Regular Verbs (AQA A-Level Spanish): Revision Notes
Regular Verbs
Overview
The present tense in Spanish is used to describe actions happening now, habitual actions, and general truths. It is one of the most frequently used tenses and forms the foundation for learning other tenses.
In Spanish, all verbs have an infinitive form - the base form you find in the dictionary. The infinitive is the starting point from which you build all tenses. In English, infinitives are shown with "to" (e.g. to speak, to drink, to live). Spanish infinitives always end in one of three ways: -ar, -er, or -ir.
Spanish has three main verb types based on their infinitive endings:
- -ar verbs (like hablar - to speak)
- -er verbs (like beber - to drink)
- -ir verbs (like vivir - to live)
Each type follows its own pattern of endings, which you'll need to master for effective conjugation.
Rules & Formation
Understanding infinitives
The infinitive is the unconjugated form of the verb. When you conjugate a verb in the present tense, you remove the infinitive ending and add new endings that match the subject (who is doing the action).
How to form the present tense
To conjugate a regular verb in the present tense, follow these steps:
- Take the infinitive form (e.g. hablar - to speak)
- Remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir)
- What remains is called the stem (e.g. habl-)
- Add the appropriate present tense ending based on the subject
The endings you add depend on which type of infinitive you started with.
Worked Example: Conjugating "hablar" (to speak)
Let's conjugate the -ar verb hablar for "I speak":
Step 1: Start with the infinitive: hablar
Step 2: Remove the -ar ending: habl-
Step 3: Identify the subject: yo (I)
Step 4: Add the correct ending for yo: habl + o = hablo
Result: Yo hablo español (I speak Spanish)
Table of key forms
-ar verbs
For verbs ending in -ar (like hablar - to speak), use these endings:
| Pronoun | Verb form | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | I speak |
| tú | hablas | You (singular, informal) speak |
| usted | habla | You (singular, formal) speak |
| él/ella | habla | He/she/it speaks |
| nosotros/as | hablamos | We speak |
| vosotros/as | habláis | You (plural, informal) speak |
| ustedes | hablan | You (plural, formal) speak |
| ellos/ellas | hablan | They speak |
Endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an
-er verbs
For verbs ending in -er (like beber - to drink), use these endings:
| Pronoun | Verb form | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | bebo | I drink |
| tú | bebes | You (singular, informal) drink |
| usted | bebe | You (singular, formal) drink |
| él/ella | bebe | He/she/it drinks |
| nosotros/as | bebemos | We drink |
| vosotros/as | bebéis | You (plural, informal) drink |
| ustedes | beben | You (plural, formal) drink |
| ellos/ellas | beben | They drink |
Endings for -er verbs: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en
-ir verbs
For verbs ending in -ir (like vivir - to live), use these endings:
| Pronoun | Verb form | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | vivo | I live |
| tú | vives | You (singular, informal) live |
| usted | vive | You (singular, formal) live |
| él/ella | vive | He/she/it lives |
| nosotros/as | vivimos | We live |
| vosotros/as | vivís | You (plural, informal) live |
| ustedes | viven | You (plural, formal) live |
| ellos/ellas | viven | They live |
Endings for -ir verbs: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en
-er and -ir verbs share many endings! The only differences are:
- nosotros/as form: -emos (er) vs -imos (ir)
- vosotros/as form: -éis (er) vs -ís (ir)
All other endings are identical between these two verb types.
Using the present tense
Affirmative sentences
When making a positive statement, you don't always need to include the subject pronoun. The verb ending tells you who is doing the action. For example, hablo clearly means "I speak" without needing to say yo.
However, in the third person (he/she/they), it's not always obvious who the subject is. You might need to specify: él habla (he speaks) or ustedes hablan (you speak, plural formal) to make your meaning clear.
Affirmative Sentence Examples:
- Estudio español = I study Spanish (no pronoun needed)
- Ella trabaja aquí = She works here (pronoun used for clarity)
- Comemos a las dos = We eat at two o'clock (no pronoun needed)
- Ustedes viven en Madrid = You (all) live in Madrid (pronoun needed for clarity)
Negative sentences
To make a sentence negative, simply place no directly before the verb:
- No hablo español - I don't speak Spanish
- No bebemos café - We don't drink coffee
- No viven aquí - They don't live here
Forming Negative Sentences:
Affirmative: Trabajo los lunes (I work on Mondays)
Negative: No trabajo los lunes (I don't work on Mondays)
Affirmative: Ella come carne (She eats meat)
Negative: Ella no come carne (She doesn't eat meat)
Notice how no is placed directly before the verb, with no helping verbs needed!
Interrogative sentences (questions)
There are two main ways to ask a question in Spanish:
- Change the word order: Place the verb before the subject (e.g. ¿Hablas tú? - Do you speak?)
- Use rising intonation: Keep the same word order as a statement, but raise your voice at the end (e.g. ¿Hablas? - Do you speak?)
Since subject pronouns are often omitted in Spanish, the second method is very common. You can simply say ¿Hablas? and the rising intonation shows it's a question.
Remember to use an inverted question mark (¿) at the beginning and a regular question mark (?) at the end of all questions in written Spanish.
Question Formation Examples:
Method 1 (Word order change):
Statement: Tú hablas inglés
Question: ¿Hablas tú inglés? (Do you speak English?)
Method 2 (Rising intonation):
Statement: Hablas inglés
Question: ¿Hablas inglés? (Do you speak English?)
Both are correct, but Method 2 is more common in everyday conversation!
Common mistakes & tips
Verb endings are crucial
Because Spanish often omits subject pronouns, the verb ending is what tells you who is performing the action. Make sure you learn the endings thoroughly for each verb type. If you use the wrong ending, your sentence won't make sense.
Don't confuse -er and -ir verbs
They are very similar, but remember that nosotros forms are different: -emos for -er verbs, -imos for -ir verbs. The vosotros forms also differ: -éis vs -ís.
Watch your accents
The vosotros forms have written accents (habláis, bebéis, vivís). Don't forget these, as they affect pronunciation and meaning.
Negative sentences
Don't forget to place no directly in front of the verb. There's no equivalent of the English "don't" or "doesn't" - just use no + verb.
Question formation
In spoken Spanish, you can turn any statement into a question just by changing your intonation. This is much simpler than in English, where you often need helping verbs like "do" or "does".
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Spanish regular verbs have three infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir
- To conjugate in the present tense, remove the infinitive ending and add the correct present tense ending
- -er and -ir verbs share most endings except in the nosotros/as and vosotros/as forms
- Verb endings are essential in Spanish because subject pronouns are often omitted
- To make a sentence negative, simply place no before the verb
- Questions can be formed by changing word order or using rising intonation