The Big 6 Spanish Sentence Structure: Easy Explanation

How exciting that you’re already starting to form sentences in Spanish! That’s a wonderful achievement. Did you know there are six basic sentence structures in Spanish? I’ll outline them here, and I hope they help you on your journey of learning the language.

To build simple sentences in Spanish, you primarily need a subject (who or what is doing the action) and a verb (the action itself). You must ensure the verb is conjugated correctly to match the subject. Sometimes, you'll also include an object to receive the action.

Ellas comen pizza.

Key Grammatical Agreements

Remember these vital rules for Spanish words:

• Gender and Number Agreement: Nouns, articles, and adjectives must agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
Example: La casa blanca (The white house - Feminine, singular).
• Adjective Placement: Unlike in English, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.
Example: Un libro interesante (An interesting book).

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The Six Core Spanish Sentence Structures (The "Big 6")

Spanish follows a generally predictable pattern, often summarized as the "Big 6" sentence types.

1. Basic Affirmative (Positive) Sentences

This is the most common and fundamental structure.

Subject + Verb + Complement/Object

• The subject (who is doing the action) comes first.
• The verb (action word) follows the subject.
• The complement (additional information) comes last.

Spanish Example	English Translation	Formula Components
Yo tengo un perro.	I have a dog.	S+ V+ O
Ella vive en Colorado.	She lives in Colorado.	S+ V+ Complement
Nosotros estudiamos español.	We study Spanish.	S+ V+ O

💡 Note for English Speakers: In Spanish, the subject pronoun (e.g., Yo, Tú, Él) is often omitted because the verb conjugation clearly indicates the subject. This is known as a pro-drop language. 

Example: Tengo un perro. (I have a dog.)

Adding Time Expressions
If you want to specify when something happens, add a time phrase:

Examples:

• Yo estudio español todos los días. (I study Spanish every day.)
• Ella trabaja en la mañana. (She works in the morning.)
• Nos vemos el viernes. (We’ll see each other on Friday.)

2. Negative Sentences

To make a sentence negative, simply place the word "no" directly before the conjugated verb. Unlike English, no auxiliary verb (do/does) is needed.Subject + No + Verb} + Complement/Object

Spanish Example	English Translation	Formula Components
(Yo) No tengo dinero.	I don't have money.	S + No + V + O
Ella no estudia francés.	She doesn't study French.	S + No + V + O
Nosotros no trabajamos los domingos.	We don't work on Sundays.	S + No + V + Complement

3. Yes/No Questions (Interrogative)

These are the simplest questions to form. You keep the affirmative word order and simply use rising intonation (in speech) or inverted question marks (¿...?) (in writing). The subject and verb can sometimes be inverted for emphasis.

¿ + Subject + Verb + Complement + ?

or

¿ + Verb + Subject + Complement + ?

Spanish Example	English Translation
¿Tú tienes hermanos?	Do you have siblings?
¿Trabajas aquí?	Do you work here?

4. Information Questions (Wh- Questions)

These questions use question words (like qué, dónde, cuándo). The question word always comes first, followed by the verb.¿ + Question Word + Verb + Subject + Complement + ?

Question Word	Meaning	Spanish Example	English Translation
¿Dónde?	Where?	¿Dónde vives?	Where do you live?
¿Qué?	What?	¿Qué estudias?	What do you study?
¿Cuándo?	When?	¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?	When is your birthday?

2. Use Intonation for Yes/No Questions

You can form yes/no questions by keeping the word order the same but raising your voice at the end:

• ¿Tienes hermanos? (Do you have siblings?)
• ¿Trabajas aquí? (Do you work here?)
• ¿Estudias español? (Do you study Spanish?)

5. Imperative (Commands)

The imperative mood is used to give orders, advice, or requests. The conjugation form is different and depends on the pronoun (Tú, Usted, Nosotros, Vosotros, Ustedes).

Verb (Imperative Form)} + Object/Complement

Spanish Example	English Translation	Note
Come la pizza.	Eat the pizza.	Tú form (informal)
Hable más despacio.	Speak more slowly.	Usted form (formal)
Vamos a la casa.	Let's go home.	Nosotros form

6. Time and Place Expressions

These phrases are highly flexible and can often be placed at the beginning or end of a sentence. Placing them at the beginning can add emphasis.

Subject + Verb + Object + Time/Place Expression

or

Time/Place Expression + Subject + Verb + Object

Spanish Example	English Translation
Yo estudio español todos los días.	I study Spanish every day.
En la mañana, ella trabaja.	In the morning, she works.
Nos vemos el viernes.	We’ll see each other on Friday.

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A Spanish Dialogue in Action 💬

Notice how these simple structures are used in conversation:En el supermercado

Character	Spanish Sentence	Structure Type
👩 Mamá:	Mary, ¿qué necesitamos comprar?	Information Question (4)
👧 Mary:	Necesitamos leche y pan.	Affirmative (1)
👩 Mamá:	Sí, y también compramos verduras para la cena.	Affirmative (1)
👧 Mary:	¡Me gusta la ensalada! Yo como muchas verduras.	Affirmative (1)
👩 Mamá:	Muy bien. Vamos a la sección de frutas también.	Imperative (5)
👧 Mary:	¡Sí! Tú comes fresas, ¿verdad?	Yes/No Question (3)
👩 Mamá:	Sí, me gustan mucho.	Affirmative (1)

Simple sentences are the foundation of Spanish communication. By mastering these six core structures, you'll gain confidence in speaking and writing. Keep practicing these patterns, and soon, forming sentences in Spanish will feel natural!

 Would you be up for the challenge of writing a simple sentence in Spanish