Grammar and Structures
What this domain tests
Grammar items check whether you can choose the form that fits the sentence's meaning and context. Typical targets: verb tense and mood (presente, pretérito, imperfecto, futuro, condicional, subjuntivo), ser vs estar, por vs para, pronoun placement and agreement, noun-adjective agreement, and connectors such as porque, aunque, sino.
Concepts to master
Know when the imperfect describes background or habit and the preterite reports a completed event. Recognize subjunctive triggers: wishes and emotion (quiero que, me alegra que), doubt or negation of opinion (no creo que), and impersonal expressions (es importante que). Distinguish ser (identity, origin, inherent traits) from estar (location, temporary states, results). Learn por for cause, exchange, and duration; para for purpose, destination, and deadline. Control object pronouns: the indirect pronoun precedes the direct one, and both precede the conjugated verb or attach to an infinitive.
Traps that appear
Items often hinge on one cue word: ayer forces preterite, mientras favors imperfect, ojalá signals subjunctive. Watch for agreement traps where a plural noun sits near a singular adjective, and for false agreement with collective nouns. Another common trap is a sentence that looks like a subjunctive trigger but states a fact (creo que viene, not venga).
Rule of thumb
Find the time marker and the trigger expression first, decide tense and mood from them, then check agreement and pronoun order last. If two options are grammatical, choose the one matching the stated time frame.
Worked example
"Cuando era niño, ____ (jugar) al fútbol cada tarde, pero ayer ____ (jugar) solo una hora." The first blank takes the imperfect (jugaba) because cuando era niño plus cada tarde marks habit and background. The second takes the preterite (jugué) because ayer plus a bounded duration marks a completed event.