How to Use Regular -er Verbs in Spanish

Let’s dive into how to use regular -er verbs in Spanish! It’s pretty simple if we take it step by step.

Steps to Use Regular -er Verbs

1. Choose a Verb: Let’s pick the verb "comer," which means "to eat."

2. Remove the -er: This gives us the root "com."

3. Add the Endings: Here are the endings for -er verbs in the present tense:

   | Subject Pronoun | Ending | |---------------------|---------| | yo (I) | -o | | tú (you, informal) | -es | | él/ella/usted (he/she/you, formal) | -e | | nosotros/nosotras (we) | -emos | | vosotros/vosotras (you all, informal) | -éis | | ellos/ellas/ustedes (they/you all, formal) | -en |

Example with "Comer"

Here’s how "comer" changes with these endings:

• Yo como (I eat)
• Tú comes (You eat)
• Él come (He eats)
• Nosotros comemos (We eat)
• Vosotros coméis (You all eat)
• Ellos comen (They eat)

Important Grammar Tips

Irregular Verbs: Some verbs do not follow these rules. For example:

• Ser (to be): soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son
• Estar (to be): estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están
• Ir (to go): voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van

Nouns and Adjectives

In Spanish, nouns and adjectives need to match in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Here are some examples:

• La casa blanca (The white house) – feminine singular
• Los coches rojos (The red cars) – masculine plural

Articles in Spanish

Spanish has two types of articles: definite (el, la, los, las) and indefinite (un, una, unos, unas). They also need to match the nouns:

• El coche (The car) – masculine
• La casa (The house) – feminine
• Un perro (A dog) – masculine
• Una gata (A cat) – feminine

A Quick Look at Simple Past Tense (Pretérito)

While we talked about the present tense, it’s also useful to know about the simple past tense. Here’s how regular -er verbs change in the past:

| Subject Pronoun | Ending | |---------------------|---------| | yo | -í | | tú | -iste | | él/ella/usted | -ió | | nosotros/nosotras | -imos | | vosotros/vosotras | -isteis | | ellos/ellas/ustedes | -ieron |

Example: "Comer" in the Past Tense

Here’s how "comer" looks in the past:

• Yo comí (I ate)
• Tú comiste (You ate)
• Ella comió (She ate)

By understanding these simple rules, you’ll be well on your way to using -er verbs in the present tense in Spanish. Plus, you’ll pick up some important grammar tips along the way!