Spanish Sentence Structure

A sentence is a fundamental element of communication, serving as the vehicle through which we express complete messages. In Spanish, mastering sentence structure involves understanding the order words must follow to convey a clear and coherent meaning. While sentences can take on three main forms—affirmative, negative, or interrogative—the most common is the affirmative, which typically adheres to a basic subject + verb + complement structure.

For example, in “Él come manzanas,” which translates to “He eats apples,” “él” functions as the subject, “come” is the verb, and “manzanas” serves as the complement. This foundational structure provides a strong basis for constructing more complex sentences by incorporating additional grammatical elements such as modifiers, adjectives, and adverbs, allowing for more precise meanings and nuanced expressions.

Elements of a Spanish Sentence

Every complete sentence in Spanish typically consists of three core elements:

Subject: This is the person, animal, or object that performs or experiences the action of the verb. It answers the question “who or what is doing something?”
Verb: This element represents the action, movement, or state that the subject performs or experiences. Examples include “To live” (Vivir), “To eat” (Comer), “To feel” (Sentir), etc.

Complement: This part of the sentence provides additional information about the subject or the action. It often clarifies or specifies details. For instance, in the sentence “Puse el café en la mesa” (I put the coffee on the table), “en la mesa” is the complement.

How to Form Sentences in Spanish

The way you structure a sentence depends on whether you are making a statement, asking a question, or expressing a negative idea.

Affirmative Sentences

To form an affirmative sentence in Spanish, you generally follow the basic order of: Subject + Verb + Complement.

Yo adoro la comida italiana. – I love Italian food.
Mi abuela olvidó las llaves de la puerta. – My grandmother forgot the keys to the door.

El jardín se ve fantástico. – The garden looks amazing.

Subject	Verb	Complement
Yo	adoro	la comida italiana
Mi abuela	olvidó	las llaves de la casa
El jardín	se ve	fantástico

Interrogative Sentences

An interrogative sentence (a question) in Spanish follows the same basic word order as an affirmative sentence, but it is indicated by a questioning tone and, critically, by the use of two question marks: one at the beginning and one at the end.

¿Mi abuela olvidó las llaves en la casa? – Did my grandmother forget the keys at the house?

¿Esteban estaba en tu casa? – Was Esteban at your house?

Other Common Ways to Ask Questions:

Beyond the standard Subject + Verb + Complement structure, questions in Spanish can also be formed through:

Verb-Subject Inversion: Placing the verb before the subject, often for emphasis or formality.
- Example: ¿Come él manzanas? (Does he eat apples?)

Understanding Spanish Question Marks: In Spanish, question marks are always placed at both the beginning and end of an interrogative sentence. The opening question mark is inverted (¿), and the closing question mark is a regular one (?). This distinctive use helps differentiate questions from statements at the outset of a sentence.

Negative Sentences

Negative sentences in Spanish are formed by simply adding the word “no” directly before the verb in an affirmative sentence. The structure is: Subject + no + Verb + Complement.

Nicolas no entiende la información. – Nicolas doesn’t understand the information.
Yo no sé lo que preguntas. – I don’t know what you’re asking.

La lluvia no para. – The rain doesn’t stop.

Here’s a breakdown of the negative sentence structure:

Subject	No	Verb	Complement
Nicolas	no	entiende	la información
Yo	no	se	lo que preguntas
La lluvia	no	para	todavía

Agreement in Gender and Number

A vital aspect of Spanish sentence structure is agreement. If a noun is accompanied by an article (such as la, el, los, las, un, una, unos, unas) and/or an adjective, these words must agree with the noun in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). This ensures grammatical harmony within the sentence.

La mujer sonríe. – The woman smiles.
Las mujeres sonríen. – The women smile.
El niño juega. – The boy plays.

Los niños juegan. – The boys play.

Quiz and exercises

Practice what you learned with the following exercises.

Identify the basic elements (Subject, Verb, Complement) of the following sentence in Spanish: “Los niños juegan en el parque.”
Rewrite the following affirmative sentence in Spanish as a negative sentence: “Ellas estudian mucho.”

Write the following question in Spanish: “Is the book interesting?”
Identify the basic elements (Subject, Verb, Complement) of the following sentence in Spanish: “Ella lee una novela.”
Rewrite the following affirmative sentence in Spanish as a negative sentence: “Nosotros viajamos a España.”

Write the following question in Spanish: “Where is the museum?”

Answers:

1.Identify the basic elements (Subject, Verb, Complement) of the following sentence in Spanish: “Los niños juegan en el parque.”

- Subject: Los niños (The children)
- Verb: juegan (play)
- Complement: en el parque (in the park)

2. Rewrite the following affirmative sentence in Spanish as a negative sentence: “Ellas estudian mucho.”

- Negative: “Ellas no estudian mucho.”

3. Write the following question in Spanish: “Is the book interesting?”

- Question: “¿Es interesante el libro?” (or “¿El libro es interesante?”)

4. Identify the basic elements (Subject, Verb, Complement) of the following sentence in Spanish: “Ella lee una novela.”

- Subject: Ella (She)
- Verb: lee (reads)
- Complement: una novela (a novel)

5. Rewrite the following affirmative sentence in Spanish as a negative sentence: “Nosotros viajamos a España.”

- Negative: “Nosotros no viajamos a España.”

6. Write the following question in Spanish: “Where is the museum?”

- Question: “¿Dónde está el museo?”