Present Tense of the Verbs
First conjugation -AR
The fundamental parts of the Spanish verb
The infinitive: The basic, unconjugated form, the one that corresponds to the English “to do” (something). For example, to speak, to work, to sing, etc.
The Spanish infinitive always ends in r
The ending: The last two letters of the infinitive.
The ending always consists of two letters.
The fundamental parts of the Spanish verb
The Spanish infinitive always ends in r
hablarcomerescribircantaraprenderleer
salirconocercostarcorrerfinalizarfreír
The fundamental parts of the Spanish verb
hablarcomerescribircantaraprenderleer
hablarcomerescribircantaraprenderleer
The ending always consists of two letterssalirconocercostarcorrerfinalizarfreír
salirconocercostarcorrerfinalizarfreír
There are three types or categories of verbs in Spanish:
those that end in ar, those that end in er, and those that end in ir
The fundamental parts of the Spanish verb
The stem or root: Whatever is left after removing the ending from the infinitive.
The stem can consist of a variable number of letters, depending on the length of the verb in question.
The fundamental parts of the Spanish verb
AR endingHABL
stem
The infinitive – the ending = the stem
salirconocercostarcorrerfinalizarfreír
hablarcomerescribircantaraprenderleer
The fundamental parts of the Spanish verb
The infinitive: The basic, unconjugated form of the verb. estudiar
The fundamental parts of the verb
The ending: The last two letters of the infinitive.
The stem: What is left after taking the ending from the infinitive.
ar
estudi
When we conjugate any verb we always begin with its stem.
To conjugate: To put a verb in its correct person and number so that we know who is doing the action.
Verb Conjugation
So let’s take the verb HABLARwe write down the pronoun and the stem…
• Yo habl- Ns. habl -
• Tú habl – Vs. habl -
• Él, ella habl - Ellos, ellas habl-
Ud. Uds.
Then you add these terminations at the stem of the word.
Yo -O Nosotros -AMOS
Tú -AS Vosotros -ÁIS
Él, ella Ud. -A Ellos, ellas, Uds. - AN
a
hablar
ah bloa
ah blasa
ah blaa
habl mosa
áhabl isá
ah blana
Verbs of the 1st conjugation (-ar)
All persons and numbers are based on the stem.
Notice which vowel gets the emphasis!
yo
túUd.élella
nosotros/as
vosotros/as
ellosellas
Uds.
trabajar
aatrab joa
atrab jasa
atrab jaa
trabaj mosa
átrabaj isá
atrab jana
Verbs of the 1st conjugation (-ar)
Its stem?
The emphasis?
buscar
aub scou
ub scasu
ub scau
busc mosa
ábusc isá
ub scanu
Verbs of the 1st conjugation (-ar)
Its stem?
The emphasis?
a
estudiar
uest diou
uest diasu
uest diau
estudi mosa
áestudi isá
uest dianu
Verbs of the 1st conjugation (-ar)
Its stem?
The emphasis?
Take the verb HABLAR . Remove the ending and add the terminations . This is what we call
AFFIRMATIVE “to conjugate a verb”
Yo hablo – I talk Nosotros/ as hablamos
We talk
Tú hablas – you talk Vosotros hablais
You all talk
Él, ella habla
he, she talks
Usted habla - you talk (formal)
Ellos, ellas hablan – they talk
Ustedes hablan – you all
talk (formal)
To form the NEGATIVE add NO between pronoun and verb
Yo no hablo – I don’t talk
Nosotros/ as no hablamos
We don’t talk
Tú no hablas – you don’t talk
Vosotros no hablais
You all don’t talk
Él, ella no habla
he, she doesn’t talks
Usted no habla - you don’t talk (formal)
Ellos, ellas no hablan – they don’t talk
Ustedes no hablan –
you all don’t talk (formal)
To ask a question SWITCH the verb with the pronounINTERROGATIVE
¿Hablo yo?– do I talk? ¿ Hablamos
nosotros/ as? Do we talk?
¿ Hablas tú?– do you talk
¿ Hablais vosotros – Do You all talk?
¿ Habla él, ella?
Does he, she talk?
¿ Habla Ud.? - do you talk ?(formal)
¿ Hablan Ellos, ellas ? –Do they talk
Ustedes hablan – you all
talk (formal)
estudio estudiamos
estudias estudiáis
estudia estudian
La biblioteca es un buen lugar para estudiar.
Verb forms that refer to people that are within the conversation flip to their “opposite” form.
¿Qué estudias?
Estudio matemáticas.
¿Qué estudias tú?
estudio estudiamos
estudias estudiáis
estudia estudian
La biblioteca es un buen lugar para estudiar.
Verb forms that refer to people that are outside the conversation do not change.
¿Qué estudia Juan?
Estudia filosofía.
FIN