Spanish Verb Conjugations
Learning them is easier than ever with a little help!
There is one major difference between English and Spanish verb conjugations
We conjugate verbs in English without having to think about the rules, because we’re so used to them.
We say I run, for example, and our grammar expects us to say, she runs and they run.
If you said they runs and she run, someone would jump on you for destroying the structure of the English language.
If you had just said “runs” people would have no idea who you were referring to, and the point of your sentence would be lost.
For Spanish verb conjugations you can forget this rule.
Spanish allows for the primary subject to be left out when discussing specific topics, so it’s even more necessary to use the right form of each verb.
This Is How Spanish Verb Conjugations Are Made Easier
When learning Spanish verb conjugations you will notice that in the Spanish language there are six primary subjects. These dictate the form of the verb.
These subjects are;
- Yo = I
- Tu = You “familiar”
- El, Ella, Usted = He, She, You “formal”
- Nosotros = We
- Vosotros = You, plural, used mainly in Spain
- Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes = They
Ellos is used with a multiple group of males or one or more males in a mixed group.
Ellas is used with a group of females.
Ustedes is plural “You” in Latin America but is also used as an informal address in Castilian Spanish.
Castilian Spanish is spoken in Spain; this is a formal type of the language.
In Latin America the Spanish is a very distinct version which has multiple dialects. You will often find vocabulary that is specific to Spain and it is very important that you remember this.
Spanish verb conjugation rules
There are many verbs, so to illustrate the rules I will take one basic one from the three main groups of regular verbs.
“Regular” is a label given to verbs that are all conjugated in the same way.
In Spanish verb conjugations they are split into er, ir and ar verbs.
Below are some examples.
The verb hablar, to speak is conjugated like so;
- Yo hablo
- Tu hablas
- El, Ella, Ud habla
- Nosotros hablamos
- Vosotros hablais
- Ellos, Ellas, Uds hablan
In Spanish verb conjugations the verb changes according to the subject. So for me to say “I speak Spanish” I would say “Yo hablo espanol”. Except when speaking Spanish you drop the subject, so in actual fact I would say, “Hablo espanol”. It would be clear that I am talking about myself when I use the form hablo.
Hence using the right form of the verb is far more important than when speaking English.
All other ar verbs are conjugated exactly the same as hablar.
This is also the case when using verbs that end in er and ir.
Here are the Spanish verb conjugations for comer, meaning to eat, and vivir, meaning to live.
The verb Comer is conjugated like so;
- Yo como
- Tu comes
- El, Ella, Ud come
- Nosotros comemos
- Vosotros comeis
- Ellos, Ellas, Uds comen
The verb Vivir is conjugated like so;
- Yo vivo
- Tu vives
- El, Ella, Ud vive
- Nosotros vivimos
- Vosotros vivis
- Ellos, Ellas, Uds viven
Conjugations of the er and ir verbs are very similar.
Here’s a little taste of how Spanish verb conjugations work, in the present tense. Enjoy!
If you are looking for resources on the web you can find many lists of the most common ar, ir and er Spanish verb conjugations. Memorize them taking advantage of audio and video technology to assist you with pronunciation.
Superb Spanish Verb Conjugating Software Here Now
The Spanish verb conjugations will not become smooth for you unfortunately, until you begin to apply them, using them in Spanish conversation on an almost daily basis.
Hope this basic Spanish verb conjugations lesson helps;
but remember only “practice makes perfect”.
