Long Spanish Sentences For Advanced Students to Know

So, you´ve been studying Spanish for quite some time, and you can speak it quite fluently now. First of all, congratulations! Learning a foreign language is always a challenge and requires persistence and dedication. Plus, Spanish is an excellent choice for a second language. 

Perhaps you wonder how to keep improving your Spanish and how to express your ideas in longer, more complex sentences. Here are some of my suggestions:

• learn how to combine condition and consequence in one sentence
• use connectors to express contrast, reason, or consequence
• practice reporting on other people’s statements
• make indirect questions

Creating Long Spanish Sentences through Conditionals

Do grammar terms sound like mumbo-jumbo to you?

Relax.

“Conditionals” are nothing other than the common “IF” sentences. 

If I have free time tomorrow…
If I were rich…
If I had known…

Conditionals are always two-part sentences. On the one hand, you have a condition, and on the other hand – the consequence that will occur if this condition is fulfilled (or if it isn´t). 

The Spanish language uses the same kind of structures, and they are called almost the same as in English: “Condicionales.”

Let’s have a look at how to make them.

Talking about possible future situations in Spanish

If it rains this weekend, I’ll stay home and watch Netflix. 

In this sentence, “the rain” is our condition, and “stay home and watch Netflix” is our consequence. 

Now, pay attention to grammar. The condition is expressed with the use of Present Tense, and the consequence uses Future Tense. 

Will it work in the same way in Spanish? Let’s see:

🇪🇸 Si no enviamos nuestra propuesta hoy, el cliente terminará eligiendo a otro proveedor.  
🇬🇧 If we don’t send our proposal today, the customer will end up picking another supplier. 

🇪🇸 Si nos levantamos lo suficientemente temprano, podremos ver el amanecer. 
🇬🇧 If we get up early enough, we’ll be able to see the sunrise. 

🇪🇸 Si me ayudas con el almuerzo, te haré un rico postre.
🇬🇧 If you help me with lunch, I’ll make you a yummy dessert. 

That’s right. Spanish conditionals from this group follow precisely the same pattern as English ones. As long as you know how to use your tenses right, you should have no problems expressing conditions in long Spanish sentences.

Speculating and speaking hypothetically in Spanish

In the second group of conditionals, the consequence is often less probable or completely impossible to occur. Why? Simply because the condition is somewhat hypothetical.

Check out the examples below to see if you know what I mean:

🇪🇸 Si tuviera 20 años menos, saldría a bailar todas las noches.
🇬🇧 If I were twenty years younger, I would go out dancing every night.  

🇪🇸 Si fuera el presidente, escucharía más a lo que dice el pueblo.
🇬🇧 If I were the president, I would listen more to what common people say. 

🇪🇸 Si me ganara la lotería, me compraría una casa en Mallorca. 
🇬🇧 If I won the lottery, I’d buy a house in Mallorca. 

Have you noticed that this time the grammar in Spanish is quite different from English? At least in the condition part. 

While the English language – as simple as it is – requires you to use Past Tense, Spanish implements something that is called “Past Subjunctive.” 

Since you are reading this post, I gather you know what it is and how to form it, don’t you? Just to be sure, remember that the Past Subjunctive always has the “-ara,” “-era,” or “-iera” ending if you are talking about yourself.

And what happens with “WOULD” in Spanish? How do you translate it? I get this question a lot!

“Would” does not translate as an individual word in Spanish. It translates as the “-ÍA” ending of the verb. 

I would go – (yo) iría

I would like – me gustaría 

Regretting or applauding past decisions and situations in Spanish

Ruminating about what happened and what didn’t happen is part of human nature, and we do it a lot, don´t we? 

Let’s see if we know how to do it in Spanish:

🇪🇸 Si me hubiese / hubiera preparado mejor para la prueba, a lo mejor la habría aprobado.  
🇬🇧 If I had prepared better for the test, I might have passed it.  

🇪🇸 Si no hubiese / hubiera viajado a Chile, nunca habría conocido a tu papá. 
🇬🇧 If I hadn’t traveled to Chile, I would have never met your dad. 

🇪🇸 Si hubiera / hubiese hecho más ejercicio y comido bien cuando joven, no tendría tantos problemas de salud ahora. 
🇬🇧 If I had done more sports and eaten better when I was young, I wouldn’t have so many health problems now. 

¿Hubiese? ¿Hubiera? ¿Habría?

Yes, these are not easy, I know. But, since you are a C1 or C2 student, you should not have major problems identifying the grammar patterns these conditionals use. 

Alternative Ways of Expressing Conditions in Spanish

Is “IF” the only way to introduce a condition? No, it isn’t. It is the most common one, but it sometimes gets replaced by phrases like:

🇪🇸 “a menos que” – 🇬🇧 “unless”
🇪🇸 “cuando (sea)” – 🇬🇧 “when” / “whenever”
🇪🇸 “en caso de (que)” – 🇬🇧 “in case (of)”

Would you like to see how to use them?

🇪🇸 No podré venir a tu fiesta a menos que encuentre a alguien que me reemplace en el trabajo. 
🇬🇧 I won’t be able to come to your party unless I find someone who can replace me at work.

🇪🇸 Juan Pérez ganará las elecciones a menos que pase algo imprevisto.
🇬🇧 Juan Perez will win the elections unless something unexpected happens. 

🇪🇸 Cuando tengas mi edad, lo entenderás mejor. 
🇬🇧 When you are my age, you’ll understand it better. 

🇪🇸 Puedes contar conmigo cuando sea que necesites. 
🇬🇧 You can count on me whenever you need me. 

