Learn Spanish Lesson 4

Lesson 4: Regular Verbs and the Present Tense

Welcome to Lesson 4!

Now that you know the difference between ser and estar, it’s time to learn how to use regular verbs in the present tense.

The present tense is one of the most important parts of Spanish because it allows you to talk about your daily life, hobbies, work, and routines.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

• Conjugate regular verbs.
• Build complete sentences.
• Describe your daily routine.
• Ask simple questions about everyday activities.

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Learning objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Recognize the three verb groups.
• Conjugate regular verbs in the present tense.
• Build simple affirmative and negative sentences.
• Ask questions using regular verbs.

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Spanish infinitives

Spanish verbs end in one of three ways:

• -AR
• -ER
• -IR

Examples:

English	Spanish
To speak	Hablar
To work	Trabajar
To study	Estudiar
To eat	Comer
To learn	Aprender
To read	Leer
To live	Vivir
To write	Escribir
To open	Abrir

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Regular -AR verbs

Example: Hablar (To speak)

Subject	Conjugation
Yo	Hablo
Tú	Hablas
Él / Ella / Usted	Habla
Nosotros	Hablamos
Vosotros	Habláis
Ellos / Ustedes	Hablan

Examples:

• Hablo español.
• Tú hablas inglés.
• Nosotros hablamos mucho.

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Regular -ER verbs

Example: Comer (To eat)

Subject	Conjugation
Yo	Como
Tú	Comes
Él / Ella / Usted	Come
Nosotros	Comemos
Vosotros	Coméis
Ellos / Ustedes	Comen

Examples:

• Como arroz.
• Ella come pollo.
• Comemos juntos.

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Regular -IR verbs

Example: Vivir (To live)

Subject	Conjugation
Yo	Vivo
Tú	Vives
Él / Ella / Usted	Vive
Nosotros	Vivimos
Vosotros	Vivís
Ellos / Ustedes	Viven

Examples:

• Vivo en Bahréin.
• Ellos viven en Madrid.
• Vivimos cerca del aeropuerto.

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Sentence structure

Spanish sentence order is usually:

Subject + Verb + Object

Examples:

Yo estudio español.

I study Spanish.

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Ella trabaja en un hotel.

She works at a hotel.

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Nosotros comemos pizza.

We eat pizza.

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Making negative sentences

Simply place no before the verb.

Examples:

No hablo francés.

I do not speak French.

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No trabajo hoy.

I am not working today.

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No vivimos aquí.

We do not live here.

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Asking questions

Raise your voice when speaking, or use question marks in writing.

Examples:

¿Hablas español?

Do you speak Spanish?

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¿Trabajas aquí?

Do you work here?

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¿Comen juntos?

Do they eat together?

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Common regular verbs

English	Spanish
To speak	Hablar
To study	Estudiar
To work	Trabajar
To eat	Comer
To drink	Beber
To read	Leer
To write	Escribir
To live	Vivir
To learn	Aprender
To open	Abrir

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Everyday vocabulary

Places

English	Spanish
Office	Oficina
Home	Casa
School	Escuela
University	Universidad
Store	Tienda
Gym	Gimnasio

Daily activities

English	Spanish
Study	Estudiar
Work	Trabajar
Exercise	Hacer ejercicio
Eat	Comer
Drink	Beber
Sleep	Dormir*

Note: Dormir is an irregular verb and will be covered in a later lesson.

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Mini dialogue

English

A: Do you study Spanish?

B: Yes, I study every day.

A: Do you work?

B: Yes, I work in an office.

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Spanish

A: ¿Estudias español?

B: Sí, estudio todos los días.

A: ¿Trabajas?

B: Sí, trabajo en una oficina.

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Practice exercise

Translate the following into Spanish.

1. I speak English.
2. We study Spanish.
3. They eat rice.
4. She drinks water.
5. I do not work today.
6. Do you live in Spain?
7. We read books.

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Answers

1. Hablo inglés.
2. Estudiamos español.
3. Ellos comen arroz.
4. Ella bebe agua.
5. No trabajo hoy.
6. ¿Vives en España?
7. Leemos libros.

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Speaking challenge

Say these sentences aloud:

• Hablo español.
• Trabajo en una oficina.
• Estudio todos los días.
• Comemos juntos.
• Vivo en Bahréin.
• No hablo francés.

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Key takeaways

In this lesson, you learned:

• The three Spanish verb groups.
• How to conjugate regular verbs.
• How to build positive and negative sentences.
• How to ask simple questions.
• Common verbs used in daily conversations.

Continue to Lesson 5, where you’ll learn family, occupations, describing people, and possessive adjectives.