🎯 Goal: Learn how to conjugate regular -AR verbs in the present tense and use them in everyday situations. Practice with reading, listening, and vocabulary. We’ll also briefly review tener with everyday expressions such as tener hambre, tener sed, tener frío, and tener años.
🎓 Introduction: Present Tense
The present tense in Spanish is used to describe actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths. When do we use the present tense:
1️⃣ To describe actions happening now:
- Estoy en casa. — I am at home.
- Comemos pizza. — We are eating pizza.
2️⃣ To talk about daily or habitual actions:
- Trabajo de lunes a viernes. — I work from Monday to Friday.
- Siempre estudio por la noche. — I always study at night.
3️⃣ To state general truths or facts:
- El sol sale por el este. — The sun rises in the east.
- España está en Europa. — Spain is in Europe.
4️⃣ To talk about the near future (especially with time expressions):
- Mañana vamos al cine. — Tomorrow we’re going to the cinema.
- Esta noche cenamos en casa. — Tonight we’re having dinner at home.
🧩 Examples of regular verbs in the present tense:
- hablar (to speak): yo hablo, tú hablas, él habla…
- comer (to eat): yo como, tú comes, él come…
- vivir (to live): yo vivo, tú vives, él vive…
📝 Once you learn the endings for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, you can use hundreds of verbs in the present tense!
🧠 Grammar Focus: -AR- Verb Pattern
Spanish verbs are categorized into three main groups based on their infinitive endings: -AR, -ER, and -IR. Each group follows specific conjugation patterns, making Spanish verb conjugation systematic and predictable once you learn the rules.
In Spanish, verbs are divided into 3 groups based on their infinitive endings:
- -AR verbs (e.g., hablar, trabajar)
- -ER verbs (e.g., comer, leer)
- -IR verbs (e.g., vivir, escribir)
Each group has its own set of endings in the present tense.
This lesson focuses on regular -AR verbs, which follow a predictable pattern. You remove the -ar and add the correct ending depending on the subject.
Let’s use hablar (to speak) as an example:
| Subject | Ending | Example (hablar) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | hablo |
| tú | -as | hablas |
| él / ella / usted | -a | habla |
| nosotros / nosotras | -amos | hablamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -áis | habláis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -an | hablan |
💡 This rule applies to most regular verbs ending in -AR, such as:
- trabajar (to work) → yo trabajo
- estudiar (to study) → nosotros estudiamos
- comprar (to buy) → ella compra
📝 Examples:
- Yo hablo español. – I speak Spanish.
- ¿Tú trabajas los fines de semana? – Do you work on weekends?
- Ellos estudian en casa. – They study at home.
👷♂️Trabajar (to work)
| Yo | trabajo |
| Tú | trabajas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | trabaja |
| Nosotros/as | trabajamos |
| Vosotros/as | trabajáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | trabajan |
🧑🎓Estudiar (to study)
| Yo | estudio |
| Tú | estudias |
| Él/Ella/Usted | estudia |
| Nosotros/as | estudiamos |
| Vosotros/as | estudiáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | estudian |
🎧Escuchar (to listen)
| Yo | escucho |
| Tú | escuchas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | escucha |
| Nosotros/as | escuchamos |
| Vosotros/as | escucháis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | escuchan |
🛒Comprar (to buy)
| Yo | compro |
| Tú | compras |
| Él/Ella/Usted | compra |
| Nosotros/as | compramos |
| Vosotros/as | compráis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | compran |
❓Preguntar (to ask)
| Yo | pregunto |
| Tú | preguntas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | pregunta |
| Nosotros/as | preguntamos |
| Vosotros/as | preguntáis |
| Ellos/Ustedes | preguntan |
Later in this course, we’ll also learn how -ER and -IR verbs work.
🧩 Practice Quiz: Choose the Correct Form
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb.
