Clear Spanish grammar
Spanish present tense: regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs
Regular present-tense verbs follow three reusable ending patterns. Once you identify -ar, -er or -ir, you can build all six forms.
How it works
Understand the pattern
Remove the infinitive ending to find the stem: habl-ar, com-er, viv-ir. Then add the ending that matches the subject. Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already identifies the person.
The -er and -ir patterns are identical in most present-tense forms. They differ in nosotros and vosotros: comemos versus vivimos, and coméis versus vivís.
The essentials
Three rules that clear up the confusion
- 1
For -ar verbs use -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
- 2
For -er verbs use -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en; for -ir use -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en.
- 3
Match the ending to the grammatical subject, not to the nearest noun in the sentence.
Compare
Examples in complete sentences
Common mistakes
What to check before you answer
- 1
Do not keep the full infinitive and add an ending: hablo, not hablaro.
- 2
Do not add an English-style auxiliary do: ¿Hablas español? already means Do you speak Spanish?
Go beyond reading
Practise the rule through the guided course route
A short explanation, a task, answer checking and a direct return to the paragraph needed after a mistake.