The 12 Most Frequent Spanish Verbs

Whereas Spanish is likely one of the simpler languages for English audio system to be taught, the subject of Spanish verbs and conjugation could be a difficult one. There are a variety of things to have in mind when conjugating verbs in Spanish—tense, reflexive verbs, common and irregular conjugations, and indicative versus subjunctive temper to call a couple of.  

That stated, the easiest way to grasp Spanish tenses is by taking a scaffolded method. On this submit, we’ll check out the most typical Spanish verbs at their most elementary stage: current tense conjugations of the 12 most typical Spanish verbs, based on the Royal Spanish Academy, or RAE. The mission of the RAE is to make sure the steadiness of the Spanish language in Spain. It’s vital to notice that no less than 21 similar academies exist within the Spanish-speaking world, which means the 12 most frequent verbs can drastically range from nation to nation.

Spanish conjugation fundamentals

Spanish verb conjugation is exclusive from English conjugation in that it’s significantly extra advanced and detailed. To start, it’s vital to know that a method that Spanish verbs will be categorized is by verb endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. To conjugate a verb in Spanish, you take away the ending from the infinitive kind and add the conjugated ending. Listed here are some examples utilizing three quite common Spanish verbs:

• hablar (to talk)
• comer (to eat)
• escribir (to write down)

Commonest Spanish verbs

The Actual Academia Española has launched a number of phrase frequency lists of the Spanish language. On this record of the 1,000 most common forms of words in Spanish, conjugations of the next verbs stand out. So as of frequency, they’re: ser, estar, haber, poder, tener, hacer, decir, deber, ir, ver, parecer and dar. 

Much like English, the conjugations of just about all of those most frequent verbs are irregular, which suggests they don’t all the time observe regular conjugation guidelines. To grasp irregular verbs, consider the distinction between the phrases “kick” and “throw.” If you conjugate kick into different tenses, like “kicks”, “kicked”, or “kicking”, the conjugations observe constant guidelines that apply to tons of different verbs. This makes it an everyday verb. If you conjugate “throw”, although, the previous tense model is “threw” as an alternative of “throwed.” It doesn’t observe these constant guidelines, which makes it an irregular verb.    

Ser

In a really normal sense, ser is used to explain the essence of somebody or one thing, traits, occupations, or relationships. For instance:

Soy physician. (“I am a physician.”)

Ser can also be used to explain possession and time. Listed here are some examples:

Estos juguetes son de mi hija. (“These toys are my daughter’s.”)

Hoy es lunes. (“It is Monday.”)

Estar

Estar is mostly used to explain the state by which somebody or one thing finds itself, similar to their emotions, location, or bodily situation. For example:

Estoy bien, gracias. (“I am effectively, thanks.”)

It additionally works with current participles — often known as gerunds — to kind the current progressive tense. Right here’s an instance:

Están saliendo del tren. (“They are leaving the prepare,”)

Haber

Used as an auxiliary verb that goes earlier than different verbs, haber is used within the excellent tenses. An English equal is “to have.” Right here’s an instance sentence: 

He comprado un teléfono nuevo. (“I have purchased a brand new cellphone.”) 

A particular type of this verb, hay, is used to precise “there’s” and “there are” in Spanish. For instance:

Hay café en la cocina. (“There’s espresso within the kitchen.”)

Poder

Poder is finest translated as “to have the ability to.” In English, an equal could be to say that one “can do one thing.” Right here’s an instance:

¿Puede repetir, por favor? (“Can you repeat that, please?”)  

Tener

To precise possession, use tener. Tener can also be used to precise obligation and age. Listed here are a couple of examples:

Tiene un gato. (“She has a cat.”)

Tienen que ir a trabajar. (“They have to go to work.”)

Tengo cuarenta años. (“I am forty years outdated.”)

Hacer

This verb is normally translated as “to do” or “to make,” but it surely’s very versatile. Whereas it actually is utilized in these circumstances, it will probably additionally specific the idea of time passing. Check out these examples:

Hago mis impuestos en marzo. (“I do my taxes in March.”)

Hace una hora que llegó. (“He arrived an hour in the past.”)

Decir

Decir means “to say” or “to inform.” Watch out to not confuse this with the verb hablar, which suggests “to speak.” You most frequently use decir while you speak about speaking info to a different particular person, not like hablar, which emphasizes the motion of talking.

¿Como se cube esto en español? (“How do you say this in Spanish?”)

Deber

Like tener, deber expresses obligation. However, within the case of deber, your obligation is stronger. It typically has an ethical part.  

Me debes por esto. (“You owe me for this.”)

Ir

Used to precise motion, ir mainly interprets into “to go.” Additionally it is used within the building “ir + a + infinitive” to provide a model of the long run tense in Spanish. In English, we use the phrase “going” in an analogous means. Right here’s an instance sentence:

Él te va a llamar más tarde. (“He’s going to name you later”)

Ver

Ver means “to see” in Spanish. It’s a passive motion, versus the extra energetic motion expressed with the verb mirar, which suggests “to look at” or “to look.” 

Veo un colibrí. (“I see a hummingbird.”)

Parecer

If you wish to say that one thing looks as if one thing else, you utilize the verb parecer. It’s typically used to precise the thought of feeling or considering that one thing is a sure means. For instance:

Pareces cansado hoy. (“You appear drained right this moment.”)

Dar

Dar is a straightforward one to recollect, because it means “to provide.” For instance:

Dan dinero a la caridad. (“They give cash to charity.”)

A quicker strategy to be taught Spanish verbs

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