Regular Spanish -AR Verbs in the Present Tense
Regular Spanish -AR verbs in the present tense
Many common Spanish verbs end in -ar in the infinitive, the basic dictionary form. In this lesson, you will learn the regular present-tense pattern for these verbs so you can talk about what different people do now or regularly.
You already know several useful -AR verbs as complete phrases, including — to work, — to study, and hablar — to speak. Now you will learn how their endings change with the subject.
Finding the stem of a regular -AR verb
To conjugate a regular -AR verb in the present tense, remove -ar from the infinitive. The part that remains is the stem.
- hablar — to speak →
- — to work →
- — to study →
You then add a present-tense ending that matches the subject.
The regular -AR present-tense endings
| Subject | Ending | Hablar — to speak |
|---|---|---|
| — I | -o | — I speak |
| — you | -as | — you speak |
| / / — he / she / you | -a | — he / she speaks; you speak |
| / — we | -amos | — we speak |
| / — you | -áis | — you speak |
| / / — they / you | -an | — they speak; you speak |
The regular pattern is -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
Conjugating hablar
Start with hablar — to speak. Remove -ar to get the stem , then add the correct ending.
- — I speak Spanish.
- — You speak Spanish.
- — He speaks Spanish.
- — She speaks Spanish.
- — You speak Spanish.
- — We speak Spanish.
- — You speak Spanish.
- — They speak Spanish.
- — You speak Spanish.
The stem stays regular. The ending tells you who performs the action.
Conjugating trabajar
— to work follows exactly the same regular pattern.
- — I work.
- — You work.
- — He works.
- — She works.
- — We work.
- — You work.
- — They work.
You can add familiar time expressions to describe a routine.
- — I work in the morning.
- — You work in the afternoon.
- — We work every day.
- — They work in the morning.
Conjugating estudiar
— to study also follows the same pattern.
- — I study Spanish.
- — You study Spanish.
- — She studies Spanish.
- — We study Spanish.
- — You study Spanish.
- — They study Spanish.
Once you know the endings, you can use the same system with many regular -AR verbs.
Subject pronouns are often optional
Spanish can often omit the subject pronoun because the verb ending already gives important information about the subject.
- — I work.
- — I work.
- — We study.
- — We study.
Both versions are correct. Use the pronoun when you need emphasis or clarity, but do not repeat it automatically in every sentence.
Recognizing the subject from the verb ending
The ending can help you identify who performs the action even when the pronoun is absent.
- — I speak
- — you speak
- — he / she speaks; you speak
- — we speak
- — you speak
- — they speak; you speak
Context is especially important with and because those forms can correspond to more than one possible subject.
Making a regular -AR statement negative
To make a present-tense statement negative, place no directly before the conjugated verb.
- — I work.
- — I do not work.
- — He / She studies Spanish.
- — He / She does not study Spanish.
- — They speak Spanish.
- — They do not speak Spanish.
The verb ending does not change just because the sentence becomes negative.
Asking yes-or-no questions with regular -AR verbs
You can form simple yes-or-no questions without adding an English-style helping verb.
- — Do you work?
- — Do you study Spanish?
- — Does he / she speak Spanish? / Do you speak Spanish?
- — Do they / you work here?
Question intonation and punctuation signal the question.
Answering questions with the same verb
Use the verb form that matches the person answering.
Person A: — Do you work?
Person B: — Yes. I work.
Person A: — Do you study Spanish?
Person B: — Yes. I study Spanish.
Person A: — Do you speak Spanish?
Person B: — No. I do not speak Spanish.
Using regular -AR verbs to talk about routines
The present tense can describe activities that happen regularly.
- — I work every day.
- — I study Spanish in the afternoon.
- — We speak Spanish every day.
- — They work in the morning.
The time expression helps make the routine meaning clear.
Connecting regular -AR actions
You can combine familiar actions with y — and, — but, and porque — because.
- — I work and study.
- — I study Spanish and speak Spanish every day.
- — I work in the morning, but I study in the afternoon.
You will work more systematically with connectors in a later lesson. For now, use them only to combine simple familiar ideas.
Comparing the endings across three regular verbs
| Subject | Hablar | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trabajo | estudio | ||
| trabajas | estudias | ||
| / / | trabaja | estudia | |
| / | trabajamos | estudiamos | |
| / | trabajáis | estudiáis | |
| / / | trabajan | estudian |
The stem changes from verb to verb, but the regular -AR endings stay the same.
A short daily-routine exchange
Person A: — Do you work or study?
Person B: — I work and study.
Person A: — Do you study Spanish?
Person B: — Yes. I study Spanish and speak Spanish every day.
The verbs change according to who performs the action, but they all follow the same regular -AR pattern.
Using the regular pattern instead of memorizing isolated forms
When you meet a regular -AR verb, use this process:
- Start with the infinitive.
- Remove -ar.
- Identify the subject.
- Add the correct ending: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, or -an.
- Use the form inside a meaningful sentence.
For example, with — to work and — we, remove -ar to get , then add -amos. The result is trabajamos — we work.
From regular -AR verbs to listening for work and study
You can now conjugate regular Spanish -AR verbs in the present tense and use them in statements, negatives, questions, and short descriptions of routine activities. The next lesson is a listening lesson in which you will identify work and study information in short Spanish accounts.