Regular Verbs in Spanish

Regular Verbs:

All Spanish verbs are either "regular" or "irregular." In this lesson we will look at three completely regular verbs:

hablar (to speak)
comer (to eat)
vivir (to live)

Notice the last two letters of each verb.

hablar (to speak) AR verbs
comer (to eat) ER verbs
vivir (to live) IR verbs

All three categories are infinitives, the base form of the verb, equivalent in English to: to speak, to eat, to live, etc. In Spanish, all infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir.
Remember what it means to conjugate a verb:

hablar - to speak

yo hablo - I speak

tú hablas - you (familiar) speak

él habla - he speaks

ella habla - she speaks

usted habla - you speak

nosotros/as hablamos - we speak

vosotros/as habláis - you-all (familiar) speak

ellos/ellas hablan - they speak

ustedes hablan - you-all speak

comer - to eat

yo como - I eat

tú comes - you (familiar) eat

él come - he eats

ella come - she eats

usted come - you eat

nosotros/as comemos - we eat

vosotros/as coméis - you-all (familiar) eat

ellos/ellas comen - they eat

ustedes comen - you-all eat

vivir - to live

yo vivo - I live

tú vives - you (familiar) live

él vive - he lives

ella vive - she lives

usted vive - you live

nosotros/as vivimos - we live

vosotros/as vivís - you-all (familiar) live

ellos/ellas viven - they live

ustedes viven - you-all live

Present tense (indicative) in Spanish means three things.

1. Yo hablo inglés:
   
   I speak English.
   I do speak English.
   I am speaking English.
   
2. Yo como pan:
   
   I eat bread.
   I do eat bread.
   I am eating bread.
   
3. Yo vivo en Buenos Aires:
   
   I live in Buenos Aires.
   I do live in Buenos Aires.
   I am living in Buenos Aires.
   

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

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 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.

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.

Common Regular -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

Common Regular -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

Common Regular -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