Trabajo en una oficina. Mis amigos trabajan en casa.I work in an office. My friends work at home.
Verbs ending in -ar (hablar, trabajar, estudiar) are the biggest group of Spanish verbs, and regular ones share a single pattern. Once you know this pattern, you can use hundreds of verbs to talk about your habits, your routines and what's generally true.
Quick shortcut: a regular -ar verb loses -ar and takes -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. hablar → hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan (and hablás with vos).
How to build the present tense
Removing -ar from the infinitive leaves the stem (hablar → habl-), and the ending that matches the subject goes on it:
| Subject | Ending | hablar (to speak) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | hablo |
| tú | -as | hablas |
| vos | -ás | hablás |
| usted / él / ella | -a | habla |
| nosotros/as | -amos | hablamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | habláis |
| ustedes / ellos / ellas | -an | hablan |
A few things worth noticing:
- usted and él/ella share the same form (habla), and ustedes and ellos/ellas share theirs (hablan), the same pattern you saw with ser.
- Because each ending already shows who the subject is, Spanish usually leaves the pronoun out: Hablo español, not Yo hablo español, unless you want to contrast or emphasize. The subject pronouns lesson covers when the pronoun is needed.
- vos (hablás) and vosotros (habláis) are used in some regions and not others; the address forms lesson explains who uses which. The written accent on -ás and -áis marks the stressed last syllable.
What the present tense covers
The Spanish present tense handles three main jobs:
- Habits and routines: Trabajo de lunes a viernes. (I work Monday to Friday.) · Cocinamos juntos los domingos. (We cook together on Sundays.)
- General facts and abilities: Mi hermana canta muy bien. (My sister sings very well.) · Ella estudia medicina. (She studies medicine.)
- Things happening right now: Escucho música ahora. (I'm listening to music now.) A single Spanish form like hablo can translate both English "I speak" and "I am speaking." (There is also a construction for actions in progress, built with estar: estar + gerundio (present continuous).)
Some common -ar verbs
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | to speak, to talk | Hablo con mi madre. (I talk with my mother.) |
| trabajar | to work | Trabajas mucho. (You work a lot.) |
| estudiar | to study | Ella estudia inglés. (She studies English.) |
| cocinar | to cook | Cocino los sábados. (I cook on Saturdays.) |
| comprar | to buy | Compramos pan. (We buy bread.) |
| caminar | to walk | Caminan al parque. (They walk to the park.) |
| escuchar | to listen (to) | Escucho música. (I listen to music.) |
| necesitar | to need | Necesito ayuda. (I need help.) |
When an -ar verb doesn't follow the pattern
The pattern above works for regular -ar verbs, which is most of them. A few common ones behave differently: estar (estoy) and dar (doy) have their own yo forms, and some, like pensar (pienso) and contar (cuento), change a vowel in the stem in some forms. The stem-changing pattern is its own topic: Present tense: common stem-changing verbs.
Common mistakes
- ❌ Yo hablas español. → ✅ Yo hablo español. (the ending has to match the subject)
- ❌ Ella hablan inglés. → ✅ Ella habla inglés. (ella takes -a; -an goes with ellos/ellas and ustedes)
- ❌ Nosotros hablan español. → ✅ Nosotros hablamos español. (nosotros takes -amos)
- ❌ Yo hablar español. → ✅ Yo hablo español. (the infinitive isn't used as the main verb; drop -ar and add the ending)
- ❌ Vosotros hablais español. → ✅ Vosotros habláis español. (-áis keeps its written accent)
Quick check
Which form of the verb in parentheses completes each sentence?
- Yo ___ en una tienda. (trabajar)
- Tú ___ mucho. (estudiar)
- Ella ___ pan todos los días. (comprar)
- Nosotros ___ música. (escuchar)
- Ellos ___ por el parque. (caminar)
Show answers
- Yo trabajo en una tienda. 2. Tú estudias mucho. 3. Ella compra pan todos los días. 4. Nosotros escuchamos música. 5. Ellos caminan por el parque.
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Key takeaways
- Regular -ar verbs drop -ar and add -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an (and -ás with vos).
- usted and él/ella share one form; ustedes and ellos/ellas share another.
- The verb ending already shows the subject, so the pronoun is usually left out.
- The present tense covers habits and routines, general facts and abilities, and things happening now.
- estar and dar, and stem-changing verbs like pensar and contar, don't follow the regular pattern.