Spanish Sentence Structure Practice

Q: What is the basic word order in Spanish?

Subject – verb – object, just like English: María bebe café. Spanish is more flexible than English — you can move parts around for emphasis — but SVO is the neutral default, and it's the safest order for learners.

Q: When should I drop the subject pronoun?

Most of the time. The verb ending already identifies the subject, so Hablo español is complete on its own. Keep yo, tú, nosotros and the rest only for contrast (Yo trabajo y tú descansas), emphasis, or to clear up ambiguity with él/ella/usted.

Q: Do adjectives go before or after the noun?

After, by default: un coche rojo, una casa blanca. A small group sits in front — buen (un buen amigo), gran (una gran ciudad), and quantity words like mucho and poco. Copying English order (un rojo coche) is the single most common word-order mistake.

Q: How do I form questions in Spanish?

Three ways: raise your intonation on a statement (¿Vienes?), invert the verb and subject (¿Habla usted inglés?), or add a tag like ¿verdad? or ¿no? at the end. In writing, always use both the opening ¿ and closing ? marks.

Q: Where do object pronouns go?

Before a conjugated verb (Lo veo, No lo veo), but attached to the end of infinitives (Quiero verlo), gerunds (Estoy preparándola) and affirmative commands (Hazlo). With two-verb constructions you can choose: Lo quiero ver or Quiero verlo — never in between.

Q: Are these exercises free?

Yes. All 30 exercises run right in your browser, need no signup, and give you a clear explanation after every answer.

Question 1

Tengo un ___ desde el año pasado.

Accepted Answer

coche rojo. Descriptive adjectives follow the noun in Spanish: coche rojo. Putting the colour first (rojo coche) is the classic English-order trap.

Question 2

—¿Hablas inglés? —Sí, ___ inglés y también francés.

Accepted Answer

hablo. The -o ending of hablo already means "I," so no yo is needed. Spanish drops subject pronouns unless you want contrast or emphasis.

Question 3

___ tengo hambre ahora, gracias.

Accepted Answer

No. To negate, place no directly before the conjugated verb: No tengo. Nothing can separate them except object pronouns.

Question 4

No ___ veo nunca por aquí.

Accepted Answer

te. The object pronoun te sits between no and the verb: No te veo. The order is always no + pronoun + conjugated verb.

Question 5

Vives en Madrid, ¿___?

Accepted Answer

verdad. The easiest question in Spanish: say the statement and add the tag ¿verdad? (or ¿no?) at the end. No word-order change needed.

Question 6

Carlos es un ___ amigo.

Accepted Answer

buen. Bueno is one of the few adjectives that can go before the noun — and there it shortens to buen before a masculine singular noun. Bien is an adverb, not an adjective.

Question 7

Barcelona es una ___ ciudad.

Accepted Answer

gran. Grande shortens to gran before any singular noun: una gran ciudad (a great city). After the noun it stays full — una ciudad grande (a big city) — and even changes meaning.

Question 8

Tengo ___ trabajo esta semana.

Accepted Answer

mucho. Quantity words like mucho and poco go before the noun and agree with it: mucho trabajo (masculine singular). Muy only works with adjectives and adverbs, never with nouns.

Question 9

¿___ usted inglés?

Accepted Answer

Habla. Inverting verb and subject makes a polite question: ¿Habla usted inglés? Usted takes the third-person form habla, not hablas.

Question 10

___ como en casa al mediodía.

Accepted Answer

Siempre. Frequency adverbs like siempre or nunca can open the sentence or follow the verb. Cada and todos would need a noun after them (cada día, todos los días).

Question 11

Quiero ___ español este año.

Accepted Answer

aprender. In two-verb constructions only the first verb is conjugated; the second stays in the infinitive: quiero aprender. Querer takes no preposition before the infinitive.

Question 12

Vamos a ___ una película esta noche.

Accepted Answer

ver. After ir a, the second verb is always an infinitive: vamos a ver. Conjugating both verbs (vamos a vemos) is a common beginner trap.

Question 13

Es difícil ___ un idioma en un mes.

Accepted Answer

aprender. After es + adjective, use a bare infinitive: Es difícil aprender. English says "it is difficult TO learn," but Spanish adds no extra word before the infinitive.

