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The present tense: regular verbs

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Spanish verbs end in -ar, -er or -ir. Each group has its own set of present-tense endings.

The three patterns

Take off the ending and add the new one.

Spotting the pattern

The yo form always ends in -o.
-er and -ir verbs share most endings. Only nosotros and vosotros differ: comemos / vivimos, coméis / vivís.

Useful verbs

estudiar (to study), trabajar (to work), escuchar (to listen), beber (to drink), leer (to read), escribir (to write).
Worked example

Write "we write" in Spanish.

  1. escribir is an -ir verb.
  2. Take off -ir: escrib-.
  3. nosotros takes -imos: escribimos.

Answer: escribimos

Key idea

-ar: o, as, a, amos, áis, an. -er: o, es, e, emos, éis, en. -ir: o, es, e, imos, ís, en. Pronouns are often left out.

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

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