In Spanish, verbs are divided into three main groups based on their endings: -ar, -er, and -ir.

Knowing these groups is important for making sentences in the present tense.

Regular Verb Conjugations in the Present Tense

1. -ar Verbs (like hablar – to speak)

   Singular:

   • Yo hablo (I speak)
   • Tú hablas (You speak)
   • Él/Ella/Usted habla (He/She/You formal speak)

   Plural:

   • Nosotros/nosotras hablamos (We speak)
   • Vosotros/vosotras habláis (You all speak)
   • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablan (They/You all formal speak)

2. -er Verbs (like comer – to eat)

   Singular:

   • Yo como (I eat)
   • Tú comes (You eat)
   • Él/Ella/Usted come (He/She/You formal eat)

   Plural:

   • Nosotros/nosotras comemos (We eat)
   • Vosotros/vosotras coméis (You all eat)
   • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comen (They/You all formal eat)

3. -ir Verbs (like vivir – to live)

   Singular:

   • Yo vivo (I live)
   • Tú vives (You live)
   • Él/Ella/Usted vive (He/She/You formal live)

   Plural:

   • Nosotros/nosotras vivimos (We live)
   • Vosotros/vosotras vivís (You all live)
   • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes viven (They/You all formal live)

Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense

Some verbs don’t follow the usual patterns. Here are some important irregular verbs:

• 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

Basic Rules for Noun-Adjective Agreement

In Spanish, adjectives (describing words) must match the nouns (person, place, or thing) they describe. This means they need to agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural):

• A masculine noun needs a masculine adjective: "El libro interesante" (The interesting book).

• A feminine noun needs a feminine adjective: "La casa interesante" (The interesting house).

• Plural forms add -s or -es: "Los libros interesantes" (The interesting books).

Use of Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Definite articles (the):

  • el (masculine singular)
  • la (feminine singular)
  • los (masculine plural)
  • las (feminine plural)

• Indefinite articles (a/an/some):

  • un (masculine singular)
  • una (feminine singular)
  • unos (masculine plural)
  • unas (feminine plural)

Introduction to Simple Past Tense Conjugations (Pretérito)

The simple past tense talks about actions that have already happened. Here’s how it looks for regular verbs:

• For -ar verbs: hablar → hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron

• For -er verbs: comer → comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron

• For -ir verbs: vivir → viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron

By learning these conjugation patterns and rules, you can make sentences and get better at speaking Spanish!