Present Tense: Regular -AR, -ER and -IR Verbs

Every regular Spanish verb belongs to one of three families, based on its infinitive ending: -ar (hablar), -er (comer) or -ir (vivir). Once you know which family a verb belongs to, you only need to learn one set of endings. The stem stays the same; only the ending changes to match who is doing the action.

Step 1: Find the stem

The stem is the infinitive without its last two letters. Hablar becomes habl-, comer becomes com-, and vivir becomes viv-. Every conjugation starts from this stem.

Step 2: Add the ending for the subject

Patterns that make the endings easier

Notice that -er and -ir verbs share almost the same endings. The only difference is the nosotros form: -emos for -er and -imos for -ir. The yo ending is always -o, and the ellos ending is always -n after the vowel. If you learn the -o, -as, -a, -amos, -an pattern for -ar verbs, the rest follows quickly.

Everyday sentences
• Vivo en Madrid con mi familia. — I live in Madrid with my family.
• Ella come pan en el desayuno. — She eats bread at breakfast.
• Nosotros trabajamos los lunes. — We work on Mondays.
• ¿Tú estudias por la noche? — Do you study at night?

Common beginner mistake

Spanish usually drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. You say "Hablo español" rather than "Yo hablo español". Use yo only for emphasis or contrast, such as "Yo trabajo, pero tú estudias" (I work, but you study).