Regular -AR Verbs in Spanish

Overview

Regular -ar verbs are the largest and most common verb class in Spanish. At the A1 level, learning to conjugate these verbs opens the door to expressing hundreds of actions, from everyday activities like hablar (to speak) and trabajar (to work) to estudiar (to study) and comprar (to buy). Once you know the pattern, you can conjugate any regular -ar verb correctly.

The conjugation is refreshingly predictable: you remove the -ar ending from the infinitive to get the stem, then add the appropriate ending for each subject. This same logic applies to -er and -ir verbs too, so mastering -ar verbs gives you a template for understanding all regular conjugations.

Because so many Spanish verbs end in -ar, the time you invest in learning this pattern pays off enormously. New -ar verbs you encounter will fit right into the same framework.

How It Works

Present tense endings

To conjugate, remove -ar from the infinitive to get the stem, then add:

Subject	Ending	hablar (to speak)	trabajar (to work)
yo	-o	hablo	trabajo
tú	-as	hablas	trabajas
él / ella / usted	-a	habla	trabaja
nosotros/as	-amos	hablamos	trabajamos
vosotros/as	-áis	habláis	trabajáis
ellos / ellas / ustedes	-an	hablan	trabajan

Common regular -ar verbs

Verb	Meaning
hablar	to speak
trabajar	to work
estudiar	to study
comprar	to buy
cocinar	to cook
caminar	to walk
escuchar	to listen
mirar	to look at / to watch
llamar	to call
tocar	to touch / to play (instrument)
viajar	to travel
descansar	to rest
necesitar	to need
ayudar	to help
pagar	to pay

Spelling notes

Some -ar verbs have minor spelling changes in certain tenses to preserve pronunciation, but in the present tense, regular -ar verbs are completely predictable. You will encounter spelling changes later with the preterite (-car, -gar, -zar verbs), but for now, the pattern above works for all regular -ar verbs.

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Yo hablo español.	I speak Spanish.	1st person singular
Tú trabajas mucho.	You work a lot.	2nd person singular
Nosotros estudiamos historia.	We study history.	1st person plural
Ellos compran pan.	They buy bread.	3rd person plural
Ella cocina muy bien.	She cooks very well.	3rd person singular
Caminamos al parque.	We walk to the park.	Pronoun dropped
¿Escuchas música?	Do you listen to music?	Question form
Miro la televisión por la noche.	I watch TV at night.	Daily routine
Viajamos a España en verano.	We travel to Spain in summer.	Future plan
Necesito ayuda.	I need help.	Common expression

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to remove the -ar before adding endings

• Wrong: Yo hablaro español.
• Right: Yo hablo español.
• Why: You must first remove the -ar infinitive ending to get the stem (habl-), then add the personal ending (-o).

Mixing up -ar and -er/-ir endings

• Wrong: Yo hable español. (present tense)
• Right: Yo hablo español.
• Why: The first-person ending for -ar verbs is -o. The ending -e belongs to -er/-ir verbs in certain forms or to the subjunctive.

Forgetting the accent on vosotros

• Wrong: Vosotros hablais francés.
• Right: Vosotros habláis francés.
• Why: The vosotros ending for -ar verbs is -áis with a written accent. This accent is never omitted.

Using infinitives instead of conjugated forms

• Wrong: Yo hablar español.
• Right: Yo hablo español.
• Why: In Spanish, verbs must be conjugated to match the subject. The infinitive (hablar) is only used after another conjugated verb or a preposition.

Practice Tips

• Conjugate three new verbs a day. Pick three -ar verbs from the list above and write out all six forms. Within a week, the pattern will feel automatic.
• Narrate your daily routine. Describe your day using -ar verbs: Me levanto, desayuno, trabajo, cocino, descanso...
• Practice with a partner. Ask and answer questions: ¿Estudias español? Sí, estudio español. ¿Trabajas aquí? No, trabajo allí.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subject Pronouns
• Next steps: Ir (to go)
• Next steps: Stem-Changing Verbs: e->ie
• Next steps: Stem-Changing Verbs: o->ue
• Next steps: Reflexive Verbs
• Next steps: Basic Negation