🇪🇸 En caso de un terremoto, es importante que trates de mantener la calma. 
🇬🇧 In case of an earthquake, it is important you try and stay calm. 

🇪🇸 Llama a Juan en caso de que no haya nadie en la oficina. 
🇬🇧 Call Juan in case there is nobody in the office. 

Connectors and How They Help Extend Sentences in Spanish.

Do you want to sound all fancy and smart when you use Spanish? Try connecting ideas within the same sentence. With the expressions I am going to show you today, you will speak Spanish like a pro in no time. 

Showing contrast with “a pesar de (que)” and “aunque.”

🇪🇸 A pesar de la lluvia, Madrid nos pareció una ciudad muy bonita. 
🇬🇧 In spite of / Despite the rain, Madrid seemed like a very beautiful city to us. 

🇪🇸 A pesar de que no estaba preparado, logré dar una presentación bastante buena. 
🇬🇧 Although / even though I wasn’t prepared, I managed to give a quite good presentation.  

🇪🇸 Aunque hemos intentado varias veces hablar con Miguel, él nunca quiso escucharnos. 
🇬🇧 Even though we have tried several times to talk to Miguel, he never wanted to listen to us. 

🇪🇸 Aunque me cuesta admitirlo, debí haber escuchado tu consejo. 
🇬🇧 Although it is hard for me to admit it, I should have listened to your advice. 

Showing reason with “debido a”,  “dado que”, “puesto que”, “por lo tanto” “ como” and “ya que”

🇪🇸 Debido a la pandemia de COVID-19, todos  los vuelos internacionales se han cancelado. 
🇬🇧 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all international flights have been canceled.

🇪🇸 Puesto que mi vuelo de mañana sale a las 5AM, me acostaré temprano hoy. 
🇬🇧 As my flight leaves at 5 AM tomorrow, I am going to bed early today. 

🇪🇸 Dado que nos quedan solo 10 minutos, propongo que intentemos llegar a un acuerdo.
🇬🇧 Given that we only have 10 minutes left, I suggest we try to reach an agreement.  

🇪🇸 Los precios de los pasajes de avión están muy altos, por lo tanto tenemos que ver otras alternativas. 
🇬🇧 Plane tickets are very pricey, which is why we need to look at other alternatives. 

🇪🇸 Ya que llevas tan poco tiempo en Chile, aún no has aprendido todos los modismos. 
🇬🇧 Since you’ve been in Chile for such a short time, you still haven’t learned all the idioms.  

🇪🇸 Como te decía antes, no tengo ningún plan para el fin de semana. ¿Qué propones? 
🇬🇧 As I said before, I have no plans for the weekend. Any suggestions?

Showing consequence with “entonces,” “así que,” and “en consecuencia”

🇪🇸 Has comido demasiado, así que es normal que te duela la panza ahora.  
🇬🇧 You’ve eaten too much, so it is normal you are having a tummy ache now. 

🇪🇸 Me quedé sin trabajo, entonces tendré que volver a vivir con mis padres. 
🇬🇧 I’ve lost my job, so I will have to move back to my parents’ house. 

🇪🇸 Pedro faltó dos semanas al trabajo sin dar el aviso a nadie y en consecuencia lo despidieron. 
🇬🇧 Pedro didn’t come to work for two weeks without notifying anyone, and as a consequence, he got fired. 

If you are using Spanish at work, expressions such as “quedar sin trabajo”, “ser despedido” and other business Spanish vocabulary can prove very useful. 

Showing time relation with “mientras que,” “durante,” “antes,” and “después.”

🇪🇸 Mientras que su marido veía la tele, Sofía limpió toda la casa, cocinó, lavó y planchó.  
🇬🇧 While her husband was watching TV, Sofía cleaned the whole house, cooked, did laundry, and ironed. 

🇪🇸 Durante la clase varios alumnos se quedaron dormidos.
🇬🇧 Several students fell asleep during class. 

🇪🇸 Pedro faltó dos semanas al trabajo sin dar el aviso a nadie y en consecuencia lo despidieron. 
🇬🇧 Pedro didn’t come to work for two weeks without notifying anyone, and as a consequence, he got fired. 

🇪🇸 Antes de acostarse, Margarita puso su alarma para las siete y media. 
🇬🇧 Before going to sleep, Margarita set her alarm clock to half-past seven. 

Do you need any help with telling the time in Spanish? Make sure to read one of my previous posts on that topic.

Explaining What Someone Has Said or Asked as a Way to Make Long Sentences in Spanish

Are you ready for some more C-level Spanish that will make your sentences more complex? 

This time we are going to turn you into a reporter. 

Have you ever been to a party that is so loud you can’t really hear what other people are saying? Let’s imagine that you and I, along with this guy, Pedro, who we both know, are at a party like that. Pedro is trying to talk to me, but I am sitting too far to understand. But you are sitting close enough to both of us to help us communicate. 

For example, if Pedro asks, “Are you having a good time?” you will get back to me with that question and say: “Pedro wants to know if you are having a good time.” 

That, my dear friend, is called reported speech, and the question you will be asking me is an indirect one. 

And since  we are talking about making questions, do you know all the important Spanish question words? Perhaps it would be a good idea to review them.

But for the time being, let’s practice indirect questions in Spanish, shall we?

Indirect questions in Spanish

Isn’t it great how exactly Spanish matches English? When reporting about what someone else has asked, you go one step back with the tenses. The Present becomes Past; the Past becomes Past Perfect, WILL changes to WOULD, CAN changes to COULD. And so on and so forth. 

The very same thing happens in Spanish. 

Other Examples of Reported Speech in Spanish 

As a reporter, you don’t always talk about what others have asked. You also clarify their affirmative and negative statements. Have a look: