Spanish Verb Conjugation Help

Verbos

conjugados (Conjugating verbs)

To decide how to conjugate a verb in Spanish, you must first consider the subject

and the verb tense. There are six different subjects in Spanish (I, you, he/she, we,

they (informal) and they (formal). This lesson describes how to conjugate basic,

present tense verbs in accordance with all six subjects.

Verbos

reflexivos (Reflexive verbs)

A reflexive verb is a verb that is used when the subject and object of the sentence

are the same. We don’t always express this quite so vividly in English, but in Spanish

it is much clearer. For example, in English we may say “I’m going to take a shower” or

“I’m taking a bath.” In Spanish, the verb is reflexive, because you are bathing

yourself. This lesson reviews the difference between reflexive and non-reflexive verbs,

so you’ll have a much clearer idea of when and how to use reflexive verbs in

Spanish.

Stem

changing verbs

Stem-changing verbs are verbs that do not follow the normal rules for verb

conjugation. These verbs tend to follow patterns, however, the most popular of which

are described in this lesson. Read this lesson to review the different types of stem-

changing verbs in Spanish.

-CAR, –

GAR, and -ZAR verbs

While -car, -gar, and -zar verbs sound as though they abide by normal conjugation

rules, many of them undergo orthographic (spelling) changes in order to keep the

pronunciation the same. This lesson describes the spelling changes needed to make these

verbs sound like other -ar verbs.

Saber y

conocer

Saber and conocer both mean “to know” in Spanish; however, they are used under

different circumstances. Typically, saber is used when talking about facts, while

conocer is used to describe recognizing people or things. For more information on how

to correctly use conocer, read this lesson!

Ser y Estar

In English, there is only one verb for “to be” – “to be!” In Spanish, we can express

the idea of being using two different verbs, ser and estar. Usually, ser is used for

constant conditions of existance, while estar is used to describe changing situations

or locations. For more information on how to use ser and estar properly, read this

lesson!