Lesson 03 · 8 min read
20 Essential Spanish Verbs in the Present Tense
Verbs are the engine of every sentence. A small set of high-frequency verbs covers most everyday conversation, and Spanish present-tense conjugation follows three regular patterns based on the ending: -ar, -er, and -ir.
1. The most common verbs
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ser | to be (permanent) | Yo soy profesor. — I am a teacher. |
| estar | to be (temporary) | Estoy cansado. — I am tired. |
| tener | to have | Tengo dos hermanos. — I have two brothers. |
| hacer | to do / to make | ¿Qué haces? — What are you doing? |
| ir | to go | Voy al mercado. — I am going to the market. |
| querer | to want | Quiero un café. — I want a coffee. |
| poder | to be able to / can | ¿Puedes ayudarme? — Can you help me? |
| hablar | to speak | Hablo español. — I speak Spanish. |
| comer | to eat | Comemos a la una. — We eat at one. |
| vivir | to live | Vivo en Madrid. — I live in Madrid. |
2. Regular -ar endings (hablar, to speak)
Drop the -ar and add: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| yo hablo | I speak |
| tú hablas | you speak |
| él/ella habla | he/she speaks |
| nosotros hablamos | we speak |
| vosotros habláis | you all speak |
| ellos hablan | they speak |
3. Regular -er and -ir endings (comer, vivir)
-er and -ir verbs share endings except in the nosotros/vosotros forms: -o, -es, -e, -emos/-imos, -éis/-ís, -en.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| yo como / vivo | I eat / live |
| tú comes / vives | you eat / live |
| él come / vive | he eats / lives |
| nosotros comemos / vivimos | we eat / live |
| ellos comen / viven | they eat / live |