Essential Spanish verbs and their conjugation

7 min video

Common verbs give you the tools to describe what you do and need. Lucía introduces essential Spanish verbs and their conjugation.

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Pick three verbs from the lesson. Write one present-tense sentence about yourself for each, then change the subject and say the new form aloud.

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Edited lesson transcript and examples

Read the complete substantive lesson in its original order. This readable transcript is edited from the complete published automatic Spanish and translated English tracks, with the introductory caption gap recovered by local Whisper and checked against the original graphics. Every displayed Spanish model is checked against the original video frames. Caption mistakes and punctuation are repaired; contextual translations and labelled learner notes are additions. The vocabulary choice, teaching priorities and original practice are retained. Chapter timestamps are approximate. This is a source-based edited transcript, not a pronunciation assessment. Music and the brand bumper are omitted.

The six forms retain the original order: yo, tú, él, nosotros, vosotros, ellos. English glosses describe the affirmative present-tense models, and the gender and regional notes below explain the other pronouns.

• 0:10 — Thirty essential verbs and the pronouns
• 1:02 — Beber to abrir
• 2:36 — Ayudar to comprar
• 4:32 — Empezar to terminar
• 6:44 — Your turn

0:10 — Thirty essential verbs and the pronouns

¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? This is Lucía from My Daily Spanish. Today we are going to learn thirty essential verbs in Spanish and how to conjugate them in the present tense. Are you ready? Let’s go!

1. 0:18 — comer
Meaning in this lesson: to eat

• Yo comoI eat
• Tú comesYou (singular) eat
• Él comeHe eats
• Nosotros comemosWe eat
• Vosotros coméisYou (plural) eat
• Ellos comenThey eat

I am saying the pronouns so it is easier to understand and to memorize, but most of the time in Spanish we omit the pronouns. Also, the pronouns I am using are masculine. Feminine pronouns would be ella for she, nosotras for we, feminine, vosotras for you, feminine plural, and ellas for they, feminine. Yo and tú are exactly the same for masculine and feminine, and so is usted, which, by the way, uses the él/ella form for verbs. The verbs do not have a different conjugation for male and female; it is the same for both.

Learner note — the pronoun models: Yo and tú are unchanged; the gender contrast concerns él/ella, nosotros/nosotras, vosotros/vosotras and ellos/ellas. Usted uses the third-person singular form; ustedes uses the third-person plural. These vosotros models follow the informal plural pattern of much of Spain. Ustedes serves both registers in Latin America and some Spanish regions. Source: RAE–ASALE: usted.

1:02 — Beber to abrir

2. 1:02 — beber
Meaning in this lesson: to drink

• Yo beboI drink
• Tú bebesYou (singular) drink
• Él bebeHe drinks
• Nosotros bebemosWe drink
• Vosotros bebéisYou (plural) drink
• Ellos bebenThey drink

3. 1:14 — ir
Meaning in this lesson: to go

• Yo voyI go
• Tú vasYou (singular) go
• Él vaHe goes
• Nosotros vamosWe go
• Vosotros vaisYou (plural) go
• Ellos vanThey go

4. 1:22 — venir
Meaning in this lesson: to come

• Yo vengoI come
• Tú vienesYou (singular) come
• Él vieneHe comes
• Nosotros venimosWe come
• Vosotros venísYou (plural) come
• Ellos vienenThey come

5. 1:32 — dormir
Meaning in this lesson: to sleep

• Yo duermoI sleep
• Tú duermesYou (singular) sleep
• Él duermeHe sleeps
• Nosotros dormimosWe sleep
• Vosotros dormísYou (plural) sleep
• Ellos duermenThey sleep

6. 1:42 — hablar
Meaning in this lesson: to talk

• Yo habloI talk
• Tú hablasYou (singular) talk
• Él hablaHe talks
• Nosotros hablamosWe talk
• Vosotros habláisYou (plural) talk
• Ellos hablanThey talk

7. 1:52 — mirar
Meaning in this lesson: to look (at)

• Yo miroI look
• Tú mirasYou (singular) look
• Él miraHe looks
• Nosotros miramosWe look
• Vosotros miráisYou (plural) look
• Ellos miranThey look

8. 2:03 — aprender
Meaning in this lesson: to learn

• Yo aprendoI learn
• Tú aprendesYou (singular) learn
• Él aprendeHe learns
• Nosotros aprendemosWe learn
• Vosotros aprendéisYou (plural) learn
• Ellos aprendenThey learn

9. 2:15 — dar
Meaning in this lesson: to give

• Yo doyI give
• Tú dasYou (singular) give
• Él daHe gives
• Nosotros damosWe give
• Vosotros daisYou (plural) give
• Ellos danThey give

10. 2:24 — abrir
Meaning in this lesson: to open

• Yo abroI open
• Tú abresYou (singular) open
• Él abreHe opens
• Nosotros abrimosWe open
• Vosotros abrísYou (plural) open
• Ellos abrenThey open

2:36 — Ayudar to comprar

11. 2:36 — ayudar
Meaning in this lesson: to help

• Yo ayudoI help
• Tú ayudasYou (singular) help
• Él ayudaHe helps
• Nosotros ayudamosWe help
• Vosotros ayudáisYou (plural) help
• Ellos ayudanThey help

12. 2:46 — saber
Meaning in this lesson: to know

• Yo séI know
• Tú sabesYou (singular) know
• Él sabeHe knows
• Nosotros sabemosWe know
• Vosotros sabéisYou (plural) know
• Ellos sabenThey know

