2.4.0: Gramática
The present Tense of –ar Verbs
Infinitives and Conjugations
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:
|
yo |
ayud o |
I help |
|---|---|---|
|
tú |
ayud as |
you (informal) help |
|
usted, Ud., él, ella |
ayud a |
you (formal) help, he/she helps |
|
nosotros(as) |
ayuda mos |
we help |
|
vosotros(as) |
ayud áis |
y’all (informal: Spain) help |
|
ustedes, Uds., ellos/ellas |
ayud an |
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 .)
|
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 ).
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.