Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

Note to the Second EditionThe bi-partite approach we took when producing the first edition of Modern SpanishGrammar has proved popular with students and tutors alike. For the second edition wewent back to the people that use the Grammar and asked what they would like to seeimproved.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 makingsome general corrections and updatings.Thank you to all our readers – we hope that they find this new edition as stimulating asthe first.Juan Kattán-IbarraChristopher J. PountainApril 2003Introduction to the First EditionxviiThis book is divided into two major parts: Structures and Functions.Part A – Structures is a concise grammar of Spanish organized in the familiar traditionalway, describing the forms of Spanish in turn. This section should be used for quickreference 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, whento use ser or estar, etc.).Part B – Functions is newer in concept, and the larger of the two. It is organizedaccording to the kinds of things you might want to say in particular situations inSpanish, and here you can look up such things as how to apologize, how to ask thetime, how to describe a person, etc. You will find that sometimes the same ground iscovered 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).