How to Conjugate Any Verb in Any Tense in Spanish

Co-authored by Language Academia and Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 Approved

There are 3 basic categories of regular verbs in Spanish. The infinitives of regular verbs in each category end with the same 2 letters: "-ar," "-er," and "-ir". To conjugate the verb, you simply remove those 2 letters and replace them with the appropriate ending. Regular verbs are all conjugated the same way.^{[1]
X
Research source} Start with regular verbs in the 5 tenses that make up the indicative mood, which is used to talk about facts in the past, present, or future.^{[2]
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Research source} If you learn the correct endings for each of the categories, you'll be able to conjugate hundreds of verbs in Spanish.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Regular -ar Verbs

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1
Start with the present tense. The present tense is perhaps the most used tense in Spanish, so it makes sense to learn it first. To conjugate an -ar verb, remove the -ar ending from the infinitive and replace it with -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, or -an, depending on the subject pronoun.^{[3]
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- Yo hablo: I speak.
- Tú hablas: You [informal] speak.
- Él/ella/usted habla: He/she/you [formal] speak.
- Nosotros hablamos: We speak.
- Vosotros habláis: You all [informal] speak.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes hablan: They/you all [formal] speak.
2
Describe actions that were completed in the past with the preterite tense. You can think of the Spanish preterite as similar to the English past tense. However, preterite tense is not used if the action described carries on into the present. To conjugate an -ar verb, replace the -ar with -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, or -aron, depending on the subject pronoun.^{[4]
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- Yo hablé: I spoke.
- Tú hablaste: You [informal] spoke.
- Él/ella/usted habló: He/she/you [formal] spoke.
- Nosotros hablamos: We spoke.
- Vosotros hablasteis: You all [informal] spoke.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaron: They/you all [formal] spoke.
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3
Switch to imperfect if the action continues into the present. Since the preterite tense only describes completed actions, if the action continues, you need to use the imperfect tense. The closest translation into English would be if you "were doing" something. Replace the -ar with -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais or -aban to create the conjugated form of your verb.^{[5]
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- Yo hablaba: I was speaking.
- Tú hablabas: You [informal] were speaking.
- Él/ella/usted hablaba: He/she was speaking; you [formal] were speaking.
- Nosotros hablábamos: We were speaking.
- Vosotros hablabais: You all [informal] were speaking.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaban: They/you all [formal] were speaking.
4
Use the conditional tense to discuss the possible. If an action depends on something else to occur, the conditional tense is appropriate. This tense is also used to make polite requests (like in English you might say "If you could..."). To conjugate regular -ar verbs, use the endings -ía, ías, ía, -íamos, íais, or -ían. However, you'll add these endings to the entire infinitive, rather than just the stem.^{[6]
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- Yo hablaría: I would speak [if].
- Tú hablarías: You [informal] would speak [if].
- Él/ella/usted hablaría: He/she/you [formal] would speak [if].
- Nosotros hablaríamos: We would speak [if].
- Vosotros hablaríais: You all [informal] would speak [if].
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes hablarían: They/you all [formal] would speak [if].
5
Express actions that will happen using the simple future tense. In English, the future tense uses the helper verb "will." In Spanish, a single word is used. For regular verbs, simply add -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, or -án to the end of the infinitive.^{[7]
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- Yo hablaré: I will speak.
- Tú hablarás: You [informal] will speak.
- Él/ella/usted hablará: He/she/you [formal] will speak.
- Nosotros hablaremos: We will speak.
- Vosotros hablaréis: You all [informal] will speak.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes hablarán: They/you all [formal] will speak.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Regular -er Verbs

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1
Talk about actions happening in the present. The present tense is used for anything that's currently happening. To conjugate an -er verb in the present tense, remove the -er ending from the infinitive and add -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, or -en, depending on the subject pronoun.^{[8]
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- Yo como: I eat.
- Tú comes: You [informal] eat.
- Él/ella/usted come: He/she eats; you [formal] eat.
- Nosotros comemos: We eat.
- Vosotros coméis: You all [informal] eat.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes comen: They/you all [formal] eat.
2
Use the preterite tense for completed past actions. If you want to talk about something that happened completely in the past, remove the -er ending from the infinitive of your verb and add the appropriate ending. Depending on your subject pronoun, your ending will be -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, or -ieron.^{[9]
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- Yo comí: I ate.
- Tú comiste: You [informal] ate.
- Él/ella/usted comió: He/she/you [formal] ate.
- Nosotros comimos: We ate.
- Vosotros comisteis: You [informal] ate.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes comieron: They/you [formal] ate.
3
Try the imperfect tense for habitual actions. If an action occurred in the past but continues into the present, the imperfect tense is more accurate than the preterite tense. This tense is also appropriate if you "were doing" something, but were interrupted. To conjugate -er verbs in this tense, replace the -er ending with -ía, ías, ía, -íamos, íais, or -ían.^{[10]
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- Yo comía: I was eating.
- Tú comías: You [informal] were eating.
- Él/ella/usted comía: He/she was eating; you [formal] were eating.
- Nosotros comíamos: We were eating.
- Vosotros comíais: You all [informal] were eating.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes comían: They/you all [formal] were eating.
4
Move to the conditional tense if the action depends on something else. If you want to talk about a hypothetical situation, or something that will only occur if something else takes place first, use the conditional tense. To conjugate -er verbs, you'll use the same endings that you used for the imperfect tense. However, you'll attach them to the end of the infinitive, rather than removing the -er ending.^{[11]
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- Yo comería: I would eat [if].
- Tú comerías: You [informal] would eat [if].
- Él/ella/usted comería: He/she/you [formal] would eat [if].
- Nosotros comeríamos: We would eat [if].
- Vosotros comeríais: You all [informal] would eat [if].
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes comerían: They/you all [formal] would eat [if].
5
Form the future tense by adding the appropriate ending. Like the conditional tense, verbs are conjugated in simple future tense by adding an ending directly onto the end of the infinitive. Depending on the subject pronoun, you'll add -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, or -án.^{[12]
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Research source}
- Yo comeré: I will eat.
- Tú comerás: You [informal] will eat.
- Él/ella/usted comerá: He/she/you [formal] will eat.
- Nosotros comerermos: We will eat.
- Vosotros comeréis: You all [informal] will eat.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes comerán: They/you all [formal] will eat.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Regular -ir Verbs

