Learn Spanish Sentence Structures

Learn how Spanish sentences are built beyond single words and verb forms. This hub introduces core Spanish sentence structures, including basic word order, relative clauses, impersonal sentences, passive voice, reporting verbs, direct and indirect speech, connectors, pronoun position and sentence patterns with que, si and se.

Learn Spanish sentence structures with relative clauses impersonal sentences passive voice reporting verbs and indirect speech
Spanish sentence structures connect words into meaning: que, si, se, relative clauses, passive voice and reported speech.

Why learn Spanish sentence structures with MundoDele?

Spanish grammar is not only about conjugating verbs or memorising pronouns. Real Spanish depends on sentence structure: where the subject goes, how clauses connect, when Spanish uses que, how se changes meaning, and how direct speech becomes indirect speech.

MundoDele teaches sentence structures through clear patterns and examples, so learners can understand how Spanish builds meaning across complete sentences.

How to use this sentence structure hub

Use this page as the central entry point for Spanish sentence structure. Start with the basic idea of sentence building, then move into relative clauses, impersonal sentences, passive voice, reporting verbs and direct or indirect speech.

1. Build the core sentence

Start with subject, verb, object and basic word order.

Ana compra un libro.
Ana buys a book.

2. Add clauses

Use que, relative pronouns and connectors to add more information.

El libro que compré es bueno.

3. Change the focus

Use passive, impersonal and reported structures to shift perspective.

Se publicaron los resultados.

What are Spanish sentence structures?

Spanish sentence structures are the patterns used to organise words, verbs, pronouns and clauses into complete meaning. They include simple sentences, compound sentences, subordinate clauses, relative clauses, passive and impersonal structures, questions, reported speech and sentence patterns with que, si and se.

Structure type Spanish example English meaning What it shows
Basic sentence Ana estudia español. Ana studies Spanish. Subject + verb + object.
Relative clause El libro que compré es bueno. The book that I bought is good. A clause gives more information about a noun.
Impersonal sentence Hay mucha gente. There are many people. The sentence has no specific personal subject.
Passive voice Se publicaron los resultados. The results were published. The result is more important than the agent.
Reported speech Dijo que estaba cansado. He said he was tired. One clause reports another clause.
Reported question Preguntó si podía venir. He asked if he could come. A direct question becomes an indirect question.
Memory line: sentence structure is the grammar of how complete Spanish sentences are built.

Basic Spanish word order

The most basic Spanish sentence order is subject + verb + object. However, Spanish is flexible because verb endings already show person and number. This means the subject can sometimes be omitted or moved for emphasis.

Pattern Spanish example English meaning Comment
Subject + verb Ana trabaja. Ana works. Simple subject and verb.
Subject + verb + object Ana compra un libro. Ana buys a book. Common basic order.
Verb without explicit subject Estudio español. I study Spanish. The verb ending shows the subject.
Emphasis Español estudio, no francés. Spanish is what I study, not French. Marked order for emphasis.

Relative clauses in Spanish sentence structure

Relative clauses add information to a noun or idea. They often use que, quien, el que, lo que, cuyo or donde.

Spanish example Relative clause English meaning Structure
El libro que compré es bueno. que compré The book that I bought is good. Noun + que + clause.
La persona que llamó es mi profesora. que llamó The person who called is my teacher. Person + que + verb.
La ciudad donde vivo es grande. donde vivo The city where I live is large. Place + donde + clause.
No entiendo lo que dices. lo que dices I do not understand what you are saying. lo que refers to an idea.

Detailed page: Relative Clauses in Spanish Sentence Structure.

Impersonal sentences in Spanish

Impersonal sentences do not refer to a specific person as the subject. They are common with hay, weather expressions, impersonal se and expressions such as es importante or es posible que.

Structure Spanish example English meaning Use
hay + noun Hay una farmacia cerca. There is a pharmacy nearby. Existence.
Weather verb Llueve mucho. It rains a lot. Weather.
se + verb Se vive bien aquí. People live well here. General statement.
es + adjective + infinitive Es importante estudiar. It is important to study. General evaluation.
es + adjective + que Es necesario que estudies. It is necessary that you study. Specific subject, often subjunctive.

Detailed page: Impersonal Sentences in Spanish.

Passive voice in Spanish

Passive structures change the focus of a sentence. The receiver of the action becomes more important than the person or thing doing the action. Spanish uses both ser + past participle and passive se.

Structure Spanish example English meaning Comment
ser + participle El libro fue escrito por Cervantes. The book was written by Cervantes. Formal passive with named agent.
passive se Se venden casas. Houses are for sale. Common passive-like Spanish structure.
se + plural verb Se publicaron los resultados. The results were published. Verb agrees with plural noun.
estar + participle La puerta está cerrada. The door is closed. Resulting state.

Detailed page: Passive Voice in Spanish.

Reporting verbs in Spanish

Reporting verbs introduce what someone says, asks, explains, answers, announces or denies. They are central for indirect speech and connected sentence structure.

