This document discusses the present tense conjugation of -ar verbs in Spanish. It provides the singular and plural forms for the yo, tú, él/ella, nosotros/as, vosotros/as, and ellos/ellas subjects. It also lists many common -ar verbs and their English translations. The document explains how to make sentences negative and omit subject pronouns in Spanish. Examples are provided to illustrate conjugating -ar verbs and using them in sentences.

1. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
ANTE TODO
 In order to talk about activities, you need to use verbs.
Verbs express actions or states of being.
 In English and Spanish, the infinitive is the base form
of the verb.
 In English, the infinitive is preceded by the word to:
to study, to be.
 The infinitive in Spanish is a one-word form and can
be recognized by its endings: –ar, –er, or –ir.

2. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Present tense of estudiar
estudiar (to study)
SINGULAR FORMS
yo estudio I study
tú estudias you study (fam.)
Ud. / él / ella estudia you (form.) / he / she studies

3. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Present tense of estudiar
estudiar (to study)
PLURAL FORMS
nosotros/as estudiamos we study
vosotros/as estudiáis you study (fam.)
Uds. / ellos / ellas estudian you (form.) / they study

4. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Conjugation of –ar verbs
 To create the forms of most regular verbs in Spanish,
you drop the infinitive endings (–ar, –er, –ir).
 You then add to the stem the endings that correspond
to the different subject pronouns.
INFINITIVE VERB STEM CONJUGATED FORM
estudiar → estudi- → yo estudio
bailar → bail- → tú bailas
trabajar → trabaj- → nosotros trabajamos

5. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Common –ar verbs
bailar to dance desayunar to have breakfast
buscar to look for descansar to rest
caminar to walk desear (+ inf.) to desire; to wish
cantar to sing dibujar to draw
cenar to have dinner enseñar to teach
comprar to buy escuchar to listen (to)
contestar to answer esperar (+ inf.) to wait (for); to hope
to converse, to
conversar chat estudiar to study

6. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Common –ar verbs
explicar to explain preguntar to ask (a question)
hablar to talk; to speak preparar to prepare
llegar to arrive regresar to return
llevar to carry terminar to end; to finish
mirar to look (at); to watch tomar to take; to drink
necesitar (+ inf.) to need trabajar to work
practicar to practice viajar to travel

7. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
¡ATENCIÓN!
 The Spanish verbs buscar, escuchar, esperar, and mirar
do not need to be followed by prepositions as they do in
English.
Busco la tarea. Escucho la música.
I’m looking for the homework. I’m listening to the music.
Espero el autobús. Miro la pizarra.
I’m waiting for the bus. I’m looking at the blackboard.

8. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Compare and contrast
 Compare the verbs in the English sentences to the verb in
the Spanish equivalent.
Paco trabaja en la cafetería.
1. Paco works in the cafeteria.
2. Paco is working in the cafeteria.
3. Paco does work in the cafeteria.
 English uses three sets of forms to talk about the present:
1) the simple present (Paco works),
2) the present progressive (Paco is working),
3) the emphatic present (Paco does work).
 In Spanish, the simple present can be used in all three
cases.

9. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Compare and contrast
 In both Spanish and English, the present tense is also
sometimes used to express future action.
Marina viaja a Madrid mañana.
1. Marina travels to Madrid tomorrow.
2. Marina will travel to Madrid tomorrow.
3. Marina is traveling to Madrid tomorrow.

10. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
 In Spanish, as in English, when two verbs are used
together with no change of subject, the second verb is
generally in the infinitive.
Deseo hablar con don Francisco.
I want to speak with Don Francisco.
Necesitamos comprar cuadernos.
We need to buy notebooks.

11. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
 To make a sentence negative in Spanish, the word no
is placed before the conjugated verb.
 In this case, no means not.
Ellos no miran la televisión.
They don’t watch television.
Alicia no desea bailar ahora.
Alicia doesn’t want to dance now.

12. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
 Spanish speakers often omit subject pronouns because the
verb endings indicate who the subject is.
 In Spanish, subject pronouns are used for emphasis,
clarification, or contrast.
Clarification / Contrast
—¿Qué enseñan ellos? —Ella enseña arte y él enseña física.
What do they teach? She teaches art, and he teaches physics.
Emphasis
—¿Quién desea trabajar hoy? —Yo no deseo trabajar hoy.
Who wants to work today? I don’t want to work today.

13. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
¡INTÉNTALO! Provide the present tense forms of these verbs.
(hablar)
1. Yo ____ español.
2. Ellos ____ español.
3. Inés ____ español.
4. Nosotras ____ español.
5. Tú ____ español.
6. Los estudiantes ____ español.
7. Usted ____ español.
8. Javier y yo ____ español.
1 of 3

14. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Answer Key
(hablar)
1. Yo hablo español.
2. Ellos hablan español.
3. Inés habla español.
4. Nosotras hablamos español.
5. Tú hablas español.
6. Los estudiantes hablan español.
7. Usted habla español.
8. Javier y yo hablamos español.
1 of 3

15. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
¡INTÉNTALO! Provide the present tense forms of these verbs.
(trabajar)
1. Ustedes ____ mucho.
2. Juanita y yo ____ mucho.
3. Nuestra profesora ____ mucho.
4. Tú ____ mucho.
5. Yo ____ mucho.
6. Las chicas ____ mucho.
7. Él ____ mucho.
8. Tú y Álex ____ mucho.
2 of 3

16. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Answer Key
(trabajar)
1. Ustedes trabajan mucho.
2. Juanita y yo trabajamos mucho.
3. Nuestra profesora trabaja mucho.
4. Tú trabajas mucho.
5. Yo trabajo mucho.
6. Las chicas trabajan mucho.
7. Él trabaja mucho.
8. Tú y Álex trabajan mucho.
2 of 3

17. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
¡INTÉNTALO! Provide the present tense forms of these verbs.
(desear)
1. Usted ___ viajar.
2. Yo ___ viajar.
3. Nosotros ___ viajar.
4. Lourdes y Luz ___ viajar.
5. Tú ___ viajar.
6. Ella ___ viajar.
7. Marco y yo ___ viajar.
8. Ustedes ___ viajar.
3 of 3

18. 2.1 Present tense of –ar verbs
Answer Key
(desear)
1. Usted desea viajar.
2. Yo deseo viajar.
3. Nosotros deseamos viajar.
4. Lourdes y Luz desean viajar.
5. Tú deseas viajar.
6. Ella desea viajar.
7. Marco y yo deseamos viajar.
8. Ustedes desean viajar.
3 of 3