El Árbol/03 Forms
El Árbol

03 Forms

the verbal system

volume 03 of 9indexed by kind10 sections7 cross-references03-FORMS-VERBAL.md

Kind: FORM. Every shape a Spanish verb can take, drawn as one tree. Exhaustive: there are no verb forms outside this document.

Every technical term is defined inline at first use. Recap at the end.

1THE VERB FORM TREE frequency 3 of 3, daily§

Two words needed first:

Finite (a verb form that is conjugated — it carries person, so it knows who did it, and it can stand as the main verb of a sentence by itself: hablo, hablaste). Non-finite (a form with no person marking — it can't head a sentence alone and must attach to something else: hablar, hablando, hablado). Spanish's own name for these is better than English's: formas no personales, "non-personal forms."

  • VERB FORMforma verbal
    • is a subtype of its parentFINITE — carries PERSON, can head a clause alone
      • is a subtype of its parentINDICATIVE ─ the mood used for asserting facts
        • is a subtype of its parentSIMPLE ─ one word
          • is a subtype of its parentPresent(hablo)
          • is a subtype of its parentPreterite(hablé [a bounded past event])
          • is a subtype of its parentImperfect(hablaba [an unbounded past])
          • is a subtype of its parentFuture(hablaré ◄ retreating in speech)
          • is a subtype of its parentConditional(hablaría)
        • is a subtype of its parentCOMPOUND ─ haber + participle
          • is a subtype of its parentPresent perfect(he hablado ◄ rare in RP)
          • is a subtype of its parentPluperfect(había hablado alive pluperfect = a past event before another past event) frequency 3 of 3, daily
          • is a subtype of its parentPreterite anterior(hube hablado ⊘ extinct)
          • is a subtype of its parentFuture perfect(habré hablado)
          • is a subtype of its parentConditional perfect(habría hablado)
      • is a subtype of its parentSUBJUNCTIVE ─ the mood for what is NOT being asserted
        • is a subtype of its parentSIMPLE
          • is a subtype of its parentPresent(hable)
          • is a subtype of its parentImperfect(hablara / hablase)
          • is a subtype of its parentFuture(hablare ⊘ extinct in Spanish (still alive in Portuguese))
        • is a subtype of its parentCOMPOUND
          • is a subtype of its parentPerfect(haya hablado)
          • is a subtype of its parentPluperfect(hubiera/hubiese hablado)
          • is a subtype of its parentFuture perfect(hubiere hablado ⊘ extinct)
      • is a subtype of its parentIMPERATIVE ─ commands
        • is a subtype of its parentAffirmative
          • is a subtype of its parentvos(hablá ◄ its own form) frequency 3 of 3, daily
          • is a subtype of its parentusted(hable ← borrowed from SUBJ)
          • is a subtype of its parentnosotros(hablemos ← borrowed)
          • is a subtype of its parentustedes(hablen ← borrowed)
        • is a subtype of its parentNegative — ALL borrowed from the subjunctiveno hables / no hablésno hableno hablemosno hablen
    • is a subtype of its parentNON-FINITE — no person, cannot head a clause
      • is a subtype of its parentINFINITIVE(hablar ⇒ behaves as a NOUN)
        • is a subtype of its parentCompound(haber hablado)
      • is a subtype of its parentGERUNDIO(hablando ⇒ behaves as an ADVERB)
        • is a subtype of its parentCompound(habiendo hablado)
      • is a subtype of its parentPARTICIPLE(hablado ⇒ behaves as an ADJECTIVE)
    • is a subtype of its parentPERIPHRASTIC — multi-word semi-forms(periphrasis = several words doing the job a single verb form does elsewhere: "voy a hablar" IS the future])§6voy a hablaracabo de hablarestoy hablandotengo que hablar…

Counting it: 5 simple indicative + 5 compound indicative + 3 simple subjunctive + 3 compound subjunctive + imperative + 3 non-finite = 19 form-slots, of which 4 are extinct and 1 is rare in Argentina. Live inventory: about 14.

2The generative rules frequency 3 of 3, daily§

The tree is large. The rules generating it are small.

