Uses of Spanish Verbs
Spanish verbs convey actions, states, or occurrences. They are vital for forming sentences and expressing time, mood, and aspect. Verbs can indicate whether an action is happening now, happened before, or will happen later, and can also show commands, possibilities, or wishes.
Verb Structure in Spanish
Spanish verbs are made of two parts: the stem and the ending. The stem carries the verb's core meaning, while the ending changes to reflect tense, mood, and subject. Regular verbs follow consistent patterns in their endings, categorized in three groups based on their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir.
Infinitive Form
The infinitive is the base form of a verb, equivalent to "to + verb" in English (e.g., hablar – to speak). It is not conjugated and is used to express actions in a general sense or after certain verbs and prepositions.
Conjugation Patterns
Verbs in Spanish change endings based on the subject and tense. This is called conjugation. Regular verbs have predictable endings for each subject pronoun, while irregular verbs have unique patterns.
Examples of Regular Infinitives
- -ar verbs: hablar (to speak), estudiar (to study)
- -er verbs: comer (to eat), beber (to drink)
- -ir verbs: vivir (to live), escribir (to write)
