If you’re learning Spanish, you’ve quickly discovered that verb conjugation is the backbone of the language. The thought of memorizing hundreds of verb forms can be daunting. But what if we told you that you only need to learn three basic patterns to conjugate thousands of the most common Spanish verbs? That’s the power of regular verbs. In this guide, we’ll break down the essential -AR, -ER, and -IR conjugation patterns, provide you with a clear cheat sheet, and show you how to practice until it becomes second nature.
The Three Pillars of Spanish Conjugation
Nearly all Spanish verbs fall into one of three categories based on their infinitive ending: -AR, -ER, or -IR. These endings are your key to unlocking their conjugation.
- -AR Verbs: The most common group (e.g., hablar – to speak, estudiar – to study).
- -ER Verbs: The second group (e.g., comer – to eat, aprender – to learn).
- -IR Verbs: The third group (e.g., vivir – to live, escribir – to write).
To conjugate any regular verb, you simply remove the -AR, -ER, or -IR ending and add the specific set of endings for that verb group and tense (we’ll focus on the present tense here).
Present Tense Conjugation Patterns
Let’s look at the present tense endings for each verb group. Notice the similarities and the crucial differences.
1. -AR Verb Conjugation Pattern
Take the verb Hablar (to speak): remove “-ar” to get the root habl-.
| Pronoun | Ending | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | -o | hablo | Yo hablo español. (I speak Spanish.) |
| Tú (You, inf.) | -as | hablas | Tú hablas rápido. (You speak fast.) |
| Él/Ella/Ud. (He/She/You, f.) | -a | habla | Ella habla con su amiga. (She talks with her friend.) |
| Nosotros (We) | -amos | hablamos | Nosotros hablamos por teléfono. (We talk on the phone.) |
| Vosotros (You all, inf. in Spain) | -áis | habláis | Vosotros habláis mucho. (You all talk a lot.) |
| Ellos/Uds. (They/You all) | -an | hablan | Ellos hablan inglés. (They speak English.) |
2. -ER Verb Conjugation Pattern
Take the verb Comer (to eat): remove “-er” to get the root com-.
| Pronoun | Ending | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | -o | como | Yo como una manzana. (I eat an apple.) |
| Tú | -es | comes | Tú comes pizza. (You eat pizza.) |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | -e | come | Él come en casa. (He eats at home.) |
| Nosotros | -emos | comemos | Nosotros comemos paella. (We eat paella.) |
| Vosotros | -éis | coméis | Vosotros coméis tarde. (You all eat late.) |
| Ellos/Uds. | -en | comen | Ellos comen verduras. (They eat vegetables.) |
3. -IR Verb Conjugation Pattern
Take the verb Vivir (to live): remove “-ir” to get the root viv-.
| Pronoun | Ending | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | -o | vivo | Yo vivo en una ciudad. (I live in a city.) |
| Tú | -es | vives | Tú vives cerca. (You live nearby.) |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | -e | vive | Ella vive en España. (She lives in Spain.) |
| Nosotros | -imos | vivimos | Nosotros vivimos juntos. (We live together.) |
| Vosotros | -ís | vivís | Vosotros vivís en un pueblo. (You all live in a town.) |
| Ellos/Uds. | -en | viven | Ellos viven felices. (They live happily.) |
Key Similarities and Differences
As you can see:
- -ER and -IR verbs are very similar. They share the same endings for
Yo,Tú,Él/Ella/Ud., andEllos/Uds.. - The crucial difference is in the
NosotrosandVosotrosforms. -ER uses-emos/-éis, while -IR uses-imos/-ís.
Mastering these three patterns is your first and most important step towards Spanish verb mastery.
Take Your Learning Further
Reading is a great start, but practice makes perfect.
- Need to check a tricky verb? Use our powerful Spanish Conjugation Tool to get instant conjugations for any verb in every tense.
- Think you’ve got it? Test your knowledge with our interactive Spanish Conjugation Test and see how you score!
