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Spanish Verb Conjugation: Indicative Mood: Present Tense
Present Tense: Regular -AR Verbs

©RCAguilar

OBJECTIVE:
Start using the vocabulary on this page and making up sentences in Spanish.
TASK:
Remember that each verb form is a complete sentence (or question) by itself. Try to say the different forms out loud and give them meaning!
PERPLEXED?
See! It's not that bad!
Why is it called a regular verb?
Regular verbs are called such because they follow a clear pattern without any exceptions or changes.
The ending gets dropped off (in this case the -ar), ... and endings get added on (see below), ... and off you go! Done! Finito! No problemo!
Uh, that's not real Spanish there, folks.
And when you view the "meanings" of each Spanish verb form, try to mix it all up in a bucket and realize that it's English that gives you multiple methods of stating the verb form. It's all the same in Spanish!
Like Tarzan would say: "You speak?"

 
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VERB CONJUGATION
Indicative Mood
Present Tense
Regular -ar Verbs
Regular -er Verbs
Regular -ir Verbs
Stem e -> ie
Stem o -> ue
Stem e -> i
Stem iar: i -> í
Stem uar: u -> ú
Stem uir: i -> y
Stem ger/gir: g -> j
Yo form -oy
Yo form -zco
Yo form -go
Imperfect Tense
AR Verbs
ER & IR Verbs
Preterite Tense
Regular AR Verbs
Ending -car
Ending -gar
Ending -zar
ER/IR Verbs
ER/IR Verbs vowel Stem
IR Stem-changers
Irregular Stems
Future Tense
Regular Verbs
Irregular Stems
Conditional Tense
Regular Verbs
Irregular Stems
Progressive Tenses
Perfect Tenses

Start using 'em!
With Interrogatives
¿Cuándo?
¿Cuándo bailas?
When do you dance?
When are you dancing?
 
¿Cuándo escucha ella?
When does she listen?
 
¿Cuándo hablo?
When do I speak?
When am I speaking?
 
¿Por qué?
 
¿Por qué trabajo?
Why do I work?
Why am I working?
 
¿Por qué hablamos?
Why are we speaking?
Why do we speak?
 
¿Por qué practica él ?
Why is he practicing?
Why does he practice?
 

Reference
Subject Pronouns
yo
nosotros
nosotras
tú*
vosotros
vosotras
él
ella
Usted
ellos
ellas
Ustedes
*In some countries in Central & South America vos is used instead of .

Reflexive Pronouns
me nos
te os
se  se

Direct Object Pronouns
me nos
te os
lo
la
lo/la
los
las
los/las

Indirect Object Pronouns
me nos
te os
le les
These are some AR verbs:
English
Deutsch
bailar to dance tanzen
cantar to sing, chant singen
contestar to respond, answer antworten, melden
escuchar to listen, heed hören
estudiar to study, learn studieren, lernen
hablar to speak sprechen
practicar to practice üben
preguntar to ask (a question) fragen
trabajar to work, labor arbeiten
What makes them -AR verbs ?
What do they have in common ?
Now we want to take those verbs and conjugate them ... so we can use them!
To see the present tense conjugated forms of these verbs, click on a pronoun below:
(You've seen 'em before, right yonder in the upper right column, ... I know you have!)
If you don't know what they mean yet, you will soon enough.

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Yo form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -o to the stem.
 
Infinitive
Yo form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar bailo I dance I do dance I am dancing
ich tanze
cantar canto I sing, chant I do sing, do chant I'm singing, chanting
ich singe
contestar contesto I respond, answer I do respond, do answer I'm responding, answering
ich antworte
escuchar escucho I listen, heed I do listen, do heed I'm listening, heeding
ich höre
estudiar estudio I study I do study I am studying
ich studiere
hablar hablo I speak I do speak I am speaking
ich spreche
practicar practico I practice I do practice I am practicing
ich übe
preguntar pregunto I ask (questions) I do ask (questions) I am asking (questions)
ich frage
trabajar trabajo I work, labor I do work, do labor I'm working, laboring
ich arbeite
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action - and they all end in o now.
Using the o ending says I am doing this action, and it's going on NOW.
Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't always need to use the pronoun.
That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."
The YO is understood, because of the ending of the conjugated form.
You don't need to say YO.
If you do add the YO, it usually adds emphasis, saying I dooo ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -as to it.
 
