Use Regular AR Verbs Across the Present Tense
Regular AR verbs share one dependable set of endings. Move beyond yo and tú to talk about what friends, families, and groups do in the present.
Learning objective
Conjugate regular AR verbs for all common present-tense subject forms.
A conjugated verb is a verb changed to match who performs the action and when it happens. For regular AR verbs in the present, remove ar from the dictionary form and add o, as, a, amos, áis, or an. Hablar therefore becomes hablo when the speaker says I speak.
A subject is the person or group doing the action. Hablas matches informal singular tú, while habla matches él, ella, or usted. Hablamos belongs with nosotros or nosotras. In most of Latin America, and often in mixed international settings, ustedes hablan supplies plural you; vosotros habláis is common informal usage in much of Spain.
English normally states a subject in every sentence, but Spanish verb endings often make it recoverable. Trabajo en casa can naturally mean I work at home. Add yo for contrast—Yo trabajo en casa, pero Ana trabaja en la oficina—not because every Spanish statement mechanically needs a pronoun.
Use the full pattern inside one realistic scene. Por la mañana preparo café, tú organizas las mochilas y los niños desayunan. Después, caminamos a la escuela. The linked account makes each ending carry a different participant, so the table becomes language for coordinating a household rather than an isolated chant.
Examples
Yo preparo la cena y tú lavas los platos.
I prepare dinner and you wash the dishes.
The expressed pronouns contrast two responsibilities; preparo and lavas match them.
María trabaja los martes, pero descansa los miércoles.
María works on Tuesdays, but she rests on Wednesdays.
Both third-person forms keep María as the understood subject.
Nosotras estudiamos juntas y practicamos después de clase.
We study together and practise after class.
The amos ending identifies the group in both connected actions.
¿Vosotros camináis al mercado o viajáis en autobús?
Do you all walk to the market or travel by bus?
Vosotros and áis are informal plural forms associated mainly with Spain; ustedes caminan or viajan is usual elsewhere.
Common mistake
- Instead of
- Mis amigos trabaja y yo trabajas con ellos.
- Try
- Mis amigos trabajan y yo trabajo con ellos.
The plural subject mis amigos requires trabajan, while the speaker requires trabajo. English verbs show fewer person changes, so transferring one form across both clauses loses useful Spanish information. Match each verb to its own subject, even when the actions appear in the same sentence.
Practice
Try it yourself
Complete this household plan with present forms of preparar, comprar, limpiar, and descansar: Ana ___ la lista, yo ___ la comida, nosotros ___ la cocina y después todos ___.