🔧 Grammar ★ Core Say it yourself

Present tense: regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs

Form and use regular present-tense verbs in everyday statements and questions.

Remove -ar, -er or -ir and add the ending for the subject. Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending identifies the person.

Patterns to reuse
habl- + o/as/a/amos/áis/an
hablar present
com- + o/es/e/emos/éis/en
comer present
viv- + o/es/e/imos/ís/en
vivir present
Watch out for
Yo trabajar en casa.
Trabajo en casa.

Use a conjugated verb, not the infinitive.

Nosotros viven aquí.
Nosotros vivimos aquí.

Use the nosotros ending -imos.

Trabajo en tecnología.
I work in technology.
trah-BAH-hoh ehn tehk-noh-loh-HEE-ah
¿Dónde vives?
Where do you live?
DOHN-deh BEE-behs
Aprendemos español en clase.
We learn Spanish in class.
ah-prehn-DEH-mohs ehs-pah-NYOHL ehn KLAH-seh
Los domingos comemos con la familia.
On Sundays we eat with the family.
lohs doh-MEEN-gohs koh-MEH-mohs kohn lah fah-MEE-lyah
Conjugations
yotúél/ella/ustednosotros/asvosotros/asellos/ellas/ustedes
hablarhablohablashablahablamoshabláishablan
comercomocomescomecomemoscoméiscomen
vivirvivovivesvivevivimosvivísviven
High-value verbs
Ar
trabajarestudiarnecesitarcomprarviajar
Er
beberaprenderleercomer
Ir
vivirescribirabrir
Try it out loud
conjugation
Conjugate hablar, comer and vivir aloud in all six persons.
What to include

Use the reference table, then repeat from memory.

production
Make six true sentences about your week using six regular verbs.
What to include

Vary the subject and verb group.

question
Turn “Trabajas en Madrid” into a question and answer it.
What to include

¿Trabajas en Madrid? Sí,… / No,…

Happy with all of this?
  • I can retrieve regular endings without a table.
  • I can produce short present-tense sentences without always saying the subject pronoun.

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