35 Regular -AR Verbs in Spanish and How to Conjugate Them
-AR verbs in Spanish are some of the most fun verbs to use! This list includes the most common -AR verbs you’ll find in Spanish. You can begin to study their conjugations or start using them right away in their infinitive form.
The infinitive is the basic form of a verb, without it being conjugated or connected to a particular subject.
Verbs express action. You also use them when telling a story. Spanish uses 3 main verb types with the following endings:
- -AR endings (hablar, mirar, abrazar)
- -ER endings (ver, prender, llover)
- -IR endings (abrir, escribir, fingir)
In this lesson, we’re focusing exclusively on regular -AR verbs to improve your Spanish grammar understanding. Regular verbs are unlike irregular verbs in that their root does not change. When you begin to study irregular verbs, you will see how the basic root of a verb (when you drop the ending -AR, -ER, or -IR) will also change and you must memorize these changes. For now, with regular verbs, you will not have to memorize any root changes—simply the changes in the verb endings.
Verb Infinitive vs Verb Root:
Verb infinitive = hablar (to talk)
Verb root = habl- (drop the -AR)
You will begin to use these verbs in both the infinitive form and their conjugated forms.
Example Infinitive Form of Hablar:
Quiero hablar contingo. (hablar is in its infinitive, or basic, form)
I want to talk to you.
Example Conjugated Form of Hablar:
¡Hablamos luego! (hablar is in its conjugated form for the first person plural, nosotros or “we”)
Let’s talk later!
Keep reading to learn how to conjugate -AR Spanish verbs in 2 major tenses (present and simple past), then discover 35 of the most common -AR verbs in Spanish to use!
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NOTE! We will explore Latin American Spanish in this lesson—and you’ll be able to practice all of these verbs and expressions with any of our certified Spanish teachers from Guatemala (learn more about our free trial Spanish class here).
How to Conjugate -AR Verbs in Spanish
When you conjugate a verb, it changes to reflect the person, tense, number or mood that it refers to. What exactly does that mean?
The Person Is the Subject
The person is the subject. In English, our subjects are: I, you, he, she, we, and they. In Latin American Spanish, they are:
- yo = I
- tú = you, informal
- usted = you, formal
- él = he
- ella = she
- nosotros = we, masculine
- nosotras = we, feminine
- ellos = they, masculine
- ellas = they, feminine
- ustedes = you all
NOTE! Spanish regularly drops the subject from the sentence and you will have to train yourself to immediately recognize the missing subject by understanding which conjugation is being used.
With the subject: Yo te llamo. (I call you.)
More common, without the subject: Te llamo. (I call you.)
The Tense Is When the Action Happens
The tense of a verb tells you when the action is taking place. In English, we use 12 verb tenses, while in Spanish, we use 18 verb tenses. You can view all of these 18 verb tenses in Spanish here. For purposes of this introductory lesson, we’re going to focus on 2 main verb tenses:
- Present tense (el presente)
- Simple past tense (el pretérito)
The present tense is happening now or still regularly happens. Let’s see how to use the verb mirar, which means “to look” or “to watch.”
Él nunca mira hacia arriba. (verb infinitive: mirar / conjugated to él mira)
He never looks up.
¿Porqué tú me miras así? (verb infinitive: mirar / conjugated to tú miras)
Why are you looking at me like that?
The simple past tense happened once and is no longer happening:
Él me miró a los ojos. (verb infinitive: mirar / conjugated to él miró)
He looked me in the eyes.
¿Tú miraste la tele anoche? (verb infinitive: mirar / conjugated to tú miraste)
Did you watch tv last night?
The Number Is a Singular or Plural Subject
The number refers to whether the subject is singular or plural. If we take our Spanish subject list from above, we can locate the singular and plural subjects. The verb must agree in number with the subject.
