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Home / Beginner / 8. Verbs

8.2 PRESENT TENSE: Regular Verbs

Spanish has 3 main kinds of verbs. These verbs have the endings ‘ar’, ‘er’ and ‘ir’.

Examples of ‘ar’ verbs

HABLAR – To speak, to talk

Yo hablo – I speak           
Tú hablas – You speak (informal)             
Usted habla – You speak (formal)
Él/Ella habla – He/she speaks
Nosotros/Nosotras hablamos – We speak
Ustedes hablan – You speak (plural)
Ellos/Ellas hablan – They speak

Sound Click here to listen

Attention!!! Notice the pattern of the verbs ending in ‘ar’. The endings change to -o, -as, -a, -amos, -an. The endings for Usted, Él and Ella are the same (-a). The endings for Ustedes, Ellos and Ellas are the same (-an).

Some examples of how to use the verb 'hablar':

Yo hablo español – I speak Spanish
Tú hablas muy rápido – You speak very fast (informal)
Él habla con Rosa – He speaks to Rosa
Nosotros hablamos inglés – We speak English
Ellos hablan con un accento – They speak with an accent

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CAMINAR – To walk

Yo camino – I walk
Tú caminas – You walk (informal)
Usted camina – You walk (formal)
Él/Ella camina – He/She walks
Nosotros/Nosotras caminamos – We walk
Ustedes caminan – You walk (plural)
Ellos/Ellas caminan – They walk

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Some examples of how to use the verb 'caminar':

Yo camino al supermercado – I walk to the supermarket
Tú caminas muy rápido – You walk very fast (informal)
Ella camina todos los días – She walks every day.
Nosotros caminamos juntos – We walk together
Ellos caminan con los niños – They walk with the children

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TOMAR – To take

Yo tomo – I take
Tú tomas – You take (informal)
Usted toma – You take (formal)
Él/Ella toma – He/She takes
Nosotros tomamos – We take
Ustedes toman – You take (plural)
Ellos/Ellas toman – They take

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Some examples of how to use the verb 'tomar':

Yo tomo el tren – I take the train
¿Tú tomas azúcar?  - Do you take sugar?
Ella toma un taxi – She takes a taxi
Nosotras tomamos una pausa – We (feminine plural) take a break
¿Usted toma la medicina? – Do you take the medicine? (formal)
Ellas toman el tren todos los días – They (feminine plural) take the train every day

Sound Click here to listen


Examples of ‘er’ verbs

COMER – To eat

Yo como – I eat
Tú comes – You eat (informal)
Usted come – You eat (formal)
Él/Ella come – He/She eats
Nosotros comemos – We eat
Ustedes comen – You eat (plural)
Ellos/Ellas comen – They eat

Sound Click here to listen

ATTENTION!!! Notice the pattern of the verbs ending in ‘er’. The endings change to -o, -es, -e, -emos, -en. The endings for Usted, Él and Ella are the same (-e). The endings for Ustedes, Ellos and Ellas are the same (-en).

Some examples of how to use the verb 'comer':

Yo como arroz con pollo – I eat rice with chicken
Tú comes mucha carne – You eat a lot of meat (‘mucha’ because carne is feminine)
Ella come un bistek – She eats a steak
Nosotras comemos muy temprano/tarde – We eat very early/late
Ellas comen juntas – They (feminine plural) eat together

Sound Click here to listen

Beber – To drink

Yo bebo – I drink
Tú bebes – You drink (informal)
Usted bebe – You  drink (formal)
Él/Ella bebe - He/She drinks
Nosotros bebemos – We drink
Ustedes beben – You drink
Ellos/Ellas beben – They drink

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Some examples of how to use the verb 'beber':

Yo bebo leche – I drink milk
Tú bebes todos los días – You drink every day
Él bebe jugo de manzana – He drinks apple juice
Nosotros bebemos agua con limón – We drink water with lemon
Ellos no beben cerveza – They don’t drink beer

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Note: In spoken Spanish the verb ‘tomar’ is very often used instead of ‘beber’. For example:

Tomo una cerveza – I drink beer

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Examples of ‘ir’ verbs

ESCRIBIR – To write

Yo escribo – I write
Tú escribes – You write (informal)
Usted escribe – You write (formal)
Él/Ella escribe – He/She writes
Nosotros escribimos – We write
Ustedes escriben – They write
Ellos/Ellas escriben – They write

Sound Click here to listen

ATTENTION!!! Notice the pattern of the verbs ending in ‘ir’. The endings change to -o, -es, -e, -imos, -en. The endings for Usted, Él and Ella are the same (-e). The endings for Ustedes, Ellos and Ellas are the same (-en).

Some examples of how to use the verb 'escribir':

Yo escribo una carta – I write a letter
Tú escribes la dirección – You write the address (informal)
Usted escribe muy bien – You write very well (formal)
Ella escribe en la pared – She writes on the wall
Nosotros escribimos el informe - We write the report
Ellas escriben la historia – They (all women) write the story

Sound Click here to listen

COMPARTIR – To share

Yo comparto – I share
Tú compartes – You share (informal)
Usted comparte – You share (formal)
Él/Ella comparte – He/She shares
Nosotros/Nosotras compartimos – We share
Ustedes comparten – You share (plural)
Ellos/Ellas comparten – They share

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Some examples of how to use the verb 'compartir':

Yo comparto la comida con Juan – I share the food with Juan
Tú compartes el postre con Clara – You share the desert with Clara
Ella comparte sus juguetes con una amiga – She shares her toys with a (female) friend.
Nosotros compartimos el apartamento – We share the apartment.
Ellos comparten la torta – They share the cake

Sound Click here to listen