Download Conjugating –ar verbs

Conjugating –ar verbs
All Spanish verbs fit into one of three categories: -ar, -er, or -ir verbs.
In this section we will learn to conjugate regular –ar verbs. But let’s review a little first.
Verb – A word that represents an action or a state of being.
Infinitive - the simple or basic form of the verb, the unchanged verb with
the –ar, -er, or –ir still attached to the end of the word. Generally means “to do
something” ex: hablar – to speak
Subject – the person doing the action
Subject pronouns – Words that replace the person’s name and used as the
subject of a noun, in English: I, you, he, she, we, they, you all. In Spanish: yo, tú,
él, ella, Ud., Nosotros(as), ellos, ellas, Uds.
Conjugate – changing the verb to match the subject
Conjugations – the forms of the verb after it has been conjugated or
changed to match the subjects
In Spanish we can tell which category a verb belongs to by looking at the ending of the infinitive.
Examples :
Hablar (to speak) is an -ar verb because it ends in –ar.
Comer (to eat) is an -er verb because it ends in –er.
Vivir (to live) is an –ir verb because it ends in –ir.
It’s that easy!
Each category has its own endings. We will learn –er and –ir endings in a later chapter. For now
let’s look at regular present tense –ar verbs.
Hablar – to speak
Buscar – to look for
Mirar – to look at
Necesitar – to need
Comprar – to buy
Pagar – to pay
usar – to use or wear
Llevar – to take, to carry, to wear
desear – to desire, to want
trabajar- to work
calzar – to wear (shoes)
estudiar – to study
To conjugate –ar verbs follow these steps:
1. Take off the –ar ending.
Hablar –ar = habl (this is called the stem)
2. Figure out who the subject is
a. Yo = I
b. Tú = you (informal, familiar)
c. Él = he
d. Ella = she
e. Usted (Ud.) = you (formal)
f. Nosotros (as) = we
g. Vosotros(as)= you all (Spain)
h. Ellos, ellas = they
i. Ustedes (Uds.) = you all
3. Add the appropriate ending: Using the regular endings shown in Table 1, you
would place the base of the verb in front of those endings.
Table 1. Regular – ar Verb Endings
Singular Pronoun Ending
Plural Pronoun
Ending
yo
–o
nosotros or nosotras –amos
tú
–as
vosotros or vosotras –áis
usted (Ud.)
–a
ustedes (Uds.)
–an
él
–a
ellos
–an
ella
–a
ellas
–an
Table 2 shows the conjugation chart for the verb hablar in the present tense.
Table 2. Conjugation Chart for the Verb Hablar
Singular
Pronoun
Verb
Plural Pronoun
Verb
yo
hablo (I speak)
nosotros or nosotras
hablamos (we speak)
tú
hablas (you [informal] speak)
vosotros or vosotras
habláis (you [informal]
speak)
usted (Ud.)
habla (you [formal] speak)
ustedes (Uds.)
hablan (you [formal]
speak)
él
habla (he speaks)
ellos
hablan (they speak)
ella
habla (she speaks)
ellas
hablan (they speak)
Table 3. Regular –er Verb Endings
Singular
Pronoun
Ending
Plural Pronoun
Ending
yo
–o
nosotros or
nosotras
–emos
tú
–es
vosotros or
vosotras
–éis
usted (Ud.)
–e
ustedes (Uds.)
–en
él
–e
ellos
–en
ella
–e
ellas
–en
Now, take a look at Table 4 for the conjugated form of the verb comer (to eat).
Table 4. Conjugation Chart for the Verb Comer
Singular Pronoun
Verb
Plural Pronoun
Verb
yo
como (I eat)
nosotros or nosotras comemos (we eat)
tú
comes (you [informal] eat) vosotros or vosotras coméis (you [informal] eat)
usted (Ud.)
come (you [formal] eat)
ustedes (Uds.)
comen (you [formal] eat)
él
come (he eats)
ellos
comen (they eat)
ella
come (she eats)
ellas
comen (they eat)
Verbs of the third type are called – ir verbs. In the present tense a verb ending in –
Table 5. Regular –ir Verb Endings
Singular Pronoun Ending
Plural Pronoun
Ending
yo
–o
nosotros or nosotras –imos
tú
–es
vosotros or vosotras –ís
usted (Ud.)
–e
ustedes (Uds.)
–en
él
–e
ellos
–en
ella
–e
ellas
–en
Escribir (to write) was one of the – ir verbs presented earlier as an infinitive. The
forms of the verb escribir in Table 6 will serve as an example for any regular – ir
verb.
Table 6. Conjugation Chart for the Verb Escribir
Singular
Pronoun
Verb
Plural Pronoun
nosotros or nosotras escribimos (we
write)
Verb
yo
escribo (I write)
excribimos (we write)
tú
escribes (you [informal] vosotros or vosotrasescribís (you
write)
[informal] write)
escribís (you [informal]
write)
usted (Ud.)
escribe (you [formal]
write)
ustedes (Uds.)
escriben (you [formal]
write)
él
escribe (he writes)
ellos
escriben (they write)
ella
escribe (she writes)
ellas
escriben (they write)