Spanish Grammar and Vocabulary Fundamentals

Practice flashcards covering Spanish verb conjugations (SER, ESTAR, IR, TENER), regular and stem-changing verb patterns, the present progressive tense, and essential vocabulary.

SER

Translates to 'to be' and is used to express identity, characteristics, origin, permanent states, or inherent qualities.

Conjugation of SER

Yo: soy, Tú: eres, Él/Ella: es, Nosotros: somos, Ellos/Ellas: son.

ESTAR

Translates to 'to be' but is used for feelings, conditions, locations, and temporary states.

Conjugation of ESTAR

Yo: estoy, Tú: estás, Él/Ella: está, Nosotros: estamos, Ellos/Ellas: están.

IR

Means 'to go' and is used to indicate movement or intention.

IR + a + infinitive

A structure used to indicate future actions, such as 'Voy a estudiar' (I am going to study).

Conjugation of IR

Yo: voy, Tú: vas, Él/Ella: va, Nosotros: vamos, Ellos: van.

TENER

Translates to 'to have' and is used to express possession and certain states such as hunger, thirst, or cold.

Conjugation of TENER

Yo: tengo, Tú: tienes, Él/Ella: tiene, Nosotros: tenemos, Ellos: tienen.

Tener expressions

Common phrases including 'tener hambre' (to be hungry), 'tener sed' (to be thirsty), and 'tener frío' (to be cold).

Regular -AR endings

The present tense endings: o, as, a, amos, an.

Regular -ER endings

The present tense endings: o, es, e, emos, en.

Regular -IR endings

The present tense endings: o, es, e, imos, en.

Hablar

A regular -AR verb meaning 'to speak', conjugated as: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, hablan.

Stem-changing verbs

Verbs that undergo a vowel change in their stem when conjugated in the present tense, except for the nosotros form.

empezar

A stem-changing verb (e → ie). Example: Yo empiezo.

dormir

A stem-changing verb (o → ue).

pedir

A stem-changing verb (e → i).

jugar

A stem-changing verb (u → ue).

Present Progressive

A tense describing actions currently in progress using the formula: ESTAR + present participle (gerund).

Present Participle -AR

Formed with the ending -ando (e.g., hablar → hablando).

Present Participle -ER/-IR

Formed with the ending -iendo (e.g., comer → comiendo, vivir → viviendo).

Subject Identification (Singular)

Use the pronouns él or ella for singular subjects (e.g., Juan = él, la profesora = ella).

Subject Identification (Plural)

Use the pronouns ellos or ellas for plural subjects (e.g., los estudiantes = ellos).

hacer

A fundamental verb meaning: to do / to make.

poder

A fundamental verb meaning: to be able to / can.

entender

A fundamental verb meaning: to understand.

saber

A fundamental verb meaning: to know.