-o/-es/-e/-imos/-ís/-en
Present Tense -IR Verbs
For regular verbs ending in -ir, remove the -ir and add one of these endings: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en.
How It Works
In Spanish, verbs are categorized by their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. This pattern covers regular verbs that end in -ir, such as vivir (to live), escribir (to write), and abrir (to open).
To conjugate a regular -ir verb in the present tense, follow these two steps:
1. Find the verb's stem by removing the -ir ending. (e.g., for vivir, the stem is viv-).
2. Add the correct ending based on the subject pronoun.
Present Tense -ir Endings:
- yo: -o
- tú: -es
- él/ella/usted: -e
- nosotros/as: -imos
- vosotros/as: -ís
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: -en
Let's see the full conjugation for vivir (to live):
- (yo) vivo - I live
- (tú) vives - you live
- (él/ella/usted) vive - he/she/you (formal) lives
- (nosotros/as) vivimos - we live
- (vosotros/as) vivís - you all (informal) live
- (ellos/ellas/ustedes) viven - they/you all live
In the six-person table above, the endings for -ir verbs are almost identical to -er verbs, except for the nosotros/as (-imos) and vosotros/as (-ís) forms. This is a key difference to remember.
Vos: A common informal singular form is vos vivís. Here vos and vosotros share an ending but refer to one person and several people respectively. Regular -er verbs instead commonly have vos comés.
The present can describe habits and ongoing situations, and context can give it future reference. For example, Vivo en Madrid describes where I live, rather than an action happening only at this instant.
Examples (5)
- Yo vivo en Madrid.
I live in Madrid.
Word by Word: I live in Madrid.
- Tú escribes un correo electrónico.
You write an email.
Word by Word: You write an email.
- Ella abre la puerta.
She opens the door.
Word by Word: She opens the door.
- Nosotros decidimos estudiar español.
We decide to study Spanish.
Word by Word: We decide to study Spanish.
- ¿Reciben ustedes muchos regalos?
Do you all receive many gifts?
Word by Word: Receive you-all many gifts?
Common Mistakes
Confusing the 'nosotros' and 'vosotros' endings with -er verbs.
Nosotros vivemos en la ciudad.Nosotros vivimos en la ciudad.The 'nosotros' ending for -ir verbs is '-imos', not '-emos' like it is for -er verbs. Similarly, the 'vosotros' ending is '-ís', not '-éis'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To conjugate regular -ir verbs in the present tense, you must first understand the subject pronouns that dictate which ending to use. Familiarity with -er verb conjugations is also highly beneficial as the patterns are almost identical.
Related Patterns
- -o/-as/-a/-amos/-áis/-anPresent Tense -AR Verbs
This is the conjugation pattern for regular -ar verbs, the most common verb type in Spanish. Comparing them helps solidify the rules for all three regular verb groups.
Level 1 - yo/tú/él/ella/ustedSubject Pronouns (Singular)
These pronouns determine which verb ending to use. For example, 'yo' pairs with the '-o' ending (vivo), and 'tú' pairs with the '-es' ending (vives).
Foundations - nosotros/vosotros/ellos/ellas/ustedesSubject Pronouns (Plural)
These are the plural subject pronouns. 'Nosotros' takes the '-imos' ending (vivimos), and 'ellos/ellas/ustedes' take the '-en' ending (viven).
Foundations - e→iStem-Changing Verbs E→I
While this pattern covers regular -ir verbs, many common -ir verbs are irregular and change their stem vowel from 'e' to 'i' in some forms (e.g., pido, pides, pide).
Level 1
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Practice -o/-es/-e/-imos/-ís/-en in Bubblegum
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