GRAMMAR

GRAMMAR
Verb Conjugation -ar -er -ir (present tense)
The Present tense is used to describe what you usually do: I speak, you
study, and he eats. These are things that you aren't necessarily doing at
the moment.
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In Spanish, the present tense has three different types of endings depending on the
type of verb.
All verbs use these endings if you are talking about what you usually do.
There are some verbs that change their spelling in the present tense but the endings
remain the same.
The change that takes place with the verb when these endings are used is called
conjugation.
The verb in its original form (not conjugated) is called the infinitive form of the verb.
Verb Endings:
-AR
singular
o
as
a
plural
amos
áis
an
-ER
singular
o
es
e
plural
emos
éis
en
-IR
singular
plural
o
imos
es
éis
e
en
1. -AR verbs (conjugation)
Ejemplo: hablar (to speak)
Step 1: Drop the verb ending from the verb being conjugated. The part of the verb
that remains is called “LA RAÍZ” (the STEM). habl = raíz / ar = verb ending
Person
1st
2nd
3rd
3rd
3rd
HABLAR
Singular
Yo hablo
I speak
Tú hablas
You speak*
El habla
He speaks
Ella habla
She speaks
Usted habla You speak**
*Informal
**formal
Plural
Nosotros(as) hablamos
Vosotros(as) habláis
Ellos hablan
Ellas hablan
Ustedes hablan
We speak
You speak
They speak
They speak
You speak
Step 2: Add the new ending to the stem of the verb based on the person.
Ejemplo: Yo hablo ingles - I speak English.
2. -ER verbs
Examples: Comer (to eat)
Step 1: Take the stem of the verb (the infinitive without the -er) and add these
endings.
COMER
Singular
Yo como
I eat
Plural
Nosotros(as) comemos
We eat
Tú comes
You eat*
Vosotros coméis
You eat
El come
He eats
Ellos comen
They (m) eat
Ella come
She eats
Ellas comen
They (f) eat
Ud. come
You eat**
Uds. comen
You eat
*Informal
**formal
3. -IR verbs
Examples: Vivir (to live), Recibir (to receive)
Step 1: Take the stem of the verb (the infinitive without the -ir) and add these
endings.
VIVIR
Singular
Yo vivo
I live
Plural
Nosotros(as) vivimos
Tú vives
You live*
Vosotros vivís
You live
El vive
He lives
Ellos viven
They (m) live
Ella vive
She lives
Ellas viven
They (f) live
Ud. vive
You live**
Uds.viven
You live
*Informal
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We live
**formal
Tip of the day - the only difference between the -er and -ir regular verbs in the
present tense is the nosotros form.