Regular Verbs
All Spanish verbs belong to one of three classifications, called conjugations, depending on the ending of the infinitive. All infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir. Each conjugation has its own set of endings that are added to the stem of the verb.
| VERB STEM | INFINITIVE ENDING | INFINITIVE |
| jug | ar | jugar |
| leer | er | leer |
| vivir | ir | vivir |
Verbs are considered regular if there is no change in the stem when they are conjugated.
Uses of the Present Tense
The present tense is used to express:
- English simple present (e.g., “I play”)
- English present progressive (e.g., “I am playing”)
Example:
- Ella juega al tenis. She plays tennis. Ella esta jugando tenis. She is playing tennis.
Questions are formed by inverting the subject and the verb, or by rising intonation.
Example:
- ¿Juegas tú los fines de semana? Do you play on weekends?
- ¿Tú juegas los fines de semana? You play on weekends?
The present tense can also express a future event if an adverbial expression of future time is included.
Example: Ella juega con sus amigos mañana. She’ll play with her friends tomorrow.
To make a sentence negative, place “no” directly before the verb.
Examples: Yo leo en el parque. I read in the park. No leo en la cama. I don’t read in bed.
-AR VERBS
To conjugate a regular -ar verb in the present tense, drop the infinitive ending and add the following endings to the stem: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
Example: Jugar (to play)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION | TRANSLATION |
| yo | juego | I play |
| tú | juegas | you play |
| él/ella/Ud. | juega | he/she/you (formal) play |
| nosotros | jugamos | we play |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juegan | they/you (pl.) play |
A Word About Pronunciation
In Spanish, stress falls on the penultimate syllable (second-to-last) for words ending in vowels, n, or s, unless there’s an accent mark.
For example:
- yo juego, tú juegas, él juega, nosotros jugamos, ellos juegan
Frequently Used -ar Verbs
Example: Bailar (to dance)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | bailo |
| tú | bailas |
| él/ella/Ud. | baila |
| nosotros | bailamos |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bailan |
Example Sentence: Yo bailo en la fiesta. I dance at the party.
Example: Caminar (to walk)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | camino |
| tú | caminas |
| él/ella/Ud. | camina |
| nosotros | caminamos |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | caminan |
Example Sentence: Nosotros caminamos por el parque. We walk through the park.
Example: Comprar (to buy)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | compro |
| tú | compras |
| él/ella/Ud. | compra |
| nosotros | compramos |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compran |
Example Sentence: Ellos siempre compran frutas frescas. They always buy fresh fruits.
Additional Regular Verbs
Here are more common -ar verbs. Each follows the same conjugation pattern:
- Descansar (to rest)
- Entrar (to enter)
- Escuchar (to listen to)
- Estudiar (to study)
Pronunciation Reminder
The Spanish “d” is pronounced like the “d” in dog when it appears at the beginning of a group or follows an “l” or “n”. In all other cases, it’s pronounced like the soft th sound in other.
Practice: estudiar with a th sound.
More Regular Verbs
- Hablar (to speak)
- Limpiar (to clean)
- Llegar (to arrive)
- Mirar (to look at)
- Nadar (to swim)
- Practicar (to practice)
- Regresar (to return)
- Trabajar (to work)
- Viajar (to travel)
Final Pronunciation Reminder
The Spanish “v” is pronounced like the “b” in boy. Stress the penultimate syllable of each conjugated verb:
- trabajo, trabajas, trabaja, trabajamos, trabajan
-ER VERBS
To conjugate a regular -er verb in the present tense, drop the -er infinitive ending and add the following endings to the stem: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -en.
For example, let’s take the verb comer (to eat):
| Verb Parts | Explanation |
| comer | Infinitive |
| com- | Stem |
| -er | Ending |
Conjugation: Comer (to eat)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION | TRANSLATION |
| yo | como | I eat |
| tú | comes | you eat |
| él/ella | come | he/she eats |
| usted (Ud.) | come | you (formal) eat |
| nosotros | comemos | we eat |
| ellos/ellas | comen | they eat |
| ustedes (Uds.) | comen | you (plural) eat |
Example Sentences: Yo como arroz con frijoles. I eat rice with beans.
Ellos comen pizza los viernes. They eat pizza on Fridays.
FREQUENTLY USED -ER VERBS
Here are some common regular -er verbs and their conjugations:
- Aprender (to learn)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | aprendo |
| tú | aprendes |
| él/ella | aprende |
| usted (Ud.) | aprende |
| nosotros | aprendemos |
| ellos/ellas | aprenden |
| ustedes (Uds.) | aprenden |
Example Sentence: Nosotros aprendemos matemáticas en la escuela. We learn math at school.
