80 Essential Spanish Verbs for Beginners (With Conjugation Tables)

Key takeaways

• Spanish verbs are organized into three groups based on their infinitive ending: -ar, -er, and -ir. Each group has a predictable set of endings for every tense and person. Learning the pattern of one verb from each group gives you the template for hundreds of others.
• The single most useful first step is learning the present tense (el presente) completely for the 10 most essential verbs: ser, estar, ir, tener, hacer, poder, querer, saber, hablar, and comer. These verbs appear in nearly every Spanish conversation at every level.
• Spanish verb endings change based on who is doing the action: yo, tú, él/ella, nosotros, vosotros, and ellos/ustedes each get a different ending. Once you know the six endings for one regular -ar verb, you have the pattern for all regular -ar verbs.
• Negative sentences are formed by placing no immediately before the conjugated verb: no hablo, no tienes, no come. Questions can be formed simply by reversing the subject and verb order or by adding question marks in writing (¿…?).

For absolute beginners, Spanish verbs can feel like an overwhelming list of forms to memorize. The most effective path through this is to learn the patterns, not the individual forms. Spanish is highly systematic: the same six endings apply to every regular -ar verb, every regular -er verb, every regular -ir verb.

italki connects beginners with Spanish tutors who can walk you through these verb patterns in real conversation from your first lesson, making the conjugation system feel logical rather than arbitrary.

This guide covers the three verb group patterns with complete conjugation tables, the 10 most essential verbs with full present tense forms, the 80 most useful beginner verbs organized by group, and how to make negative sentences and questions.

Work with a Spanish language tutor to practice these verbs in real sentences and build the automatic recall needed for actual Spanish conversation.

How Spanish verb conjugation works for beginners

Every Spanish verb has two parts: the stem (the meaning) and the ending (the who and when).

Infinitive = stem + ending hablar – habl- (stem) + ar (ending) comer – com- (stem) + er (ending) vivir – viv- (stem) + ir (ending)

To conjugate in the present tense: remove the -ar/-er/-ir ending and add the ending that matches the subject.

There are six subject pronouns, each with its own ending:

Pronoun	English	Person
yo	I	1st singular
tú	you (informal)	2nd singular
él / ella / usted	he / she / formal you	3rd singular
nosotros	we	1st plural
vosotros	you all (Spain)	2nd plural
ellos / ellas / ustedes	they / you all	3rd plural

Regular -ar verbs: the most common pattern

-ar verbs are the largest group and the most regular. Once you learn hablar, the same endings apply to trabajar, caminar, escuchar, estudiar, comprar, and hundreds more.

Present tense endings for -ar verbs:

Subject	Ending
yo	-o
tú	-as
él/ella/usted	-a
nosotros	-amos
vosotros	-áis
ellos/ustedes	-an

Complete conjugation: hablar (to speak)

Subject	Conjugation	Meaning
yo	hablo	I speak
tú	hablas	you speak
él/ella/usted	habla	he/she speaks
nosotros	hablamos	we speak
vosotros	habláis	you all speak
ellos/ustedes	hablan	they speak

Complete conjugation: trabajar (to work)

Subject	Conjugation	Meaning
yo	trabajo	I work
tú	trabajas	you work
él/ella/usted	trabaja	he/she works
nosotros	trabajamos	we work
vosotros	trabajáis	you all work
ellos/ustedes	trabajan	they work

The stem changes (hablar – habl-, trabajar – trabaj-) but the endings are identical. This is the -ar pattern.

Regular -er verbs

Present tense endings for -er verbs:

Subject	Ending
yo	-o
tú	-es
él/ella/usted	-e
nosotros	-emos
vosotros	-éis
ellos/ustedes	-en

Complete conjugation: comer (to eat)

Subject	Conjugation	Meaning
yo	como	I eat
tú	comes	you eat
él/ella/usted	come	he/she eats
nosotros	comemos	we eat
vosotros	coméis	you all eat
ellos/ustedes	comen	they eat

Complete conjugation: beber (to drink)

Subject	Conjugation	Meaning
yo	bebo	I drink
tú	bebes	you drink
él/ella/usted	bebe	he/she drinks
nosotros	bebemos	we drink
vosotros	bebéis	you all drink
ellos/ustedes	beben	they drink

Key difference from -ar verbs: The tú form ends in -es (not -as), and the nosotros form ends in -emos (not -amos). The yo form ending (-o) is the same across all three groups.