Infinitive
Tú form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar bailas you dance you do dance you're dancing
du tanzt
cantar cantas you sing, chant you do sing, chant you're singing, chanting
du singst
contestar contestas you respond, answer you do respond, answer you're responding, answering
du antwortest
escuchar escuchas you listen, heed you do listen, heed you're listening, heeding
du hörst
estudiar estudias you study you do study you're studying
du studierst
hablar hablas you speak you do speak you're speaking
du sprichst
practicar practicas you practice you do practice you're practicing
du übst
preguntar preguntas you ask (questions) you do ask (questions) you're asking (questions)
du fragst
trabajar trabajas you work, labor you do work, labor you're working, laboring
du arbeitest
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The as ending says: you are doing it, and you're doing it NOW.
Since each verb form follows a specific pronoun, Spanish doesn't always need to use the pronoun.
That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."
The is understood, because of the ending.
You don't need to say .
If you do add the , it usually adds emphasis, saying YOU dooo ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Él form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -a to it.
 
Infinitive
Él form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar baila he dances he does dance he is dancing
er tanzt
cantar canta he sings, chants he does sing, chant he is singing, chanting
er singt
contestar contesta he responds, answers he does respond, answer he is responding, answering
er antwortet
escuchar escucha he listens, heeds he does listen, heed he is listening, heeding
er hört
estudiar estudia he studies he does study he is studying
er studiert
hablar habla he speaks he does speak he is speaking
er spricht
practicar practica he practices he does practice he is practicing
er übt
preguntar pregunta he asks (questions) he does ask (questions) he is asking (questions)
er fragt
trabajar trabaja he works, labors he does work, labor he is working, laboring
er arbeitet
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The a ending can tell you that he is doing it, and he's doing it NOW.
Since these forms are used for 3 different pronouns, the subject MUST be defined.
That means: you have to provide the ÉL, ELLA or USTED just the first time through.
Once it has been clarified WHO is doing the action, then you don't need the pronoun any more.
You don't need to say ÉL every time you use this verb form.
If you do, it usually adds emphasis, saying HE doooes ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Ella form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -a to it.
 
Infinitive
Ella form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar baila she dances she does dance she is dancing
sie tanzt
cantar canta she sings, chants she does sing, chant she is singing, chanting
sie singt
contestar contesta she responds, answers she does respond, answer she is responding, answering
sie antwortet
escuchar escucha she listens, heeds she does listen, heed she is listening, heeding
sie hört
estudiar estudia she studies she does study she is studying
sie studiert
hablar habla she speaks she does speak she is speaking
sie spricht
practicar practica she practices she does practice she is practicing
sie übt
preguntar pregunta she asks (questions) she does ask (questions) she is asking (questions)
sie fragt
trabajar trabaja she works, labors she does work, labor she is working, laboring
sie arbeitet
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The a ending can tell you that she is doing it, and she's doing it NOW.
Since these forms are used for 3 different pronouns, the subject MUST be defined.
That means: you have to provide the ÉL, ELLA or USTED just the first time through.
Once it has been clarified WHO is doing the action, then you don't need the pronoun any more.
You don't need to say ELLA every time you use this verb form.
If you do, it usually adds emphasis, saying SHE doooes ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Usted form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -a to it.
 
