The present tense: -ar, -er, -ir
All regular verbs split into three groups by their infinitive ending. You strip the ending and attach your own — one per person. For example: “Hablo español” — I speak Spanish. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
All regular verbs split into three groups by their infinitive ending. You strip the ending and attach your own — one per person.
Good news for an English speaker: the ending already says who acts, so the pronoun usually drops. Hablo español is 'I speak Spanish' with no 'I' in sight — the -o on the verb does that work. English can't drop its subject because its verbs barely change (I speak, you speak, we speak); Spanish can.
Table
| hablar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | como | vivo |
| tú | hablas | comes | vives |
| él/ella | habla | come | vive |
| nosotros | hablamos | comemos | vivimos |
| ellos | hablan | comen | viven |
By example
- Hablo españolI speak Spanish
- Comemos en casaWe eat at home
- Viven en MadridThey live in Madrid
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The present tense: how does it work in Spanish?
All regular verbs split into three groups by their infinitive ending. You strip the ending and attach your own — one per person.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“Hablo español” — I speak Spanish. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.