- Beber (to drink)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | bebo |
| tú | bebes |
| él/ella | bebe |
| usted (Ud.) | bebe |
| nosotros | bebemos |
| ellos/ellas | beben |
| ustedes (Uds.) | beben |
Example Sentence: Tú bebes jugo de naranja por la mañana. You drink orange juice in the morning.
- Comprender (to understand)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | comprendo |
| tú | comprendes |
| él/ella | comprende |
| usted (Ud.) | comprende |
| nosotros | comprendemos |
| ellos/ellas | comprenden |
| ustedes (Uds.) | comprenden |
Example Sentence: Ellos no comprenden el problema. They don’t understand the problem.
- Correr (to run)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | corro |
| tú | corres |
| él/ella | corre |
| usted (Ud.) | corre |
| nosotros | corremos |
| ellos/ellas | corren |
| ustedes (Uds.) | corren |
Example Sentence: Nosotros corremos en el parque todos los días. We run in the park every day.
- Vender (to sell)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | vendo |
| tú | vendes |
| él/ella | vende |
| usted (Ud.) | vende |
| nosotros | vendemos |
| ellos/ellas | venden |
| ustedes (Uds.) | venden |
Example Sentence: Ustedes venden frutas en el mercado. You (plural) sell fruits at the market.
-IR VERBS
To conjugate a regular -ir verb in the present tense, drop the -ir infinitive ending and add the following endings to the stem: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -en.
For example, let’s take the verb vivir (to live):
| Verb Parts | Explanation |
| vivir | Infinitive |
| viv- | Stem |
| -ir | Ending |
Conjugation: Vivir (to live)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION | TRANSLATION |
| yo | vivo | I live |
| tú | vives | you live |
| él/ella | vive | he/she lives |
| usted (Ud.) | vive | you (formal) live |
| nosotros | vivimos | we live |
| ellos/ellas | viven | they live |
| ustedes (Uds.) | viven | you (plural) live |
Example Sentences:
- Yo vivo en una ciudad pequeña. I live in a small city.
- Ellas viven en la montaña. They live in the mountains.
Frequently Used -ir Verbs
Here are some common regular -ir verbs and their conjugations:
- Abrir (to open)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | abro |
| tú | abres |
| él/ella | abre |
| usted (Ud.) | abre |
| nosotros | abrimos |
| ellos/ellas | abren |
| ustedes (Uds.) | abren |
Example Sentence: Nosotros abrimos el restaurante a las ocho. We open the restaurant at eight o’clock.
- Compartir (to share)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | comparto |
| tú | compartes |
| él/ella | comparte |
| usted (Ud.) | comparte |
| nosotros | compartimos |
| ellos/ellas | comparten |
| ustedes (Uds.) | comparten |
Example Sentence: Tú compartes tus ideas con el grupo. You share your ideas with the group.
- Escribir (to write)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | escribo |
| tú | escribes |
| él/ella | escribe |
| usted (Ud.) | escribe |
| nosotros | escribimos |
| ellos/ellas | escriben |
| ustedes (Uds.) | escriben |
Example Sentence: Yo escribo un correo electrónico a mi jefe. I write an email to my boss.
- Recibir (to receive)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | recibo |
| tú | recibes |
| él/ella | recibe |
| usted (Ud.) | recibe |
| nosotros | recibimos |
| ellos/ellas | reciben |
| ustedes (Uds.) | reciben |
Example Sentence: Ustedes reciben el paquete mañana. You (plural) receive the package tomorrow.
-AR AND -ER VERBS WITH MORE THAN ONE MEANING
Some -ar and -er verbs can have multiple meanings. Here are a few examples:
- Deber (should, ought to, must, to owe)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | debo |
| tú | debes |
| él/ella | debe |
| usted (Ud.) | debe |
| nosotros | debemos |
| ellos/ellas | deben |
| ustedes (Uds.) | deben |
Example Sentences: Ella debe estudiar más. She should study more.
Él me debe dinero. He owes me money.
- Ganar (to win, to earn)
| PRONOUN | CONJUGATION |
| yo | gano |
| tú | ganas |
| él/ella | gana |
| usted (Ud.) | gana |
| nosotros | ganamos |
| ellos/ellas | ganan |
| ustedes (Uds.) | ganan |
Example Sentence:
- Cecilia siempre gana el primer premio. Cecilia always wins first prize.