Kind: CONSTRUCTION. Multi-word patterns whose meaning isn't predictable from their parts. 80 templates, grouped by what they do.
Every technical term is defined inline at first use. Recap at the end.
1What counts as a construction§
A construction (a fixed multi-word pattern with slots to fill, whose overall meaning is more than the sum of the words in it).
Voy a hablar is one: ir has lost its motion sense entirely, and the whole means "future," which none of ir, a or hablar means alone. Voy a Córdoba is not: ir means go, a means to, and the total is exactly the parts.
A slot (a position in the template you fill with your own word) — in volver a ___, the blank is a slot.
- CONSTRUCTION
- is a subtype of its parentARGUMENT-CHANGING(12 templates)§2
- is a subtype of its parentASPECTUAL PERIPHRASES(18)§3
- is a subtype of its parentMODAL PERIPHRASES(10)§4
- is a subtype of its parentPREDICATION(8)§5
- is a subtype of its parentINFORMATION STRUCTURE(6)§6
- is a subtype of its parentPOLARITY(5)§7
- is a subtype of its parentCOMPARISON(7)§8
- is a subtype of its parentEXISTENTIAL / IMPERSONAL(6)§9
- is a subtype of its parentSPECIAL / IDIOMATIC(8)§10
2Argument-changing constructions frequency 3 of 3, daily§
Templates that alter valence (how many participants the verb requires). The most important group — this is the se machine drawn as templates.
| # | Construction | Template | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reflexive | se + V | me lavo | doer = undergoer |
| 2 | Reciprocal | se + V.pl | nos vemos | each does it to the other |
| 3 | Anticausative | se + V + SUBJ | se rompió el vaso | −doer |
| 4 | Impersonal se | se + V.3sg | se vive bien acá | −subject entirely |
| 5 | Passive se | se + V + SUBJ (agrees) | se venden casas | undergoer→subject |
| 6 | Dative of interest | se + DAT + V + SUBJ | *se me rompió el vaso* | +affected person |
| 7 | Possessive dative | DAT + V + el/la N | me duele la cabeza | +owner |
| 8 | Aspectual se | se + V + bounded OBJ | se comió todo | +completion |
| 9 | ser-passive | ser + PART (+por X) | fue escrito por Borges | frequency 1 of 3, rare formal |
| 10 | 3rd-plural passive | V.3pl (no subject) | me robaron el celular | doer hidden |
| 11 | Causative | hacer/dejar + INF | lo hice esperar | +someone who caused it |
| 12 | Perception | V + INF | lo vi salir | an event inside an event |
2.1The se me template, spelled out frequency 3 of 3, daily§
known defectdiagram defect — The se me template, spelled out Actually: The ↑ pointers are not column-aligned with the slots they annotate: the first arrow sits at column 5, under the plus sign between 'se' and '[dative clitic]', so it appears to point at 'se'; the second is two columns left of the verb slot, while the third lands exactly. The caption line beneath is a flowed line, not aligned to the arrows..se
[dative clitic]who it happened to
[verb agreeing with the THING]agrees with the thing, not with you
[the thing]usually LAST
Se *me rompió el vaso. — the glass broke, on me Se me rompieron los anteojos. — verb goes plural, tracking the glasses Se le murió el perro. · Se nos hizo tarde. · Se me* olvidó.
3Aspectual periphrases frequency 3 of 3, daily§
Periphrasis (several words together doing the job that a single verb ending does in other languages). Pattern: [auxiliary] + [link] + [non-finite form].
| Construction | Meaning | Example | Freq |
|---|---|---|---|
| ir a + inf | future | voy a llamarlo | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| acabar de + inf | just did | acabo de llegar | frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| estar por + inf | about to (RP) | estoy por salir | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| estar a punto de + inf | about to | está a punto de llover | frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| empezar/comenzar a + inf | begin | empecé a estudiar | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| ponerse a + inf | start suddenly | se puso a llorar | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| echarse a + inf | burst into | se echó a reír | frequency 1 of 3, rare |
| dejar de + inf | stop | dejé de fumar | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| terminar de + inf | finish | terminé de comer | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| volver a + inf | do again | volvió a llamar | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| llegar a + inf | get to the point of | llegué a conocerlo | frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| alcanzar a + inf | barely manage | no alcancé a verlo | frequency 1 of 3, rare |
| estar + ger | in progress now | estoy laburando | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| seguir/continuar + ger | still doing | sigo trabajando ahí | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| ir + ger | gradually, bit by bit | voy entendiendo · voy pidiendo | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| andar + ger | going around doing (RP) | ando buscando depto | frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| venir + ger | a trend up to now | viene creciendo | frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| llevar + time + ger | how long so far | llevo dos años estudiando | frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
4Modal periphrases frequency 2 of 3, secondary§
Modal (expressing possibility, obligation, ability, or necessity rather than a fact).
| Construction | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tener que + inf | personal obligation | tengo que irme frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| haber que + inf | impersonal necessity | hay que esperar frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| deber + inf | should | deberías ir frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| deber de + inf | must be (guessing) | debe de estar cansado frequency 1 of 3, rare |
| poder + inf | can | ¿podés venir? frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| saber + inf | know how to | sé cocinar frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| soler + inf | habitually does | suelo trabajar de tarde frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| querer + inf | want to | quiero ir frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| tratar de + inf | try to | trato de entrenar frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| necesitar + inf | need to | necesito dormir frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
5Predication constructions frequency 3 of 3, daily§
Predication (saying something about a subject).
