Conjugating er & ir verbs Explained
Table of Contents
How to Conjugate er and ir Verbs
Conjugating regular -er & -ir verbs works exactly the same way we learned how to conjugate -ar verbs, however, we have different endings.
In order for us to conjugate it, basically we are going to change it to match the person that is performing the action. In order for us to do that we have to start by knowing the two parts of a verb.
All verbs have two parts. In this case, the -er & -ir is what we call the ending. Whatever is leftover is what we call the stem. One more time, the -er & -ir is the ending and whatever is leftover is what we call the stem.
Below we will learn to conjugate some of them together. The rest you will be able to conjugate on your own by following the rules that we learn today.
Spanish Er & Ir video lesson
Rules to Conjugate Regular er & ir Verbs
- Get rid of the ending (-er & -ir)
- Add a new ending.
- That’s how you conjugate a verb.
Let’s take a look at the verb Comer
Comer = to eat. Again, -er is the ending and whatever is leftover is the stem.
With that out of the way let’s go over the two rules we have to Conjugate verbs.
Remember conjugating is simply changing the verb to match the person that is performing the action.
So now I want to show you how to apply those rules. In order to do that I am going to use some scissors. It will help you see things clearly.
Remember the verb estudiar? To study? Well, let’s go ahead and apply the rules together.
This is where we are going to use our tijeras (our scissors).
Rule 1 says to get rid of the ending (-er & -ir). So let’s do that. Let’s cut it off. Poof, it’s gone.
So now we are left with the stem of the verb estudiar because we got rid of the -er & -ir
er verbs endings Chart
Since the new endings are based on who is performing the action, let’s bring back our subject pronouns. In one of our previous lessons I told you that it was important to memorize the subject pronouns in this order. If by now you know your subject pronouns then all you have to memorize are the new endings.
Let’s go over the endings.
The ending for yo is o. Como means I study.
The ending for tú is es. Comes means you study.
The ending for él/ella/Ud. is e. Come means he studies, she studies or You formal study.
The ending for nosotros(as) is emos. Comemos means we study.
The ending for vosotros(as) is éis. Coméis means You guys study.
The ending for ellos/ellas/Uds. is en. Comen means they study or you guys study.
So now we have all of the endings for -er verbs.
Let’s Take a Look at the verb Escribir
So let’s now look at -ir verbs. The process is the same. Good news: -er and -ir verbs ending are very similar but be careful about the nosotros and vosotros forms as they are different.
So now I want to show you how to apply those rules. In order to do that I am going to use some scissors. It will help you see things clearly.
The verb escribir is an -ir verb
o let’s conjugate it.
Rule 1. Get rid of the ending (-ir). Let’s use our scissors again and let’s get rid of that -ir. Poof!
ir Verb Endings Chart
Now we have the stem (escrib) and we have to add new endings according to rule #2 and depending on who is speaking. Depending on who is performing the action.
Here is our stem. escrib
I speak = yo escribo.
you speak = tú escribes. See how the ending changed? Let’s continue
he/she/You (f.) speak(s) = él escribe / ella escribe / Ud. escribe
we speak = nosotros(as) escribimos
you speak (pl. Spain) = vosotros(as) escribís
they / you (pl. Latin America) speak = ellos escriben / ellas escriben / Uds. escriben
And that’s it friends. Now you have conjugated the verb escribir in all of it’s forms
- escribo
- escribes
- escribe
- escribimos
- escribís
- escriben
And that’s it. Super simple. You just gotta practice a bit.
Asking and Answering Questions
Let’s discuss something important.
What if I ask YOU a question?
Who would you answer about?
That’s right you are answering about yourself. So I may ask ..
¿Tú corres mucho?
You would answer in the yo form since you are talking about yourself. You may say:
Sí, yo corro mucho
or
No, no corro mucho.
The same thing applies if I ask you a question about Uds. I am asking you guys … therefore you need to answer in the nosotros (we) form. Think about it. Hey do you guys study a lot? Yes, WE study a lot
¿Uds. escriben mucho?
Sí, nosotros escribimos mucho
or
No, no escribimos mucho.
How to say you Don’t do some of these things
To say you don’t do something we are going to put the NO in front of the verb. Just like we did with gustar.
¿Tú lees mucho?
No, no leo mucho.
So now you are an expert and you know how to conjugate -ar, -er and -ir verbs.
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I am a Spanish Teacher, a native Spanish speaker, and have been teaching Spanish in the USA for over 16 years, always teaching in a fun and engaging way. My passion 
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Free handouts (Click to download from Google drive)
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Learn the Conjugation of Ar with FREE Video lessons, charts, Examples & worksheets.