3The person grid — rioplatense§

-ar (hablar)-er (comer)-ir (vivir)
yohablocomovivo
voshabláscomésvivís
él/ella/ustedhablacomevive
nosotroshablamoscomemosvivimos
ustedes/elloshablancomenviven

4The irregularity tree frequency 3 of 3, daily§

Not 200 verbs — five branches.

  • IRREGULARITY
    • is a subtype of its parent① STEM-CHANGINGdiphthongization(diphthongization = a single vowel splitting into two when stress lands on it: e → ie, o → ue])
      • is a subtype of its parente → iepensarquererempezarentendercerrar
      • is a subtype of its parento → uepoderdormirvolvercontarcostar
      • is a subtype of its parente → ipedirdecirservirseguirrepetir
      • is a subtype of its parentu → ue(jugar (only member))
      • the parent carries this as a propertyTRIGGER: stress on the stem. No stress ⇒ no change.(VOSEO DIVIDEND: vos endings are stressed on the LAST syllable, so the stem is never stressed ⇒ vos forms NEVER diphthongize ⟹ this entire branch disappears in the second person)vos pensásvos podésvos querésvos dormís
    • is a subtype of its parent② IRREGULAR yopresent indicative only
      • is a subtype of its parent-gotengopongosalgovengohagodigotraigocaigooigovalgo
      • is a subtype of its parent-zcoconozcoparezcoproduzcotraduzco
      • is a subtype of its parent-oydoyestoyvoysoy
      • is a subtype of its parentmisc(⟹ FEEDS the present subjunctive (Rule 3) — highest-leverage branch)séveohequepo
    • is a subtype of its parent③ ORTHOGRAPHIC — spelling only; the SOUND is regular(orthographic = to do with spelling rather than pronunciation)
      • is a subtype of its parentc → qu(buscar → busqué)
      • is a subtype of its parentg → gullegar → lleguépagar → pagué
      • is a subtype of its parentz → c(empezar → empecé)
      • is a subtype of its parentgu → gü(averiguar → averigüé)
      • is a subtype of its parentg → jescoger → escojodirigir → dirijo
      • is a subtype of its parentc → z(vencer → venzo)
      • is a subtype of its parenti → yleer → leyócreer → creyócaer → cayó
      • is a subtype of its parenti absorbed bullir → bulló · gruñir → gruñó(⟹ NOT verb irregularity. Spanish spelling forbids certain letter+vowel combinations; the letters change to keep the sound.)
    • is a subtype of its parent④ STRONG PRETERITE — a new stem plus UNSTRESSED endings("strong" = the stress falls on the stem, not the ending; that stress shift is what makes these look so different])estar→estuv-tener→tuv-andar→anduv-poder→pud-poner→pus-saber→sup-querer→quis-hacer→hic-/hiz-venir→vin-decir→dij-traer→traj-conducir→conduj-caber→cup-haber→hub-
      • the parent carries this as a propertyendings: -e · -iste · -o · -imos · -ieronNO written accents(j-stems take -eron: dijeron · trajeron SUPPLETIVE forms — a completely unrelated word filling the slot: ⟹ FEEDS the imperfect subjunctive (Rule 4))ser/ir → fuidar → diver → vi
    • is a subtype of its parent⑤ CONTRACTED FUTURE/CONDITIONAL STEM
      • is a subtype of its parent+dtendr-pondr-vendr-saldr-valdr-
      • is a subtype of its parentvowel droppodr-sabr-habr-cabr-querr-
      • is a subtype of its parentcollapsehar- (hacer)dir- (decir)
      • the parent carries this as a propertyone stem serves BOTH future and conditional

Plus one micro-branch: -ir verbs raise their stem vowel (the vowel shifts to a higher position in the mouth: o→u, e→i) in 3rd-person preterite and gerundio — dormir → durmió, durmiendo.

