A Semi-Comprehensive List of -AR Verbs in Spanish

If you are at the beginning of your Spanish journey and you want to quickly expand your vocabulary and start using correct grammar, a list of -ar verbs in Spanish is what you need. Why?

The -ar verbs are the most common Spanish verbs and with the smallest number of irregularities. They are easy to learn. You’ll quickly understand the idea of conjugation with them, and learning other verbs will be much easier. You can start today.

I’ll explain what conjugation is and how many types of them you’ll find in Spanish. I’ll show you how to conjugate regular verbs in most of the tenses, and you’ll also learn how to detect and conjugate irregular -ar verbs.

Finally, there is a semi-comprehensive but quite extensive list of -ar verbs in Spanish to help you practice your conjugating skills.

Let’s get started! 

What is Conjugation?

Let’s start with the basics. What is conjugation? If you’re not super interested in grammar and this is your first time learning a foreign language, this concept might be new. 

Verb conjugation shows us how a verb changes when we use it with a different grammatical person (I, you, he, she, etc); tense (present, past, future); number (singular, plural); or mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative).

Spanish has only three types of conjugations and you usually learn them in the first lessons: -ar, -er, and -ir. You’ll see that dividing the Spanish verbs into three groups will make your life easier. The same ending, the same conjugation. You learn one, and you know how to conjugate all the others in the same group.

-AR Verb Conjugation

The -ar verbs are usually the first ones to learn. They are the biggest group, and they have the smallest number of irregularities. 

Each -ar verb in its infinitive form looks like this:

Verb stem + infinitive ending -ar

For example amar (to love), hablar (to speak), comprar (to buy).

I could simply give you a list of -ar verbs in Spanish, but it’ll be easier if I split them for you into smaller subgroups.

I’ll show you how to conjugate -ar verbs in six different indicative tenses:

1. simple present
2. present progressive
3. preterite
4. imperfect
5. simple future
6. conditional

We’ll skip the subjunctive for now. Take one step at a time, and we can leave it for another occasion. 

Conjugation of Regular -AR Verbs in the Simple Present Tense

Why do we call some verbs regular? Because the stem of the verb does not change during the conjugation, only the ending does. 

You use the simple present tense to talk about habitual actions, routines, universal truths, things happening now or in the near future, and facts.

For example:

Amo tomar mi café mirando el mar desde mi terraza.
I love having my coffee while looking at the sea from my terrace. 

In the present simple tense, cut out the -ar infinitive endings and substitute them as follows:

Present tense endings for -ar  verbs

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo amo	I love
tú amas	you love
él, ella, usted ama	he, she, it,  loves (fml. you love)
nosotros amamos	we love
ustedes aman	you love
ellos, ellas aman	they love

Check out the list of regular -ar verbs in Spanish at the end to get to know more. 

Stem-Changing Verbs

Some present tense verbs from the list of -ar verbs in Spanish undergo a stem change. While they still use the regular tense endings for -ar verbs, there is a small vowel change in the stem. Let’s have a look at three types of stem changes that you’ll find on your list of -ar verbs in Spanish.

e-ie Changes

This is the most common stem change. For these verbs, the letter e in the last syllable of the stem changes to ie. 

I’ll show you how it looks like with the verb pensar (to think).

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo pienso	I think
tú piensas	you think
él, ella, usted piensa	he, she, it,  thinks (fml. you think)
nosotros pensamos	we think
ustedes piensan	you think
ellos, ellas piensan	they think

Did you notice that there is no stem change in nosotros? You’re right, the first person plural is always regular. 

Other verbs that follow the same stem change are for example cerrar (to close), nevar (to snow), comenzar (to start). You’ll find more on the list of -ar verbs in Spanish at the end of the article.

o-ue Changes

In this group, the o in the last syllable of the stem, changes to ue. Like in the verb volar (to fly). 

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo vuelo	I fly
tú vuelas	you fly
él, ella, usted vuela	he, she, it,  flies (fml. you fly)
nosotros volamos	we fly
ustedes vuelan	you fly
ellos, ellas vuelan	they fly

Can you try conjugating another verb in this group? Try soñar (to dream) or choose another from the -ar verb list in Spanish at the end.

u-ue Change

This will be your favorite “group.” There is only one verb here—jugar (to play). In this verb, the u from the stem changes to ue.

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo juego	I play
tú juegas	you play
él, ella, usted juega	he, she, it,  plays (fml. you play)
nosotros jugamos	we play
ustedes juegan	you play
ellos, ellas juegan	they play

Yo juego con la pelota y tu juegas con la cuerda.
I play with the ball, and you play with the rope.

Conjugation of Regular -AR Verbs in the Present Progressive

The present progressive is another tense to talk about present actions in Spanish. You use it only for actions happening right now, or around now. It’s like the present continuous in English (“I am writing”).

To construct the present progressive tense in Spanish, you need to join a conjugated verb estar with a gerund.

