Spanish Present Tense Conjugation – AR, ER, IR Verbs

Desktop Only Feature

The interactive whiteboard and chat features are only available on desktop devices for the best learning experience. Please visit this page on a desktop or laptop computer.

Chat with Tutor

Tutor

¡Hola! Today we're tackling present tense conjugation for regular verbs. Spanish verbs come in three families: -AR, -ER, and -IR. I've created a side-by-side comparison on the whiteboard so you can see the patterns. Notice how the endings change for each subject pronoun. Take your time to study them, then we'll practice!

📝 Present Tense Conjugation

Learn regular -ar, -er, -ir verb conjugations

Mastering Spanish Present Tense Conjugation

The present tense (el presente) is the most used verb tense in Spanish and the first one every learner should master. In Spanish, verbs change their endings based on who is performing the action, which is called conjugation. All regular Spanish verbs belong to one of three families based on their infinitive ending: -AR, -ER, or -IR.

-AR Verb Conjugation

-AR verbs are the most common verb group in Spanish, making up about 80% of all Spanish verbs. To conjugate, remove the -ar ending and add the appropriate ending for each subject pronoun:

Subject Pronoun	Ending	Hablar (to speak)	English
Yo	-o	hablo	I speak
Tú	-as	hablas	You speak
Él/Ella/Usted	-a	habla	He/She speaks, You speak (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	-amos	hablamos	We speak
Vosotros/Vosotras	-áis	habláis	You all speak
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-an	hablan	They speak, You all speak

-ER Verb Conjugation

-ER verbs are the second most common verb group. The conjugation pattern is very similar to -AR verbs, with different endings:

Subject Pronoun	Ending	Comer (to eat)	English
Yo	-o	como	I eat
Tú	-es	comes	You eat
Él/Ella/Usted	-e	come	He/She eats, You eat (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	-emos	comemos	We eat
Vosotros/Vosotras	-éis	coméis	You all eat
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-en	comen	They eat, You all eat

-IR Verb Conjugation

-IR verbs follow a pattern almost identical to -ER verbs. The only differences are in the nosotros and vosotros forms:

Subject Pronoun	Ending	Vivir (to live)	English
Yo	-o	vivo	I live
Tú	-es	vives	You live
Él/Ella/Usted	-e	vive	He/She lives, You live (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	-imos	vivimos	We live
Vosotros/Vosotras	-ís	vivís	You all live
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-en	viven	They live, You all live

Conjugation Patterns Side-by-Side

Here's a comparison of all three verb families to help you see the patterns clearly:

Pronoun	-AR (hablar)	-ER (comer)	-IR (vivir)
Yo	hablo	como	vivo
Tú	hablas	comes	vives
Él/Ella/Usted	habla	come	vive
Nosotros	hablamos	comemos	vivimos
Vosotros	habláis	coméis	vivís
Ellos/Ustedes	hablan	comen	viven

💡 Pattern Recognition: Notice that all three verb types use -o for "yo". The "tú" form always has an "s". The nosotros/vosotros forms preserve the verb family vowel (a, e, or i).

Common Regular Verbs to Practice

Here are the most frequently used regular verbs in each category. Mastering these will give you a strong foundation:

-AR Verbs	-ER Verbs	-IR Verbs
estudiar - to study	beber - to drink	escribir - to write
trabajar - to work	leer - to read	abrir - to open
comprar - to buy	aprender - to learn	recibir - to receive
cocinar - to cook	vender - to sell	decidir - to decide
caminar - to walk	correr - to run	partir - to leave/depart
bailar - to dance	comprender - to understand	subir - to go up
escuchar - to listen	responder - to answer	asistir - to attend
cantar - to sing	prometer - to promise	cumplir - to fulfill

Practice these verbs with our interactive AI tutor, who will create personalized conjugation exercises and provide instant feedback to help you master Spanish verb conjugation patterns.

Ready to practice?

Use the interactive whiteboard and AI tutor above to practice present tense conjugation through real conversation. Our tutor adapts to your level and answers your questions in real time.