Infinitive
Usted form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar baila You dance You do dance You are dancing
Sie tanzen
cantar canta You sing, chant You do sing, chant You are singing, chanting
Sie singen
contestar contesta You respond, answer You do respond, answer You are responding, answering
Sie antworten
escuchar escucha You listen, heed You do listen, heed You are listening, heeding
Sie hören
estudiar estudia You study You do study You are studying
Sie studieren
hablar habla You speak You do speak You are speaking
Sie sprechen
practicar practica You practice You do practice You are practicing
Sie üben
preguntar pregunta You ask (questions) You do ask (questions) You are asking (questions)
Sie fragen
trabajar trabaja You work, labor You do work, labor You are working, laboring
Sie arbeiten
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The a ending can tell you that a formal You is doing it, and NOW.
Since these forms are used for 3 different pronouns, the subject MUST be defined.
That means: you have to provide the ÉL, ELLA or USTED just the first time through.
Once it has been clarified WHO is doing the action, then you don't need the pronoun any more.
You don't need to say USTED every time you use this verb form.
If you do, it usually adds emphasis, saying YOU dooo ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Nosotros & Nosotras form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -amos to it.
 
Infinitive
Nosotros form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar bailamos we dance we do dance we are dancing
wir tanzen
cantar cantamos we sing, chant we do sing, chant we are singing, chanting
wir singen
contestar contestamos we respond, answer we do respond, answer we are responding, answering
wir antworten
escuchar escuchamos we listen, heed we do listen, heed we are listening, heeding
wir hören
estudiar estudiamos we study we do study we are studying
wir studieren
hablar hablamos we speak we do speak we are speaking
wir sprechen
practicar practicamos we practice we do practice we are practicing
wir üben
preguntar preguntamos we ask (questions) we do ask (questions) we are asking (questions)
wir fragen
trabajar trabajamos we work, labor we do work, labor we are working, laboring
wir arbeiten
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The amos ending can tell you that a We is doing it, and it's being done NOW.
Since this ending has 2 specific pronouns, you do need to clarify if it´s NOSOTROS or NOSOTRAS at first.
After that the continued use of amos still applies to the same group of WE.
The NOSOTROS / NOSOTRAS are understood, once you´ve defined who you´re talking about.
You don't need to keep saying NOSOTROS / NOSOTRAS.
It would mean WE dooo ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Vosotros & Vosotras form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -áis to it.
 
Infinitive
Vosotros form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar bailáis y'all dance y'all do dance y'all are dancing
ihr tanzt
cantar cantáis y'all sing, chant y'all do sing, chant y'all are singing, chanting
ihr singt
contestar contestáis y'all respond, answer y'all do respond, answer y'all are responding, answering
ihr antwortet
escuchar escucháis y'all listen, heed y'all do listen, heed y'all are listening, heeding
ihr hört
estudiar estudiáis y'all study y'all do study y'all are studying
ihr studiert
hablar habláis y'all speak y'all do speak y'all are speaking
ihr sprecht
practicar practicáis y'all practice y'all do practice y'all are practicing
ihr übt
preguntar preguntáis y'all ask (questions) y'all do ask (questions) y'all are asking (questions)
ihr fragt
trabajar trabajáis y'all work, labor y'all do work, labor y'all are working, laboring
ihr arbeitet
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The áis ending can tell you that y'all is doing it, and it's being done NOW.
Since this ending has 2 specific pronouns, you do need to clarify if it´s VOSOTROS or VOSOTRAS at first.
After that the continued use of áis still applies to the same group of Y'ALL.
The VOSOTROS / VOSOTRAS are understood, once you´ve defined who you´re talking about.
You don't need to keep saying VOSOTROS / VOSOTRAS.
It would mean Y'ALL dooo ...
Uh, --- I know that some people out there (especially linguists, grammarians, grammaticians, etc.) don´t like the word "y'all."
Yes, yes, --- it's good that you "know better." But you might "get over yourself" for practicality's sake sometimes.
As a matter of fact, you might want to avoid this page. You would probably never use the "vosotros" form anyway.
If it's a good teaching tool, there's no sense in going to war or getting your blood pressure up over it.
Go have some fun, call a few people "y'all," and get over it !!!
... and that pucker doesn't look pretty on you either !!!
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Ellos form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -an to it.
 
