Spanish Verb Conjugation may be one of the most challenging parts of learning this language. I don’t mean to scare any of you, but this is a belief that most learners share. The number of speakers, the culture that stands behind it, and the multiple opportunities this language unlocks make Spanish one of the best languages to learn of all times. According to the US Foreign Service Institute, it will take you about 24 weeks (575-600 hours) to achieve proficiency as an English-speaking person. Is it as simple as it seems to be?
Especially if you are studying this language on your own, the large number of different kinds of sources regarding Spanish verb conjugation can be terrifying. Where do I start, and where does this lead? That’s what you are asking right now, probably.
If you know how to handle the verbs, you know how to handle the language. Everything else is just Vocabulary.
Michel Thomas
The importance of verbs in your language learning process is undeniable, so we decided to put everything together and give you a proper introduction to Spanish verb conjugation. Fear no more, dear reader. We got your back! Here are five tips on how to make it most easily and effectively.
Spanish Verb Conjugation explained
#1 Know well the personal pronouns
Let’s start with introducing personal pronouns. To talk about Spanish verb conjugation, we should first know the personal pronouns. Unlike English, in Spanish, the verb changes its form following each personal pronoun.
- Yo — I
- Él — He
- Ella — She
- Tú — You (singular, informal)
- Usted — You (singular, formal)
- Nosotros — We (all-male or mixed group)
- Nosotras — We (all female)
- Vosotros — You (plural, informal, all-male or mixed group)
- Vosotras — You (plural, informal, all female)
- Ellos — They (all-male or mixed group)
- Ellas — They (all female)
- Ustedes — You (plural, formal)
Perhaps, as you have already understood, just looking at the verb, we can already tell what pronoun stays next to it. In other words, it is not necessary to include the personal pronoun always.
For instance, instead of saying “Yo soy Alexa”, I could only say “Soy Alexa” and be understood.
#2 Know the tenses
The three main tenses you should learn first in Spanish are:
- The Present (el presente).
- The past (also called the preterite, el pretérito).
- The future (el futuro).
An essential tense, just like in any other language, is the Present. Knowing how to handle this tense, including the forms for the most common irregular verbs, is enough for a complete beginner, as you will be able to express yourself and make sense. The present tense is used for actions that take place in the Present (obviously (:). At the same time, it describes activities that started earlier and have lasted until the Present and even future action (only with specific time designation). What a multifunctional tense!
How to conjugate verbs in the present tense?
First, you need the infinitive form of the verb. In Spanish, all verb infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir. Therefore, there are three different groups of verbs, and they follow different patterns. In order to demonstrate how you conjugate verbs from each group, we will take one verb from each group and, specifically:
tomar- to take
comer- to eat
vivir- to live
Secondly, you remove the verb’s termination -ar, -er, or -ir and substitute it according to the personal pronoun you want to refer to. In the table below, you can see how it exactly works .
How to conjugate verbs in the past tense?
The next tense that deserves your attention is the simple past. This tense is used when talking about actions completed in the past that do not influence the Present in any way or new actions that interrupt an already-occurring action in the past.
The Past tense is way easier to command, as the -er, or -ir verbs are conjugated in the same way.
How do you conjugate a verb in the future tense?
The future tense describes actions in the future or assumptions about activities in the future.
Guess what! Things are getting easier as we continue exploring the world of Spanish Verb Conjugation. In the case of the future tense, all regular verbs follow the same pattern.
#3 Know the most important irregular verbs
Some of the most used verbs in the Spanish language happen to be irregular. Let us introduce you to a few that you will be using a lot.
”Cuándo estoy con vos, soy felis” (When I am with you, I am happy”
”¡Yo puedo aprender Español!” (I can learn Spanish)
“Él tiene muchos amigos” (He has many friends”
“Nostros hacemos nuestra tarea” (We do our homework)
“Ella te quiere decir algo” (She wants to tell you something)
“¡Vamos a la playa!” (Lets go to the beach!)
”Yo veo más allá” (I can see beyond)
”Queremos viajar a Latinoamérica” (We want to travel to Latin America)
#4 Know the moods
Spanish verb conjugation has its surprises too! Additionally to the tenses, there are three different moods in the Spanish language. You don’t have to worry. Not yet, at least. In the first stages of language learning, only one mood is usually addressed- the indicative one. But having an overall idea about how the Verb system is structured from the very start is better than being surprised later.
So, there are three moods in Spanish verb conjugation : the indicative, the subjunctive, and the imperative. The moods tell us what the attitude of the speaker is.
More precisely, the indicative mood is used to express real and specific information. The subjunctive expresses hypothetical, vague, or unverified information. The imperative expresses a command or a request. Unlike the indicative and the subjunctive, the imperative does not exist in different tenses and only has positive and negative forms. Here are some examples.
Indicative Mood
Ella me ama y yo la amo. – She loves me and I love her.
Subjunctive Mood
No creo que ella me ame como yo la amo.- I don’t believe that she loves me like I love her.
Imperative Mood
¡Amame cómo yo te amo!- Love me as I love you!
#5 Make a plan, take it slowly, and Practice Practice Practice
Keeping track of your progress, having an overall idea about what else should be learned, and being disciplined helps you make sure that you are on your way to acquiring Spanish.
If the nails are weak, your house will collapse. If your verbs are weak and your syntax is rickety, your sentences will fall apart.
William Zinsser
In conclusion, in the first place, in order to command the Spanish verb conjugation you have to master the Present tense and learn by heart the most used irregular verbs. Combine those with the most common phrases and continue by constantly extending your Vocabulary.
Spanish verb conjugation is the right place to start, but! As we repeatedly have stated before, language is about communicating. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be functional. We do our best to structure the learning materials effectively, so you learn as you go and, at the same time, make it fun enough to keep you going. You can Join our weekly free live lessons and let our Native teachers- Julian, Javier, Nico and Alessia to introduce you to Spanish Grammar, Vocabulary and Culture.
