1 - Select a letter from the alphabet opposite that the verb you are looking for begins with.
2 - Click on the link next to the verb you are looking for to access the relevant verb table.
There are 70 verb tables in total. The formation of the verb you are looking for will be formed in the same way as the example verb that is illustrated in each of these verb tables.
The structure of Spanish verbs can be one of the most challenging aspects of learning the Spanish language, especially for native speakers of English. Not only are there more verb tenses to deal with but the way Spanish verbs are formed (conjugated) is usually more complex.
Verbal constructions in Spanish depend much more on what the subject pronoun of a verb is (I, you, he, she etc in English). Take a look at the following example which compares how verb the verb ‘to work’ (trabajar) is formed in the past simple (preterite) tense in both Spanish and English.
The past simple (preterite) tense - trabajar (to work) |
Spanish |
English |
| subject personal pronoun |
verb formation |
subject personal pronoun |
verb formation |
| yo |
trabajé |
I |
worked |
| tú |
trabajaste |
you |
worked |
| él/ella/usted |
trabajó |
he/she/it |
worked |
| nosotros/as |
trabajabamos |
we |
worked |
| vosotros/as |
trabajasteis |
you (all) |
worked |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
trabajaron |
they |
worked |
As you can see the formation of the verb in English is much simpler. The verb is formed in the same way when used with each subject personal pronoun, whereas in Spanish each verb formation is different.
Such complexities exist when forming verbs in the majority of Spanish tenses. It is for this reason that having access to Spanish verb tables is normally considered an essential part of learning the Spanish language.
The Spanish verb trabajar (to work) is a regular AR verb. To see how this verb is formed in all tenses
click here. You will soon appreciate just how many different formations there are for one verb.
Although the formation of Spanish verbs may be considered complex many Spanish verbs are formed in exactly the same way. Spanish verbs are either regular or irregular and they all, without exception either end in AR, ER or IR. The formations of all Spanish verbs are dependant on these two things.
So, for example every single Spanish verb that ends in AR and which is regular will be formed in exactly the same way in all verb tenses. There are literally thousands of these types of verbs. If we know how to form verb tenses for just one of these verbs we can apply the same formation pattern to all the others.
This is how verb tables help. We use verb tables to tell us what the common verb formation patterns are for a group of verbs that are all formed in the same way.
Forming regular and irregular verbs
The endings of all regular verbs are formed in the same way. The AR, ER or IR ending of the verb is removed and replaced with a new ending.
If a Spanish verb is considered irregular then both the ending and the stem of the verb may change. The Spanishexperto irregular verb groups are numbered from 4-70. Each verb that makes up a group of irregular verbs is formed in the same way. Care must be taken to change the stem of the verb accordingly as well as changing the ending of the verb.
There are some verbs that are considered highly irregular and which are formed in a unique way and these verbs have to be learnt separately. The Spanish verbs meaning ‘to be’ (
ser and
estar) are good examples of highly irregular verbs.
