Embarking on the journey to learn a new language opens up a world of opportunities, cultural insights, and personal growth. Spanish, with its rich history, widespread use, and lyrical beauty, stands as one of the most captivating languages to learn. At the heart of mastering conversational Spanish lies the understanding of its verbs, particularly the regular ones that form the backbone of most grammatical structures. What are the 10 regular verbs in Spanish? In this guide, we’ll dive into the 10 essential regular verbs in Spanish—verbs that follow predictable patterns and are crucial for daily communication. Whether you’re a beginner looking to get a solid start or someone refreshing their skills, knowing these verbs can significantly boost your confidence and competence in the language. We’ll explore their meanings, conjugations, and provide examples to help you incorporate them into your Spanish repertoire. Let’s embark on this linguistic adventure together, making your path to fluency smoother and more enjoyable.
Why Focus on Regular Verbs?
Regular verbs follow set rules for conjugation based on their infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir). Once you learn the formula, you can conjugate any regular verb in Spanish.Irregular verbs, however, conjugate uniquely and must be memorized one-by-one.
By studying high-frequency regular verbs, you gain an efficient shortcut to fluency. Their predictable patterns make them easier to absorb than irregular verbs. Learning just these 10 verbs will allow you to describe many common actions and states of being in Spanish.
An Introduction to Verb Conjugation
Before diving into specific verbs, let’s review some key terms:
- Infinitive – The base dictionary form of a verb ending in -ar, -er, or -ir (e.g. hablar, comer, vivir)
- Conjugation – Changing the infinitive to reflect who is performing an action and when it occurs.
- Subject pronouns – The performers of each action (I, you, he/she/it, we, you all, they).
- Verb endings – Changed letters that convey information about tense (time), mood (reality), and person/number.
Pasar (to spend, pass)
Meanings: to spend (time), pass, undergo, happen
Pronunciation: pah-SAHR
Conjugation:
- Present – paso, pasas, pasa, pasamos, pasáis, pasan
- Preterite – pasé, pasaste, pasó, pasamos, pasasteis, pasaron
- Future – pasaré, pasarás, pasará, pasaremos, pasaréis, pasarán
Examples:
- Paso mucho tiempo con mi familia. (I spend a lot of time with my family.)
- El tiempo pasa muy rápido. (Time passes very quickly.)
This versatile verb is used to describe spending time, movement, changes, and events. Memorize its irregular “yo” form in the present tense (paso).
Deber (to owe, should, must)
Meanings: to owe, should, must, ought
Pronunciation: deh-BEHR
Conjugation:
- Present – debo, debes, debe, debemos, debéis, deben
- Preterite – debí, debiste, debió, debimos, debisteis, debieron
- Future – deberé, deberás, deberá, deberemos, deberéis, deberán
Examples:
- Debo hacer mi tarea. (I must do my homework.)
- Debemos tener cuidado. (We should be careful.)
This useful modal verb expresses obligation or probability. Use it to say “must,” “should,” or “ought to.”
Quedar (to remain, stay)
Meanings: to remain, stay, arrange to meet, be left over
Pronunciation: keh-DAR
Conjugation:
- Present – quedo, quedas, queda, quedamos, quedáis, quedan
- Preterite – quedé, quedaste, quedó, quedamos, quedasteis, quedaron
- Future – quedaré, quedarás, quedará, quedaremos, quedaréis, quedarán
Examples:
- Quedan pocos días antes del verano. (There are few days left before summer.)
- Hemos quedado para cenar. (We’ve arranged to meet for dinner.)
This verb describes what remains or is left over. It’s also used to arrange plans with someone.
Hablar (to speak, talk)
Meanings: to speak, talk
Pronunciation: ah-BLAR
Conjugation:
- Present – hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan
- Preterite – hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron
- Future – hablaré, hablarás, hablará, hablaremos, hablaréis, hablarán
Examples:
- Me gusta hablar contigo. (I like talking with you.)
- Ellos están hablando por teléfono. (They are talking on the phone.)
This basic verb is essential for conversing in Spanish. Be sure to memorize its irregular “yo” form in the present tense (hablo).
Llevar (to wear, carry)
Meanings: to wear, carry, bring, take
Pronunciation: yeh-VAR
Conjugation:
- Present – llevo, llevas, lleva, llevamos, lleváis, llevan
- Preterite – llevé, llevaste, llevó, llevamos, llevasteis, llevaron
- Future – llevaré, llevarás, llevará, llevaremos, llevaréis, llevarán
Examples:
- Ella lleva un vestido rojo. (She is wearing a red dress.)
- Llevaremos comida al picnic. (We’ll take food to the picnic.)
This verb comes up frequently when talking about transporting or wearing items. Remember its irregular “yo” form (llevo).
Dejar (to leave, let)
Meanings: to leave, let, allow, quit
Pronunciation: deh-HAR
Conjugation:
- Present – dejo, dejas, deja, dejamos, dejáis, dejan
- Preterite – dejé, dejaste, dejó, dejamos, dejasteis, dejaron
- Future – dejaré, dejarás, dejará, dejaremos, dejaréis, dejarán
Examples:
- Dejo mi auto en el estacionamiento. (I leave my car in the parking lot.)
- Te dejo salir si prometes volver temprano. (I’ll let you go out if you promise to come back early.)
This verb describes allowing and separating from someone or something. Memorize its irregular “yo” form in the present (dejo).
Llamar (to call)
Meanings: to call, call out, call for
Pronunciation: yah-MAR
Conjugation:
- Present – llamo, llamas, llama, llamamos, llamáis, llaman
- Preterite – llamé, llamaste, llamó, llamamos, llamasteis, llamaron
- Future – llamaré, llamarás, llamará, llamaremos, llamaréis, llamarán
Examples:
- Necesito llamar a mi madre. (I need to call my mom.)
- Ella me llama cada día. (She calls me every day.)
This verb is essential for everyday communication. Memorize its irregular “yo” form (llamo).
Tomar (to take)
Meanings: to take, have, drink, eat, grab, steal
Pronunciation: toh-MAR
Conjugation:
- Present – tomo, tomas, toma, tomamos, tomáis, toman
- Preterite – tomé, tomaste, tomó, tomamos, tomasteis, tomaron
- Future – tomaré, tomarás, tomará, tomaremos, tomaréis, tomarán
Examples:
- Tomo café todos los días. (I drink coffee every day.)
- Estoy tomando clases de español. (I’m taking Spanish classes.)
This multipurpose verb describes taking objects as well as consuming food and drink. Memorize its irregular “yo” form (tomo).
Vivir (to live)
Meanings: to live, dwell, exist, survive
Pronunciation: bee-VEER
Conjugation:
- Present – vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven
- Preterite – viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron
- Future – viviré, vivirás, vivirá, viviremos, viviréis, vivirán
Examples:
- Vivo en los Estados Unidos. (I live in the United States.)
- Los delfines viven en el océano. (Dolphins live in the ocean.)
This common verb describes existence and inhabiting a place. Memorize its irregular “yo” form (vivo).
Tratar (to try, treat)
Meanings: to try, treat, deal with
Pronunciation: trah-TAR
Conjugation:
- Present – trato, tratas, trata, tratamos, tratáis, tratan
- Preterite – traté, trataste, trató, tratamos, tratasteis, trataron
- Future – trataré, tratarás, tratará, trataremos, trataréis, tratarán
Examples:
- Trato de aprender español. (I try to learn Spanish.)
- El doctor la está tratando por una infección. (The doctor is treating her for an infection.)
This verb comes up when discussing attempts, efforts, and medical treatment.
Applying These Verbs in Conversation
Now that you’re familiar with these 10 common regular verbs, here are some tips for integrating them into everyday Spanish:
- Identify which verbs could describe your own routine actions. For example, “Tomo café por la mañana.”
- Practice conjugating verbs out loud while doing basic activities. Ex: “Llevo una camisa azul hoy.”
- Combine multiple verbs together to form sentences. Ex: “Debo llevar a mi hermana a la biblioteca y luego quedarme allí para estudiar.”
- Use them in the appropriate tense based on time context (present, past, future). Ex: “Ayer llamé a mi amigo.”
- Drill verb conjugations with flashcards or language apps to commit them to memory.
With regular use, these verbs will become second nature. You’ll be able to express yourself smoothly without needing to stop and think about conjugations.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
When using these verbs, watch out for these frequent errors:
- Forgetting accents over vowels that affect pronunciation. Ex: pasá instead of pasa.
