So, you’ve started learning Spanish, and suddenly it feels like the words are dancing around in a completely different order than English. Where did the subject go? Why is “red car” suddenly “carro rojo”? And what do you mean, “I don’t know nothing” is totally okay in Spanish?!
Don’t panic. Spanish structure might look upside down at first glance, but once you understand a few simple rules, it all starts to make sense. In fact, it’s easier (and way more logical) than you think!
Let’s walk through five key differences between English and Spanish sentence structure. I’ll keep it fun, light, and full of examples. Ready?
¡Empecemos! (Let’s begin!)
Adjective Placement
Let’s start with the most obvious and easiest difference: where the adjectives go.
In English, we say:
- Red car
- Beautiful house
- Good person
In Spanish? Flip it!
- Carro Rojo
- Casa hermosa
- Buena persona
Yup, adjectives usually come after the noun in Spanish.
So instead of "a brilliant student", you'd say:
- Un estudiante brillante
And instead of "a beautiful house", it’s:
- Una casa hermosa
Simple rule: Noun first, adjective after. That’s the default.
But… of course, there’s a twist!
Exceptions: When Adjectives Go Before the Noun
Sometimes, you’ll hear the adjective go before the noun—just like in English.
For example:
- Una buena persona is totally okay too!
But be careful, the meaning can change depending on placement.
Let me show you a fun example:
Un hombre pobre - A man without money
Un pobre hombre - A man going through a rough time
Both use the word pobre (poor), but the order flips the meaning.
So, as a rule of thumb:
- Most of the time - adjective after noun
- Occasionally - adjective before, but watch the meaning!
Subject Omission: Bye-Bye Pronouns
In English, you need the subject in a sentence. You can’t just say “Study Spanish” unless you're giving a command.
But in Spanish?
Totally fine!
- English: You study Spanish
- Spanish: (Tú) estudias español
See what happened there? We dropped the subject “tú” (you), and it’s still 100% correct.
Why? Because in Spanish, the verb tells us who is doing the action.
Look at these two examples:
- Estudias español - You study Spanish (from the -as ending, we know it's “tú”)
- Estudiamos español - We study Spanish (from the -amos ending, we know it's “nosotros”)
That’s the magic of conjugation, it acts like a name tag for the subject. No need to say it out loud unless you want to emphasize it.
So next time you’re speaking Spanish, feel free to drop the subject. The verb’s got your back.
Double Negatives Are Not a Problem
Okay, let’s talk about something your English teacher probably told you not to do: double negatives.
In English:
- “I don’t know nothing” - grammatically incorrect (though you’ll still hear it…)
But in Spanish?
- No sé nada - Perfectly correct!
Double negatives are not just allowed; they're standard.
Here’s another:
- No vi a nadie - I didn’t see anyone
(literally: “I didn’t see nobody”)
So when you're using negatives in Spanish, just stack them!
No + negative word = correct.
Don’t stress it, it’s actually one of the easiest things to get used to. And if your inner English grammar police get nervous, just remind them: It’s Spanish now, baby!
No “Do” Needed: Bye Auxiliaries
Here’s another funny difference.
In English, we often need helping words like “do” or “does” to form questions.
- “Do you know the teacher?”
- “Does she like coffee?”
In Spanish? Forget about it!
- “¿Conoces al profesor?”
- “¿Le gusta el café?”
Notice there’s no word for “do” in those Spanish questions. That’s because Spanish doesn’t use auxiliary verbs like “do/does” for questions.
Even better, you can drop the subject here too, just like we learned earlier.
So:
- ¿Tú conoces al profesor?
becomes
- ¿Conoces al profesor? – and it’s still a proper, polite question!
And yes, when you write a question in Spanish, don’t forget the upside-down question mark at the beginning: ¿
It’s not just for decoration, it’s super helpful!
Wondering how people can tell it’s a question? It’s all in the intonation!
Object Pronoun Placement: The Big Flip
Let’s talk about object pronouns, words like “me, you, him, her, it, us, them”.
In English, they come after the verb:
- ‘’I love you”
- “We saw them”
- “She knows him”
But in Spanish, they flip and go before the verb:
- Te quiero - I love you
- Los vimos - We saw them
- Lo conoce - She knows him
So:
- English: I know them
- Spanish: Los conozco
See the switch? "Los" (them) comes before the verb “conozco”.
It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference. Spanish likes to keep things tidy up front.
Heads-up: this gets more fun (read: trickier) when you get into commands and infinitives, but this rule works for most regular sentences.
See? Spanish sentence structure isn’t some mysterious code, it’s just a different way of organizing thoughts. With a little practice, it stops feeling “foreign” and starts feeling fun.
From flipping adjectives and skipping subjects to embracing double negatives and rethinking where your pronouns go, you’re now equipped with the core rules that make Spanish sentences tick.
So keep exploring, keep practicing, and before long, Spanish will feel just as natural as English, maybe even more so!
Did you find this post helpful? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a message and tell us about your experience, whether it’s with Spanish sentence structure or another topic you find tricky. Let us know what you’d like us to break down next, and we’ll cover it in a future post!
