How to Conjugate Spanish "Ar" Verbs
Isolate the verb stem., Watch out for stem-changing verbs., Identify your subject., Form the conjugated verb.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Isolate the verb stem.
A Spanish infinitive is made up of two parts: the verb stem and the ending.
For verbs with an "ar" ending, you simply subtract those two letters and you are left with the verb stem.For example, habl is the verb stem of the infinitive hablar, the Spanish verb meaning "to speak." -
Step 2: Watch out for stem-changing verbs.
There are some verbs that change their stem when they are conjugated.
When you're working with
-ar verbs, this includes verbs such as cerrar, meaning "to close."The verbs in this group all change in the same way.
When conjugated, the e changes to ie.
For example, you would say "yo cierro la puerta" or "I close the door." There are another group of stem-changers in the
-ar category of verbs, where the o changes to ue when you conjugate the verb.
For example, when conjugating the verb contar (meaning "to count or to tell"), you would change the stem, such as "Yo cuento hasta diez" ("I count to ten").The stem doesn't change if your subject is nosotros (we) or vosotros (you all). , The ending you add to the verb stem depends on the subject pronoun you are using.
The subject pronoun identifies who is doing the action of the verb.
In Spanish, subject pronouns will be either singular or plural, and either masculine or feminine.In Spanish, there are a total nine subject pronouns.
The singular subject pronouns are "yo" ("I"), tú (informal or familiar "you"), él ("he"), ella ("she"), and usted (formal "you").
The Spanish plural subject pronouns are nosotros/nosotras (masculine/feminine "we"), vosotros/vosotras (masculine/feminine informal "you all" – used in Spain), ellos/ellas (masculine/feminine "they"), and ustedes (formal "you all" – the only form used in Latin America).
If you are talking about a mixed-gender group, you use the masculine form.
For example, if when you say "we" you mean a male and female couple, you would say "nosotros."
Once you've found the correct verb stem and identified the subject of the sentence, all you have to do to conjugate a regular verb ending in
-ar is find the correct verb ending that matches up with your subject pronoun for the tense you need to use.You'll use the same endings for all regular verbs, even if the verb stem changes.
Each verb ending changes depending on the subject pronoun.
Keep in mind that in Spanish, you typically just use the conjugated verb in speech or writing, without actually saying or writing the subject pronoun.
Your listener or reader will understand the subject pronoun because of the form of the verb you used. -
Step 3: Identify your subject.
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Step 4: Form the conjugated verb.
Detailed Guide
A Spanish infinitive is made up of two parts: the verb stem and the ending.
For verbs with an "ar" ending, you simply subtract those two letters and you are left with the verb stem.For example, habl is the verb stem of the infinitive hablar, the Spanish verb meaning "to speak."
There are some verbs that change their stem when they are conjugated.
When you're working with
-ar verbs, this includes verbs such as cerrar, meaning "to close."The verbs in this group all change in the same way.
When conjugated, the e changes to ie.
For example, you would say "yo cierro la puerta" or "I close the door." There are another group of stem-changers in the
-ar category of verbs, where the o changes to ue when you conjugate the verb.
For example, when conjugating the verb contar (meaning "to count or to tell"), you would change the stem, such as "Yo cuento hasta diez" ("I count to ten").The stem doesn't change if your subject is nosotros (we) or vosotros (you all). , The ending you add to the verb stem depends on the subject pronoun you are using.
The subject pronoun identifies who is doing the action of the verb.
In Spanish, subject pronouns will be either singular or plural, and either masculine or feminine.In Spanish, there are a total nine subject pronouns.
The singular subject pronouns are "yo" ("I"), tú (informal or familiar "you"), él ("he"), ella ("she"), and usted (formal "you").
The Spanish plural subject pronouns are nosotros/nosotras (masculine/feminine "we"), vosotros/vosotras (masculine/feminine informal "you all" – used in Spain), ellos/ellas (masculine/feminine "they"), and ustedes (formal "you all" – the only form used in Latin America).
If you are talking about a mixed-gender group, you use the masculine form.
For example, if when you say "we" you mean a male and female couple, you would say "nosotros."
Once you've found the correct verb stem and identified the subject of the sentence, all you have to do to conjugate a regular verb ending in
-ar is find the correct verb ending that matches up with your subject pronoun for the tense you need to use.You'll use the same endings for all regular verbs, even if the verb stem changes.
Each verb ending changes depending on the subject pronoun.
Keep in mind that in Spanish, you typically just use the conjugated verb in speech or writing, without actually saying or writing the subject pronoun.
Your listener or reader will understand the subject pronoun because of the form of the verb you used.
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