常规“ER”动词

 In Spanish, there are three categories of verbs. The category is determined by the last two letters of the infinitive:

-ar verbs (like hablar)

-er verbs (like comer)

-ir verbs (like vivir)

The infinitive is the base form of the verb, such as to speak, to eat, to live, etc. In Spanish, all infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir.

-ar verb

hablar (to speak)

-er verb

comer (to eat)

-ir verb

vivir (to live)

To conjugate a verb means to manipulate the infinitive so that it agrees with the different possible subjects. Here is the present tense conjugation of the infinitive “to speak”:

to speak

I speak

you speak

he speaks

she speaks

we speak

you-all speak

they speak

The present tense in Spanish can mean three things. The Spanish phrase “yo hablo” can mean:

yo hablo

I speak

yo hablo

I am speaking

yo hablo

I do speak

Many Spanish verbs are completely regular, meaning that they follow a specific pattern of conjugation. In this lesson you will learn to conjugate regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs (in the present tense). Before you can do that, you must memorize the following subject pronouns.

yo (I)

tú (you – informal)

él (he)

ella (she)

usted (you – formal)

nosotros/nosotras (we)

vosotros/vosotras (you-all – informal)

ellos/ellas (they)

ustedes (you-all formal)

For a review of the subject pronouns, click here.

Spanish infinitives are divided into two parts: the ending and the stem. The ending is the last two letters. Remember, all infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir. The stem is everything that’s left after you remove the ending.

habl + ar = hablar

com + er = comer

viv + ir = vivir

In this lesson, we will use the model verb: comer. In Spanish, you conjugate verbs by changing the ending. If the subject is I (yo), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -o.

yo como (comer – er + o = como)

I eat, I am eating, I do eat

If the subject is you – informal (tú), conjugate by dropping the ending and adding -es (for -er verbs).

tú comes (comer – er + es = comes)

you eat, you are eating, you do eat

If the subject is he (él), she (ella) or you – formal (usted), conjugate by dropping the ending and adding -e (-er verbs).

él/ella/usted come (comer – er + e = come)

he eats, she is eating, you (formal) do eat

If the subject is we (nosotros/nosotras), conjugate by dropping the ending and add -emos for -er verbs.

nosotros comemos (comer – er + emos = comemos)we eat, we are eating, we do eat

If the subject is you-all – informal (vosotros/vosotras), conjugate by dropping the ending and adding -éis for -er verbs.

vosotros coméis (comer – er + éis = coméis)you-all eat, you-all are eating, you-all do eatIf the subject is they (ellos/ellas) or you-all – formal (ustedes), conjugate by dropping the ending and adding -en (-er verbs).

ellos/ellas/ustedes comen (comer – er + en = comen)they eat, they are eating, you-all (formal) do eatAs you can see, to conjugate regular -er verbs, simply dro the ending (-er) and add one of the following:

oes

eemos

éis

en