A1Spanish · Grammar

Present: regular -AR verbs

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Lesson

Conjugating Regular -AR Verbs in the Present Tense (Presente)

¡Hola! 👋 Welcome to a lesson on one of the most important elements of Spanish grammar: conjugating regular verbs ending in -AR in the present tense (Presente de Indicativo). This is a fundamental skill you'll need to master to talk freely about daily activities!

In Spanish, regular verbs behave very predictably. Once you learn a few endings, you'll be able to conjugate hundreds of verbs! We'll focus on those infinitives that end in -AR, such as hablar (to speak), trabajar (to work), and estudiar (to study).

How to Conjugate -AR Verbs

It's simple! To conjugate a regular verb ending in -AR in the present tense, just remove the -AR ending from the infinitive, and then add the correct ending for each subject pronoun. Take a look at the formula:

Subject + Verb Stem (without -AR) + Ending

For example, let's take the verb hablar (to speak). The stem is habl-. Now, let's add the endings:

PronounEndingExample (hablar)
yo-oyo hablo
tú-astú hablas
él/ella/usted-aél/ella/usted habla
nosotros/nosotras-amosnosotros hablamos
vosotros/vosotras-áisvosotros habláis
ellos/ellas/ustedes-anellos/ellas/ustedes hablan
💡 Remember the endings! Just repeat them a few times: O, AS, A, AMOS, ÁIS, AN. This is your key to conjugating -AR verbs!

Examples in Context:

Yo estudio español cada día.

I study Spanish every day.

Ella trabaja en una oficina.

She works in an office.

Nosotros compramos comida en el mercado.

We buy food at the market.

🚨 Watch out for the subject! The verb ending must always match the person performing the action. If you're talking about yourself ("I"), use the -o ending. If it's "you" (singular informal), use -as, and so on. Remember that subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, nosotros, vosotros, ellos, ellas) are often omitted in Spanish because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is!
Yo hablo español.
Yo habla español.

For "yo" (I), we always use the ending -o, not -a.

  • The present tense describes actions happening now, as well as routine activities or facts (e.g., Yo vivo en España – I live in Spain).
  • Practise regularly! The more you conjugate and use these verbs, the sooner they'll become second nature to you. ¡Mucha suerte! (Good luck!)

Test yourself

20 questions. Answer them all, then check — you'll see what you got right and what to fix.

  1. 1

    Complete the sentence

    Él español por la noche.

    He studies Spanish in the evening.

  2. 2

    Complete the sentence

    Nosotros después del trabajo.

    We rest after work.

  3. 3

    Complete the sentence

    Tú a tu amigo por su éxito.

    You congratulate your friend on their success.

  4. 4

    Complete the sentence

    Vosotros a vuestros amigos a cenar.

    You are inviting your friends for dinner.

  5. 5

    Complete the sentence

    Tú el piano cada tarde.

    You practise the piano every afternoon.

  6. 6

    Complete the sentence

    Vosotros a vuestros abuelos.

    You visit your grandparents.

  7. 7

    Complete the sentence

    Tú la comida muy rica.

    You prepare very tasty food.

  8. 8

    Complete the sentence

    Yo mi cumpleaños en julio.

    I celebrate my birthday in July.

  9. 9

    Type the missing word

    Nosotros a nuestros amigos.

    We help our friends.

  10. 10

    Type the missing word

    Ella la cena para todos.

    She cooks dinner for everyone.

  11. 11

    Type the missing word

    Ellos la invitación a la fiesta.

    They accept the invitation to the party.

  12. 12

    Type the missing word

    Él la radio por la mañana.

    He listens to the radio in the morning.

  13. 13

    Type the missing word

    Tú café con leche.

    You drink coffee with milk.

  14. 14

    Type the missing word

    Nosotros temprano hoy.

    We are having dinner early today.

  15. 15

    Put the sentence together — some words are extra

    We present the project to the class.

  16. 16

    Put the sentence together — some words are extra

    You comment on the day's news.

  17. 17

    Put the sentence together — some words are extra

    I wish to learn more Spanish.

  18. 18

    Put the sentence together — some words are extra

    You ask a lot of questions in class.

  19. 19

    Build the missing word from the letters

    Nosotras tiempo en la biblioteca.

    We spend time in the library.

  20. 20

    Match each word to its meaning

Printable test

The full test as a PDF with an answer key — print it for yourself or for a class.

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