Verbs in Spanish
Verbs are words that describe an action, state or occurrence in a sentence.
In Spanish verbs are divided into the following modes; indicative, conditional, imperative and subjunctive.
– The indicative tense is used to refer to actions that take place in the present.
– The conditional is used for events that are not guaranteed to occur; often dependant on certain conditions.
– The imperative is used to express either an affirmative or negative order, requests or prohibitions.
– The subjunctive is used to convey ideas, hope or doubt.
Verbs in Spanish
Spanish verbs are classified according to their endings -ar, -er, -ir.
Example:
Hablar (To speak)
Comer (To eat)
Vivir (To live)
Infinitive Verbs
An infinitive verb is a verb that is not conjugated (i.e. not in any particular tense).
In Spanish the infinitive verbs are divide into two parts: stems and endings.
| Stem | Ending |
| Habl | ar |
| Com | er |
| Viv | ir |
Regular and Irregular Verbs
Regular verbs are those that do not have changes in their stems when they are conjugated.
Example in present indicative-
Hablar (To speak)
Yo Hablo – I speak
Tú Hablas – You speak
Él / Ella/ Usted Habla – He / She / You (formal) speak
Nosotros Hablamos – We speak
Vosotros Habláis – You (plural) speak
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes Hablan – They / You (formal plural) speak
Irregular verbs have changes in their stems when they are conjugated.
Example in present indicative:
Tener (To have)
Yo Tengo – I have
Tú Tienes – You have
Él / Ella/ Usted Tiene – He / She / You (formal) has
Nosotros Tenemos – We have
Vosotros Tenéis – You (plural) have
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes Tienen – They / You (formal plural) have