Basic Sentence Structure: Building Your First Spanish Sentences
Spanish sentences follow the same subject-verb-object order as English (María bebe café), but the verb ending shows who acts, so the subject pronoun is usually dropped.
The rule at a glance
Subject + verb + object, as in English
The subject pronoun is usually dropped
Subject
El perro
the dog (who does it)
Verb
come
eats (the action)
Object
carne
meat (receives the action)
El perro come carne
The dog eats meat
No pronoun needed
hablo
I speak
Hablo español
I speak Spanish
- The ending shows who: hablo can only mean "I speak", so yo is optional.
- Keep the article: Los perros comen carne (dogs eat meat), not Perros comen carne.
Forms
Subject, verb, object
Spanish sentences follow the same subject-verb-object pattern as English, which makes them easy to start with. The subject includes its article: in El perro come carne the subject is el perro, not just perro.
| Part | What it does | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | who does the action | María · El perro | María · The dog |
| Verb | the action, with an ending for the subject | bebe · come | drinks · eats |
| Object | receives the action | café · carne | coffee · meat |
Verb endings show the subject
Each subject has its own verb ending, so the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él...) can usually be left out. Here is comer in the present tense:
| Ending | Who | Comer | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| -o | yo (I) | Como | I eat |
| -es | tú (you) | Comes | You eat |
| -e | él/ella (he/she) | Come | He/She eats |
| -emos | nosotros (we) | Comemos | We eat |
| -en | ellos/ellas (they) | Comen | They eat |
-o = I: Como pizza – I eat pizza
-as = you: Estudias mucho – You study a lot
Download the study guide: a PDF with all the sentence structure rules, examples and practice exercises.
When to use it
1. Daily activities: subject + verb + object
Put the subject first, then the verb, then the object, as in English.
María bebe café – María drinks coffee
Los niños juegan al fútbol – The children play football
Nosotros vemos televisión – We watch television
El niño come manzanas – The boy eats apples
2. Without subject pronouns
The verb ending already says who is acting, so yo, tú, nosotros and ellos are usually left out.
-o = I: Hablo inglés – I speak English
-es = you: Comes demasiado – You eat too much
-emos = we: Comemos pizza – We eat pizza
-en = they: Escriben cartas – They write letters
3. With subject pronouns: emphasis, contrast and clarity
Add the pronoun to stress who does something, to contrast two people, or when él, ella or usted could be confused.
Emphasis: Yo hablo español – I speak Spanish (emphasising "I")
Contrast: Tú comes pizza, yo como pasta – You eat pizza, I eat pasta
Clarity: Ella estudia mucho – She studies a lot (not he)
4. Negatives and questions keep the same order
Put no just before the verb to make a negative. For a yes/no question, keep the words and change the tone, with ¿...? in writing.
Negative: No bebo café – I don't drink coffee
Question: ¿Bebes café? Do you drink coffee?
More on these: negation and question formation.
Common mistakes
Conjugate the verb
Not this (incorrect): Él comer pizza
But this (correct): Él come pizza – He eats pizza. Verbs must be conjugated to match the subject: use come, not comer.
Keep the article for things in general
Not this (incorrect): Perros comen carne
But this (correct): Los perros comen carne – Dogs eat meat. English says "dogs" with no article for dogs in general; Spanish needs one: los perros.
Match the ending to the subject
Not this (incorrect): Nosotros come pizza
But this (correct): Nosotros comemos pizza – We eat pizza. Each subject has its own ending: -o (yo), -es (tú), -e (él/ella), -emos (nosotros), -en (ellos).
Quick check
8 questions1. Word order puzzle! What's the correct order for 'María drinks coffee'?
Spanish follows Subject-Verb-Object order: 'María bebe café' (María drinks coffee) - just like English!
2. Subject identification! In 'El perro come carne' (The dog eats meat), what's the subject?
'El perro' (the dog) is the complete subject. In Spanish, articles are part of the subject.
3. Verb spotting! In 'Los niños juegan al fútbol' (The children play football), which word is the verb?
'Juegan' (they play) is the verb. Verbs show actions or states of being.
4. Object hunting! In 'Nosotros vemos televisión' (We watch television), what's the object?
'Televisión' is the direct object - it receives the action of the verb 'vemos'.
5. Build this sentence: 'I drink coffee' in Spanish
'Yo bebo café' (I drink coffee) follows Subject-Verb-Object order. The subject 'yo' is often dropped in Spanish: 'Bebo café'.
6. Writing time! How do you say 'They write letters'?
The correct order is 'Escriben cartas' (They write letters). The subject pronoun 'ellos' is often dropped.
7. Speaking practice! Complete: 'Yo _____ inglés'
'Hablo' (speak) is the correct verb: 'Yo hablo inglés' or just 'Hablo inglés' (I speak English).
8. Food sentence! Which sentence correctly says 'We eat pizza'?
The standard order is 'Nosotros comemos pizza' (We eat pizza). The subject 'nosotros' can often be dropped: 'Comemos pizza'.
Test your understanding of Spanish sentence patterns: