To conjugate any verb in Spanish
The first step is to take off the ending. Look at the verb Hablar to the left. The stem HABL is in black and the ending, AR, is in red. Remove the AR. You are left with HABL... that is the root or stem of the verb. Now, you can add endings to the stem to indicate the person doing the action (I, you, he, she, we, they, you all) and when the action occurs (past, present, future).
Remember your subject pronouns (the person doing the action):
yo - I nosotros - we
tú - you (informal) vosotros - you all (used in Spain)
Usted - You (formal) Ustedes - You all
él - he ellos - They
ella - she ellas - They (all females)
NOTE: Some verbs may have stem changes or irregular forms. We will get to those later.
The first step is to take off the ending. Look at the verb Hablar to the left. The stem HABL is in black and the ending, AR, is in red. Remove the AR. You are left with HABL... that is the root or stem of the verb. Now, you can add endings to the stem to indicate the person doing the action (I, you, he, she, we, they, you all) and when the action occurs (past, present, future).
Remember your subject pronouns (the person doing the action):
yo - I nosotros - we
tú - you (informal) vosotros - you all (used in Spain)
Usted - You (formal) Ustedes - You all
él - he ellos - They
ella - she ellas - They (all females)
NOTE: Some verbs may have stem changes or irregular forms. We will get to those later.
Regular Verb Conjugations in the Present Tense
There are three "families" of verbs in Spanish, -AR, -ER, and -IR.
AR VERBS
Here is an example of the verb hablar. It is conjugated in the present tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
Here is an example of the verb hablar. It is conjugated in the present tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
ER VERBS
Here is an example of the verb comer. It is conjugated in the present tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
Here is an example of the verb comer. It is conjugated in the present tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
IR VERBS
Here is an example of the verb vivir. It is conjugated in the present tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
Here is an example of the verb vivir. It is conjugated in the present tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
Irregular Verb Conjugations in the Present Tense
There are a few irregular verbs in the present tense. These verbs do not follow any rules listed above. They have radical changes.
Regular Verb Conjugations in the Preterite Tense
There are three "families" of verbs in Spanish, -AR, -ER, and -IR.
There are three "families" of verbs in Spanish, -AR, -ER, and -IR.
AR VERBS
Here is an example of the verb ayudar. It is conjugated in the preterite tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
Here is an example of the verb ayudar. It is conjugated in the preterite tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
ER VERBS
Here is an example of the verb comer. It is conjugated in the preterite tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
Here is an example of the verb comer. It is conjugated in the preterite tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
IR VERBS
Here is an example of the verb vivir. It is conjugated in the preterite tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
Here is an example of the verb vivir. It is conjugated in the preterite tense. Notice the stem is written in black and the endings are in blue.
The subject pronouns are written in red.
Irregular Verb Conjugations in the Preterite Tense
There are many verbs with irregular conjugation forms in the Preterite. These Irregular forms have "radical" changes, that is, vowel and consonant changes in the stem of the verb. These changes occur in all of the conjugations. These Irregular preterite changes are NOT for orthographic (spelling) reasons (like the verbs ending in -Car, -Gar and -Zar) Verbs which have an Irregular Preterite form have their own conjugation - different from the established pattern above.