Conjugating er & ir verbs Explained
To conjugate er and ir verbs you remove the ending (-er or -ir) and you add a new ending based on the subject or person performing the action.
Conjugating regular -er & -ir verbs works exactly the same way we learned how to conjugate -ar verbs, however, we have different endings.
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Tú (you informal) → estás
Èl/Ella/ Ud (you formal) → está
Nosotros (nosotras) → estamos
Vosotros (vosotras) → estáis
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. → están
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The Verb Ser means (To be) and is a crucial verb to know in Spanish. The verb Ser allows you to speak about yourself and others.
Learning how to conjugate the verb ser in the present tense will enable you to talk about yourself and others regarding when you want to say, “I am … You are … He is … etc.”
Adjectives in Spanish Made Easier
Adjectives in Spanish just like in English describe a noun. In Spanish, adjectives must agree in gender and number to the noun that they describe. In simple terms: If the noun is feminine and singular, the adjective should be feminine and singular. If the noun is plural and masculine, the adjective should be masculine and plural.
Conjugating ar Verbs Made Easier
To conjugate an -ar verb you remove the ending (-ar), and you add a new ending based on the subject or person performing the action.
Learn the Conjugation of Ar with FREE Video lessons, charts, Examples & worksheets.
Conjugating er & ir verbs Explained
To conjugate er and ir verbs you remove the ending (-er or -ir) and you add a new ending based on the subject or person performing the action.
Conjugating regular -er & -ir verbs works exactly the same way we learned how to conjugate -ar verbs, however, we have different endings.
Tener que + infinitive in Spanish Made Easier
Tener que + infinitive. The “tener” part of that formula has to be conjugated to allow us to know who is the person that has to do something.
Learn the Conjugation of Ar with FREE Video lessons, charts, Examples & worksheets.
Estar conjugation Made Easier
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Yo → estoy
Tú (you informal) → estás
Èl/Ella/ Ud (you formal) → está
Nosotros (nosotras) → estamos
Vosotros (vosotras) → estáis
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. → están
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Ir is an irregular verb. That means that it does not follow the pattern of regular -ir verbs. Do not think that it is an -ir verb. It is not. Ir is an irregular verb.
Let’s start by learning the conjugation of the verb ir: to go.
Stem changing e to ie in Spanish Made Easier
e to ie stem-changing verbs all have an e in the stem and that e is going to change to ie in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros. read more
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Definite Articles in Spanish, In Spanish, you have to choose between four definite articles: el, la, los, and las. In Spanish, all nouns (including words for things) are either masculine or feminine this is called their gender. And just as in English they can also be either singular or plural.
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Indefinite Articles in Spanish Just like definite articles, follow the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural ) of a noun and have four forms
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Gustar is a verb. Although the literal translation is “something is pleasing to you or to someone else”, Gustar is used to talk about things that you or someone likes.
Telling Time in Spanish
Let’s start by learning how to ask what time it is.
¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?
Tener, How to conjugate the verb Tener?
Learn how to conjugate the irregular verb Tener. Tener is an irregular verb. It does not follow the pattern of regular er verbs.
Gustar with infinitives Made Easier
Gustar with Infinitives, Let’s continue to learn how to use the verb Gustar. In this lesson, we will focus on using gustar with infinitives to talk about the activities you like to do
Querer, Conjugating the verb “Querer” in Spanish
Querer can mean “to want”, but it can also mean “to love”. The verb querer is irregular, which means it does not follow the usual conjugation patterns.
Jugar: Learn to conjugate Jugar in Spanish
Jugar is a Spanish verb that means ‘to play’. It is an irregular verb. In this post, we will explore how the Spanish verb Jugar is conjugated in Spanish tenses.
Possessive adjectives in Spanish? Made Easier
In Spanish, possessive adjectives are words that are used with a noun to help define a relationship between a person or an object with another one. Possessive adjectives are commonly used to demonstrate ownership of language.
stem-changing verbs o to ue in Spanish made easier
when O in the last stressed syllable of the stem, it will be automatically replaced by ue. Following is the O to UE stem changing verbs chart. with Video
Solving the mystery of Ser vs. Estar
Ser is used to describe permanent states, whereas estar is used to describe temporary conditions. In English, you would use the verb “to be” for both, but they have slightly different meanings in Spanish.
A detailed guide to direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish
Let me explain how Direct & indirect object pronouns work in Spanish, and i have a video lesson for both ready for you
Informal Commands in Spanish? Made Easier
Table of Contents How to use Informal Commands in Spanish? In Spanish, an informal command is a mood used to address another person directly and
Preterite Tense in Spanish Made Easier
The preterite tense has both regular and irregular forms. and I have made it easer to understand with a full Video Lesson