6.06.2012

Regular Spanish Verbs III

Here's the complete list of Spanish subject pronouns.

Singular
yo tú usted él ella
Plural
nosotros/as vosotros/as ustedes ellos ellas


To conjugate -ar verbs, drop the ending and add:
-o
-as
-a
-amos
-áis
-an


To conjugate -er verbs, drop the ending and add:
-o
-es
-e
-emos
-éis
-en


To conjugate -ir verbs, drop the ending and add:
-o
-es
-e
-imos
-ís
-en


You will benefit greatly by quickly memorizing the three model verbs.
hablar
yo hablo
tú hablas
él, ella, Ud. habla
nosotros/as hablamos
vosotros/as habláis
ellos, ellas, Uds. hablan
comer
yo como
tú comes
él, ella, Ud. come
nosotros/as comemos
vosotros/as coméis
ellos, ellas, Uds. comen
vivir
yo vivo
tú vives
él, ella, Ud. vive
nosotros/as vivimos
vosotros/as vivís
ellos, ellas, Uds. viven
Note: The verb forms are the same for él, ella and Ud. as are the verb forms for ellos, ellas and Uds.


In Spanish the subject pronouns are not always required. This is because the verb endings can indicate who is performing the action.
Hablo español. (Yo is not necessary.)
I speak Spanish.
Comemos carne. (Nosotros is not necessary.)
We eat meat.
Vives en México. (Tú is not necessary.)
You live in Mexico.


Subject pronouns are often used for clarification. For example, the verb form habla is ambiguous.
Ud. habla
él habla
ella habla
Therefore, to distinguish between "you speak," "he speaks," and "she speaks," it may be necessary to use the subject pronoun. Often, the conversation implies the subject of the verb. In such cases the subject pronoun may be omitted.


Subject pronouns are often used for emphasis.
Ella habla español y yo hablo inglés.
Here there is no ambiguity with respect to hablo. The subject pronoun is merely adding emphasis:
She speaks Spanish and I speak English.


Another example of using subject pronouns for emphasis.
Yo como pan y  comes arroz.
Once again there is no ambiguity. The pronouns emphasize the contrast.
I eat bread and you eat rice.


It is possible to use two verbs in a row. Just like in English, the first verb is conjugated, while the second verb remains in the infinitive form.
Necesito hablar con Alfredo.
I need to speak with Alfredo.
(necesitar, hablar)
Necesito + hablar + con Alfredo.
I need + to speak + with Alfredo.


Another example of two verbs used together:
Deseas vivir en España.
You wish to live in Spain.
(desear, vivir)
Deseas + vivir + en España.
You wish + to live + in Spain.