Let’s review the conjugation of the verb estar in the present simple tense:

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo estoy	I am
tú estás	you are
él, ella, usted está	he, she, it,  is (fml. you are)
nosotros estamos	we are
ustedes están	you are
ellos, ellas están	they are

Now, that you remember this part, let’s learn how to make a gerund with the -ar verbs. It’s very easy. You just have to change the infinitive ending -ar into the gerund ending -ando.

Let’s look at the complete conjugation of the present progressive tense of the -ar verbs. I’ll show it to you with the verb jugar.

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo estoy jugando	I am playing
tú estás jugando	you are playing
él, ella, usted está jugando	he, she, it,  is playing (fml. you are playing)
nosotros estamos jugando	we are playing
ustedes están jugando	you are playing
ellos, ellas están jugando	they are playing

There are no stem changes in the present progressive tense for -ar verbs. They all conjugate in the same way.

Conjugation of Regular -AR Verbs in the Preterite

Let’s move to the past tenses. I’ll start with the preterite. The endings are easy to remember for the -ar verbs. Let’s do it now with the verb amar.

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo amé	I loved
tú amaste	you loved
él, ella, usted amó	he, she, it, loved (fml. you loved)
nosotros amamos	we loved
ustedes amaron	you loved
ellos, ellas amaron	they loved

Note that the first and the third person singular have an accent over the preterite ending.

¡Amé el postre de ayer!
I loved yesterday’s dessert!

-AR Verbs with Different First Person Singular in the Preterite Tense

There are three subgroups on the list of -ar verbs in Spanish that change only in the first person singular (yo) in the preterite tense. They end in -car, -gar, and -zar. 

It’s because you pronounce the letters c, z, and g differently, according to the vowel that follows them.

1. -car Verbs

In this group, the letter c changes to qu. Let’s do it with the verb arrancar (tear off, pluck).

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo arranqué	I plucked
Tú arrancaste	you plucked
él, ella, usted arrancó	he, she, it, plucked (fml. you plucked)
nosotros arrancamos	we plucked
ustedes arrancaron	you plucked
ellos, ellas arrancaron	they plucked

As you can see, only the yo verb changes. All the other subjects have regular endings and no stem change.

Check out the list of -AR verbs in Spanish at the end, to see what other verbs follow the same conjugation.

2. -gar Verbs

Here, the letter g changes to gu. Let’s do it with the verb pagar (to pay).

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo pagué	I paid
Tú pagaste	you paid
él, ella, usted pagó	he, she, it, paid (fml. you paid)
nosotros pagamos	we paid
ustedes pagaron	you paid
ellos, ellas pagaron	they paid

You can see other verbs like this one on the list of -ar verbs in Spanish at the end of this article.

3. -zar Verbs

For the –zar verbs, the letter z before the infinite ending changes to c. Let’s do it with the verb avanzar (to advance, progress).

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo avancé	I advanced
Tú avanzaste	you advanced
él, ella, usted avanzó	he, she, it, advanced (fml. you advanced)
nosotros  avanzamos	we advanced
ustedes avanzaron	you advanced
ellos, ellas avanzaron	they advanced

All the verbs that end in -zar follow the same pattern. Check them on the list of -ar verbs in Spanish at the end of this article.

To learn more, check out All You Ever Needed to Know About Spanish (Simple) Past Tense Verbs.

Conjugation of Regular -AR Verbs in the Imperfect Tense

Another tense you can use to talk about the past is the imperfect. We use it to talk about past actions that are in progress and  incomplete. You also use it to talk about habits in the past.

This tense is easy in terms of the -ar verbs. No irregularities. Just cut off the infinitive ending -ar and substitute it with the correct imperfect ending. I’ll use bailar (to dance) here as an example. 

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo bailaba	I danced / was dancing
tú bailabas	you danced / were dancing
él, ella, usted bailaba	he, she, it, danced / was dancing (fml. you danced / was dancing)
nosotros bailábamos	we danced / were dancing
ustedes bailaban	you danced / were dancing
ellos, ellas bailaban	they danced / were dancing

The only thing you need to remember is the accent mark in the nosotros form.

You can see other verbs like this one on the list of -ar verbs in Spanish at the end of this article.

Conjugation of Regular –AR Verbs in Future Simple Tense

Another easy tense for the -ar verbs with no irregularities. Just add the future simple endings to the infinitive.

You use the future simple tense to talk about things that will happen at some point in the future.

Let’s see an example with the verb comprar (to buy).

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo compraré	I will buy
tú comprarás	you will buy
él, ella, usted comprará	he, she, it, will buy (fml. you will buy)
nosotros compraremos	we will buy
ustedes comprarán	you will buy
ellos, ellas comprarán	they will buy

¡Mis papás me comprarán una bici para mi cumpleaños!
My parents will buy me a bicycle for my birthday!

Conjugation of Regular –AR Verbs in the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense won’t give you a headache. You translate it with English “would.”

As in the future simple, you just need to add the conditional endings to the infinitive form.

Let’s have a look at the verb pintar (to paint).

SPANISH	ENGLISH
yo pintaría	I would paint
Tú pintarías	you would paint
él, ella, usted pintaría	he, she, it, would paint (fml. you would paint)
nosotros pintaríamos	we would paint
ustedes pintarían	you would paint
ellos, ellas pintarían	they would paint

Yo pintaría la casa, si tuviera dinero para comprar la pintura.
I would paint the house if I had money to buy the paint.

See also:  What is the Conditional Tense in Spanish.

A List of -AR Verbs in Spanish

Finally, take a look at this list of -ar verbs in Spanish. Choose some to conjugate in different tenses. Obviously, this list is not definitive, but you have a vast collection that will improve both your vocabulary and grammar skills.

Regular Spanish -AR Verbs

SPANISH	ENGLISH
acabar	to finish
aceptar	to accept
acompañar	to accompany
admirar	to admire
amar	to love
bailar	to dance
bajar	to go down
bañar	to bath
cantar	to sing
cambiar	to change
caminar	to walk
cenar	to have dinner
comprar	to buy
cuidar	to look after
descansar	to rest
dibujar	to draw
enseñar	to teach
entrar	to get in
enviar	to send
estudiar	to study
faltar	to lack
fumar	to smoke
gritar	to shout
gustar	to like
hablar	to talk
importar	to import, to care
invitar	to invite
juntar	to join
limpiar	to clean
llamar	to call
llorar	to cry
matar	to kill
mirar	to look
nadar	to swim
ocupar	to occupy
olvidar	to forget
parar	to stop
pintar	to paint
preguntar	to ask
regresar	to return
respirar	to breathe
saltar	to skip
sospechar	to suspect
terminar	to finish
tomar	to drink / take
usar	tp use
viajar	to travel
visitar	to visit

-AR Verbs with the e-ie Change in the Present Simple Tense

SPANISH	ENGLISH
acertar	to guess
atravesar	to cross
calentar	to warm
cerrar	to close
comenzar	to start
confesar	to confess
helar	to freeze
despertar	to wake
empezar	to start
encerrar	to enclose
fregar	to scrub
gobernar	to govern
negar	to deny
nevar	to snow
pensar	to think
recomendar	to recommend
remendar	to patch up
tropezar	to trip on

-AR Verbs with the o-ue Change in the Present Simple Tense

SPANISH	ENGLISH
acordar	to agree
almorzar	to have lunch
aprobar	to approve
colgar	to hang up
contar	to count, to tell
costar	to cost
demostrar	to prove
encontrar	to find
mostrar	to show
probar	to try
recordar	to remember
rogar	to beg
sonar	to ring
soñar	to dream
tronar	to thunder, to break
volar	to fly

-AR Verbs Ending in -car

SPANISH	ENGLISH
abarcar	to encompass
ahorcar	to hang
arrancar	to pluck
buscar	to look for
certificar	to certify
dedicar	to dedicate
derrocar	to topple
educar	to educate
fabricar	to manufacture
implicar	to imply
mascar	to chew
notificar	to notify
opacar	to overshadow
multiplicar	to multiply
pacificar	to pacify
rascar	to scratch
significar	to mean
traficar	to traffic
ubicar	to locate

-AR Verbs Ending in -car

SPANISH	ENGLISH
abarcar	to encompass
ahorcar	to hang
arrancar	to pluck
buscar	to look for
certificar	to certify
dedicar	to dedicate
derrocar	to topple
educar	to educate
fabricar	to manufacture
implicar	to imply
mascar	to chew
notificar	to notify
opacar	to overshadow
multiplicar	to multiply
pacificar	to pacify
rascar	to scratch
significar	to mean
traficar	to traffic
ubicar	to locate

-AR Verbs Ending in -gar

SPANISH	ENGLISH
abrigar	to shelter
albergar	to harbor
cabalgar	to ride
cargar	to load
conjugar	to conjugate
delegar	to delegate
desplegar	to deploy
embragar	to engage
encargar	to place an order
fregar	to scrub
interrogar	to question
jugar	to play
navegar	to surf
pagar	to pay
prolongar	to prolong
rasgar	to rip
rogar	to beg, to pray
tragar	to swallow
vagar	to wander

-AR Verbs Ending In -zar

SPANISH	ENGLISH
abrazar	to hug
actualizar	to update
bautizar	to baptize
calzar	to wear (shoes)
cicatrizar	to scar
danzar	to dance
empezar	to start
enfatizar	to emphasize
familiarizar	to acquaint
hechizar	to bewitch
inmunizar	to immunize
lanzar	to throw
memorizar	to memorize
neutralizar	to neutralize
penalizar	to penalize
racionalizar	to rationalize
sensibilizar	to sensitize
trazar	to draw
utilizar	to use

Practice Time

Wow! That was a lot. Now you have plenty of material to practice. You can try conjugation out loud the verbs from the list of -ar verbs in Spanish, or you can try creating some sentences with them and writing them down. 

If you want to learn other conjugations in Spanish, read An Exclusive Beginner’s Guide to Spanish Conjugation. 

You can also sign up for a free class and practice -ar verbs with one of our friendly native-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Don’t forget to tell them which of your skills you want to polish at the beginning of the lesson!

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