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Regular Verbs

In Spanish, regular verbs are classified into three main groups based on their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. Each group follows a systematic pattern for conjugation in the present tense, allowing you to express actions performed by different subjects. By learning these patterns, you can conjugate hundreds of verbs correctly and predict the forms of new verbs you encounter.
  • All regular verbs drop their infinitive endings and replace them with new endings that match the subject.
  • The three families are: -ar, -er, -ir, each with its own set of endings.
  • Conjugation patterns link the verb to who is doing the action and when.
-ar, -er, -ir

Conjugation Patterns

Here are the typical endings for each verb group in the present tense:
Subject-ar-er-ir
Yo-o-o-o
Tú-as-es-es
Él/Ella/Ud-a-e-e
Nosotros-amos-emos-imos
Vosotros-áis-éis-ís
Ellos/Uds-an-en-en
  • Remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) before adding the new ending.
  • Nosotros and vosotros endings differ among the three groups, while others are more similar.
-o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an

Examples

Let's see how the verb roots are used with different endings. For hablar (to speak), comer (to eat), and vivir (to live):
SubjectHablarComerVivir
Yohablocomovivo
Túhablascomesvives
Él/Ella/Udhablacomevive
Nosotroshablamoscomemosvivimos
Vosotroshabláiscoméisvivís
Ellos/Udshablancomenviven
  • hablar uses the -ar pattern, comer the -er pattern, and vivir the -ir pattern.
Vivimos

Conclusion

Regular verbs in Spanish follow predictable patterns that link the verb to the subject and tense, making it easier to learn and use verbs correctly.
  • Verb families: -ar, -er, -ir, each with specific endings.
  • Remove infinitive ending, then add the correct ending for each subject.
  • Mastery of regular verbs unlocks most of the verb system and helps with new verbs.
habl
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