Regular -ir verbs

Present tense endings for -ir verbs:

Subject	Ending
yo	-o
tú	-es
él/ella/usted	-e
nosotros	-imos
vosotros	-ís
ellos/ustedes	-en

Complete conjugation: vivir (to live)

Subject	Conjugation	Meaning
yo	vivo	I live
tú	vives	you live
él/ella/usted	vive	he/she lives
nosotros	vivimos	we live
vosotros	vivís	you all live
ellos/ustedes	viven	they live

Complete conjugation: escribir (to write)

Subject	Conjugation	Meaning
yo	escribo	I write
tú	escribes	you write
él/ella/usted	escribe	he/she writes
nosotros	escribimos	we write
vosotros	escribís	you all write
ellos/ustedes	escriben	they write

Pattern summary: -er and -ir verbs share the same endings for tú (es), él (e), and ellos (en). The difference is in nosotros: -emos for -er, -imos for -ir.

The 10 most essential Spanish verbs

These 10 verbs are partly or fully irregular, which is why they must be memorized separately. They appear in almost every Spanish sentence.

ser (to be, permanent): soy / eres / es / somos / sois / son

• Soy estudiante. (I am a student.)
• Él es de Argentina. (He is from Argentina.)

estar (to be, temporary / location): estoy / estás / está / estamos / estáis / están

• Estoy cansado. (I am tired.)
• ¿Dónde está el banco? (Where is the bank?)

ir (to go): voy / vas / va / vamos / vais / van

• Voy al supermercado. (I’m going to the supermarket.)
• Ir + a + infinitive = near future: voy a comer (I’m going to eat).

tener (to have): tengo / tienes / tiene / tenemos / tenéis / tienen

• Tengo 25 años. (I am 25 years old.)
• ¿Tienes hambre? (Are you hungry?)

hacer (to do / to make): hago / haces / hace / hacemos / hacéis / hacen

• ¿Qué haces? (What are you doing?)
• Hace frío hoy. (It is cold today.)

poder (can / to be able): puedo / puedes / puede / podemos / podéis / pueden

• No puedo venir. (I cannot come.)
• ¿Puedes ayudarme? (Can you help me?)

querer (to want / to love): quiero / quieres / quiere / queremos / queréis / quieren

• Quiero un café. (I want a coffee.)
• Te quiero. (I love you. / I want you.)

saber (to know facts/skills): sé / sabes / sabe / sabemos / sabéis / saben

• No sé la respuesta. (I don’t know the answer.)
• ¿Sabes hablar chino? (Do you know how to speak Chinese?)

hablar (to speak): hablo / hablas / habla / hablamos / habláis / hablan

• Hablo español. (I speak Spanish.)
• ¿Hablas inglés? (Do you speak English?)

comer (to eat): como / comes / come / comemos / coméis / comen

• Como a las dos. (I eat at two o’clock.)
• ¿Qué comes? (What are you eating?)

Making negative sentences

In Spanish, form a negative sentence by placing no directly before the conjugated verb. There is no auxiliary verb equivalent to English do/does not.

Structure: Subject + no + verb + rest of sentence

Positive	Negative
Hablo español.	No hablo español.
Tienes hambre.	No tienes hambre.
Ella come carne.	Ella no come carne.
Vamos al cine.	No vamos al cine.
Pueden venir.	No pueden venir.

No is always placed immediately before the conjugated verb, even when the sentence has an object or other elements.

Incorrect: No yo hablo. Correct: Yo no hablo. / No hablo.

Making questions

Spanish forms questions in several ways, all simpler than English (which requires do/does/did auxiliaries).

Method 1: Rising intonation (spoken Spanish) Simply say the statement with a rising intonation at the end.

• Hablas español. (You speak Spanish.) – ¿Hablas español? (Do you speak Spanish?)

Method 2: Invert subject and verb (written and formal spoken)

• Tú hablas español. – ¿Hablas tú español?

