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What is a Verb?

Generally speaking a verb is the word in a sentence that conveys an action. The verbs in the following sentences have been underlined:

Lionel Messi plays soccer.
Taylor Swift sings "You Belong With Me."
Marta, Yolanda, and I have chemistry class together.
George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in "Ocean's 11."

Verbs can also express a state of being:

They are very happy.

What is Conjugating?

Conjugating is the act of taking a verb and changing it so that it "agrees" with its subject. For example let's change the subject of this sentence, "We have a ladder," from "we" to "Manuel":

We have a ladder. → Manuel has a ladder.

In order for the subject and verb to agree, we needed to change the verb "have" into "has." This is conjugation.

It sounds funny when a verb is conjugated incorrectly:

I has a ladder.

If you've grown up speaking English you can conjugate verbs without even thinking about it; it just comes naturally. Conjugating verbs in Spanish, however, will not come easily. You'll need to stop and think every time, and practice, practice, practice until it becomes second nature.

Infinitives

A non-conjugated verb is known as an "infinitive." Since there is no subject specified, an infinitive has "infinite" conjugation possibilities. English infinitives include the word "to." Check out the chart below and compare the infinitives to some conjugated counterparts. Notice how there is no indication as to what the subject of an infinitive is:

Unlike English infinitives, Spanish infinitives are only one word, but they're still pretty easy to spot.

Three Types of Spanish Infinitives

Note: Not all words ending in "-ar," "-er," or "-ir" are verbs. E.g. lugar is a noun which means "place."

Note: "-ar" verbs are the most common, followed by "-er" and "-ir" verbs.

All Spanish infinitives have one of three endings: "-ar," "-er," or "-ir." For example:

Spanish verbs are categorized, appropriately enough, as "-ar" verbs, "-er" verbs, or "-ir" verbs. Some more examples:

Conjugating Spanish Verbs

Verb Tenses

Before we get into conjugating verbs, we need to briefly talk about "tenses." A tense is a form of a verb that indicates what time frame you're referring to. There are three basic tenses: past, present, and future:

But there also are more tenses (in both English and Spanish). For example:

I had run.
I have run.
I will have run.

There are specific lessons for each and every tense on this website, but for the time being we'll work with the present tense.

Imagine that we wanted to say "I speak" in Spanish. The first step is identifying the subject. Here's a quick reminder of possible subject pronouns from the previous lesson:

So we'll need to use yo (I) as our subject.

The next step is finding the infinitive we need and breaking it into two parts: the stem and the ending. A good dictionary will tell us that "to speak" is hablar in Spanish. The stem of hablar is "habl" and the ending is "-ar":

Verb Ending Charts

Now we need to look up (or better yet, memorize) the appropriate chart of verb endings. The present tense "-ar" verb endings are listed in a chart below, to the right. (Remember we're using "-ar" verb charts because hablar is an "-ar" verb.) To the left are subject pronouns once again. Notice how each box on the subject pronouns chart corresponds to a box on the verb endings chart. This is not a coincidence:

We need to find the ending that corresponds with our subject. Since our subject is yo, we'll add the verb ending "-o" to our stem ("habl"):

subject pronouns:

yo

nosotros,-as

↔

"-ar" endings:

-o

-amos

Put it all together and we get:

Let's try another. The infinitive dibujar means "to draw." How do we conjugate it to mean "we draw"? Strip off the ending, identify the subject pronoun ( nosostros), and add the appropriate ending ("-amos") to the stem ("dibuj"):

subject pronouns:

yo

nosotros,-as

↔

"-ar" endings:

-o

-amos

Add the subject pronoun and we get:

Nosotros dibujamos.
We draw.

OK, so what about "-er" and "-ir" verbs? We will follow the same procedure but we need to use different charts. Here all all three (present tense) charts together. Notice the similarities and differences:

The infinitive correr means "to run." Let's use it to say "You run." (In this case the "you" will be a singular, informal "you.")

