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3.2: Los verbos regulares terminados en "-er" e "-ir"

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    Regular "-er" and "-ir" Ending Verbs

    In 2.2.0 we mentioned that in Spanish, the basic form of a verb, or the infinitive form, always ends in either "-ar", "-er", OR "-ir".

    In the examples below, all infinitive endings are highlighted in blue and bold.

    Examples of Verbs in the Infinitive Form
    Infinitive form

    bailar (to dance)

    estudiar (to study)

    comer (to eat)

    beber (to drink)

    escribir (to write)

    vivir (to live)

    As a review, to conjugate "-ar" ending verbs, remove the "-ar" ending and replace it with the following endings. In the charts below, the subject pronouns and their conjugation endings are highlighted in bold and blue:

    Conjugation of -ar Verbs
    Subject Pronoun (Singular) Conjugation of -ar (bailar) Subject Pronoun (Plural) Conjugation of -ar (bailar)
    Yo bailo Nosotros/Nosotras bailamos
    Tú bailas Vosotros/Vosotras bailáis
    Usted, Él/Ella baila Ustedes, Ellos/Ellas bailan

    Regular verbs ending in "-er", "-ir" will follow the same conjugation pattern as regular "-ar" ending verbs, but with the following new endings:

    Conjugation of -er Verbs
    Subject Pronoun (Singular) Conjugation of -er (comer) Subject Pronoun (Plural) Conjugation of -er (comer)
    Yo como Nosotros/Nosotras comemos
    Tú comes Vosotros/Vosotras coméis
    Usted, Él/Ella come Ustedes, Ellos/Ellas comen
    Conjugation of -ir Verbs
    Subject Pronoun (Singular) Conjugation of -ir (abrir) Subject Pronoun (Plural) Conjugation of -ir (abrir)
    Yo abro Nosotros/Nosotras abrimos
    Tú abres Vosotros/Vosotras abrís
    Usted, Él/Ella abre Ustedes, Ellos/Ellas abren

    ¡ATENCIÓN! The endings for "-er" and "-ir" are almost identical, except for the "nosotros, nosotras" and the "vosotros, vosotras" form.

    When two verbs are used together in a sentence with no change of subject pronoun or noun, the second verb is not conjugated (infinitive). In a negative sentence, place the "no" before the conjugated verb. Examples:

    Yo debo barrer el piso hoy. I must sweep the floor today.

    Yo no asisto a muchos conciertos. I do not attend many concerts.

    Common regular "-er", "-ir" verbs

    Common Regular -er and -ir Verbs
    -er verbs -ir verbs
    aprender (a) - to learn abrir - to open
    barrer - to sweep asistir (a) - to attend (a place/event)
    beber - to drink compartir - to share
    comer - to eat consumir - to consume
    comprender - to understand decidir - to decide
    correr - to run definir - to define
    creer - to believe (in) describir - to describe
    deber - should escribir - to write
    leer - to read insistir - to insist
    meter - to put in; to insert permitir - to allow
    prender - to catch; to turn on persistir - to persist
    romper - to break prohibir - to prohibit; to forbid
    temer - to fear; to dread recibir - to receive
    vender - to sell vivir - to live

    ¡ATENCIÓN!

    • Aprender: The "a" is required only when used with another verb in the infinitive:

    Aprendo el español BUT Aprendo "a" hablar el español.

    • Asistir: Is not to be confused with the verb 'to assist' (helping someone). The "a" is required in the sentence when used with a "noun of place or event". When "a" is used with the masculine singular definite article "el", "a + el" becomes "al":

    Asisto al partido de fútbol los domingos. Asistimos a la universidad.

    • Prohibir: Requires a written accent on the letter "i" for all the conjugations except the "nosotros, nosotras" and the "vosotros, vosotras" form: prohíbo, prohíbes, prohíbe, prohibimos, prohibís, prohíben. All conjugations that require an accent on letter "i" are noted in bold.

    This page titled 3.2: Los verbos regulares terminados en "-er" e "-ir" was last modified on Fri, 22 Aug 2025 03:02:56 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Sara Jacome-Thompson, Evergreen Valley College.