Verbs are of the essence

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Hello there! Today, I want to share with you a language learning approach that might contribute to your developing of Spanish skills. It’s all about the mighty power of verbs! I can assure you that by focusing on verbs, you’ll unlock the door to countless related abilities.

You know why verbs are awesome vocabulary builders? Because verbs you can’t make a sentence without a verb. The very basic ingredients of a sentence are a subject and a verb.

Good old SUBJECT/PREDICATE to the rescue

Let’s refresh. The predicate, whose nucleus is always a verb, tells you something about the subject. If you are able to spot the verb, you can ask who performs this action? and automatically identify the subject of virtually any sentence. I talk about this in more detail HERE.

By embracing verbs as your starting point, you’ll open the floodgates to understanding the language’s fundamental structure and gaining fluency faster.

Verb Patterns

When you prioritize verbs, you tap into a goldmine of patterns.

Verbs don’t exist in isolation; they need to team up with other words. These combinations play a crucial role in expanding your vocabulary.

Understanding the different type of verbs out there, you’ll be able to know how they relate to other types of words.

There’re several different classifications of verbs, but the ones I consider relevant for this purpose are the following:

  • Transitive / Intransitive
  • Pronominal / Non Pronominal
  • Prepositional verbs

Verb Periphrasis

Of course, how would this be complete if we didn’t include verb periphrasis?

I cannot stress enough the importance of verb periphrasis. Make yourself familiar with, at least, the following:

De INFINITIVO

  • IR A + INF
  • VOLVER A +INF
  • DEJAR DE + INF
  • EMPEZAR A + INF
  • COMENZAR A + INF
  • PODER + INF
  • QUERER + INF
  • TRATAR DE + INF
  • INTENTAR + INF
  • TENER QUE + INF
  • HAY QUE + INF
  • ESTAR POR + INF
  • ACABAR DE + INF
  • APRENDER A + INF

De GERUNDIO

  • ESTAR  + GER
  • SEGUIR + GER
  • VIVIR + GER

De PARTICIPIO

  • ESTAR + PART
  • LLEVAR + PART

Collocations

Learning verbs alongside their common collocations and idiomatic expressions will boost your conversational skills and help you sound more natural and fluent.

As you discover more verbs, you’ll start seeing these patterns emerge again and again, helping you master conjugation effortlessly.

The best way to do this is to take any given verb and pair it to their most common direct objects.

Embrace Verb Conjugation Exercises

To solidify your grasp of verb forms, it’s essential to practice conjugation regularly. Seek out exercises, online resources, or textbooks that provide conjugation drills.

Work on different verb tenses, persons, and moods. With consistent practice, conjugation will become second nature, and you’ll gain the confidence to use verbs accurately in your own speech and writing.

Verbs in Context: Authentic Material

One of the most effective ways to internalize verbs is by immersing yourself in authentic Spanish sources. Listen to podcasts, watch movies, try to connect with native speakers, and read books and articles in Spanish. By experiencing verbs in real-life contexts, you’ll grasp their nuances, understand their usage, and effortlessly absorb new vocabulary.

This is it my friends! I hope I’ve encouraged you to take action on verbs. They are your allies in the journey of language learning.

¡Buena suerte!

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