The stem is "corr." The ending (from the "-er" chart) is "-es." Add a subject pronoun and we get:

(Remember we're pulling the ending from the "-er" chart because correr is an "-er" verb.)

How about an "-ir" verb? Vivir means "to live." Let's use it to say "We live." The stem is "viv," the ending is "-imos," and the subject is "nosotros":

Nosotros vivimos.
We live.

Failing to conjugate verbs correctly sounds just as bad in Spanish as it does in English. If you say "I has a ladder" in English, people will look at your funny. Same thing if you say "Nosotros viven" in Spanish.

Simplified Verb Ending Charts

You won't often see verb charts like the ones shown above. Why? Because they're slightly more complicated than they need to be. Notice how the usted endings are all the same as the él / ella endings? And how the ustedes endings are all the same as the ellos / ellas endings? That's not only true of present tense verb endings; it's true of all the other tenses as well. Therefore it's much easier to compact the endings into six box grids, like this:

That means your corresponding subject pronouns chart should actually look like this:

But remember that we're putting the the Ud. in the él / ella box just to simplify things, not because it means "he" or "she." Likewise, remember that Uds. doesn't mean "they." It's just in the ellos / ellas box because the verb endings are the same.
Make sure you understand this grid. It's very important; you'll be seeing a lot of it as you study Spanish.
Subjects Not on the Chart?

What if you want to use a subject that's not on the subject chart? Remember that those are pronouns, or words that take the place of other nouns. You don't have to use a pronoun, but you still need to pull the ending from the corresponding place on the chart:

Irregular Verbs

All this conjugation stuff may already seem overwhelming, but you should know that (almost) every verb tense has certain verbs that do not follow the normal rules for conjugations. Those verbs are know as "irregular" verbs. You'll have to specifically memorize their conjugations because the normal procedures don't work. Here's an example of an infamous irregular verb in the present tense, ser (to be):

None of the conjugations follow any of the rules. Lovely, isn't it?

But before you start complaining about irregular Spanish verbs, consider how irregular English can be. Imagine if you were a Spanish speaker having to learn this:

Omitting Subject Pronouns

Due to the fact that many English verb conjugations are the same, subject pronouns are very important. Look what happens if we leave one out:

Plays soccer.

What is the subject? He, she, it? We can't tell. The opposite is true in Spanish. Because there are many different conjugations, the verb often makes it obvious what the subject is, and a pronoun isn't necessary. For example:

Hablamos español.
We speak Spanish.

Corres muy rápidamente.
You run very quickly.

Vivo en Tijuana.
I live in Tijuana.

Conjugating Verbs in Other Tenses

Different tenses have different rules for conjugating. Some tenses only have one or two sets of verb endings. Other tenses require you to add endings to the infinitive, not the stem. Still others require you to create an entirely different stem, but the same basic principal of subject verb agreement holds true. You will always find the subject you need from the subject pronouns chart, then find the ending you need in the corresponding box on the verb endings chart.

For Further Study

For more information on conjugating in the present tense, read The Present Tense (Part 1).

To see samples of verb conjugations in every tense, check out the Spanish Verb Conjugator.

To practice conjugating verbs, try out ¡Practiquemos! Verb Conjugation Exercises.

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Generally speaking a verb is the word in a sentence that conveys an action. The verbs in the following sentences have been underlined: Lionel Messi plays soccer. Taylor Swift sings "You Belong With Me." Marta, Yolanda, and I have chemistry class together. George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in "Ocean's 11."

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The most basic form of a verb is called an infinitive in English or infinitivo in Spanish. While both languages have similar names for the i

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This video describes how to conjugate regular -ar verbs in Spanish, so that you may start creating full sentences.

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Present Tense -AR Verbs Made Easy with a Song in Spanish!

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01034 Spanish Lesson - Present Tense - regular -ER verbs

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Stop at 2:37!!!!