- yo = I (singular)
- tú = you, informal (singular)
- usted = you, formal (singular)
- él = he (singular)
- ella = she (singular)
- nosotros = we (plural)
- ellos = they, masculine (plural)
- ellas = they, feminine (plural)
- ustedes = you all (plural)
To learn more about mood of Spanish verbs, see the following articles:
Present Tense Regular -AR Spanish Endings
As we mentioned, the present tense is happening now or still regularly happens. In the present tense, regular -AR verbs lose the final -AR from the infinitive and are replaced by the following verb endings, that depend on the subject:
| Subject Pronoun | Verb Ending in Present Tense |
| yo | -o |
| tú | -as |
| él, ella, usted | -a |
| nosotros | -amos |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -an |
Example Sentences in Spanish
Yo enseño español. (-AR verb infinitive: enseñar)
I teach Spanish.
Tú abrazas a tu hermana .(-AR verb infinitive: abrazar)
You hug your sister.
Simple Past Tense Regular -AR Spanish Endings
| Subject Pronoun | Verb Ending in Simple Past (Preterite) Tense |
| yo | –é |
| tú | -aste |
| él, ella, usted | –ó |
| nosotros | -amos |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | –aron |
Example Sentences in Spanish
Yo enseñé español.
I taught Spanish.
Tú abrazaste a tu hermana.
You hugged your sister.
35 Regular -AR Verbs in Spanish
These 35 regular -AR verbs will be highly useful as you continue to improve in your Spanish conversations and ability to express yourself. You will notice that most of the time, Spanish sentences drop the subjects altogether because the verb conjugation is clear on who the subject is. Prepare yourself to see plenty of dropped subjects in these examples!
1. Abrazar – to hug, to hold, to embrace
Me gusta abrazar a mi madre cuando la veo.
I like to hug my mom when I see her.
¡No me abrazaste!
You didn’t hug me!
2. Acabar – to end, to finish
Voy a acabar la universidad el otro año.
I am going to finish university next year.
¿Quién acabó el café?
Who finished the coffee?
Learn more: Detailed Guide on How to Use the Spanish Verb ‘Acabar’
3. Aceptar – to accept, to agree to, to admit
Aceptamos las consecuencias.
We accept the consequences.
Hay que aceptar lo que hiciste.
You have to accept what you did.
4. Admirar – to admire, to surprise
Admiro mucho a Milena Muzquiz por su arte.
I admire Milena Muzquiz a lot for her art.
¿En serio la admiras?
Do you actually admire her?
5. Amar – to love
Amo a mi hijo.
I love my son.
Amar a alguien es fácil.
Loving someone is easy.
You might like: Te Amo vs Te Quiero: Don’t Say the Wrong ‘I Love You’
6. Apoyar – to support, to lean, to rest
Ustedes no me apoyan como deberían.
You (all) don’t support me like you should.
¿En qué datos apoyas tu teoría?
On what data do you support your theory?
7. Ayudar – to help
¿Puedes ayudarme?
Are you able to help me?
No ayudo a nadia.
I don’t help anyone.
8. Bailar – to dance
Me encanta bailar con mis amigos.
I love to dance with my friends.
Bailaste muy bien en la fiesta de ayer.
You danced really well at the party yesterday.
9. Bajar – to take down, to lower, to come down, to get out of a vehicle
Bajamos en la siguiente parada.
We get out (of the vehicle) at the next stop.
¿Podrías bajarme ese libro?
Could you get that book down for me?
10. Caminar – to walk, to function
Me gusta salir a caminar por las mañanas.
I like to go out for a walk in the morning.
La cafetera ya no camina.
The coffee maker doesn’t work anymore.
11. Cocinar – to cook
Quiero cocinar mejor.
I want to cook better.
¿Sabes cocinar?
Do you know how to cook?
12. Crear – to create, to cause, to establish (a company)
Cuando escribo, creo nuevos mundos.
When I write, I create new worlds.
Mi ansiedad me crea muchos problemas.
My anxiety causes a lot of problems for me.
13. Dejar – to allow, to let, to leave, to lend
Voy a dejar de preocuparme por lo que no puedo controlar.
I’m going to stop worrying about what I can’t control.
Hay que dejar en paz al perro.
You need to leave the dog alone.
14. Desayunar – to eat (or have) breakfast
¿Usted ya desayunó?
Did you already eat breakfast?
Desayunamos juntos de vez en cuando.
We have breakfast together from time to time.