13. 2:58 — pensar
Meaning in this lesson: to think

• Yo piensoI think
• Tú piensasYou (singular) think
• Él piensaHe thinks
• Nosotros pensamosWe think
• Vosotros pensáisYou (plural) think
• Ellos piensanThey think

14. 3:10 — usar
Meaning in this lesson: to use

• Yo usoI use
• Tú usasYou (singular) use
• Él usaHe uses
• Nosotros usamosWe use
• Vosotros usáisYou (plural) use
• Ellos usanThey use

15. 3:21 — llamar
Meaning in this lesson: to call

• Yo llamoI call
• Tú llamasYou (singular) call
• Él llamaHe calls
• Nosotros llamamosWe call
• Vosotros llamáisYou (plural) call
• Ellos llamanThey call

16. 3:32 — pagar
Meaning in this lesson: to pay

• Yo pagoI pay
• Tú pagasYou (singular) pay
• Él pagaHe pays
• Nosotros pagamosWe pay
• Vosotros pagáisYou (plural) pay
• Ellos paganThey pay

17. 3:43 — escuchar
Meaning in this lesson: to listen

• Yo escuchoI listen
• Tú escuchasYou (singular) listen
• Él escuchaHe listens
• Nosotros escuchamosWe listen
• Vosotros escucháisYou (plural) listen
• Ellos escuchanThey listen

18. 3:56 — buscar
Meaning in this lesson: to search

• Yo buscoI search
• Tú buscasYou (singular) search
• Él buscaHe searches
• Nosotros buscamosWe search
• Vosotros buscáisYou (plural) search
• Ellos buscanThey search

19. 4:08 — limpiar
Meaning in this lesson: to clean

• Yo limpioI clean
• Tú limpiasYou (singular) clean
• Él limpiaHe cleans
• Nosotros limpiamosWe clean
• Vosotros limpiáisYou (plural) clean
• Ellos limpianThey clean

20. 4:20 — comprar
Meaning in this lesson: to buy

• Yo comproI buy
• Tú comprasYou (singular) buy
• Él compraHe buys
• Nosotros compramosWe buy
• Vosotros compráisYou (plural) buy
• Ellos compranThey buy

4:32 — Empezar to terminar

21. 4:32 — empezar
Meaning in this lesson: to start

• Yo empiezoI start
• Tú empiezasYou (singular) start
• Él empiezaHe starts
• Nosotros empezamosWe start
• Vosotros empezáisYou (plural) start
• Ellos empiezanThey start

22. 4:45 — poder
Meaning in this lesson: to be able to

• Yo puedoI can
• Tú puedesYou (singular) can
• Él puedeHe can
• Nosotros podemosWe can
• Vosotros podéisYou (plural) can
• Ellos puedenThey can

23. 4:57 — escribir
Meaning in this lesson: to write

• Yo escriboI write
• Tú escribesYou (singular) write
• Él escribeHe writes
• Nosotros escribimosWe write
• Vosotros escribísYou (plural) write
• Ellos escribenThey write

24. 5:10 — gustar
Meaning in this lesson: to please

• Yo gustoI please
• Tú gustasYou (singular) please
• Él gustaHe pleases
• Nosotros gustamosWe please
• Vosotros gustáisYou (plural) please
• Ellos gustanThey please

Be careful: to say “I like something”, it is me gusta + something.

Me gusta la música.
Example translation: I like music. Literally, music pleases me.

Learner note — gustar and the person who likes something: In this everyday construction, the thing liked is the subject, and me identifies the person who likes it. The verb agrees with that subject: gusta with a singular noun or infinitive, gustan with a plural noun. In the to-please paradigm above, yo gusto means I please or am pleasing to someone; the full conjugation is valid. Source: RAE–ASALE: gustar.

25. 5:31 — llevar
Meaning in this lesson: to carry

• Yo llevoI carry
• Tú llevasYou (singular) carry
• Él llevaHe carries
• Nosotros llevamosWe carry
• Vosotros lleváisYou (plural) carry
• Ellos llevanThey carry

26. 5:43 — salir
Meaning in this lesson: to go out

• Yo salgoI go out
• Tú salesYou (singular) go out
• Él saleHe goes out
• Nosotros salimosWe go out
• Vosotros salísYou (plural) go out
• Ellos salenThey go out

27. 5:55 — trabajar
Meaning in this lesson: to work

• Yo trabajoI work
• Tú trabajasYou (singular) work
• Él trabajaHe works
• Nosotros trabajamosWe work
• Vosotros trabajáisYou (plural) work
• Ellos trabajanThey work

28. 6:07 — viajar
Meaning in this lesson: to travel

• Yo viajoI travel
• Tú viajasYou (singular) travel
• Él viajaHe travels
• Nosotros viajamosWe travel
• Vosotros viajáisYou (plural) travel
• Ellos viajanThey travel

29. 6:20 — tener
Meaning in this lesson: to have

• Yo tengoI have
• Tú tienesYou (singular) have
• Él tieneHe has
• Nosotros tenemosWe have
• Vosotros tenéisYou (plural) have
• Ellos tienenThey have

30. 6:31 — terminar
Meaning in this lesson: to finish

• Yo terminoI finish
• Tú terminasYou (singular) finish
• Él terminaHe finishes
• Nosotros terminamosWe finish
• Vosotros termináisYou (plural) finish
• Ellos terminanThey finish

6:44 — Your turn

What other verb would you like to learn? Tell me in the comments. Like the video and subscribe for more. ¡Hasta pronto!