Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

Note to the Second Edition

The bi-partite approach we took when producing the first edition of Modern Spanish

Grammar has proved popular with students and tutors alike. For the second edition we

went back to the people that use the Grammar and asked what they would like to see

improved.

As s result, we have taken the opportunity to make some changes to Part A (Structures)

and to carry out revisions and make additions to Part B (Functions), as well as making

some general corrections and updatings.

Thank you to all our readers – we hope that they find this new edition as stimulating as

the first.

Juan Kattán-Ibarra

Christopher J. Pountain

April 2003

Introduction to the First Edition

This book is divided into two major parts: Structures and Functions.

Part A – Structures is a concise grammar of Spanish organized in the familiar traditional

way, describing the forms of Spanish in turn. This section should be used for quick

reference when you want to know something about a form or structure you can identify

(e.g. the subjunctive forms of a particular verb, how adjectives agree with nouns, when

to use ser or estar, etc.).

Part B – Functions is newer in concept, and the larger of the two. It is organized

according to the kinds of things you might want to say in particular situations in

Spanish, and here you can look up such things as how to apologize, how to ask the

time, how to describe a person, etc. You will find that sometimes the same ground is

covered in both parts, although it is organized in a different way (we have, however,

tried to keep exact overlap between the two sections to a minimum).

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