How it works
English verbs barely change: I speak, you speak, we speak — only he speaks gets an ending. Spanish gives every person its own ending, and the ending does the work of the English pronoun. That is why the pronoun is usually left out.
To conjugate an -ar verb, drop -ar from the infinitive to get the stem, then attach the ending for the person. The stem never changes; only the ending does.
hablar (to speak): from infinitive to form
The endings
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | hablo |
| tú | hablas |
| él/ella/usted | habla |
| nosotros/as | hablamos |
| vosotros/as | habláis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablan |
hablar: to speak
hablar in a sentence
Hablo un poco de español.
I speak a little Spanish.
¿Hablas inglés?
Do you speak English?
Ellos hablan muy rápido.
They speak very fast.
More -ar verbs
These verbs take the same endings; only the stem is different. A few common -ar verbs break the pattern, for example estar.
Common -ar verbs
These verbs in a sentence
¿Trabajas mañana?
Are you working tomorrow?
Compramos en el supermercado.
We shop at the supermarket.
Mi madre cocina muy bien.
My mother cooks very well.