Method 3: Use a question word (most common for information questions)

Question word	Spanish	Example
What	Qué	¿Qué comes? (What do you eat?)
Where	Dónde	¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?)
When	Cuándo	¿Cuándo comes? (When do you eat?)
How	Cómo	¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
Who	Quién	¿Quién habla? (Who is speaking?)
Why	Por qué	¿Por qué estudias español? (Why are you studying Spanish?)
How much/many	Cuánto/a/os/as	¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)

In writing, Spanish questions require both an opening ¿ and a closing ?. The opening ¿ goes at the start of the question portion, not necessarily at the very beginning of the sentence.

80 essential beginner verbs by group

-ar verbs (35 verbs)

Verb	Meaning	Example
hablar	to speak	Hablo español.
trabajar	to work	Trabajo en una oficina.
estudiar	to study	Estudio cada día.
caminar	to walk	Camino al trabajo.
comprar	to buy	Compro frutas.
escuchar	to listen	Escucho música.
mirar	to look / to watch	Miro la televisión.
cocinar	to cook	Cocino bien.
limpiar	to clean	Limpio la casa.
descansar	to rest	Descanso los domingos.
viajar	to travel	Viajo mucho.
ayudar	to help	¿Me ayudas?
buscar	to look for	Busco mis llaves.
llamar	to call	Te llamo luego.
tomar	to take / to drink	Tomo café.
necesitar	to need	Necesito ayuda.
esperar	to wait / to hope	Espero el autobús.
preguntar	to ask	Pregunta al profesor.
explicar	to explain	Explica la lección.
pagar	to pay	¿Quién paga?
ganar	to win / to earn	Gana bien.
invitar	to invite	Te invito.
visitar	to visit	Visito a mis padres.
terminar	to finish	Termino a las cinco.
empezar	to begin	Empiezo el curso.
olvidar	to forget	Olvidé el libro.
recordar	to remember	Recuerdo tu nombre.
cambiar	to change	Cambio de idea.
llevar	to carry / to wear	Llevo una chaqueta.
dejar	to leave / to let	Deja el libro aquí.
entrar	to enter	Entro a las nueve.
caminar	to walk	Camino por el parque.
gritar	to shout	No grites.
pensar	to think	Pienso que sí.
cerrar	to close	Cierra la puerta.

-er verbs (20 verbs)

Verb	Meaning	Example
comer	to eat	Como a las dos.
beber	to drink	Bebo agua.
leer	to read	Leo mucho.
ver	to see / to watch	Veo una película.
correr	to run	Corro cada mañana.
vender	to sell	Vende frutas.
aprender	to learn	Aprendo español.
comprender	to understand	Comprendo la lección.
responder	to respond	Responde al mensaje.
saber	to know (facts)	Sé la respuesta.
poder	can	Puedo venir.
querer	to want	Quiero café.
tener	to have	Tengo hambre.
hacer	to do	Hago ejercicio.
conocer	to know (people)	Conozco Madrid.
volver	to return	Vuelvo a las seis.
coger	to take / to catch	Cojo el tren.
parecer	to seem	Parece difícil.
perder	to lose	Pierdo las llaves siempre.
depender	to depend	Depende del tiempo.

-ir verbs (25 verbs)

Verb	Meaning	Example
vivir	to live	Vivo en Madrid.
escribir	to write	Escribo un correo.
abrir	to open	Abre la ventana.
recibir	to receive	Recibo muchos emails.
subir	to go up / to upload	Subo las escaleras.
salir	to go out / to leave	Salgo a las ocho.
ir	to go	Voy al trabajo.
venir	to come	Vengo mañana.
decir	to say / to tell	Digo la verdad.
pedir	to ask for / to order	Pido un café.
seguir	to follow / to continue	Sigo el camino.
dormir	to sleep	Duermo ocho horas.
sentir	to feel	Me siento bien.
preferir	to prefer	Prefiero el té.
repetir	to repeat	Repite, por favor.
servir	to serve	¿En qué puedo servirle?
permitir	to permit	No se permite.
existir	to exist	Existe una solución.
descubrir	to discover	Descubro algo nuevo.
discutir	to argue / to discuss	No discutas.
añadir	to add	Añade más sal.
cubrir	to cover	Cubre la olla.
definir	to define	Define la palabra.
sufrir	to suffer	No sufras.
construir	to build	Construyen casas.