- Mixing up formal/informal pronoun use. Ex: Quedan pocos días instead of Quedáis pocos días when addressing a group.
- Misconjugating the “yo” form in the present tense. Ex: Yo tomas instead of yo tomo.
- Confusing similar verb endings like -ar vs -er. Ex: yo hablas instead of yo hablo.
- Using the infinitive instead of the conjugated form. Ex: Yo deben aprender instead of Yo debo aprender.
- Conjugating reflexive verbs as non-reflexive. Ex: Me olvidé instead of Yo olvidé.
Going Deeper: Advanced Conjugations
So far we’ve focused on present, past, and future tenses. But Spanish verbs can also be conjugated into other complex forms like the subjunctive and imperative moods.
Here’s an overview of how our 10 verbs appear in the subjunctive:
- Present subjunctive – Pase, Deba, Quede, Hable, Lleve, Deje, Llame, Tome, Viva, Trate
- Imperfect subjunctive – Pasara, Debiera, Quedara, Hablara, Llevara, Dejara, Llamara, Tomara, Viviera, Tratara
And in the imperative (command form):
- Affirmative – Pasa, Debe, Quede, Habla, Lleva, Deja, Llama, Toma, Vive, Trata
- Negative – No pases, No debas, No quedes, No hables, No lleves, No dejes, No llames, No tomes, No vivas, No trates
These advanced conjugations allow for more nuanced communication once you master the basics.
Expanding Your Verbal Vocabulary
Learning synonyms is a great way to build upon our core 10 verbs:
- Pasar > transcurrir, ocurrir, suceder
- Deber > tener que, haber que
- Quedar > permanecer, continuar
- Hablar > conversar, discutir, dialogar
- Llevar > transportar, acarrear
- Dejar > abandonar, desistir
- Llamar > convocar, denominar
- Tomar > beber, agarrar, consumir
- Vivir > existir, residir, morar
- Tratar > intentar, procurar,perseguir
See how expressing the same ideas in different ways brings variety and nuance to your speech?
Interactive Exercises
Here are some fun ways to reinforce these verbs through interactive practice:
- Fill-in-the-blank conjugation drills (pdf worksheets or Quizlet)
- Listening comprehension exercises (audio clips then choose the correct verb conjugation)
- Scrambled sentence challenges (rearrange words in correct order)
- Dialogue creation prompts (conjugate verbs to complete a conversation)
- Verb Charades (act out a verb for your partner to guess and conjugate)
- Multi-choice quizzes (identify correct conjugation)
- Timed flashcard games (practice rapid recall of forms)
Look for resources offering these activities online or adapt them on your own. The more you engage, the faster you’ll master conjugation.
Share Your Sentences
One of the best ways to learn is by using new verbs in original sentences and getting feedback. Consider sharing Spanish sentences using these 10 verbs on language forums or social media. Native speakers can let you know if you’ve conjugated and structured the phrases correctly. Don’t be shy about making mistakes – it’s part of the process.
Here are some examples you could post:
- Mañana voy a llamar a mi amiga que vive en México.
- Anoche tomamos sopa de pollo porque hacía frío.
Creating your own sentences is extremely valuable writing practice. Take advantage of opportunities to have your work checked.
Conclusion: What are the 10 regular verbs
Regular verbs are the building blocks of Spanish fluency. Mastering their conjugation patterns paves the way for comprehension and communication. Focus first on high-frequency verbs like our essential 10: pasar, deber, quedar, hablar, llevar, dejar, llamar, tomar, vivir, and tratar.
Arm yourself with the tools above – print out conjugation charts, make flashcards, do listening exercises, get interactive, and start using these verbs in sentences. Don’t let mistakes discourage you – keep trying and learning. With regular practice, these verbs will soon roll off your tongue naturally.
You now have a solid stepping stone into the captivating world of the Spanish language. Keep expanding your skills through grammar study, vocabulary building, pronunciation practice, and real-world application. Don’t just learn Spanish – live Spanish. Your hard work will pay off through the enriching experiences and connections Spanish will bring into your life.
Eloise Brown, a middle school Spanish teacher in Anchorage, Alaska, recognized the effectiveness of Comprehensible Input after watching a colleague use TPRS® (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) to teach Russian. This experience ignited her interest in understanding the role of language comprehension in learning a second language. About me.
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