Reporting verb Spanish example English meaning Structure
decir Dijo que estaba cansado. He said he was tired. decir que
explicar Explicó que el curso era nuevo. He explained that the course was new. explicar que
preguntar Preguntó si podía venir. He asked if he could come. preguntar si
responder Respondió que no sabía. He answered that he did not know. responder que
pedir Pidió que viniera. He asked me to come. pedir que + subjunctive

Detailed page: Reporting Verbs in Spanish.

Direct and indirect speech in Spanish

Direct speech repeats the exact words someone said. Indirect speech reports the meaning and often changes tense, pronouns and time expressions.

Direct speech Indirect speech Change
Ana dijo: “Estoy cansada.” Ana dijo que estaba cansada. estoy → estaba.
Pedro preguntó: “¿Puedes venir?” Pedro preguntó si podía venir. Yes/no question uses si.
Laura preguntó: “¿Dónde vives?” Laura preguntó dónde vivía. Question word stays.
El profesor dijo: “Estudien más.” El profesor dijo que estudiaran más. Command becomes subjunctive.

Detailed page: Direct and Indirect Speech in Spanish.

Three small words that shape Spanish sentence structure: que, si and se

Many Spanish sentence structures depend on small connector or structure words. Three of the most important are que, si and se.

Word Example Function Related topic
que Dijo que estaba cansado. Connects reported statements and subordinate clauses. Conjunctions with Que
si Preguntó si podía venir. Introduces reported yes/no questions. Direct and Indirect Speech
se Se vive bien aquí. Creates impersonal or passive-like structures. Impersonal Sentences
se Se venden casas. Creates passive se with agreement. Passive Voice
Practical rule: learn sentence structures around connectors, not only around individual words.

Recommended learning path

Step 1

Relative Clauses

Learn how Spanish adds information to nouns and ideas with que, quien, lo que and donde.

Step 3

Passive Voice

Compare fue escrito, se publicaron los resultados and está cerrado.

Step 4

Reporting Verbs

Study decir que, preguntar si, responder que and pedir que.

Step 6

Spanish Subjunctive

Connect sentence structure with mood choice in relative clauses, impersonal expressions and reported commands.

Practice: Spanish sentence structures

Try to answer before opening the solutions. These exercises review relative clauses, impersonal structures, passive se and indirect speech.

Exercise 1: identify the structure

  1. El libro que compré es interesante.
  2. Hay mucha gente en la plaza.
  3. Se venden casas.
  4. Dijo que estaba cansado.
Show answers

1. Relative clause
2. Impersonal sentence with hay
3. Passive se
4. Indirect speech / reported statement

Exercise 2: choose que, si or se

  1. Dijo ___ estaba ocupado.
  2. Preguntó ___ podía venir.
  3. ___ vive bien aquí.
  4. El libro ___ leí es bueno.
Show answers

1. que
2. si
3. Se
4. que

Exercise 3: build the structure

  1. There are many students.
  2. The book that I bought is good.
  3. The results were published.
  4. She asked if I had time.
Show answers

1. Hay muchos estudiantes.
2. El libro que compré es bueno.
3. Se publicaron los resultados.
4. Preguntó si tenía tiempo.

Typical mistakes with Spanish sentence structures

  • Translating English word order too literally: Spanish often allows subject omission and different emphasis.
  • Forgetting que in reported statements: say dijo que estaba cansado.
  • Using que instead of si in reported yes/no questions: say preguntó si podía venir.
  • Confusing impersonal se and passive se: se vive bien is impersonal; se venden casas is passive-like.
  • Using ser + participle for every English passive: Spanish often prefers se or active voice.
  • Placing relative clauses too far from the noun: keep que compré close to el libro.
  • Learning structures separately from meaning: sentence structure should show what the speaker wants to emphasise.

Where to go next

If you are building this cluster step by step, continue with relative clauses first. Then move into impersonal sentences, passive voice and reported speech.

Relative Clauses
Learn que, quien, lo que, cuyo and donde. Impersonal Sentences
Learn hay, weather expressions, se vive and impersonal evaluations. Direct and Indirect Speech
Learn how Spanish reports statements, questions and commands.

Learn Spanish grammar with MundoDele

Spanish sentence structures help you move from isolated grammar rules to complete, natural sentences. With MundoDele, you can study how clauses connect, how meaning changes, and how real Spanish sentences are built.

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FAQ: Spanish sentence structures

What are Spanish sentence structures?

Spanish sentence structures are the patterns used to organise words, verbs, pronouns and clauses into complete meaning. They include word order, relative clauses, passive voice, impersonal sentences and reported speech.

What is the basic word order in Spanish?

The basic word order is subject + verb + object, as in Ana compra un libro. Spanish is flexible because verb endings often show the subject.

What is a relative clause in Spanish?

A relative clause gives more information about a noun or idea: el libro que compré, la persona que llamó, lo que dices.

What is an impersonal sentence in Spanish?

An impersonal sentence does not name a specific subject: hay problemas, llueve, se vive bien aquí, es importante estudiar.

How does passive voice work in Spanish?

Spanish can use ser + past participle, as in el libro fue escrito, or passive se, as in se venden casas.

How does indirect speech work in Spanish?

Indirect speech reports what someone said or asked. Statements often use que, yes/no questions use si, and information questions keep the question word.

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