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Spanish grammar

Spanish present tense: regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs

Regular Spanish verbs change their ending to show who is doing the action, which is why the pronoun is usually left out. There are three families, named after the infinitive ending: -ar (hablar), -er (comer) and -ir (vivir). Learn the endings once and they run on hundreds of verbs. This guide follows Latin American usage, where ustedes covers you in the plural.

In short

  • -ar: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, hablan. The yo form always ends in -o.
  • -er and -ir share their singular endings: como, comes, come; vivo, vives, vive.
  • We is -mos on the verb's own vowel (hablamos, comemos, vivimos); they and ustedes add -n to the he/she form (hablan, comen, viven).
  • Pronouns are usually dropped: hablo español already says I.
  • After a conjugated verb, the second verb stays as an infinitive: quiero bailar.

One machine, every verb

Spanish verbs work by swapping the ending. hablar (to speak) → hablo (I), hablas (you), habla (he or she). Learn the swap once and it runs on hundreds of -ar verbs.

  • Hablar

    to speak

  • Hablo ahora

    I'm talking now

  • ¿Hablas ahora?

    are you talking now?

  • Voy al parque

    I'm going to the park

Same machine, new verb

The machine works on ANY -ar verb: trabajar (to work) → trabajo, trabajas, trabaja — the same three endings you already know. Funny thing: «trabajo» is already yours as a NOUN (work) — now it's also 'I work.' Same word, new job.

  • Trabajar

    to work

  • Trabajo en la escuela

    I work at the school

  • ¿Trabajas hoy?

    do you work today?

  • Diego trabaja en el mercado

    Diego works at the market

  • Voy a la playa

    I'm going to the beach

  • Trabajo en el mercado

    I work at the market

Words that don't need the machine

«escuchar» (to listen), «bailar» (to dance), «cantar» (to sing) are three more -ar verbs that take the same endings. The dictionary form, the infinitive, is also usable as it is after another verb: «quiero bailar», I want to dance. The first verb changes for the person; the second one keeps its -ar shape.

  • Quiero bailar

    I want to dance

  • Quiero cantar

    I want to sing

  • Quiero escuchar música

    I want to listen to music

  • La cuenta por favor

    the check, please

  • Quiero bailar ahora

    I want to dance now

A second machine — almost the same one

The -ar pattern: hablar → hablo (I), hablas (you), habla (he or she). The -er pattern: comer (to eat) → como (I), comes (you), come (he or she). The I-form is the same -o in both. Only the other two move, and only by one letter: where -ar says a, -er says e. That is the whole difference.

  • Comer

    to eat

  • Como en casa

    I eat at home

  • ¿Comes aquí?

    do you eat here?

  • Diego come aquí

    Diego eats here

  • Como aquí

    I eat here

Look again

Put them side by side: comer → como · comes · come, and vivir → vivo · vives · vive. The same three endings, twice. -er verbs and -ir verbs are one machine in the singular — you never had to learn a second one. And the I-form ends the same way in all three: hablo, como, vivo.

  • Vivir

    to live

  • Vivo aquí

    I live here

  • ¿Vives aquí?

    do you live here?

  • Ana vive en México

    Ana lives in Mexico

  • Tengo hambre

    I'm hungry

  • Vives en España

    you live in Spain

We — one ending for the whole group

Every verb ends in -o when the subject is yo. For we, the ending is -mos, and it sits on the verb's own vowel: «hablar» → «hablamos», we speak; «comer» → «comemos», we eat; «vivir» → «vivimos», we live. The word for we is «nosotros»: «nosotros hablamos español». It can be left off, like «yo»: «hablamos español» says the same thing.

  • Nosotros hablamos español

    We speak Spanish

  • Nosotros comemos pizza

    We eat pizza

  • Vivimos en México

    We live in Mexico

  • Hago la tarea todos los días

    I do the homework every day

  • Nosotros comemos en casa todos los días

    We eat at home every day

  • Nosotros vivimos aquí y hablamos español

    We live here and we speak Spanish

They — add an -n

Take the he-or-she form and put -n on the end: «habla» → «hablan», they speak; «come» → «comen», they eat; «vive» → «viven», they live. That is the last ending in the table. Two words for they: «ellos» for a group with at least one he in it — «Diego y Ana», «mis amigos» — and «ellas» when everyone in it is a she — «Ana y Sofía». Both take the same -n: «ellos hablan», «ellas hablan». And as with «nosotros», you can drop the word: «hablan español» already says they.

  • Ellos hablan español

    They speak Spanish

  • Ellos comen pizza

    They eat pizza

  • Mis amigos hablan mucho

    My friends talk a lot

  • Vengo a la fiesta

    I'm coming to the party

  • Mis amigos viven aquí y hablan español

    My friends live here and speak Spanish

  • Ellos viven aquí y hablan español

    They live here and they speak Spanish

Check yourself

Questions from the course. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.

  1. 1.Which one means 'we eat'?

  2. 2.Which one means 'they eat'?

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