher. These are original learning resources, not official papers or a grade prediction.
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE writing includes a task requiring verbs in their correct forms. Practise choosing a tense from context as well as producing it; reading and continuous writing also depend on grammar.
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Spanish speaking guide
Official Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Spanish specification (PDF)Cambridge IGCSE
The Cambridge IGCSE syllabus lists grammar for understanding and expression. Build accurate sentences and practise manipulating them for directed writing. These notes relate to 2025–2027; check the separate syllabus if your exam is in 2028 or later.
Cambridge IGCSE Spanish speaking guide
Official Cambridge IGCSE Spanish 2025–2027 syllabus (PDF)Cambridge exam year matters: 2025–2027 and 2028–2030 are different syllabuses. The PDF above is for 2025–2027; for a later exam, choose your year on the official Cambridge Spanish qualification page. Pearson guidance here concerns the linear 2017 International GCSE specifications (4FR1 / 4SP1); check the precise qualification your school enters.
Carry the skill into your next answer
Move between understanding language and using it. Pick a related resource rather than starting another long checklist.
Ready to say it aloud?
The website supports broad revision. The ScoreMySpeech app stays specialist: French and Spanish speaking practice with feedback, not full reading, listening or writing assessment.