TL;DR:
Regular Spanish verbs drop -ar, -er or -ir and add endings that match the subject.
The -er and -ir endings are the same except for nosotros and vosotros.
Learn the pattern once, then apply it to many verbs.
Spanish verbs change their ending for every subject, and that can look like a wall of forms to memorise. It is much less work than it seems. Most verbs follow one of three patterns, and once you know the pattern, one verb teaches you hundreds.
Start with the infinitive
The dictionary form of a Spanish verb, the infinitive, ends in -ar, -er or -ir. To conjugate a regular verb in the present tense, remove that ending to get the stem, then add the ending for the subject. For hablar (to speak), the stem is habl-. For comer (to eat), it is com-. For vivir (to live), it is viv-.
Worked example: hablar, comer and vivir
Subject | hablar (-ar) | comer (-er) | vivir (-ir) |
|---|---|---|---|
yo | hablo | como | vivo |
tú | hablas | comes | vives |
él, ella, usted | habla | come | vive |
nosotros | hablamos | comemos | vivimos |
vosotros | habláis | coméis | vivís |
ellos, ellas, ustedes | hablan | comen | viven |
Look for the pattern. The yo form ends in -o for all three verbs. The tú form ends in -as for -ar and -es for -er and -ir. The third person singular ends in -a or -e. The third person plural adds an -n to that: -an or -en. The only place where -er and -ir differ is nosotros (-emos versus -imos) and vosotros (-éis versus -ís).
So there are really only two big families to learn. In -ar verbs the vowel is a (hablas, hablamos), and in -er and -ir verbs it is e (comes), with i in two forms of -ir (vivimos, vivís).
A note on subjects
Because the ending shows who is acting, Spanish often drops the subject pronoun. Hablo español already means "I speak Spanish", since the -o means yo. You add yo only for emphasis or to clear up confusion. Vosotros is used mainly in Spain. In Latin America, ustedes replaces it, using the same verb form as ellos. If you are not sure which you need, ask your teacher or check your course.
Practice sentences
Make each form into a short sentence, say it aloud, and check it with the table.
Yo hablo con mi madre todos los días. (I talk with my mother every day.)
Tú comes una manzana en el almuerzo. (You eat an apple at lunch.)
Ella vive en una ciudad grande. (She lives in a big city.)
Nosotros hablamos de la tarea. (We talk about the homework.)
Ellos comen en casa. (They eat at home.)
Now test yourself in reverse: cover the right-hand columns and conjugate vivir for nosotros and ellos. The answers are vivimos and viven. Do the same with hablar and comer.
Other regular verbs that fit the pattern
-ar: trabajar (to work), estudiar (to study), caminar (to walk), escuchar (to listen).
-er: beber (to drink), leer (to read), aprender (to learn).
-ir: escribir (to write), abrir (to open), subir (to go up).
Take estudiar: the stem is estudi-, so estudio, estudias, estudia, estudiamos, estudiáis, estudian. Take escribir: escribo, escribes, escribe, escribimos, escribís, escriben. The patterns hold.
Note: Many very common verbs are irregular, such as ser, ir, tener and hacer, so they do not follow these patterns in every form. Learn the regular three first, then learn the irregulars one at a time, as they come up in your reading and listening.
How to practise the patterns
Learn the endings as chunks: Say them in groups: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Rhythm helps memory.
Pick five verbs: Choose verbs you will use, such as ones for your own day.
Write sentences about yourself: Use the verbs with yo, then change the subject.
Quiz without the table: Cover the table and write a form from memory. Check and repeat the ones you missed.
Why the patterns exist
The endings are not random. Each one tells the listener who is acting, which is why Spanish can drop the pronoun. The -mos ending always marks "we" (hablamos, comemos, vivimos), and the final -n marks a plural third person (hablan, comen, viven). Spotting these anchors makes new verbs easier to read, even before you have met them.
Reading a verb form backwards
You can use the same table to decode a form you meet. Say you read escuchamos. The -amos ending can only belong to an -ar verb in the nosotros form, so the infinitive is escuchar and the meaning is "we listen". Say you read abren. The -en ending is third person plural, and the infinitive can be abrir or aber- type, so check the context: abrir, "they open".
This works because the patterns are consistent. A few seconds of decoding teaches you more than looking up each form.
Mistakes to avoid
Using the infinitive where you need a conjugated form: yo hablar instead of yo hablo.
Mixing up the -er and -ir endings in nosotros and vosotros.
Forgetting the accent in habláis, coméis and vivís, which shows where the stress falls.
Your plan for this week
Spend five minutes a day on one verb family. Day one: -ar. Day two: -er. Day three: -ir. Then mix them. If you want to practise out loud, you can ask DuckyHelper to quiz you on forms by voice, then check your answers against the table above.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to learn vosotros?
If you will use Spanish in Spain, yes. If you study Latin American Spanish, you can recognise it and focus on ustedes.
Why do I hear Spanish speakers drop the pronoun?
The verb ending already shows the subject, so the pronoun is usually only added for emphasis or clarity.
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