Spanish: An Essential Grammar

Les pidió que entraran. He asked them to come in.

Les pidió que entren.[LA]

Quería que lo hagamos hoy.[LA] He wanted us to do it today.

Use of preterite for perfect

In much of Latin America, with the possible exception of the Andes, the

preterite is used in situations in which Peninsular speakers would opt for

the perfect. In some cases this can be compared with the contrast between

British English ‘Have you done it yet?’ and American English ‘Did you do

it yet?’

Todavía no han llamado. They haven’t called yet.

Todavía no llamaron. [LA]

¿Nunca has visto Lo que el viento Have you never seen

se llevó? Gone with the Wind?

¿Nunca viste Lo que el viento se llevó? [LA]

Me tengo que ir. He quedado I have to go. I’ve arranged

con Luis. to meet Luis.

Me tengo que ir. Quedé con Luis.[LA]

El que, quien and que

Mainstream tendencies

A major difference exists between Peninsular and Latin American Spanish

in terms of the construction of sentences in which a word or phrase is

focused and given special emphasis. These are sentences that correspond

to English ‘It was John who did it’, ‘It was in the park that I saw her’. In

Peninsular Spanish it is generally the case that el que etc., quien, cuando,

dondeor comomust be used.

In addition, if the emphasized word or phrase is preceded by a preposition,

this must (in Peninsular Spanish) be reproduced before the relative pronoun

(see 25.6):

Fue conMaría con la quehablé. It was to/with María that I

spoke.

30.5.1

30.5

30.4.2

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2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

41111

30

Differences
between
Latin
American and
Peninsular
Spanish

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