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Present Tense -IR Verbs Made Easy with a Song in Spanish!

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IMPORTANT VOCABULARY TERMS:
Verb – A word that represents an action or a state of being.
Infinitive - the simple or basic form of the verb, the unchanged verb with the –ar, -er, or –ir still attached to the end of the word. Generally means “to do  something”
ex: hablar – to speak
Subject – the person doing the action.
Subject pronouns – Words that replace the person’s name and used as the subject of a noun, in English: I, you, he, she, we, they, you all. In Spanish: yo, tú, él, ella,  Ud., nosotros(as), vosotros(as), ellos, ellas, Uds.
Conjugate – changing the verb to match the subject.
Conjugations – the forms of the verb after it has been conjugated or changed to match the subjects.

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What is the infinitive?
The infinitive is a form of the verb that hasn’t had any endings added to it and doesn’t relate to any particular tense. In English, the infinitive is usually shown with to, as in to speak, to eat, to live.

1   Using the infinitive

In English, the infinitive is usually thought of as being made up of two words, for example, to speak. In Spanish, the infinitive consists of one word and is the verb form that ends in -ar, -er or -ir, for example, hablar, comer, vivir.

When you look up a verb in the dictionary, you will find that information is usually listed under the infinitive form.

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Getting Started

What Is a Subject?

Generally speaking, a subject is who or what a sentence is about. Nearly anything can be a subject. In the sentences below the subjects are underlined:

Nicolas Cage is an actor.
Greece is a beautiful country.
Julio, Rafael, and I went to the store.
Your health is very important.
Swimming and bicycling are fun activities.

Subjects usually come at the beginning of a sentence but they don't have to.

What Is a Subject Pronoun?

A pronoun is a shorter word that takes the place of a longer noun. We use pronouns once we've introduced a noun so that we don't have to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Here are some sentences where the subjects have been replaced with subject pronouns.

The subject pronouns in English are "I," "you," "he," she," "it," "we," and "they." It can be beneficial to organize them into a chart based on number (how many people or things there are) and person (whether you're talking about yourself, to someone else, or about someone else).

Notice that there is no distinction in English between the singular "you" and the plural "you." While it's not considered proper grammar, many people will use "y'all" or "you guys" to indicate that they're speaking to more than one person.

It's also worth noting that "he" and "she" are the only pronouns that take gender into account.

Spanish Subject Pronouns

The subject pronoun chart in Spanish looks like this:

Note there is no subject pronoun for "it" in Spanish. How do you say "it"? See below.

Yo

To say "I" in Spanish, say yo. Yo is not capitalized unless it starts a sentence:

Yo hablo español.
I speak Spanish.

Afortunadamente yo hablo español.
Fortunately I speak Spanish.

In many regions the "y" in yo is pronounced very strongly and sounds more like a "j."

Tú

To say "you" in Spanish, say tú. Tú can only be singular; you cannot use tú to address a group of people. Also, the accent on the "u" is not optional; tu (without the accent) means "your" not "you." (The words tú and tu are pronounced the same way.)

Tú hablas español.
You speak Spanish.

To say "he" in Spanish, say él. As with tú, the accent on the is not optional; el (without the accent) means "the" not "he." (The words él and el are pronounced the same way.)

To say "she" in Spanish, say ella. Remember that the "ll" is pronounced like a "y."

Él habla español.
He speaks Spanish.

Ella habla español.
She speaks Spanish.

Note: If you are male, it's very unlikely you would ever have reason to say or write nosotras.

Usually when you need to say "we" in Spanish, you say nosotros. The exception is when a female is referring to herself and other females. She will say nosotras. What about a mixed group? It's not very nice or politically correct but only groups consisting entirely of females are considered feminine ( nosotras). Add one male to the group and whole group is considered masculine ( nosotros).

Nosotros hablamos español.
We (group with one or more males) speak Spanish.

Nosotras hablamos español.
We (all female group) speak Spanish.

