Summary:
An overview on the regular and irregular present tense verb conjugations.
Verbs
As in almost any Indo-European language, Spanish verbs are inflected. This is inflection is known as conjugation.
Each verb is divided by its ROOT and its ENDING.
AM-AR (to love)
Root = AM-
Ending = -AR (infinitive ending)
When conjugating a regular verb, only the ENDING is changed according to the person performing the action.
Regular Verbs
There are three main conjugation groups within the Spanish regular verbs, which are divided by their infinitive forms:
-AR, -ER, -IR
- AMAR (to love)
- TEMER (to fear)
- PARTIR (to break)
-AR Conjugation
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | amo |
| Tú | amas |
| Él | ama |
| Nosotros | amamos |
| Vosotros / Ustedes | amáis / aman |
| Ellos | aman |
-ER Conjugation
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | temo |
| Tú | temes |
| Él | teme |
| Nosotros | tememos |
| Vosotros / Ustedes | teméis / temen |
| Ellos | temen |
-IR Conjugation
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | parto |
| Tú | partes |
| Él | parte |
| Nosotros | partimos |
| Vosotros / Ustedes | partís / parten |
| Ellos | parten |
Summary Chart: Regular present conjugation
| -AR | -ER | -IR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Pers. Sg. | -o | -o | -o |
| 2nd Pers. Sg. | -as | -es | -es |
| 3rd Pers. Sg. | -a | -e | -e |
| 1st Pers. Pl. | -amos | -emos | -imos |
| 2nd Pers. Pl. | -áis / -an | -éis / -en | -ís / -en |
| 3rd Pers. Pl. | -an | -en | -en |
Irregular Verbs
Some verbs alter their root during conjugation. These are called irregular verbs. Very few of them have also special ending forms not found in other conjugations, such as verb “ser” and “estar”.
The main phenomenon in Spanish irregular verbs is the diphthongization of the root.
Eg.:
- “poder” – “to be able to”
- “yo puedo” – “I can / am able to”
Paradigm: o/ue – “poder” – “to be able to”
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | puedo |
| Tú | puedes |
| Él | puede |
| Nosotros | podemos |
| Vosotros / Ustedes | podéis / pueden |
| Ellos | pueden |
Paradigm: e/ie – “sentir” – “to feel”
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | siento |
| Tú | sientes |
| Él | siente |
| Nosotros | sentimos |
| Vosotros / Ustedes | sentís / sienten |
| Ellos | sienten |
Paradigm: u/ue – “jugar” – “to play”
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | juego |
| Tú | juegas |
| Él | juega |
| Nosotros | jugamos |
| Vosotros / Ustedes | jugáis / juegan |
| Ellos | juegan |
Paradigm: +g – “poner” – “to put”
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | pongo |
| Tú | pones |
| Él | pone |
| Nosotros | ponemos |
| Vosotros / Ustedes | ponéis / ponen |
| Ellos | ponen |
Paradigm: e/ie +g – “tener” – “to have”
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | tengo |
| Tú | tienes |
| Él | tiene |
| Nosotros | tenemos |
| Vosotros / Ustedes | tenéis / tienen |
| Ellos | tienen |
Uses of the verb “tener”
- To indicate age:
Tengo 25 años – “I‘m 25 years old“
- To indicate kinship:
Tengo tres hijos – “I have three children”
- To indicate symptoms or illnesses:
Tengo fiebre – “I have a fever”
- To describe physical characteristics:
Tiene pelo corto – “He has short hair”
- To express attitudes towards another person:
Tiene celos de su hermana – “He is jealous of his sister”
- To indicate property:
Tengo una casa – “I have a house”
- To ask the time:
¿Tienes hora?
- To tell events:
Mañana tengo una fiesta – “Tomorrow I’m going to a party”
- To express needs or physiological conditions:
“Tengo sueño / hambre / sed / frío“ – „I‘m sleepy / hungry / thirsty / cold“
- To indicate a quality of a person:
Tiene mucha paciencia – “He is very patient”
- To tell the contents of something:
“La casa tiene tres pisos” – “The house is three stories tall”
- To tell events or subjects that one must assist:
“¿A qué hora tienes español?“ – “When do you have Spanish class?”
- To describe receiving or hosting guests:
“Mañana tengo invitados“ – “Some guests are coming tomorrow”
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