LinguaThree families of verbs, and the biggest first
In the dictionary every Spanish verb ends in -ar, -er or -ir: hablar, comer, vivir. That ending names its family. Today is the biggest family, -ar. Take the ending off and you have the stem: habl-. Then add one ending per person, and the ending alone tells who is speaking: hablo is "I speak", hablas is "you speak".
| Pronoun | Form of hablar | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | I speak |
| tú | hablas | you speak (informal) |
| él / ella / usted | habla | he speaks / she speaks / you speak (formal) |
| nosotros / nosotras | hablamos | we speak |
| vosotros / vosotras | habláis | you all speak (Spain) |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablan | they speak / you all speak |
The ending is the subject
Because each ending points to one person, Spanish drops the pronoun: Trabajo en Madrid. Estudiamos español. You say yo, tú, ella only to contrast or to clear up a doubt, and the doubt is real in one place: habla serves him, her and the polite usted. Every -ar verb takes exactly these endings, so once you know hablar you know trabajar, estudiar, comprar and hundreds more.
| Pronoun | Ending | Forms of trabajar | Forms of estudiar |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | trabajo | estudio |
| tú | -as | trabajas | estudias |
| él / ella / usted | -a | trabaja | estudia |
| nosotros / nosotras | -amos | trabajamos | estudiamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -áis | trabajáis | estudiáis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -an | trabajan | estudian |
Saying no and asking a question
To deny, put no right before the verb and nothing else: No hablo francés. No trabajamos los domingos. A yes-no question is the same sentence with the voice rising at the end, written between ¿ and ?: ¿Hablas inglés? ¿Trabaja usted aquí? The pronoun, if you use one, usually goes after the verb. Answer with sí or no plus the verb: Sí, hablo un poco. No, no trabajo aquí. The double no is normal.
¿Estudias español? – Sí, estudio español y un poco de italiano.Do you study Spanish? – Yes, I study Spanish and a little Italian.
Ana no trabaja los sábados: canta y baila en un grupo.Ana does not work on Saturdays: she sings and dances in a group.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | to speak, to talk | Hablo español y un poco de inglés. I speak Spanish and a little English. |
| trabajar | to work | Trabajo en un banco. I work in a bank. |
| estudiar | to study | Estudiamos español los lunes. We study Spanish on Mondays. |
| comprar | to buy | Compro agua en el supermercado. I buy water at the supermarket. |
| escuchar | to listen (to) | Escucho la radio por la mañana. I listen to the radio in the morning. |
| cantar | to sing | Mi amigo canta muy bien. My friend sings very well. |
| bailar | to dance | ¿Bailas salsa? Do you dance salsa? |
| viajar | to travel | Viajamos a México en agosto. We travel to Mexico in August. |
| cocinar | to cook | Pedro cocina todos los días. Pedro cooks every day. |
| nadar | to swim | Los niños nadan en el mar. The children swim in the sea. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which form of hablar goes with nosotros?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.