The first 20 verbs to learn

If you are at the very beginning, start here. These 20 verbs cover the most essential situations in beginner Spanish.

Verb	Why it matters
ser	Introduce yourself, state your nationality and profession
estar	Describe how you feel, give locations
tener	Express possession, state your age (tener + años)
ir	Express where you are going; also used for near future with ir + a
hacer	Discuss activities and weather
poder	Express ability and ask for permission
querer	Express desires and wants
saber	Express knowledge and skills
hablar	Talk about languages and communication
comer	Talk about food
beber	Talk about drinks
vivir	Talk about where you live
llamarse	Say your name (me llamo…)
necesitar	Express needs
gustar	Express likes (me gusta…)
entender	Express whether you understand
venir	Talk about arrivals and coming
salir	Talk about going out and leaving
tomar	Order food/drink or take transport
escribir	Talk about writing and communication

Practice tips for beginners

Drill one verb family at a time. Learn all six forms of hablar before moving to trabajar. Once the pattern is automatic, new -ar verbs take minutes, not hours, to learn.

Practice with subject pronouns first. Say yo hablo, tú hablas, él habla with the pronoun until the ending-pronoun pair is automatic. Then drop the pronoun: hablo, hablas, habla. Spanish speakers usually omit the subject pronoun because the ending conveys it.

Make real sentences immediately. Yo trabajo is a form. Trabajo en una escuela de idiomas is a sentence you might actually use. The meaning makes the form stick.

Use ir + a + infinitive for future. Instead of learning the future tense immediately, use voy a comer (I’m going to eat), voy a estudiar (I’m going to study). This is natural, widely used, and uses verbs you already know.

For a comprehensive guide to 80 essential Spanish verbs organized by category (communication, movement, daily life, thinking), including usage examples and notes on irregular conjugations across tenses, see the guide to essential Spanish verbs. For the stem-changing pattern (querer – quiero, poder – puedo, pedir – pido), the guide to stem-changing verbs in Spanish covers all three change types with full tables.

Practice with a tutor

Seeing verb conjugation tables is the first step. Using verbs correctly in live conversation, when you cannot pause to think, is the second and more important step. A Spanish tutor can give you prompts that require specific verbs, correct errors as they happen, and help you develop the fluency that only comes from live practice.

italki’s 30,000+ expert tutors include native Spanish speakers who specialize in working with beginners. Trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, the platform lets you find a tutor who can tailor verb practice to your exact level and pace. Book a trial lesson and start using Spanish verbs in real conversation from your very first session.

FAQ

How many verbs do I need to know to have basic conversations in Spanish?

Around 50 to 100 verbs are enough for basic survival conversations. The key is to know those verbs well across the present tense (and eventually the past) rather than having a vague recognition of hundreds of verbs you cannot produce. The 20 priority verbs in this guide cover the situations a beginner encounters most often.

What is the hardest part of Spanish verbs for beginners?

Most beginners find the irregular verbs the most challenging, particularly ser vs estar (both meaning to be but used in different contexts), and irregular yo forms (tengo, hago, voy, soy). The three verb group patterns themselves are regular and become automatic with practice.

Do I need to learn vosotros conjugations?

If you are learning Spanish for Latin America, vosotros is not commonly used, and you only need to learn five forms instead of six (yo, tú, él/ella, nosotros, ellos/ustedes). If you are learning for Spain, vosotros is common. Most beginners can start without it and add it once the other five forms are solid.

What is the difference between saber and conocer?

Both translate to to know in English but cover different types of knowing. Saber is for knowing facts, information, and skills: sé su nombre (I know his name), saber nadar (to know how to swim). Conocer is for being acquainted with or familiar with a person, place, or thing: conozco a María (I know María), conocer Madrid (to know / be familiar with Madrid).

What is the best way to memorize Spanish verb conjugations?

The most effective method for beginners is to learn each conjugation inside a complete sentence: Hablo español rather than just hablo. The sentence gives meaning and context, which makes the form much easier to recall. Practice the same sentence aloud multiple times, then vary one element at a time: Hablas español, Hablamos español, Hablan español. This builds the full paradigm through meaningful repetition.