🔤 Vocabulary: 20 Verbs
Master these essential -AR verbs to build your Spanish foundation! Here are 20 key verbs with English translations:
| hablar | to speak |
| trabajar | to work |
| estudiar | to study |
| cocinar | to cook |
| bailar | to dance |
| caminar | to walk |
| escuchar | to listen |
| mirar | to look/watch |
| viajar | to travel |
| ayudar | to help |
| practicar | to practice |
| cantar | to sing |
| tomar | to take/drink |
| comprar | to buy |
| enseñar | to teach |
| desayunar | to have breakfast |
| cenar | to have dinner |
| llamar | to call |
| descansar | to rest |
| necesitar | to need |
| preguntar | to ask |
| entrar | to enter |
📝Examples:
| Hablo español con mis amigos. | I speak Spanish with my friends. |
| Trabajo en una oficina. | I work in an office. |
| Estudio en la universidad. | I study at the university. |
| Cocino pasta para la cena. | I cook pasta for dinner. |
| Bailo salsa los viernes. | I dance salsa on Fridays. |
| Camino al parque todos los días. | I walk to the park every day. |
| Escucho música clásica. | I listen to classical music. |
| Miro una película en casa. | I watch a movie at home. |
| Viajo a España en verano. | I travel to Spain in the summer. |
| Ayudo a mi amigo. | I help my friend. |
| Practico yoga por la mañana. | I practice yoga in the morning. |
| Canto en la ducha. | I sing in the shower. |
| Tomo café cada mañana. | I have coffee every morning. |
| Compro frutas en el mercado. | I buy fruits at the market. |
| Enseño inglés a los niños. | I teach English to children. |
| Desayuno pan con mermelada. | I have bread with jam for breakfast. |
| Ceno ensalada con pollo. | I have salad with chicken for dinner. |
| Llamo a mi madre los domingos. | I call my mother on Sundays. |
| Descanso después del trabajo. | I rest after work. |
| Necesito un libro nuevo. | I need a new book. |
| Pregunto la hora al profesor. | I ask the teacher for the time. |
| Entro en la clase a las nueve. | I enter the classroom at nine. |
↩️ Flashcard: Practice Vocabulary
Practice your vocabulary with these interactive flashcards. Review each word multiple times to help commit them to memory.
Read the Spanish phrase aloud and try to recall its English meaning. If stuck, flip the card to check. Repeat until mastered!
🧩 Vocabulary Quiz
Look at each image and select the correct word from the options below.
🧪 Practice Quiz: -AR Verbs + Tener
In this quiz, you’ll need to conjugate regular -AR verbs and the irregular verb TENER in the present tense. Let’s review what we’ve learned!
🎧 Listening + 6 questions
Listen to the short audio twice, then answer these 6 simple questions.
⬇️ Click to show transcript & translation
Hola, me llamo Ana. Trabajo en una escuela. Enseño inglés. Mis alumnos hablan mucho, pero yo escucho con paciencia. Después de las clases, estudio español y cocino la cena. Tengo mucha hambre por la noche.
Hello, my name is Ana. I work at a school, where I teach English. My students talk a lot, but I listen patiently. After class, I study Spanish and cook dinner. I’m always very hungry in the evening.
🧪 Quiz : Conjugate -AR Verbs
Practice makes perfect! In this quiz, we’ll focus on 15 different regular -AR verbs in the present tense. Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb.
Choose the correct form of the verb:
🔍 Fill in the Missing Word
Use the words from the box to complete the text.
🎧 Listening Quiz & Shadowing
Listen and complete the sentences by typing the missing words.
🗣️Shadowing: Repeat After the Audio
Listen and repeat each sentence with a pause. Practice pronunciation and rhythm.
⬇️ Click to show transcript & translation
Yo hablo con mis amigos. – I talk with my friends.
Tú trabajas en una oficina. – You work in an office.
Nosotros cocinamos juntos. – We cook together.
Ella estudia español todos los días. – She studies Spanish every day.
Ellos bailan muy bien. – They dance very well.
¿Tú necesitas ayuda? – Do you need help?
El niño canta una canción. – The boy sings a song.
Yo tengo 20 años. – I am 20 years old.
Mis padres descansan el domingo. – My parents rest on Sundays.
Hoy tengo hambre. – I’m hungry today.
🧩 Fill in the Blanks: Full Paragraph
Complete the following paragraph by choosing the correct verb.
📘 Reading: “A Busy Day“
Read the text below and answer the questions.
Texto:
Me llamo Pablo. Soy profesor. Trabajo en una escuela pequeña. Enseño matemáticas y hablo con muchos estudiantes. Después del trabajo, estudio francés y escucho música. También cocino y ceno con mi familia. Tengo treinta y cinco años y mucha energía.
⬇️ Click to show translation
My name is Pablo. I’m a teacher. I work at a small school, where I teach math and interact with many students. After work, I study French and listen to music. I also cook and have dinner with my family. I’m thirty-five years old and full of energy.
↩️ Flashcard: Review Vocabulary
Read the Spanish phrase aloud and try to recall its English meaning. If stuck, flip the card to check. Repeat until mastered!