| Construction | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ser + attribute | files it in a category | es consultor · es aburrido (boring) |
| estar + attribute | reports its current condition | está cansado · está aburrido (bored) |
| ser + location | location of an event | el asado *es* en lo de Martín ⚠ |
| estar + location | location of a thing | el bar *está* en Palermo |
| ponerse + adj | become (temporary, emotional) | se puso nervioso |
| volverse + adj | become (deep, involuntary) | se volvió amargado |
| hacerse + N/adj | become (chosen or earned) | se hizo abogado |
| quedarse + adj | end up (after a loss) | me quedé sin plata |
6Information-structure constructions frequency 2 of 3, secondary§
known defectdiagram defect — Information-structure constructions Actually: Rows 2 and 4 have an empty Construction cell and carry a term definition ('dislocation = moving a phrase out to the edge', 'cleft = splitting one sentence in two') in the Template column; they are footnotes to the preceding row, not records, so a straight table read yields two nameless constructions with a definition where a template should be.. (not re-checked against the source file)Information structure (how you arrange a sentence to mark what's old news and what's the point).
| Construction | Template | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Clitic left dislocation | OBJ + clitic + V | El pescado *lo* comí ayer frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| (dislocation = moving a phrase out to the edge) | ||
| Cleft | lo que + V + ser + X | Lo que quiero es irme frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| (cleft = splitting one sentence in two to spotlight a piece) | ||
| es que | es que + clause | — ¿Por qué? — Es que no puedo frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| Focus fronting | X + V (stressed) | *A mí me parece que sí* frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| Pseudo-cleft | el que + V + ser + X | El que llamó fue Juan frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| Time cleft | fue + X + cuando | Fue entonces cuando entendí frequency 1 of 3, rare |
7Polarity constructions frequency 2 of 3, secondary§
known defectdiagram defect — Polarity constructions Actually: Row 2 has an empty Construction cell and holds the definition of 'concord' in the Rule column; it is a footnote to the Negative concord row above, not a record of its own.. (not re-checked against the source file)Polarity (whether a sentence is positive or negative).
| Construction | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Negative concord | no + a post-verbal negative | No vi *nada*** frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| (concord = both parts must be negative; it isn't a double negative cancelling out) | ||
| Pre-verbal negative | negative word first ⇒ drop no | *Nadie vino* frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| ni… ni | excludes both | no tomo ni café ni té frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| ni siquiera | not even | ni siquiera me llamó frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| para nada | emphatic denial | — ¿Te molesta? — Para nada frequency 3 of 3, daily |
8Comparative constructions frequency 2 of 3, secondary§
| Construction | Example |
|---|---|
más/menos + ADJ + que | más caro que el otro frequency 3 of 3, daily |
tan + ADJ + como | tan bueno como el otro frequency 3 of 3, daily |
tanto/a/os/as + N + como | tanta plata como vos frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
más + de + NUMBER ⚠ | más de cien pesos frequency 3 of 3, daily |
más + de lo que + CLAUSE ⚠ | más difícil de lo que parece frequency 3 of 3, daily |
cuanto más… más | cuanto más estudio, más me doy cuenta frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
igual de + ADJ + que | igual de caro que el otro frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
9Existential and impersonal frequency 3 of 3, daily§
Existential (a construction asserting that something exists). Impersonal (a construction with no identifiable subject at all).
| Construction | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hay | always singular | Hay un problema · Hay muchos problemas ⚠ |
| hay que + inf | impersonal obligation | Hay que esperar |
| hacer + weather noun | weather | hace frío · hace calor · hace viento |
| estar + weather adj | weather state | está nublado · está lindo |
| hace + time + que | elapsed time | hace años que quiero venir frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| uno / generic vos | a stand-in for "people in general" | uno nunca sabe · cuando llegás… frequency 3 of 3, daily |
10Special and idiomatic frequency 3 of 3, daily§
| Construction | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| gustar inversion | the thing liked is the subject; the person is the indirect object | me gustan los vinos frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| dar + emotion noun | induces a feeling in someone | me da bronca / vergüenza / risa frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| caer bien/mal | how you find a person | me cae bien frequency 3 of 3, daily |
DOM (a + specific animate) | flags certain direct objects | vi *a* María frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| al + infinitive | a whole time clause folded into two words | al llegar, avisame frequency 3 of 3, daily |
| lo de + person | someone's place | en lo de Martín frequency 3 of 3, daily RP |
| lo + adj + que | exclamative intensifier | no sabés lo lindo que es frequency 2 of 3, secondary |
| Absolute participle | a compressed time clause with no finite verb | terminada la reunión, nos fuimos frequency 1 of 3, rare |
11The construction-to-function map§
Which constructions affect which sentence roles (04 §1):
| Function affected | Constructions |
|---|---|
| creates/deletes subject | impersonal se · hay · weather · passive se |
| adds indirect object | dative of interest · possessive dative |
| rearranges subject/object | ser-passive · passive se · gustar inversion |
| marks direct object | DOM · doubling · clitic dislocation |
| adds an adjunct | al + inf · absolute participle · gerundio adjuncts |
| targets focus | cleft · pseudo-cleft · es que · fronting |
| shapes the verb's aspect | all 18 aspectual periphrases |
| shapes the verb's modality | all 10 modal periphrases |
Terms defined in this volume§
Terms defined in this volume18
- construction
- slot
- valence
- anticausative
- causative
- periphrasis
- modal
- predication
- information structure
- dislocation
- cleft
- pseudo-cleft
- polarity
- negative concord
- existential
- impersonal
- DOM
- absolute participle
Cross-references§
- Valence as a feature05 §5
- Valence-change as an operation06 §4
- Periphrases as semi-forms03 §6
- Constructions in teaching orderBook 1, `spanish/06 §7`spanish/08``spanish/11`