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VerbsbeginnerCEFR A1

Regular Verbs Present Tense: hablar, comer, vivir (-ar, -er, -ir)

📋Overview🏗️Structure💡Examples⚠️Common Mistakes🧠Quiz📚Useful Resources

What You'll Learn

  • A1 Essential: Master the 3 verb groups (-ar, -er, -ir) and their patterns
  • Understand how to remove the ending and add the correct ending
  • Learn the 6 basic endings for each verb type (yo, tú, él/ella, nosotros, ellos/ellas, usted/ustedes)
  • Practice with common regular verbs like hablar, comer, vivir
  • Build confidence conjugating verbs in simple present tense sentences
  • Recognise that verb endings tell you who is doing the action

Overview / Usage

Spanish change their endings to show who is doing the action. The good news? Regular verbs follow simple, predictable patterns!

There are three verb families in Spanish, named after their endings:

-AR
hablar (to speak)
-ER
comer (to eat)
-IR
vivir (to live)

🤔 Why Do Verb Endings Change?

Unlike English, Spanish verbs change their endings to tell you who is doing the action. The verb ending acts like a built-in !

🇬🇧 English (Simple)
Ispeak Spanish
Youspeak Spanish
He/Shespeaks Spanish
Wespeak Spanish
You allspeak Spanish
Theyspeak Spanish

Only "he/she" adds an 's'. No formal "you all" form exists in English.

🇪🇸 Spanish (Rich System)
Yo(I)
hablo español
Tú(You informal)
hablas español
Él/Ella/Usted(He/She/You formal)
habla español
Nosotros/as(We)
hablamos español
Vosotros/as(You all - Spain)
habláis español
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes(They/You all)
hablan español

Each person has a unique ending! Spanish has formal/informal distinctions English lacks.

💡 The Big Advantage: Since the ending tells you who's doing the action, you can often drop the subject pronoun! Hablo español (I speak Spanish) - the "-o" ending makes it clear it's "I".

🔍 What English is Missing:
• Formal vs Informal: Spanish has tú (informal "you") and usted (formal "you")
• You All: Spanish distinguishes vosotros (informal, Spain) and ustedes (formal/universal)
• Gender Forms: nosotros/nosotras, vosotros/vosotras, ellos/ellas

Understanding these patterns is fundamental to Spanish communication, as they form the backbone of everyday conversation and allow you to express actions happening now or habitual actions.

Structure & Formation

🔧 How to Conjugate Regular Verbs

📝 Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Remove the Infinitive Ending

Take off -ar, -er, or -ir from the infinitive verb to find the stem:

hablar
→habl-(stem)
comer
→com-(stem)
vivir
→viv-(stem)
Step 2: Add the Correct Ending

Choose the ending that matches the subject person:

-AR Verbs
yo → -o
tú → -as
él/ella/usted → -a
nosotros/as → -amos
ellos/ellas/ustedes → -an
-ER Verbs
yo → -o
tú → -es
él/ella/usted → -e
nosotros/as → -emos
ellos/ellas/ustedes → -en
-IR Verbs
yo → -o
tú → -es
él/ella/usted → -e
nosotros/as → -imos
ellos/ellas/ustedes → -en
Step 3: Put It Together

Combine the stem with the ending to create the conjugated verb:

habl- +-o =hablo
From:hablarTo:yo hablo
com- +-es =comes
From:comerTo:tú comes
viv- +-e =vive
From:vivirTo:él vive
💡 Quick Example: "estudiar" (to study)
1. Remove -ar:
estudi-ar → estudi-
2. Add -o:
estudi- + -o
3. Result:
yo estudio
🇪🇸 A2+ Content: Vosotros Forms (Spain Only)

In Spain, there's an additional informal plural "you" form called vosotros/vosotras. This is not used in Latin America, where ustedes is used for both formal and informal plural "you".

Vosotros Endings:
  • -AR verbs: -áis (habláis)
  • -ER verbs: -éis (coméis)
  • -IR verbs: -ís (vivís)

Note: These forms always have an accent mark on the ending.

📊 Complete Conjugation Tables

-AR Verbs: hablar (to speak)

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

-ER Verbs: comer (to eat)

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

-IR Verbs: vivir (to live)

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

📋 Quick Reference: Endings

Person-AR Verbs-ER Verbs-IR Verbs
SingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
1st (I/We)-o-amos-o-emos-o-imos
2nd (You)-as-áis-es-éis-es-ís
3rd (He/She/They)-a-an-e-en-e-en

Examples

💬 Real-Life Examples

Daily Activities

Yo trabajo en una oficina.
I work in an office.
Tú estudias español.
You study Spanish.
Él come en un restaurante.
He eats at a restaurant.
Nosotros vivimos en Madrid.
We live in Madrid.

Questions & Answers

¿Hablas inglés?
Do you speak English?
Sí, hablo inglés y español.
Yes, I speak English and Spanish.
¿Dónde vives?
Where do you live?
Vivo en Barcelona.
I live in Barcelona.

🎯 Common Regular Verbs to Practice

-AR Verbs
-ER Verbs
-IR Verbs

Gotchas / Common Mistakes

⚠️ Common Mistakes & Tips

❌ Don't Forget the Accent Marks

Wrong:Vosotros hablais
Correct:Vosotros habláis

The accent mark on the second-to-last syllable is essential for correct pronunciation and spelling.

⚡ -ER and -IR Verbs Are Similar

-ER and -IR verbs have identical endings except for nosotros/vosotros forms:

-ER: comemos, coméis
-IR: vivimos, vivís

💡 Memory Tip: Subject Pronouns

You can often drop the subject pronoun in Spanish because the verb ending tells you who's doing the action:

Hablo español (I speak Spanish)

The "-o" ending clearly indicates "yo" (I), so you don't need to say it.

Quick Test / Mini Quiz

🧠 Test Your Knowledge

1

How do you conjugate 'hablar' (to speak) for 'tú'?

2

What is the correct conjugation: 'Nosotros _____ (comer) pizza'?

3

Choose the correct form: 'Ellos _____ (vivir) en España'?

4

Which ending is correct for 'vosotros' with -AR verbs?

5

What's the difference between -ER and -IR verbs in the 'yo' form?

6

Fill in the blank: 'Yo _____ (trabajar) en una oficina'

7

What is the correct form: 'Ella _____ (escribir) una carta'?

8

Which forms are identical for -ER and -IR verbs?

Useful Resources

Coming soon...