Reference

Spanish grammar

Most of what makes Spanish grammar hard for an English speaker is not complexity but division: Spanish splits things English keeps together. Two verbs for “to be”, two past tenses where English has one, two words for “for”. These pages start from that.

Which one to use5

A2Elementary

Saber vs conocerSaber is for facts, information and skills: things you could state or do.
Ser vs estarSer says what something is: identity, origin, profession, material, time.
Tú vs ustedUsted is the polite form for someone you have just met, someone older, or anyone in a professional role, and it takes third-person verb endings.

B1Intermediate

Por vs paraPara points forward: a destination, a deadline, a purpose, a recipient.
Preterite vs imperfectThe preterite reports a completed event that moves the story forward.