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

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).

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). 

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.

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:

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.

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.

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).

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).

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).

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. 

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).

¡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).

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

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

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

-AR Verbs Ending in -car

-AR Verbs Ending in -car

-AR Verbs Ending in -gar

-AR Verbs Ending In -zar

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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Olga Put

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

I'm a Spanish philologist, teacher, and freelance writer with a Master's degree in Humanities from Madrid. I speak Polish, Spanish, and English fluently, and want to get better in Portuguese and German. A lover of literature, and Mexican spicy cuisine, I've lived in Poland, Spain, and Mexico and I'm currently living and teaching in Madeira, Portugal.

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