How do you conjugate verbs in Spanish?

Identify the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir). Drop it. Add the appropriate ending for the subject and tense. Hablar → habl- → hablo (yo), hablas (tú), habla (él), hablamos (nosotros), habláis (vosotros), hablan (ellos).

What are the three Spanish verb types?

-ar verbs (hablar, comprar, estudiar), -er verbs (comer, beber, leer), and -ir verbs (vivir, escribir, abrir). Each type has its own conjugation pattern. -er and -ir share most endings.

What are stem-changing verbs?

Stem-changing verbs (or boot verbs) change their stem vowel in the present tense, except in nosotros and vosotros. Three patterns: e→ie (pensar → pienso), o→ue (poder → puedo), e→i (pedir → pido).

Which Spanish verbs are irregular?

The top irregulars: ser, ir, haber, tener, hacer, decir, poner, salir, venir, traer, ver, dar, saber, conocer, querer, poder. Plus stem-changers (pensar, poder, pedir, dormir, etc.). Memorize these first.

What's the fastest way to learn Spanish verb conjugation?

Master present-tense regulars for all three verb types first. Then add the top 15-20 irregulars. Then learn preterite and imperfect. Native exposure (Parrot's daily videos) cements correct forms by repetition rather than rote drilling.

Spanish grammar · Beginner

How to Conjugate Verbs in Spanish: The Complete Guide

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Spanish verbs end in -ar, -er, or -ir. Conjugation = drop the infinitive ending and add a new ending matching the subject (yo, tú, él, nosotros, vosotros, ellos) and tense. Six common patterns to learn: present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, subjunctive.

Yo hablo, tú hablas, él habla...

I speak, you speak, he speaks...

What it is

Spanish verbs end in -ar, -er, or -ir. Conjugation means dropping the infinitive ending and adding a new ending that matches the subject (yo, tú, él/ella, nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ellas) and the tense. Six common tenses cover most everyday Spanish: present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, and subjunctive. Plus three commonly irregular categories: stem-changers, yo-changers, and fully irregular verbs.

Hablar (to speak): drop -ar, add present endings → hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan. Same pattern with different endings for each tense.

How to spot it

Look at the infinitive ending. -ar verbs (hablar, comprar) use one set of endings. -er (comer, beber) and -ir (vivir, escribir) share most endings but differ in a few spots.

Hablar → hablo, hablas, habla. — To speak → I speak, you speak, he speaks.
Comer → como, comes, come. — To eat → I eat, you eat, he eats.
Vivir → vivo, vives, vive. — To live → I live, you live, he lives.

Once you know the 6 present-tense endings for each of the 3 verb types, you can conjugate hundreds of regular verbs. Memorize the 12-15 irregulars (ser, ir, haber, tener, hacer, decir, poner, ver, querer, poder, saber, conocer, dar, venir, salir) on top.

How to Conjugate Verbs in Spanish Quick Reference

Present tense endings, three verb types

Subject	-ar (hablar)	-er (comer)	-ir (vivir)
yo	-o (hablo)	-o (como)	-o (vivo)
tú	-as (hablas)	-es (comes)	-es (vives)
él/ella/Ud.	-a (habla)	-e (come)	-e (vive)
nosotros	-amos (hablamos)	-emos (comemos)	-imos (vivimos)
vosotros	-áis (habláis)	-éis (coméis)	-ís (vivís)
ellos/Uds.	-an (hablan)	-en (comen)	-en (viven)

Common How to Conjugate Verbs in Spanish Examples in Spanish

Regular verbs in each tense:

Present (Hablar)

Yo hablo español.: I speak Spanish.
Tú hablas inglés.: You speak English.
Ellos hablan francés.: They speak French.

-ar present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.

Preterite (Hablar)

Yo hablé ayer.: I spoke yesterday.
Tú hablaste.: You spoke.
Ellos hablaron.: They spoke.

-ar preterite endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron. -er / -ir share endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.

Imperfect (Hablar)

Yo hablaba mucho.: I used to talk a lot.
Tú hablabas con él.: You used to talk with him.

-ar imperfect: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. -er / -ir: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Only 3 irregulars: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).

Future (Hablar)

Hablaré mañana.: I'll speak tomorrow.
Hablarás con él.: You'll speak with him.

Future: full infinitive + -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án. Same endings for all 3 verb types. 12 irregular stems (tendr-, pondr-, etc.).

How to Conjugate Step-by-Step

Identify the Verb Type

Look at the infinitive ending: -ar (hablar), -er (comer), or -ir (vivir). Each type has its own conjugation endings.

hablar → -ar. comer → -er. vivir → -ir.

The last 2 letters determine which endings apply.

-er and -ir share most endings; they only diverge in nosotros and vosotros forms in present (comemos vs. vivimos).