You might like: Irresistible Breakfast Food Vocabulary in Spanish
15. Disfrutar – to enjoy
¡Qué lo disfrutes!
I hope you enjoy it!
Disfruto leer.
I enjoy reading.
16. Enseñar – to teach, to show
Te voy a enseñar a hablar español.
I’m going to teach you how to speak Spanish.
No me enseñó su nuevo juguete.
He didn’t show me his new toy.
17. Entrar – to enter, to fit (into)
No puedes entrar sin permiso.
You can’t come in without permission.
La llave no entra en la cerradura.
The key doesn’t fit into the lock.
18. Escuchar – to listen to, to hear
¿Escuchas eso?
Do you hear that?
No puedo escucharte muy bien.
I can’t hear you very well.
19. Estudiar – to study
Hay que estudiar mucho para graduarse de la universidad.
You have to study a lot to graduate from university.
Estudio biologia.
I study biology.
20. Evitar – to avoid, to prevent, to save from
Evito todo tipo de mariscos.
I avoid all types of seafood.
Es mejor lavarse las manos para evitar la contaminación.
It’s better to wash your hands to avoid contamination.
21. Expresar – to express, to voice, to state
Prefiero expresar lo que siento sin miedo.
I prefer to express what I feel without fear.
Expresamos nuestras opiniones libremente.
We voice our opinions freely.
22. Ganar – to win
¿Qué ganaste?
What did you win?
Sé que vamos a ganar.
I know we’re going to win.
23. Gustar – to like, to please, to taste
Me gusta andar en bicicleta.
I like to ride bikes.
¿No le gustó la película (a usted)?
You didn’t like the movie?
24. Hablar – to talk
Ella tiene que hablar con su madre.
She has to talk to her mom.
Hablaron mal de mi.
They said bad things about me.
25. Invitar – to invite, to treat someone to something, to buy
Mi novio me invitó a almorzar.
My boyfriend invited me to lunch.
Invitamos nosotros.
It’s on us. (We’re buying.)
26. Lavar – to wash, to launder
Voy a lavar la ropa sucia.
I’m going to wash the dirty laundry.
Hay que lavar la lechuga antes de comerla.
You have to wash the lettuce before you eat it.
27. Limpiar – to clean, to wipe (down or off)
Tengo que limpiar la casa una vez por semana.
I have to clean the house once a week.
Limpiamos la mesa después del desayuno.
We clean the table after breakfast.
28. Llorar – to cry, to whine, to water
Nunca lloro.
I never cry.
Me lloran los ojos cuando corto cebolla.
My eyes water when I cut onion.
29. Llevar – to carry, to take, to bring, to give a ride
Tienes que llevar tu abrigo.
You need to take your coat.
¿Me llevas al parque?
Can you give me a ride to the park?
30. Lograr – to achieve, to accomplish, to attain
Logré conseguir dinero para el proyecto.
I managed to get money for the project.
¿Qué hizo usted para lograr sus sueños?
What did you do to achieve your dreams?
31. Manejar – to drive, to handle
¿Quieres aprender a manejar?
Do you want to learn to drive?
Hay que manejar con cuidado el paquete.
You need to handle the package with care.
32. Olvidar – to forget
Quiero olvidar ese recuerdo doloroso.
I want to forget that painful memory.
Olvidé mis llaves en casa.
I forgot my keys at home.
33. Parar – to stop, to end up
Ella paró el tráfico.
She stopped traffic.
¡Para!
Stop!
34. Pasar – to pass, to happen
¿Qué te pasó?
What happened to you?
¿Me pasas la sal?
Will you pass me the salt?
35. Preguntar – to ask
Preguntan por tí.
They’re asking for you.
¿Qué me querías preguntar?
What did you want to ask me?
Practice Your -AR Verbs in Spanish
These are some of the most popular and useful AR verbs in Spanish. Introduce them into your daily conversations and try conjugating them. Your Spanish will feel more natural every day!
The more you practice, the better your skill. And there’s no better way to practice than speaking to a native Spanish speaker today! Sign up for a free class with one of our certified teachers from Guatemala and start using -AR verbs in Spanish conversation today!
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