Regular Present Tense Verbs in Spanish: -ar, -er and -ir

Spanish verbs are grouped by their endings: -ar, -er and -ir.

Hablar (to speak)

Subject	Form
yo	hablo
tú	hablas
él / ella / usted	habla
nosotros	hablamos
vosotros	habláis
ellos / ustedes	hablan

Comer (to eat)

Subject	Form
yo	como
tú	comes
él / ella / usted	come
nosotros	comemos
vosotros	coméis
ellos / ustedes	comen

Vivir (to live)

Subject	Form
yo	vivo
tú	vives
él / ella / usted	vive
nosotros	vivimos
vosotros	vivís
ellos / ustedes	viven

The pattern

Remove -ar, -er or -ir to get the stem, then add the endings:

• -ar: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an
• -er: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en
• -ir: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en

Common regular verbs

Verb	Meaning
trabajar	to work
estudiar	to study
caminar	to walk
beber	to drink
aprender	to learn
escribir	to write

Dropping subject pronouns

The verb ending shows the subject, so yo and tú are often dropped: Hablo español.

One present, two meanings

The Spanish present can mean "I speak" and "I am speaking": Hablo con ella ahora.

Tips

1. Learn the three models.
2. Say the full set aloud.
3. Use the dictionary to confirm the verb type.

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