How to conjugate an AR verb
We already know that in Spanish infinitives can end in: AR (bailar, cantar) ER (correr, ver) IR (escribir) In Spanish the largest number of verbs (action words) end in AR
“Hablar” (an AR infinitive) means “to speak or to talk” as in “me gusta hablar” (I like to talk) In order to say “I talk” you have to conjugate (change) the verb
Start with the infinitive: hablar Remove the AR ending: habl (that’s the stem) Add the appropraite ending: These are the steps: I = o we= amos you = as you all = áis (Spain) he/she = a they/you all = an
Here is an example using “hablar” (yo) hablo = I speak (nosotros) hablamos = (nosotras) we speak (tú) hablas = you speak (vosotros) habláis (vosotras) you all speak (pl. inf. Spain) usted (Ud) you speak (formal él habla he speaks ella she speaks ustedes (Uds.) you all speak ellos hablan they speak ellas they speak (all girls)
In Spanish the present tense can be translated in 3 ways. Hablo español = I speak Spanish. I do speak Spanish. I am speaking Spanish.
Because the ending of the verb tells you who is doing the action, you can often use the verbs without subjects. Example: Hablo español. ¿Hablas español?
Subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella etc) are often used for emphasis or clarification. Example: Ella habla inglés pero él habla español.