Unlike English, Spanish does have a way to distinguish between a singular "you" and a plural "you." To address a group of people as "you," use vosotros.

Vosotros habláis español.
You / Y'all / You guys speak Spanish.

If the entire group you're addressing is female, say vosotras instead.

Vosotras habláis español.
You (all female group) speak Spanish.

Regardless of the size of the group, if it includes just one male, use vosotros. If you're ever in doubt, use the masculine form.

Here's the catch, and it's a big one: Vosotros is used almost exclusively in Spain. So how do you address a group of people if you're not in Spain? See below.

To say "they" in Spanish, you say either ellos or ellas. Which is which? The same gender rules you learned in nosotros apply. A group consisting entirely of females should be referred to as ellas. Any group with at least one male in it should be referred to as ellos. If you're ever in doubt, it's best to use the masculine form.

Ellos hablan español.
They (group with one or more males) speak Spanish.

Ellas hablan español.
They (all female group) speak Spanish.

Formal vs. Informal "You"

The chart above showing tú and vosotros as the second-person pronouns is a bit of an oversimplification. The truth is that there are two sets of second-person pronouns in Spanish. One set is used for informal, friendly situations and the other is used to show a greater amount of respect in formal situations. The chart should really look like this:

So which do you use when?

Generally speaking you should use tú when you are addressing someone with whom you have an informal relationship like a friend, a colleague, or a close family member. Use usted when addressing someone with whom you have a more respectful relationship like an elder, a boss, or a dignitary. For example:

A good rule of thumb to use is the first name test. If you're on a first name basis with someone, you may address them as tú. If you wouldn't address that person by their first name, you should probably use usted.

Note: There's even a verb for addressing someone as tú: .

Different countries have different rules for using tú vs. usted. While some people might consider your use of tú endearing, others may consider it offensive. When in doubt, use usted. You're better off addressing someone as usted when they're expecting tú than the other way around.

The word usted is commonly abbreviated Ud. (note the capital letter).

When addressing a group of people, vosotros is used for informal situations and ustedes is used in situations where more respect is necessary. For example:

speaking to a group of children:

speaking to several professors:

Remember, however, that vosotros is primarily used in Spain. How do you address groups of people in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world? Use ustedes regardless of the level of formality.

The word ustedes is commonly abbreviated Uds. (note the capital letter).

Thou and Thee

If all this formal/informal stuff seems needlessly complicated, it wasn't that long ago that English did the same thing:

"Thou" may sound stuffy and formal now, but it used to be the informal version of "you." Saying "you" was actually a sign of respect. Older translations of the Bible are full of "thou," "thee," and "thy" not because of formality, but in order to stress that God was familiar and approachable. Nowadays Spanish versions of the Bible use tú when translating references to God for the same reason.

More about Spanish Subject Pronouns

What about "It"?

"It" is a subject pronoun in English used to refer to something that doesn't have a gender or whose gender isn't known. There is no equivalent subject pronoun in Spanish. So how do you say "it" in Spanish? You don't. You simply omit the subject pronoun altogether:

Es bonita.
It is beautiful.

Funciona bien.
It works well.

Omitting Subject Pronouns

Speaking of omitting pronouns ...

Because many verb conjugations make it clear who the subject is anyway, subject pronouns are often unnecessary and frequently omitted in Spanish. For example:

Hablas español.
You speak Spanish.

Hablamos español.
We speak Spanish.

Vos

If tú vs. usted wasn't complicated enough, some regions of the Spanish-speaking world have a third category, vos. Generally speaking vos indicates an even closer relationship than tú.

Read more about vos here: What is the Deal with Vos (Voseo)?

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Generally speaking, a subject is who or what a sentence is about. Nearly anything can be a subject. In the sentences below the subjects are underlined: Nicolas Cage is an actor. Greece is a beautiful country. Julio, Rafael, and I went to the store. Your health is very important.