Infinitive
Ellos form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar bailan they dance they do dance they're dancing
sie tanzen
cantar cantan they sing, chant they do sing, chant they're singing, chanting
sie singen
contestar contestan they respond, answer they do respond, answer they're responding, answering
sie antworten
escuchar escuchan they listen, heed they do listen, heed they're listening, heeding
sie hören
estudiar estudian they study they do study they're studying
sie studieren
hablar hablan they speak they do speak they're speaking
sie sprechen
practicar practican they practice they do practice they're practicing
sie üben
preguntar preguntan they ask (questions) they do ask (questions) they're asking (questions)
sie fragen
trabajar trabajan they work, labor they do work, labor they're working, laboring
sie arbeiten
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The an ending can tell you that a they is doing it, and it's being done NOW.
Since these forms are used for 3 different pronouns, you have to identify the subject.
That means: you have to provide the ELLOS, ELLAS, or USTEDES just the first time through.
Once it has been clarified WHO is doing the action, then you don't need the pronoun any more.
You don't need to say ellos in every sentence.
If you do, it usually adds emphasis, saying THEY dooo ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Ellas form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -an to it.
 
Infinitive
Ellas form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar bailan they dance they do dance they're dancing
sie tanzen
cantar cantan they sing, chant they do sing, chant they're singing, chanting
sie singen
contestar contestan they respond, answer they do respond, answer they're responding, answering
sie antworten
escuchar escuchan they listen, heed they do listen, heed they're listening, heeding
sie hören
estudiar estudian they study they do study they're studying
sie studieren
hablar hablan they speak they do speak they're speaking
sie sprechen
practicar practican they practice they do practice they're practicing
sie üben
preguntar preguntan they ask (questions) they do ask (questions) they're asking (questions)
sie fragen
trabajar trabajan they work, labor they do work, labor they're working, laboring
sie arbeiten
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The an ending can tell you that a they is doing it, and it's being done NOW.
Since these forms are used for 3 different pronouns, you have to identify the subject.
That means: you have to provide the ELLOS, ELLAS, or USTEDES just the first time through.
Once it has been clarified WHO is doing the action, then you don't need the pronoun any more.
You don't need to say ellas in every sentence.
If you do, it usually adds emphasis, saying THEY dooo ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES

Present tense: -AR verb conjugation
Ustedes form
To make this form, drop the -ar from the end of the infinitive and add -an to it.
 
Infinitive
Ustedes form
English equivalents
Deutsch
bailar bailan y'all dance y'all do dance y'all are dancing
Sie tanzen
cantar cantan y'all sing, chant y'all do sing, chant y'all are singing, chanting
Sie singen
contestar contestan y'all respond, answer y'all do respond, answer y'all are responding, answering
Sie antworten
escuchar escuchan y'all listen, heed y'all do listen, heed y'all are listening, heeding
Sie hören
estudiar estudian y'all study y'all do study y'all are studying
Sie studieren
hablar hablan y'all speak y'all do speak y'all are speaking
Sie sprechen
practicar practican y'all practice y'all do practice y'all are practicing
Sie üben
preguntar preguntan y'all ask (questions) y'all do ask (questions) y'all are asking (questions)
Sie fragen
trabajar trabajan y'all work, labor y'all do work, labor y'all are working, laboring
Sie arbeiten
What do they have in common now ?
The stem (verb minus AR) tells you the action.
The an ending can tell you that y'all is doing it, and it's being done NOW.
Since these forms are used for 3 different pronouns, you have to identify the subject.
That means: you have to provide the ELLOS, ELLAS, or USTEDES just the first time through.
Once it has been clarified WHO is doing the action, then you don't need the pronoun any more.
You don't need to say ustedes in every sentence.
If you do, it usually adds emphasis, saying Y'ALL dooo ...
A look at other forms:
YO
ÉL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
VOSOTROS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES