Conjugation of Spanish Verbs in the Present Tense

The most common set of verbs in Spanish and perhaps the most important set of verbs that need to be learned first is the present  indicative  tense. Although there are conjugations that are easier to learn, the present indicative tense is used the most. Native English speakers conjugate regular verbs all the time without thinking about it: For the past tense add a d or ed to the end of a verb, and for the present tense, add an s or es to indicate that one person or thing is performing an action. Basic Spanish Conjugation Concepts The conjugation of Spanish verbs is a little trickier than in English. A speaker needs to consider several different tenses, moods, gender, and agreement in person according to what needs to be conveyed in the sentence. Spanish verb endings can indicate when the action occurs, and also give the listener a better idea of who or what is performing the action. The present tense means that the action is occurring now. The indicative mood means that the sentence is a statement of fact. To  conjugate  a verb in the present indicative, remove the  infinitive  ending of the regular verb, in this case  -ar,  -er  or  -ir,  and replace it with an ending that gives an indication as to the person that is performing the action of the verb. For example, hablar is the infinitive of a common regular verb ending in -ar.  To form the present indicative, remove the  -ar, which leaves the stem of the verb  habl-. If the person speaking in the sentence is in the singular  first person, that would mean the sentence would be conjugated to be I speak. In Spanish, when conjugating or changing the stem into a  first-person verb, take the stem and add -o, forming the word  hablo. I speak is Yo hablo. To say you speak, which is the singular, informal, second person, add -as to the stem, forming the word  hablas. You speak is Tu hablas. Other forms exist for subjects such as he, she, or it, we, and they. The endings are slightly different for verbs that end in -er and -ir, but the principle is the same. Remove the infinitive ending, then add the appropriate ending to the remaining stem. Conjugation of Regular -Ar Verbs in the Present Indicative Tense Person -Ar Ending Example: Hablar Translation: To Speak yo -o hablo I speak tà º -as hablas you (informal) speak à ©l, ella, usted -a habla he/she speak, you (formal) speak nosotros, nosotras -amos hablamos we speak vosotros, vosotras -à ¡is hablà ¡is you speak (informal) ellos, ellas, ustedes -an hablan they speak, you (formal) speak Conjugation of Regular -Er Verbs in the Present Indicative Tense Person -Er Ending Example: Aprender Translation: To Learn yo -o aprendo I learn tà º -es aprendes you (informal) learn à ©l, ella, usted -e aprende he/she learns, you (formal) learn nosotros, nosotras -emos aprendemos we learn vosotros, vosotras -à ©is aprendà ©is you learn (informal) ellos, ellas, ustedes -en aprenden they learn, you (formal) learn Conjugation of Regular -Ir Verbs in the Present Indicative Tense Person -Ir Ending Example: Vivir Translation: To Live yo -o vivo I live tà º -es vives you (informal) live à ©l, ella, usted -e vive he/she lives, you (formal) live nosotros, nosotras -imos vivimos we live vosotros, vosotras -à ­s vivà ­s you live (informal) ellos, ellas, ustedes -en viven they live, you (formal) live Irregular Verb Conjugation Although most verbs conjugate regularly, the most common verbs in Spanish usually do not. In some cases, not only the endings change, but also the main part of the verb, known as the stem. This is similar to English, where the most common verbs such as to be and to go are also highly  irregular verbs. Present Indicative Conjugations of Common Irregular Verbs Infinitive Translation Conjugations dar to give yo doy, tà º das, usted/à ©l/ella da, nosotros/nosotras damos, vosotros/vosotras dais, ustedes/ellos/ellas dan estar to be yo estoy, tà º està ¡s, usted/à ©l/ella està ¡, nosotros/nosotras estamos, vosotros/vosotras està ¡is, ustedes/ellos/ellas està ¡n hacer to make yo hago, tà º haces, usted/à ©l/ella hace, nosotros/nosotras hacemos, vosotros/vosotras hacà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas hacen ir to go yo voy, tà º vas, usted/à ©l/ella va, nosotros/nosotras vamos, vosotros/vosotras vais, ustedes/ellos/ellas van poder to be able to yo puedo, tà º puedes, usted/à ©l/ella puedes, nosotros/nosotras podemos, vosotros/vosotras podà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas pueden ser to be yo soy, tà º eres, usted/à ©l/ella es, nosotros/nosotras somos, vosotros/vosotras sois, ustedes/ellos/ellas son tener to have yo tengo, tà º tienes, usted/à ©l/ella tiene, nosotros/nosotras tenemos, vosotros/vosotras tenà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas tienen Key Takeaways In both English and Spanish, conjugating involves the changing of verb forms to give information about who or what is performing the verbs action and when that action occurs.Spanish conjugation is far more extensive than English, thus providing more information about the verbs action.Conjugating regular Spanish verbs in the indicative present tense involves removing the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and changing it to something else.