A1
-ar verbs in the present
How regular Spanish -ar verbs conjugate in the present, and why the endings make subject pronouns unnecessary.
Most Spanish verbs end in -ar. Drop it and add the endings.
| hablo | I speak |
| hablas | you speak |
| habla | he / she speaks |
| hablamos | we speak |
| habláis | you speak (Spain) |
| hablan | they speak |
Hablo un poco de español.
I-speak a little of Spanish
I speak a little Spanish.
Every ending is different, and every one is heard
This is why the pronoun is dropped. Hablo can only be I; hablas can only be you. Compare French, where four of the six forms sound identical and the pronoun has to carry the information.
One present, three English ones
Hablo covers I speak, I am speaking and I do speak.
Estoy hablar español.
Hablo español.
Spanish has a progressive — estoy hablando — but it is for something happening at this moment, and it needs -ando, never the infinitive. For a general fact the plain present is right.
Spelling changes before e and i
A few stems adjust so the sound stays the same: buscar → busqué, llegar → llegué, empezar → empecé. These show up in the past rather than the present, but the habit is the same one behind lápiz → lápices.
The verbs you will use most
Hablar, trabajar, estudiar, escuchar, comprar, llegar, tomar, necesitar, buscar, esperar. All regular, all following the table above.
Trabajamos en Madrid.
we-work in Madrid
We work in Madrid.