Conjugation and the infinitive: how Spanish verbs work

Every Spanish verb in the game appears in its infinitive, the dictionary form that ends in -ar, -er, or -ir, like hablar, comer, and vivir. To use a verb in a sentence, you usually conjugate it, which means changing the ending to show who is acting and when. Knowing when to conjugate and when to leave the infinitive alone is one of the most useful skills in Spanish.

How conjugation works

Take the infinitive and remove the last two letters to find the stem. Then add an ending that matches the person. In the present tense:

• Hablar: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan
• Comer: como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen
• Vivir: vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven

The ending already tells you who is acting, so Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun: Hablo español is enough, with no need for yo. You add the pronoun for emphasis or clarity, such as Yo hablo español, pero ella habla francés.

When the infinitive stays as it is

1. After another verb. When two verbs appear together, the first is conjugated and the second stays in the infinitive: Quiero comer. Puedo ir. Necesito estudiar. Debo salir. Some pairs need a small word between them: Tengo que trabajar. Voy a viajar. Acabo de llegar. Empiezo a leer.

2. After prepositions. Spanish uses the infinitive where English uses “-ing”: antes de comer (before eating), después de salir (after leaving), sin hablar (without speaking), para aprender (in order to learn).

3. As a noun. The infinitive can be the subject of a sentence: Caminar es bueno. Aprender español es divertido. It is also common after gustar: Me gusta leer.

4. In instructions and signs. No fumar. Empujar. Tirar. This is a polite, impersonal way to give directions.

The near future with ir a

One of the simplest ways to talk about the future needs no new endings. Conjugate ir, add a, and then use the infinitive: Voy a estudiar. Vamos a comer. Ellos van a viajar. It works like “going to” in English.

A first look at past and future

The same stem-plus-ending idea works for other times. Here are regular -ar examples with hablar:

• Preterite (a completed action): hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron
• Imperfect (ongoing or habitual past): hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablabais, hablaban
• Future: hablaré, hablarás, hablará, hablaremos, hablaréis, hablarán

Notice that the future is special: you add the endings to the whole infinitive, not to the stem. For -er and -ir verbs the past endings change slightly: comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron and comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comíais, comían.

Irregular verbs to watch for

• Stem changers change a vowel in most forms: pensar → pienso, volver → vuelvo, pedir → pido. The nosotros and vosotros forms stay regular.
• Verbs with an irregular yo form: tener → tengo, hacer → hago, poner → pongo, salir → salgo, venir → vengo.
• Completely irregular verbs: ser, estar, ir, and saber need to be memorized. See ser vs. estar and saber vs. conocer.

Why learning the infinitive first works

When you meet a conjugated verb like hablamos, strip it back to the infinitive in your head (hablar) and you know which verb it is. Dictionaries, vocabulary lists, and the game all use the infinitive for the same reason: it is the one form that stays the same.

A practice idea

Pick five verb cards you have collected. For each one, write the yo, tú, and nosotros forms, then make one sentence with quiero plus the infinitive and one with voy a plus the infinitive. In ten minutes you will have practiced conjugation and the infinitive together.

Making conjugation stick

Conjugation looks like a lot to memorize, but you do not have to learn every form at once. Start with the yo, tú, and él/ella forms of the verbs you use most, then add nosotros and ellos. Practice each verb in a short sentence about your own life, such as Como en casa or Vivo cerca de aquí, because personal sentences are easier to remember than tables. When a verb behaves strangely, treat it as its own small lesson and come back to it a few days later.

Keep learning

Spanish verbs and infinitives · Gustar and encantar · Ser vs. estar · Full vocabulary list · All guides