Present tense: regular -er and -ir verbs

What you’ll learn

• Conjugate common regular -er and -ir verbs.
• Distinguish the nosotros endings -emos and -imos.
• Combine a conjugated verb with a clear subject and useful detail.

Two related patterns

For comer, remove -er and add -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis or -en: como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen. For vivir, remove -ir and use -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís or -en: vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven. Notice how many forms the two patterns share.

The nosotros and vosotros endings show the main difference between the regular patterns. Practice them with a whole phrase: comemos en casa, vivimos cerca. Leer and aprender follow the regular -er present pattern, while escribir follows the -ir pattern. Other verbs in these classes are irregular; an infinitive ending alone does not guarantee a regular stem.

Build an everyday exchange

Add a place, time or object to make the verb useful. Leo gives an action; Leo una historia cada mañana gives a habit the listener can picture. In a question, the context and intonation help identify what you are asking: ¿Vives aquí? A short answer can repeat the conjugated verb: Sí, vivo aquí.

When translating, avoid copying an English auxiliary into Spanish. 'She writes' and 'she is writing' can both be expressed with escribe in suitable contexts, although Spanish also has a progressive construction. For this lesson, focus on routine statements and match every verb ending to its subject.

Useful vocabulary

comer

to eat

vivir

to live

escribir

to write

Common mistakes

• Nosotros uses comemos but vivimos; do not exchange -emos and -imos.
• Él/ella/usted uses -e in both regular patterns.
• An -er or -ir infinitive may still be irregular; check unfamiliar verbs.

Keep these ideas

• Most present endings are shared by regular -er and -ir verbs.
• Learn the nosotros forms as comemos and vivimos.
• Add a detail so your practice sentence communicates something.

Use it in your life

Describe where two sample-story characters live and what they read or write. Use both singular and plural subjects.

Read it in context

Look for this lesson’s ideas in a complete Spanish story. Read the passage first, then use its translations to check your understanding.