Question 14

Which sentence is correct?

Accepted Answer

Tengo un coche rojo.. Descriptive adjectives come after the noun and agree with it: un coche rojo. Copying English order (un rojo coche) is the trap this drill targets.

Question 15

Which version sounds most natural in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

Hablo español, vivo en Madrid y trabajo aquí.. Because hablo, vivo and trabajo already mark the subject, natural Spanish drops yo. Keep the pronoun only for contrast: Yo trabajo y tú descansas.

Question 16

Hace calor hoy, ¿___?

Accepted Answer

no. ¿No? works like ¿verdad? as a tag: state the sentence, then ask for confirmation. It's the Spanish equivalent of "isn't it?"

Question 17

¿Puedes ___ la puerta, por favor?

Accepted Answer

abrir. Poder is followed directly by an infinitive: puedes abrir. Only the first verb of the pair carries the conjugation.

Question 18

Ana llega ___ tarde al trabajo.

Accepted Answer

siempre. Frequency adverbs also sit comfortably right after the verb: llega siempre tarde. Cada and todos can't stand alone — they need a noun (cada día).

Question 19

¿El libro? ___ leo esta semana.

Accepted Answer

Lo. With a conjugated verb, the direct object pronoun goes right before it: Lo leo. El libro is masculine, so the pronoun is lo, not le.

Question 20

¿María? Voy a ___ mañana por la tarde.

Accepted Answer

llamarla. With an infinitive, the pronoun attaches to its end as one word: llamarla. The alternative is putting it before the conjugated verb — La voy a llamar — but never in between.

Question 21

—¿Y la cena? —Estoy ___ ahora mismo.

Accepted Answer

preparándola. Pronouns attach to the end of a gerund — and the longer word then needs a written accent: preparándola. You could also say La estoy preparando, but never estoy la preparando.

Question 22

¿El informe? ___ ahora, por favor.

Accepted Answer

Hazlo. With an affirmative command the pronoun attaches to the end as one word: Hazlo. Putting lo in front (Lo haz) only works with negative commands: No lo hagas.

Question 23

___ veo bien desde aquí; está demasiado lejos. (el cartel)

Accepted Answer

No lo. Negation comes first, then the pronoun, then the verb: No lo veo. El cartel is masculine singular, so the pronoun is lo — and no can never follow it.

Question 24

Which is a correct written question in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

¿Habla usted inglés?. Polite questions invert verb and subject — ¿Habla usted inglés? — and Spanish always needs both the opening ¿ and the closing ?. A bare statement only becomes a question through intonation in speech.

Question 25

Which sentence places the negation correctly?

Accepted Answer

No veo la televisión por la noche.. No must stand immediately before the conjugated verb: No veo. Unlike English "do not," nothing else is added and nothing may come between them except object pronouns.

Question 26

"I want to buy it." Which Spanish version is correct?

Accepted Answer

Quiero comprarlo.. With verb + infinitive you have exactly two options: attach the pronoun to the infinitive (Quiero comprarlo) or put it before the conjugated verb (Lo quiero comprar) — never both, never in between.

Question 27

¿Queréis ___ al cine esta noche?

Accepted Answer

venir. Queréis is already conjugated (vosotros), so the second verb stays in the infinitive: queréis venir. Conjugating both verbs is the trap.

Question 28

Which sentence is correct?

Accepted Answer

Es importante llegar a tiempo.. The impersonal pattern is fixed: es + adjective + infinitive — Es importante llegar a tiempo. No extra word appears before the infinitive, and it never gets conjugated.

Question 29

Nunca ___ carne, soy vegetariana.

Accepted Answer

como. When nunca stands before the verb, it carries the negation alone — no extra no: Nunca como carne. The double negative only appears when nunca follows the verb: No como carne nunca.

Question 30

Which sentence has a word-order error?

Accepted Answer

Lo no quiero ver.. The negative always leads the pronoun cluster: No lo quiero ver, never Lo no quiero ver. Everything else follows the standard placement rules.

Spanish Sentence Structure Practice

The rule, in plain English.

Practice.

Other topics.

Present Tense Practice

Question Words Practice

Negation Practice

Common questions.