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2.4.0: Gramática

  • Page ID
    282532

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    The present Tense of –ar Verbs

    Infinitives and Conjugations

    Definition: Infinitive

    An infinitive verb does not have a conjugation. (E.g., to talk, to write) In Spanish, infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir.

    When you study verbs, you will need to know the difference between the infinitive form of the verb and the conjugated forms. In English, infinitives are verbs preceded by the word to. In Spanish, infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir.

    Modelo:

    • tomar (to drink, to take classes)
    • comer (to eat)
    • vivir (to live)

    These verbs are called infinitives because, like the concept of infinity, they are not bound by time. From the infinitive, we derive the conjugated forms of the verb. Of the three verb groups (-ar, -er, -ir), –ar verbs are the most numerous. To conjugate, drop the –ar from the infinitive. Next, add endings to the stem. The ending will depend on who is doing the action (remember the subject). Have a look at this example:

    Ayudar (to help)

    yo

    ayudo

    I help

    ayudas

    you (informal) help

    usted, Ud., él, ella

    ayuda

    you (formal) help, he/she helps

    nosotros(as)

    ayudamos

    we help

    vosotros(as)

    ayudáis

    y’all (informal: Spain) help

    ustedes, Uds., ellos/ellas

    ayudan

    y’all help, they help

     

    Usos del tiempo presente

    As in English, in Spanish we use the present tense to talk about what people do every day or in a general sense.

    Modelo:

    Bailey toma la clase de lingüística de la Dra. Moyna.

    English, the present tense in Spanish can be used to talk about actions that are happening right now or that will happen in the future. Compare the two languages:

    Modelo:

    • Amy y Eileen ayudan a Carolina. (Amy and Eileen are helping Carolina.)
    • Carolina trabaja mañana en la biblioteca. (Carolina will work in the library tomorrow.)

     

    Verbos en -ar en las actividades de la universidad

    bailar

    to dance

    buscar

    to look for

    caminar

    to walk

    cantar

    to sing

    comprar

    to buy

    contestar

    to answer

    desear

    to want

    dibujar

    to draw

    diseñar

    to design

    enseñar

    to teach

    entrar

    to enter

    esperar

    to hope; to wait for; to expect

    hablar

    to talk; to speak

    llamar

    to call; to phone

    mirar

    to watch, to look at

    necesitar

    to need

    pagar

    to pay for

    pasar tiempo

    to spend time with

    practicar

    to practice

    preguntar

    to ask a question

    reservar

    to reserve

    terminar

    to finish

    tocar

    to touch; to play an instrument

    usar

    to use

    viajar

    to travel

    visitar

    to visit

     

    Unas notas:

    As you can see in the examples above, in Spanish the meaning of the English word for is included in the verbs buscar (to look for), esperar (to wait for), and pagar (to pay for). Also, to is included in the verb escuchar (to listen to).

    ¡Ojo!

    As in English, when you use two Spanish verbs together with the same subject, the second verb is usually in the infinitive.

    This is common with the verbs desear, esperar, and necesitar. See the examples below:

    Modelo:

    • Carolina y Efraín desean estudiar en el edificio Académico.
    • Yo espero trabajar en la biblioteca.
    • Bailey necesita llamar a su familia.

    Remember that when you want to use a conjugated verb in the negative form, the word no is placed before the conjugated verb. It’s easy!

    Modelo:

    • Mi compañera de cuarto no habla español.
    • No, chicos, ustedes no necesitan comprar un libro de texto para la clase.
    • Carolina no baila en la discoteca.

    This page titled 2.4.0: Gramática is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by .

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