Regular Present Tense Verbs

Regular Present Tense Verbs
In Spanish, there are three categories of verbs, based on the last two letters of the verb’s infinitive
form: -ar verbs (like hablar [to speak]), -er verbs (like comer [to eat]), and -ir verbs (like vivir [to
live]). In order for a verb to agree with the subject of the sentence, it must be conjugated.
Infinitive Verbs
All verbs have an infinitive form. This is how the verb looks when it has not been conjugated in any
way. In Spanish, infinitive forms end in -ar, -er, or -ir. Hablar, comer and vivir are infinitives when
they are in this form.
The Present Tense
The present tense in Spanish is usually used to talk about an action that is happening now, but it can
also mean three slightly different things. In the case of the verb hablar, it can mean:
yo hablo
yo hablo
yo hablo
I speak
I am speaking
I do speak
Regular Verbs
For most Spanish verbs, there is a consistent conjugation pattern. These verbs are considered to be
“regular” verbs. This is very important because once you learn the pattern you are well on your way
to mastering Spanish verbs in general.
-AR Verb Conjugation
In order to conjugate a verb, you must remove the ending (in this case, -ar) from the verb stem. For
the regular -ar verb hablar, the verb stem is habl-. Next, simply add the ending that agrees with
the subject of the sentence. Regular infinitive verbs that end in -ar follow this conjugation pattern:
-AR
yo
-o
nosotros
tú
-as vosotros
-áis
él, ella, usted
-a
-an
ellos, ellas, ustedes
-amos
In the case of the verb hablar, the six present tense forms are: (yo) hablo, (tú) hablas, (él) habla,
(nosotros) hablamos, (vosotros) habláis, (ellos) hablan. These forms are equivalent to the English
forms “I speak”, “you speak”, “he speaks”, “we speak”, “you [all] speak”, and “they speak”.
© 2011 Middlebury Interactive Languages. All rights reserved. This material is intended for the exclusive use of registered users only. No portion of these materials may be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express permission of Middlebury Interactive Languages. Note that because the Spanish listener or reader can identify the subject of a verb based on how it is
conjugated, it is possible to leave the subject or subject pronoun out of the sentence entirely. In fact,
it is very common among native speakers.
Here is a sample list of common regular -ar verbs:
hablar (to speak)
cantar (to sing)
estudiar (to study)
andar (to walk)
nadar (to swim)
comprar (to buy)
visitar (to visit)
mirar (to watch)
bailar (to dance)
necesitar (to need)
tocar (to play)
trabajar (to work)
ayudar (to help)
amar (to love)
-ER Verb Conjugation
Regular -er verbs (such as comer) follow a very similar pattern to that of regular -ar verbs: You must
first remove the ending (in this case, -er) from the verb stem. For the regular -er verb comer, the
verb stem is com-. Next, simply add the ending that agrees with the subject of the
sentence. Regular infinitive verbs that end in -er follow this conjugation pattern:
-ER
yo
-o
nosotros
tú
-es vosotros
-éis
él, ella, usted
-e
-en
ellos, ellas, ustedes
-emos
In the case of the verb comer, the six present tense forms are: (yo) como, (tú) comes, (él) come,
(nosotros) comemos, (vosotros) coméis, and (ellos) comen. These forms are equivalent to the
English forms “I eat”, “you eat”, “he eats”, “we eat”, “you [all] eat”, and “they eat”.
Here is a sample list of common regular -er verbs:
comer (to eat)
vender (to sell)
beber (to drink)
correr (to run)
toser (to cough)
temer (to fear)
depender (to depend)
sorprender (to surprise)
comprender (to understand)
-IR Verb Conjugation
Regular -ir verbs (such as vivir) follow a very similar pattern to that of regular -ar and -er verbs: You
must first remove the ending (in this case, -ir) from the verb stem. For the regular -ir verb vivir, the
verb stem is viv-. Next, simply add the ending that agrees with the subject of the
sentence. Regular infinitive verbs that end in -ir follow this conjugation pattern:
-IR
yo
-o
nosotros
tú
-es vosotros
-ís
él, ella, usted
-e
-en
ellos, ellas, ustedes
-imos
© 2011 Middlebury Interactive Languages. All rights reserved. This material is intended for the exclusive use of registered users only. No portion of these materials may be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express permission of Middlebury Interactive Languages. Note that the -ir verb endings are nearly identical to -er endings. The only differences are in the
nosotros and vosotros forms (-emos/-imos and -éis/ís).
In the case of the verb vivir, the six present tense forms are: (yo) vivo, (tú) vives, (él) vive, (nosotros)
vivimos, (vosotros) vivís, and (ellos) viven. These forms are equivalent to the English forms “I live”,
“you live”, “he lives”, “we live”, “you [all] live”, and “they live”.
Here is a sample list of common regular -ir verbs:
vivir (to live)
escribir (to write)
abrir (to open)
interrumpir (to interrupt)
describir (to describe)
ocurrir (to occur)
recibir (to receive)
subir (to go up)
sufrir (to suffer)
© 2011 Middlebury Interactive Languages. All rights reserved. This material is intended for the exclusive use of registered users only. No portion of these materials may be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express permission of Middlebury Interactive Languages.