Spanish Present Tense Conjugation

Steps

1. Identify whether your verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir, as each type has different endings.
2. Remove the infinitive ending to find the verb stem (for example, 'hablar' becomes 'habl-').
3. Add the appropriate present tense ending based on the subject: for -ar verbs use -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an; for -er verbs use -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en; for -ir verbs use -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en.
4. Match the ending to your subject pronoun (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros/as, vosotros/as, ellos/ellas/ustedes).
5. Watch out for irregular verbs like ser, estar, and tener, which don't follow these standard patterns and must be memorized separately.

Worked example

Let's conjugate 'hablar' (to speak), an -ar verb. The stem is 'habl-'. Add the -ar endings: yo hablo (I speak), tú hablas (you speak), él/ella habla (he/she speaks), nosotros hablamos (we speak), vosotros habláis (you all speak), ellos hablan (they speak). For 'comer' (to eat), an -er verb: yo como, tú comes, él come, nosotros comemos, vosotros coméis, ellos comen.

Remember

Regular Spanish verbs follow predictable patterns based on their -ar, -er, or -ir endings, making conjugation systematic once you memorize the six endings for each type.