Drop the Infinitive Ending

Remove the -ar, -er, or -ir. What's left is the STEM (habl-, com-, viv-).

hablar → habl-. comer → com-. vivir → viv-.

The stem is your base for adding new endings.

For regular verbs, the stem stays the same across tenses. For stem-changers, the stem vowel may change (poder → pued-, pedir → pid-).

Add the Tense Endings

Each tense has its own set of 6 endings (one per subject). Memorize the endings for each common tense.

Present yo: -o → hablo, como, vivo. Preterite yo: -é (ar) / -í (er, ir) → hablé, comí, viví.

Match the ending to the subject and tense.

Start with present tense, it's the foundation. Then add preterite and imperfect, then future and conditional.

Watch for Irregulars

Some verbs are irregular: stem-changers (e→ie, o→ue, e→i), yo-changers (tengo, hago, pongo), or fully irregular (ser, ir, haber). Memorize these one by one.

tener → tengo, tienes, tiene. ser → soy, eres, es. ir → voy, vas, va.

I have, you have, he has. I am, you are, he is. I go, you go, he goes.

Focus on the top 15-20 irregular verbs first, they cover most of everyday Spanish.

Common Mistakes with How to Conjugate Verbs in Spanish

Incorrect: Yo hablo / yo come / yo vivo, but yo tener instead of yo tengo. — I have. (wrong, tener has irregular yo)

Correct: Yo tengo. — I have.

Many high-frequency verbs have irregular yo forms: tengo, hago, pongo, salgo, vengo, traigo, digo, conozco. Don't apply the regular pattern.

Incorrect: Yo es feliz. (using ser wrong) — I'm happy.

Correct: Yo soy feliz. — I'm happy.

Ser is fully irregular: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son. Memorize as a unit. Same for ir (voy, vas, va) and haber (he, has, ha).

Incorrect: Nosotros comimos hoy. (preterite ≠ today) — We ate today.

Correct: Nosotros comimos hoy. or Hoy hemos comido. (Spain) — We ate today.

Subtle: in Spain, today's events take present perfect (hemos comido). In Latin America, preterite (comimos) is standard. Both correct within their dialects.

Stem-Changers and Irregular Verbs

Stem-Changers (Boot Verbs)

In the present tense, the stem vowel changes in all forms EXCEPT nosotros and vosotros. Three patterns: e→ie, o→ue, e→i. Called boot verbs because the affected forms make a boot shape on a chart.

Pensar (e→ie): pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan.: I think...
Poder (o→ue): puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden.: I can...
Pedir (e→i): pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden.: I ask for...

-ir stem-changers also change in preterite (3rd person) and gerundio: pidió, pidiendo; durmió, durmiendo.

Yo-Changers

Several verbs are regular except for an irregular yo form. Memorize them as a group.

tener → tengo. hacer → hago. poner → pongo. salir → salgo. venir → vengo. traer → traigo.: I have / do / put / leave / come / bring.
decir → digo. conocer → conozco. ver → veo. saber → sé.: I say / know / see / know (info).

The yo form's irregularity often carries over to present subjunctive (tenga, haga, ponga).

Fully Irregular Verbs

Five verbs are fully irregular and must be memorized: ser, ir, haber, dar, ver. They appear constantly in everyday Spanish.

ser: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son.: I am, you are, he is...
ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van.: I go, you go, he goes...
haber: he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han.: I have, you have, he has... (auxiliary)

Master these five and you've handled most of the truly irregular surface area in Spanish.

How to Conjugate Verbs in Spanish FAQs

How do you conjugate verbs in Spanish?: Identify the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir). Drop it. Add the appropriate ending for the subject and tense. Hablar → habl- → hablo (yo), hablas (tú), habla (él), hablamos (nosotros), habláis (vosotros), hablan (ellos).
What are the three Spanish verb types?: -ar verbs (hablar, comprar, estudiar), -er verbs (comer, beber, leer), and -ir verbs (vivir, escribir, abrir). Each type has its own conjugation pattern. -er and -ir share most endings.
What are stem-changing verbs?: Stem-changing verbs (or boot verbs) change their stem vowel in the present tense, except in nosotros and vosotros. Three patterns: e→ie (pensar → pienso), o→ue (poder → puedo), e→i (pedir → pido).
Which Spanish verbs are irregular?: The top irregulars: ser, ir, haber, tener, hacer, decir, poner, salir, venir, traer, ver, dar, saber, conocer, querer, poder. Plus stem-changers (pensar, poder, pedir, dormir, etc.). Memorize these first.
What's the fastest way to learn Spanish verb conjugation?: Master present-tense regulars for all three verb types first. Then add the top 15-20 irregulars. Then learn preterite and imperfect. Native exposure (Parrot's daily videos) cements correct forms by repetition rather than rote drilling.