4.1The four you cannot derive§

              ser        estar      ir        haber
Present yo    soy        estoy      voy       he
    vos       SOS ⚠      estás      vas       has
    él        es         está       va        ha / HAY
Preterite     fui        estuve     fui ⚠     hube
Imperfect     ERA ⊘      estaba     IBA ⊘     había
Pres.subj     sea        esté       vaya      haya
Imp.subj      fuera      estuviera  fuera     hubiera
Imperative    sé         está       ANDÁ ⚠    —

5The voseo overlay frequency 3 of 3, daily§

Voseo isn't a separate conjugation — it's an overlay (a small patch replacing specific cells of an existing system, leaving the rest untouched) replacing exactly two cells.

exhaustive
  • FULL VERB TREE
    • is a subtype of its parentPRESENT INDICATIVE, 2sg(► REPLACED)drop -r, add a stressed ending: habláscomésvivís
      • the parent carries this as a propertyperfectly regular — no stem changes, no exceptions(one irregular in the whole language: SOS)
    • is a subtype of its parentAFFIRMATIVE IMPERATIVE, 2sg ─► REPLACEDdrop -r, stress the final vowel: hablácomévenídecítenéponésalíhacémirá
      • the parent carries this as a propertyZERO irregulars except ir → andá(⟹ compare tú, which has 8: ven, di, ten, pon, sal, haz, sé, ve)
    • is a subtype of its parentEVERYTHING ELSE(► BORROWED from the tú paradigm preterite ...... vos hablaste possessive ..... TU imperfect ...... vos hablabas object clitic .. TE future ......... vos hablarás after prep ..... VOS conditional .... vos hablarías (con vos — never *contigo) subjunctive .... que vos hables compound ....... vos has hablado)

6Periphrastic semi-forms frequency 2 of 3, secondary§

  • PERIPHRASIS = [auxiliary] + [link] + [non-finite form]
    • is a subtype of its parent+ INFINITIVE
      • is a subtype of its parentTemporalir aacabar deestar porestar a punto de
      • is a subtype of its parentModal(modal = expressing possibility, obligation, or ability)poderdebertener quehaber quesoler
      • is a subtype of its parentInceptive(inceptive = marking the START of an action)empezar acomenzar aponerse aecharse a
      • is a subtype of its parentTerminative(terminative = marking the END)dejar determinar de
      • is a subtype of its parentIterative(volver a iterative = marking repetition)
      • is a subtype of its parentAttainmentllegar aalcanzar a
    • is a subtype of its parent+ GERUNDIO
      • is a subtype of its parentProgressive(estar [action in progress now])
      • is a subtype of its parentContinuativeseguircontinuar [action still going]
      • is a subtype of its parentIncrementalirvenir [action building gradually]
      • is a subtype of its parentItinerant(andar ◄ very RP: ando buscando)
      • is a subtype of its parentDurative(llevar (+time) [how long it's been going])
    • is a subtype of its parent+ PARTICIPLE
      • is a subtype of its parentResultativetenerllevar [the finished result is held]
      • is a subtype of its parentStativeestarandarir [being in a resulting state]
      • is a subtype of its parentTerminativedejarquedar

7What each form encodes§

Formpersonnumbertenseaspectmoodvoice
Present indicative✓✓✓—✓—
Preterite✓✓✓bounded✓—
Imperfect✓✓✓unbounded✓—
Compound✓✓✓perfect✓—
Subjunctive✓✓✓—✓—
Imperative✓✓——✓—
Infinitive——————
Gerundio———progressive-capable——
Participle—✓*—perfect / resultative—passive-capable
ser + participle✓✓✓—✓PASSIVE

(ungrammatical) the participle carries gender and number only when adjectival, never inside compound tenses.

Terms defined in this volume§

Terms defined in this volume25

  • finite
  • non-finite
  • indicative
  • subjunctive
  • imperative
  • preterite
  • imperfect
  • pluperfect
  • compound
  • periphrasis
  • stem
  • diphthongization
  • orthographic
  • strong preterite
  • suppletive
  • vowel raising
  • overlay
  • modal
  • inceptive
  • terminative
  • iterative
  • durative
  • resultative
  • stative
  • grammaticalization

Cross-references§

Next04-FUNCTIONS.md