Present Tense
Steps 1 and 2
The first step in conjugating a verb is to recognize what the last two letters of the infinitive are. Remember, there are only 3 types of verbs! There are verbs that end with the letters AR, ER, and IR. Next step is to figure out WHO is going to be doing the verb. Here are your choices:
|
Singular (one person) |
|
| I | Yo |
| You (familiar-friend) | Tú |
| He | Él |
| She | Ella |
| You (formal-older people or strangers) | Usted (abbreviated to Ud. or Vd.) |
|
Plural (more than one person) |
|
| We | Nosotros (nosotras if we are all female) |
| Y'all (We might also say Hey "guys") | Vosotros (vosotras if you are all female) |
| They (all male or male and female) | Ellos |
| They (all female) | Ellas |
| You all (the formal version of Y'all) | Ustedes (abbreviated to Uds. or Vds.) |
Notice 1:
| The blue is what is known as FIRST PERSON (I and WE) |
| The pink is what is known as SECOND PERSON (you and y'all-the familiar/friend) |
| The green is what is known as THIRD PERSON (she, he, you formal, they, you all) |
Notice 2:
Realize that He, She, They, We, Y'all, You all could be written as: José, María, José y María, José y yo, Tú y tus amigos, Usted y José.
| José (any name really) or El chico (the boy) | He |
| María (any name really) or mi madre (my mom) | She |
| José y yo (somebody AND I) | We |
| José y María (a couple names) or los alumnos (the students) | They |
| José y tú (somebody AND YOU) | Y'all |
| María y usted (somebody AND YOU) | You all |
Step 3...Conjugate!
Now that you have 1 Figured out which verb it is, and 2 Who is doing it, it is time to work magic!
AR
| Yo | -O | Nosotros | -AMOS |
| Tú | -AS | Vosotros | -ÁIS |
| El, Ella, Usted | -A | Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes | -AN |
Examples:
|
Hablar |
To speak |
| yo hablo | I speak |
| tú hablas | You speak |
| el, ella, usted habla | he/she speaks, you speak |
| nosotros hablamos | we speak |
| vosotros habláis | y'all speak |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes hablan | they, you all speak |
Notice how the -ar was removed from hablar and the different endings were added (You may see that HABLA looks like you just take off the -r. This is not the correct way to conjugate. Later, it does not work like that. Trust the process. Follow the rules)
ER
| Yo | -O | Nosotros | -EMOS |
| Tú | -ES | Vosotros | -ÉIS |
| El, Ella, Usted | -E | Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes | -EN |
Examples:
|
Comer |
To eat |
| yo como | I eat |
| tú comes | You eat |
| el, ella, usted come | he/she eats, you eat |
| nosotros comemos | we eat |
| vosotros coméis | y'all eat |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes comen | they, you all eat |
IR
| Yo | -O | Nosotros | -IMOS |
| Tú | -ES | Vosotros | -ÍS |
| El, Ella, Usted | -E | Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes | -EN |
Examples:
|
Vivir |
To live |
| yo vivo | I live |
| tú vives | You live |
| el, ella, usted vive | he/she lives, you live |
| nosotros vivimos | we live |
| vosotros vivís | y'all live |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes viven | they, you all live |