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1
Use the present tense to describe actions currently happening. Remove the -ir ending from the infinitive and replace it with the appropriate ending to talk about present actions. The -ir endings are -o, -es, -e, -imos, ís, and -en. For example:^{[13]
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- Yo abro: I open.
- Tú abres: You [informal] open.
- Él/ella/usted abre: He/she opens; you [formal] open.
- Nosotros abrimos: We open.
- Vosotros abrís: You all [informal] open.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes abren: They/you all [formal] open.
2
Switch to the preterite tense if the action happened in the past. When you're discussing an action that doesn't extend at all into the present, the preterite tense is appropriate. Depending on your subject pronoun, you will replace the -ir with -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, or -ieron.^{[14]
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Research source}
- Yo abrí: I opened.
- Tú abriste: You [informal] opened.
- Él/ella/usted abrió: He/she/you [formal] opened.
- Nosotros abrimos: We opened.
- Vosotros abristeis: You all [informal] opened.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes abrieron: They/you all [formal] opened.
3
Move to the imperfect tense if a past action continues to happen. When you're talking about something that happens habitually, or that was interrupted, conjugate your verb in the imperfect tense. For an -ir verb, this means replacing the -ir with -ía, ías, ía, -íamos, íais, or -ían.^{[15]
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- Yo abría: I was opening.
- Tú abrías: You [informal] were opening.
- Él/ella/usted abría: He/she was opening; you [formal] were opening.
- Nosotros abríamos: We were opening.
- Vosotros abríais: You all [informal] were opening.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes abrían: They/you all [formal] were opening.
4
Add the imperfect ending to the infinitive to express the conditional tense. In Spanish, the conditional tense is used to describe actions that might happen, or that are dependent on some other condition to happen. Regular -ir verbs are conjugated using the same endings as the imperfect tense, added to the end of the infinitive rather than the verb stem.^{[16]
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Research source}
- Yo abriría: I would open [if].
- Tú abrirías: You [informal] would open [if].
- Él/ella/usted abriría: He/she/you [formal] would open [if].
- Nosotros abriríamos: We would open [if].
- Vosotros abriríais: You all [informal] would open [if].
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes abrirían: They/you all [formal] would open [if].
5
Pick the future tense for talking about actions that will happen. Add an ending to the full infinitive to conjugate regular -ir verbs in future tense, just as you did with the conditional tense. Use the endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, and -án.^{[17]
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Research source}
- Yo abriré: I will open.
- Tú abrirás: You [informal] will open.
- Él/ella/usted abrirá: He/she/you [formal] will open.
- Nosotros abriremos: We will open.
- Vosotros abriréis: You all [informal] will open.
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes abrirán: They/you all [formal] will open.

Sample Conjugation Charts

Comer Conjugation Chart

Hablar Conjugation Chart

Ser Conjugation Chart

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How many ways can you conjugate a verb in Spanish?

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Expert Answer

In Spanish, there are more tenses than in English. Spanish has all the same time tenses (or very similar ones with slight changes) as those in English, but it also includes 2 extra tenses in the past.

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What does "yo piso ahora" and "el piso ayer" mean?

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Yo piso ahora: I step now. Él pisó ayer: He stepped yesterday.

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Why has el ella got "vosotros" under it? Is this a misprint?

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Vosotros is used by some Spanish-speakers to speak informally to or about more than one male and/or female.

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Like English, Spanish has a number of irregular verbs that don't follow the basic rules that apply to regular verbs. Learning how to conjugate regular verbs can make it easier for you to see patterns with irregular verbs.

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In Spanish, you typically don't include the subject pronoun before a verb. The subject pronoun can be inferred from the form of the verb used.

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