Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to conjugate regular -ER and -IR verbs in the present tense and recognize how they differ from -AR verbs.
Lesson Explanation
-ER verbs, modeled on comer (to eat):
como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen -IR verbs, modeled on vivir (to live):
vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven Comparing all three verb groups side by side reveals a genuinely useful pattern: -er and -ir verbs share nearly identical endings, differing only in the nosotros and vosotros forms (-emos/-éis vs. -imos/-ís):
-AR (hablar): -o -as -a -amos -áis -an -ER (comer): -o -es -e -emos -éis -en -IR (vivir): -o -es -e -imos -ís -en
Other common -er verbs: beber (to drink), leer (to read), aprender (to learn). Other common -ir verbs: escribir (to write), abrir (to open), decidir (to decide).
Note that all three verb groups share the identical -o ending for “yo” — this is genuinely consistent across regular verbs of every type in the present tense.
Practice Questions
1. Conjugate “comer” (to eat) for “yo.”
View Answer
Como.
2. Conjugate “comer” for “tú.”
View Answer
Comes.
3. Conjugate “vivir” (to live) for “yo.”
View Answer
Vivo.
4. Conjugate “vivir” for “nosotros.”
View Answer
Vivimos.
5. What ending do -er and -ir verbs share for “yo”?
View Answer
-o.
6. In which two forms do -er and -ir endings actually differ from each other?
View Answer
Nosotros and vosotros.
7. Write the “nosotros” ending for a regular -er verb.
View Answer
-emos.
8. Write the “nosotros” ending for a regular -ir verb.
View Answer
-imos.
9. Write the Spanish verb meaning “to write.”
View Answer
Escribir.
10. Write the Spanish verb meaning “to drink.”
View Answer
Beber.
11. Conjugate “escribir” for “ella.”
View Answer
Escribe.
12. Is the “yo” ending “-o” shared across all three regular verb groups?
View Answer
Yes.