Subject, predicate, direct & indirect object and subordinate clauses
Learn to analyse Spanish sentences: identify subject and predicate, distinguish direct object (DO) from indirect object (IO) using pronoun substitution, recognise circumstantial complements, attribute, impersonal sentences, coordinated and subordinate clauses. 15 questions with real sentences.
Analysing a sentence —finding the subject, the predicate, the direct or indirect object— is the skill that connects grammar with genuinely understanding a text: knowing who does what, to whom, and by what means. It isn't an abstract exercise: it's the foundation for understanding any complex sentence, whether in a Language class or any other subject.
The exam follows the usual progression: first subject and predicate, including the special case of impersonal sentences with no grammatical subject ("Llueve" — "It's raining"); then the direct and indirect object, told apart with a mechanical pronoun-substitution trick (lo/la/los/las for the direct object, le/les for the indirect object); and finally circumstantial complements, the attribute, and an introduction to coordinated and subordinate clauses.
Every question comes with a full explanation, so it works both to check what you already know and to learn the trick you're missing.
Spanish Language · Primary, Secondary
DO: substitute with lo/la/los/las ("Vi a María" → "La vi"). IO: substitute with le/les ("Di un regalo a Juan" → "Le di un regalo"). A mechanical rule that never fails.
"Llueve" has no grammatical subject — it's an impersonal sentence. "Los niños juegan" → subject "los niños". The exam covers both cases.
Noun clause (functions as DO), relative clause (modifies noun using que/quien), circumstantial clause (functions as CC). With Secondary-level examples.
"A student always asked about the direct object. With the substitution trick ("Can it be replaced by lo/la?") they now identify it independently in seconds."
Tricks and techniques to master this topic faster:
Subject: agrees in person and number with the verb. Ask ¿quién? or ¿quiénes? to the verb.
DO: ask ¿qué? or ¿a quién? to the verb. If replaceable by lo/la/los/las, it's DO.
IO: ask ¿a quién? or ¿para quién?. If replaceable by le/les, it's IO.
Reflexive passive: "Se venden pisos" — the subject is "pisos" (it agrees with the verb).
If you are studying Spanish Syntax — Sentence Analysis, these curriculum topics complement each other:
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