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Regular Verbs: Part III

Here's the complete list of Spanish subject pronouns.

Singular

    yo
    tú
    usted
    él
    ella

Plural

    nosotros/as
    vosotros/as
    ustedes
    ellos
    ellas

To conjugate -ar verbs, drop the ending and add:

    -o
    -as
    -a
    -amos
    -áis
    -an

To conjugate -er verbs, drop the ending and add:

    -o
    -es
    -e
    -emos
    -éis
    -en

To conjugate -ir verbs, drop the ending and add:

    -o
    -es
    -e
    -imos
    -ís
    -en

You will benefit greatly by quickly memorizing the three model verbs.

    hablar
    comer
    vivir

    yo hablo
    tú hablas
    él, ella, Ud. habla
    nosotros/as hablamos
    vosotros/as habláis
    ellos, ellas, Uds. hablan


    yo como
    tú comes
    él, ella, Ud. come
    nosotros/as comemos
    vosotros/as coméis
    ellos, ellas, Uds. comen


    yo vivo
    tú vives
    él, ella, Ud. vive
    nosotros/as vivimos
    vosotros/as vivís
    ellos, ellas, Uds. viven

Note: The verb forms are the same for él, ella and Ud. as are the verb forms for ellos, ellas and Uds.

In Spanish the subject pronouns are not always required. This is because the verb endings can indicate who is performing the action.

    Hablo español. (Yo is not necessary.)
    I speak Spanish.
    Comemos carne. (Nosotros is not necessary.)
    We eat meat.
    Vives en México. (Tú is not necessary.)
    You live in Mexico.

Subject pronouns are often used for clarification. For example, the verb form habla is ambiguous.

    Ud. habla
    él habla
    ella habla

Therefore, to distinguish between "you speak," "he speaks," and "she speaks," it may be necessary to use the subject pronoun. Often, the conversation implies the subject of the verb. In such cases the subject pronoun may be omitted.

Subject pronouns are often used for emphasis.

    Ella habla español y yo hablo inglés.

Here there is no ambiguity with respect to hablo. The subject pronoun is merely adding emphasis:

    She speaks Spanish and I speak English.

Another example of using subject pronouns for emphasis.

    Yo como pan y tú comes arroz.

Once again there is no ambiguity. The pronouns emphasize the contrast.

    I eat bread and you eat rice.

It is possible to use two verbs in a row. Just like in English, the first verb is conjugated, while the second verb remains in the infinitive form.

    Necesito hablar con Alfredo.
    I need to speak with Alfredo.
    (necesitar, hablar)

    Necesito + hablar + con Alfredo.
    I need + to speak + with Alfredo.

Another example of two verbs used together:

    Deseas vivir en España.
    You wish to live in Spain.
    (desear, vivir)

    Deseas + vivir + en España.
    You wish + to live + in Spain.

Hopefully, you have taken our advice and have been creating a special collection of verb flashcards. If not, it's not too late to start. Here is the entire list of cards to this point:

Verb Flashcards

  1. hay

    there is, there are

  2. Present Indicative

    I speak
    I do speak
    I am speaking

  3. hablar (to speak)

    hablo
    hablas
    habla

    hablamos
    habláis

    hablan

  4. comer (to eat)

    como
    comes
    come

    comemos
    coméis

    comen

  5. vivir (to live)

    vivo
    vives
    vive

    vivimos
    vivís

    viven

Here's a list of some common regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs:

-ar verbs

alquilar
to rent		 entrar (en)
to enter (into)		 necesitar
to need
amar
to love		 enviar
to send		 olvidar
to forget
andar
to walk		 escuchar
to listen to		 pagar
to pay for
ayudar
to help		 esperar
to hope, to wait for		 practicar
to practice
bailar
to dance		 estudiar
to study		 preguntar
to ask
buscar
to look for		 firmar
to sign		 preparar
to prepare
caminar
to walk		 ganar
to win, earn		 regresar
to return
cantar
to sing		 gastar
to spend money		 saludar
to greet
cocinar
to cook		 hablar
to speak, to talk
 tocar
to touch, to play an instrument
comprar
to buy		 lavar
to wash		 tomar
to take, to drink
contestar
to answer		 llegar
to arrive		 trabajar
to work
dejar
to allow, to leave		 llevar
to wear, to carry
 viajar
to travel
desear
to desire		 mandar
to order		 visitar
to visit
enseñar
to teach		 mirar
to watch, to look at		  



-er verbs

aprender
to learn		 creer
to believe		 poseer
to possess, to own
beber
to drink		 deber
to have to, to owe		 prometer
to promise
comer
to eat		 esconder
to hide		 romper
to break
comprender
to understand		 leer
to read		 temer
to fear
correr
to run		 meter en
to put into		 vender
to sell



-ir verbs

abrir
to open		 descubrir
to discover
 permitir
to permit
admitir
to admit		 discutir
to discuss		 recibir
to receive
asistir a
to attend		 escribir
to write		 subir
to climb, to go up
cubrir
to cover		 existir
to exist		 sufrir
to suffer
decidir
to decide		 omitir
to omit		 unir
to unite
describir
to describe		 partir
to divide		 vivir
to live

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