1. Find the verb group
Infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir. For the present and preterite, remove those two letters to find the stem: hablar → habl-, comer → com-, vivir → viv-.
Verb set
Choose a set22 verbs available
This set includes: hablar, trabajar, buscar, necesitar, comer, leer, vivir, escribir, and 14 more.
Indicative · compare by time
Select one or more tenses to compare.
| PersonPronoun | PresentPresent indicative | PastPreterite | FutureSimple future |
|---|---|---|---|
| yoyo | hablo | hablé | hablaré |
| tútú | hablas | hablaste | hablarás |
| él/ella/Ud.él / ella / usted | habla | habló | hablará |
| nos.nosotros | hablamos | hablamos | hablaremos |
| vos.vosotros | habláis | hablasteis | hablaréis |
| ellos/Uds.ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablan | hablaron | hablarán |
Learning guide
Essential conjugation rules
For hablar: its regular stem is habl-. All three tenses shown above follow the regular patterns in this guide.
2. Match the person
Endings follow this order: yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ustedes. Usted uses the él/ella form; ustedes uses the ellos/ellas form.
3. Keep the subject optional
The ending usually identifies the person, so Spanish often drops the pronoun: hablo already means “I speak.” Use the pronoun for clarity or emphasis.
| Regular tense | -AR endings | -ER endings | -IR endings | How to build it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PresentPresent indicative | o, as, a, amos, áis, an | o, es, e, emos, éis, en | o, es, e, imos, ís, en | stem + ending |
| PastPreterite | é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron | í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron | í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron | stem + ending |
| FutureSimple future | é, ás, á, emos, éis, án | same endings | same endings | whole infinitive + ending |
High-value irregular patterns
In the preterite, U-stems (tener → tuv-), I-stems (hacer → hic-), and J-stems (decir → dij-) use -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron without accents. J-stems use -eron in the last form: dijeron. Also remember hizo, not “hico.”
Stem and spelling changes
Present stem-changers usually change inside the “boot” forms but not nosotros/vosotros: pensar → pienso, pensamos. In the preterite, many -ir stem-changers change only él/ella and ellos forms. Spelling may protect pronunciation: buscar → busqué, llegar → llegué, empezar → empecé.
Future irregulars
Future irregular verbs keep the normal future endings but replace the infinitive with a special stem: tener → tendr-, poder → podr-, hacer → har-, decir → dir-.
Accents matter
Written accents distinguish forms and show stress. Common regular preterite forms include hablé, habló, comí, comió; future endings are -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án. Learn the accent as part of the ending.