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Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 3

CEFR A1-A2

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Spanish -ar Verbs: Present Tense Conjugation Chart and List

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

A regular -ar verb drops the -ar and adds an ending that says who is acting:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one wrong verb form. Tap it.

  • . - I speak Spanish.
  • Ana . - Ana speaks English.

The regular -ar endings

The whole pattern on one screen. The highlighted ending is the part that changes.

the part that changesWhat do the colours mean?
PersonEndinghablar (to speak)
yo-o
-as
, , -a
-
-áis
, -an
Drop -ar, add the ending: hablo, I speak

Only the ending has a written accent: . and take the and forms:

  • ¿ ? - Do you speak English?
  • . - You (all) speak very well.

The ending already says who, so the pronoun is usually dropped. Add it for contrast or emphasis (subject pronouns has the detail):

  • . - I don't talk much.
  • , . - I don't talk much, but she talks a lot.

Every regular -ar verb copies hablar

Swap the stem and keep the endings:

Verbyonosotrosellos
(to look)
(to need)
(to pass, to spend)
(to leave)
(to call)
  • . - I need time.
  • . - We spend the day at home.
  • . - My parents call every day.

The two irregulars: estar and dar

Only two common -ar verbs are irregular in the present. Both take -oy in the yo form, like and . Everything else is close to regular.

Personestar (to be)dar (to give)
yo
, ,
,
  • . - I'm at home.
  • ¿ ? - Can you give me some water?

is stressed on its last syllable in , and , so they carry an accent, and has one like every form. It is compulsory: without it, is a different word, this.

  • . - This house is here.

Dar's form, , has no accent: it is one syllable. When to choose over is on ser vs estar.

Stem-changing -ar verbs

Some -ar verbs keep the regular endings but change the vowel in the stem when it is stressed. In the chart below, read the coloured forms: they make the shape of a boot.

e becomes ie: pienso, I think
SingularPlural
1st
2nd
3rd

Yo, , and change; and keep the vowel of the infinitive. The reason is stress: PIEN-so, but pen-SA-mos. The vowel only breaks when the voice lands on it.

  • ¿ ? - What do you think?
  • . - We think the same.

Three patterns

Personpensar (e > ie)encontrar (o > ue)jugar (u > ue)
yo
, ,
,
  • . - I can't find my book.
  • . - They play football on Saturdays.

is the only verb in Spanish that changes u to ue.

Which verbs change?

Nothing in the infinitive tells you: changes, does not. Learn each stem-changer with its yo form. The common ones:

VerbChangeyoEnglish
e > ieI think
e > ieI start
e > ieI close
o > ueI find
o > ueI remember
o > ueI count, I tell
o > ueit costs
u > ueI play
  • ¿ ? - How much does it cost?

Stem-changing verbs has the full list across all three classes.

Spelling: no change in the present

, and change their spelling before an e to keep their sound. No present-tense ending starts with an e, so the present is completely regular:

VerbPresent (yo)Preterite (yo)
  • . - I'm looking for my book.

A few -iar and -uar verbs do add a written accent in the boot forms, where the i or u is stressed: , I send (); , I carry on ().

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
Yo . .conjugate the verb
piensamos.. keeps the stem
Yo . .yo is
. .the accent is compulsory
. .the stem changes in yo
. .two people take -an

What to do next

  1. Say the endings aloud until they come without thinking: o, as, a, , áis, an.
  2. Learn every stem-changer with its yo form: , .
  3. Then -er verbs, which reuse most of this.

The 10 verbs in this curriculum

Curriculum
10 words
# Freq Word
18estarto be (state, location)
261pasarto pass, to happen, to spend (time)
362hablarto speak, to talk
463dejarto leave, to let, to allow
577necesitarto need
680mirarto look at, to watch
7100encontrarto find, to meet
8108gustarto like, to be pleasing
9182importarto matter, to be important, to import
10265significarto mean, to signify

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/6

Build the present-tense form from its pieces.

  1. yo + hablar

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. nosotros + mirar

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. vosotros + necesitar

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. tú + pensar

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  5. nosotros + encontrar

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  6. ella + jugar

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/8

Does the verb change its stem in the yo form (pienso), or stay regular (hablo)?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Each sentence has one wrong verb form. Tap it.

Complete the story

0/6

Choose the right form for each gap.

Ana's Saturday

Los sábados Ana no . Por la mañana al fútbol con sus amigas. Después a su madre. Su madre en casa y las dos mucho. ¿Y tú? ¿Qué hacer el sábado?

Gap 1 of 6

Fill in the blank

0/5

Type the present-tense form of the verb in brackets.

  1. Yo con el médico. (hablar) (yo: -o)

  2. Ellos por aquí todos los días. (pasar) (ellos: -an)

  3. Tú en casa. (estar) (estar, with its accent)

  4. Yo no mi libro. (encontrar) (o becomes ue)

  5. Nosotros en ti. (pensar) (nosotros keeps the e)

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The regular -ar endings
  3. Every regular -ar verb copies hablar
  4. The two irregulars: estar and dar
  5. Stem-changing -ar verbs
  6. Three patterns
  7. Which verbs change?
  8. Spelling: no change in the present
  9. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

What are the present tense endings for Spanish -ar verbs?
-o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Drop the -ar from the infinitive and add the ending for the person: gives , , , , , . The same six endings work for every regular -ar verb, so gives and gives .
How do you conjugate in the present tense?
, , , or , , , or . is the only form with a written accent. on its own means I speak: the ending says who, so the pronoun is usually left out.
Why is it and not ?
is one of the two common -ar verbs that are irregular in the present (the other is ). Its yo form ends in -oy, like , and : . , and also carry a written accent, which is compulsory: without it means this.
What is a stem-changing -ar verb?
A verb that keeps the regular endings but changes the vowel in its stem when that vowel is stressed: gives , gives , gives . The change happens in yo, , and , never in or : but . The four changed forms make the shape of a boot in the chart.
Do -ar verbs change their spelling in the present tense?
Not the -car and -gar verbs. , and are completely regular in the present: , , . Their spelling only shifts before an e, which happens in the preterite (, ) and the subjunctive, never in the present indicative. A few -iar and -uar verbs do add a written accent in the boot forms: gives , gives .