Spanish Grammar Podcast

Regular Verbs: Part III (free mini version)

Listen Now

The subject of this episode is Regular Verbs, and it is the last of three episodes on this topic. In this episode, we will review the material presented in the previous two podcasts, and we will also introduce the idea of using two verbs in the same sentence.

In Spanish, all infinitives end in a-r, e-r or i-r. To conjugate a-r verbs, drop the last two letters and then add o, as, a, amos, áis, an. So, the verb "hablar" would be conjugated like this:

hablo
hablas
habla
hablamos
habláis
hablan

To conjugate e-r verbs, drop the last two letters and then add o, es, e, emos, éis, en. So, the verb "comer" would be conjugated like this:

como
comes
come
comemos
coméis
comen

To conjugate i-r verbs, drop the last two letters and then add o, es, e, imos, ís, en. So, the verb "vivir" would be conjugated like this:

vivo
vives
vive
vivimos
vivís
viven

Don’t forget that in Spanish the subject pronouns are not always required, because the verb endings indicate who is performing the action. Also remember that because the verb ending alone does not always reveal the subject of the sentence, the subject pronouns are sometimes used.

In Spanish, 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. Consider the sentence “Necesito hablar con Emilio,” or "I need to speak with Emilio."

The first verb is conjugated (necesito) and the second is left in the infinitive form (hablar). Necesito hablar con Emilio.

Here's another example that uses the verb "desear" which means "to wish" and "vivir" which means "to live."

Juan desea vivir en España.
Juan wishes to live in Spain.
Juan desea vivir en España.

That wraps up our final mini episode on Regular Verbs. Remember, there is lots of practice available on our website.