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3.4: -IR verbs

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    415628

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    The present tense of -IR verbs.

    We group Spanish verbs by their last two letters. Verbs that end in -IR are the smallest group of Spanish verbs. The other two groups of verbs end in AR and ER.

    Spanish verbs change their endings to show who the subject of the verb is. This is called conjugating. We are going to learn to conjugate -IR verbs, which is very similar to conjugating ER verbs except we will use the letter I in place of the letter E in the endings for nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras.

    In order to conjugate, we are going to use the same format as the subject pronouns. This is because the endings of a Spanish verb change based on who is completing the action.

    The first step in conjugating, is to remove the last two letters, the AR. Without the AR, we are left with the stem of the verb. This is the part we will use to conjugate. We conjugate by adding an ending to the stem. The ending we add is based on who is completing the action. So, the conjugated forms of the AR verb comer are:

    escribir

    Yo escribo. Nosotros/Nosotras escribimos.

    Tú escribes. Vosotros/Vosotras escribís.

    Él/Ella/Usted escribe. Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes escriben.

    It is necessary to remember O, ES, E, EMOS, ÍS, and EN in order to conjugate. Some students find it helpful to clap while they repeat the endings. Practice saying: O, ES, E, EMOS, ÍS, EN.

    Now, write and say the conjugated forms of the verb vivir

    vivir

    Yo viv_____. Nosotros/Nosotras viv__________.

    Tú viv _____. Vosotros/Vosotras viv___________.

    Él/Ella/Usted beb ______. Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes viv___________.

    Now, write and say the conjugated forms of the verb recibir

    recibir

    Yo recib_____. Nosotros/Nosotras recib__________.

    Tú recib_____. Vosotros/Vosotras recib ___________.

    Él/Ella/Usted recib ______. Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes recib___________.

    Now, write and say the conjugated forms of an IR verb that you pick

    __________

    Yo _________. Nosotros/Nosotras ______________.

    Tú _________. Vosotros/Vosotras _______________.

    Él/Ella/Usted __________. Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes _______________.

    The present indicative can be translated in three ways.

    For example, Escribo. translates to

    1. I write.

    2. I do write.

    3. I am writing.

    Native Spanish speakers generally do not use the subject pronouns with the conjugated forms of yo, tú, nosotros/nosotras, vosotros/vosotras because the conjugation indicates who the subject is. Still, sometimes native speakers use the subject pronouns to give emphasis to the subject.

    Escribo mucho. means I write a lot. All of the words are of equal importance.

    Yo escribo mucho. means I write a lot but really emphasizes the subject.

    Since the conjugated forms of él, ella, usted, ellos, ellas, ustedes share a conjugated form, the subject pronoun is often included to clarify who is doing the action.

    The form of vosotros/vosotras is usually used in Spain.

    Frequently used -IR verbs

    abrir to open

    admitir to admit

    añadir to add

    asistir to attend

    compartir to share

    cumplir to fulfill

    debatir to debate

    decidir to decide

    definir to define

    dividir to divide

    escribir to write

    existir to exist

    interrumpir to interrupt

    ocurrir to occur

    permitir to permit

    recibir to receive

    sufrir to suffer

    vivir to live

    With practice, conjugating can become fun. So, let us practice conjugating regular IR verbs.

    Prácticas.

    A. Conjugate the verbs in the indicated forms.

    1. Yo (vivir) ___________________.

    2. Ella (escribir) ____________________.

    3. Ustedes (decidir) __________________.

    4. Tú (añadir) ___________________.

    5. Ellos (compartir) __________________.

    6. Usted (abrir) ___________________.

    7. Nosotros (interrumpir) __________________.

    8. Yo (asistir) __________________.

    9. Las chicas (debatir) ___________________.

    10. Tú (cumplir) ___________________.

    11. Mi amigo y yo (recibir) __________________.

    12. La clase (ocurrir) ____________________.

    13. Mis padres (permitir) ____________________.

    14. Ustedes no (sufrir) ____________________.

    15. Usted (dividir) ____________________.

    B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences in Spanish.

    1. ¿Dónde vives?

    2. ¿Recibes muchos textos de tus amigos?

    3. ¿Escribes muchos textos?

    4. ¿Interrumpes a tus profesores?

    5. ¿Asistes a todas tus clases?

    6. ¿Debates con tu familia?

    7. ¿Compartes los secretos de tus amigos?

    8. ¿Abres muchos regalos en tu cumpleaños?

    9. ¿Compartes tus libros con tus amigos?

    10. ¿Existen los extraterrestres?

    C. Translate the following sentences.

    1. She writes a lot of messages.

    2. We do live close.

    3. You (tú) debate well.

    4. I am fulfilling.

    5. They receive.

    6. You (usted) share.

    7. I write a lot.

    8. We attend class.

    9. They (ellas) divide.

    10. They (ellos) do permit.

    D. Use the verbs in the list above to write five of your own short sentences.

    1.

    2.

    3.

    4.

    5.

    E. The song Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony is a song about things the singer wants to do. Listen to the song. Then, write about things different things you want to do.

    1.

    2.

    3.

    F. Why do we conjugate verbs? How do we conjugate an -IR verb? Give three examples.


    This page titled 3.4: -IR verbs is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by .

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