Spanish Conjugation

Conjugation in Spanish

One of the first things you’ll notice when learning Spanish is that verbs change their endings depending on who is doing the action and when the action takes place. This process is called conjugation.

Every verb in Spanish starts in its infinitive form (like hablar = to speak, comer = to eat, vivir = to live). To conjugate, you remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and replace it with the ending that matches:

The subject (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ellas/ustedes)
The tense (present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, etc.)
The mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative, etc.)

For example, the verb hablar (to speak) in the present tense becomes:

Yo hablo (I speak)
Tú hablas (You speak)
Él/Ella habla (He/She speaks)

Spanish conjugation may feel overwhelming at first, but once you understand the patterns, it becomes much easier to recognize and use them in real life.

Full Breakdown of Spanish Conjugation

Conjugation in Spanish may look intimidating at first, but once you understand the parts, it becomes a system you can follow. Here’s everything you need to know:

1. What Conjugation Means

In Spanish, verbs don’t stay in their “dictionary form” (called the infinitive, like hablar = to speak, comer = to eat, vivir = to live).

To use a verb in a sentence, you must conjugate it → change its ending to match who is doing the action (subject) and when the action happens (tense).

2. Infinitives: All Verbs End in -AR, -ER, or -IR

Every verb belongs to one of these three families:

-AR verbs → hablar (to speak), caminar (to walk)
-ER verbs → comer (to eat), beber (to drink)
-IR verbs → vivir (to live), escribir (to write)

The ending tells you which conjugation pattern the verb will follow.

3. The Verb Stem + Ending

When you conjugate, you break a verb into:

Stem → the base meaning of the verb (habl- from hablar, com- from comer)
Ending → the part that changes depending on subject and tense (-o, -as, -amos, etc.).

Formula: Stem + New Ending

Example with hablar (present tense):

Yo hablo → I speak
Tú hablas → You speak

4. Subjects in Spanish (Who Does the Action)

Spanish has six main subject pronouns:

Person Singular Plural

1st (I / we) Yo Nosotros / Nosotras

2nd (you)Tú / Usted (formal) Vosotros / Vosotras / Ustedes

3rd (he, she, they) Él / Ella Ellos / Ellas

Take Note: Spanish verbs already show who the subject is, so often the pronoun is dropped (Hablo instead of Yo hablo).

5. Regular vs. Irregular Verbs

Regular verbs follow predictable conjugation rules based on their ending.
Irregular verbs change in the stem, the ending, or both (ser, ir, tener, estar). These must be memorized separately.

6. Simple vs. Compound Tenses

Simple tenses → only need one verb (hablé = I spoke).
Compound tenses → need two verbs: an auxiliary (haber) + a past participle (he hablado = I have spoken).

7. Moods (How the Action Is Viewed)

Conjugations change not only by time but also by mood:

Indicative → facts, reality.
Subjunctive → wishes, doubts, emotions, possibilities.
Imperative → commands.

8. Steps to Conjugate Any Verb

Identify the infinitive (comer).
Remove the ending (-er) → stem = com-.
Choose the tense (present, past, future, etc.).
Match the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, etc.).
Add the correct ending.

Example: comer in present tense →

Yo como, tú comes, él come, nosotros comemos, ustedes comen, ellos comen.

Note for Learners: This is just an overview of the moving parts of conjugation. On separate pages, we’ll break down each tense, mood, and irregular pattern step by step so you can practice and master them without overwhelm.

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