Present Tense Conjugations for Regular -ar, -er, and -ir Verbs

In Spanish, we organize regular verbs into three groups based on their endings.

These groups are:

• -ar (like hablar),
• -er (like comer),
• -ir (like vivir).

Let’s learn how to change these verbs in the present tense!

1. Regular -ar Verbs (like hablar and cantar)

Here’s how you change -ar verbs:

• yo hablo (I speak)
• tú hablas (you speak)
• él/ella habla (he/she speaks)
• nosotros/nosotras hablamos (we speak)
• vosotros/vosotras habláis (you all speak)
• ellos/ellas hablan (they speak)

2. Regular -er Verbs (like comer and beber)

Next, let’s look at -er verbs:

• yo como (I eat)
• tú comes (you eat)
• él/ella come (he/she eats)
• nosotros/nosotras comemos (we eat)
• vosotros/vosotras coméis (you all eat)
• ellos/ellas comen (they eat)

3. Regular -ir Verbs (like vivir and escribir)

Now, here are -ir verbs:

• yo vivo (I live)
• tú vives (you live)
• él/ella vive (he/she lives)
• nosotros/nosotras vivimos (we live)
• vosotros/vosotras vivís (you all live)
• ellos/ellas viven (they live)

Important Grammar Points:

• Noun-Adjective Agreement:
  Adjectives are words that describe nouns. They need to match the nouns in gender (male or female) and in number (singular or plural).
  For example: "El coche rojo" means "The red car" and "La casa roja" means "The red house."

• Subject Pronouns:
  Pronouns are words that replace the names in sentences.
  For example: "Yo como" means "I eat" and "Tú hablas" means "You speak."

• Articles:
  Articles give us more information about nouns.

  • Definite articles are "el" (the, for masculine nouns) and "la" (the, for feminine nouns).
  • Indefinite articles are "un" (a, for masculine nouns) and "una" (a, for feminine nouns).

• Basic Sentence Structure:
  The usual order is: subject + verb + object.
  For example: "Yo como manzanas" means "I eat apples."

Common Vocabulary Themes:

• Greetings:
  Hola (hello), adiós (goodbye), buenos días (good morning), buenas noches (good night).

• Numbers:
  From 1 to 20: uno, dos, tres,..., veinte.

• Days/Months:
  Lunes (Monday), martes (Tuesday), enero (January), febrero (February).

• Family:
  Madre (mother), padre (father), hermano (brother), hermana (sister).

• Colors:
  Rojo (red), azul (blue), verde (green), amarillo (yellow).

By learning these verb forms, grammar rules, and vocabulary, you’ll be ready to have simple conversations and write short sentences in Spanish!