All Spanish verbs end in -ar, -er, or -ir in their infinitive form. The verb’s conjugation will depend on the ending. The most common verbs are -ar verbs in Spanish. Learning how to use and conjugate them is a must for all Spanish learners learning the language around the world.
Verbs describe actions. You employ them when telling a story or a narrative. Three main verb types with the following endings are used in Spanish:
- -AR endings (hablar, mirar, abrazar)
- -ER endings (ver, prender, llover)
- -IR endings (abrir, escribir, fingir)
Regular verbs don’t change in their root, unlike irregular verbs. The basic root of a verb changes when the endings -AR, -ER, or -IR are dropped, and you must memorize these changes as you study irregular verbs. You will only need to memorize the changes in verb endings with regular verbs for the time being rather than any root changes.
Verb Infinitive vs Verb Root:
Verb infinitive = hablar (to talk)
Verb root = habl- (drop the -AR)
Now let’s try to understand it with the help of relevant examples:
Example Infinitive Form of Hablar:
Quiero hablar contingo. (hablar is in its infinitive, or basic, form)
I want to talk to you.
Example Conjugated Form of Hablar:
¡Hablamos luego! (hablar is in its conjugated form for the first person plural, nosotros, or “we”)
How to conjugate -ar verbs in Spanish
When you conjugate a verb, it changes to reflect the person, tense, number, or mood it refers to. Getting confused? Don’t worry, we will discuss them one by one. But before discussing them, if you are looking for an authentic online language-learning platform to study Spanish, go check out italki.
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Person as a subject
The person is the subject. In English, our subjects are: I, you, he, she, we, and they. In Latin American Spanish, they are:
- yo = I
- tú = you, informal
- usted = you, formal
- él = he
- ella = she
- nosotros = we, masculine
- nosotras = we, feminine
- ellos = they, masculine
- ellas = they, feminine
- ustedes = you all
With the subject: Yo te llamo. (I call you.)
More common, without the subject: Te llamo. (I call you.)
Tense is when the action happens
In this guide, we are going to focus on present tense (el presente) and simple past tense (el pretérito).
The present tense is happening now or still regularly happens. Let’s see how to use the verb mirar, which means “to look” or “to watch.”
- Él nunca mira hacia arriba. (verb infinitive: mirar / conjugated to él mira) He never looks up.
- ¿Porqué tú me miras así? (verb infinitive: mirar / conjugated to tú miras) Why are you looking at me like that?
The simple past tense happened once and is no longer happening:
- Él me miró a los ojos. (verb infinitive: mirar / conjugated to él miró) He looked me in the eyes.
- ¿Tú miraste la tele anoche? (verb infinitive: mirar / conjugated to tú miraste) Did you watch tv last night?
The number as singular or plural subject
Depending on the number, the subject will either be singular or plural.
- yo = I (singular)
- tú = you, informal (singular)
- usted = you, formal (singular)
- él = he (singular)
- ella = she (singular)
- nosotros = we (plural)
- ellos = they, masculine (plural)
- ellas = they, feminine (plural)
- ustedes = you all (plural)
Present tense regular -ar Spanish endings
Currently occurring or continuing to occur frequently is the present tense. Regular -AR verbs lose the final -AR from the infinitive in the present tense and are replaced by one of the following verb endings, depending on the subject:
| Subject Pronoun | Verb Ending in Present Tense |
| yo | -o |
| tú | -as |
| él, ella, usted | -a |
| nosotros | -amos |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -an |
For example:
- Yo enseño español. (-AR verb infinitive: enseñar) I teach Spanish.
- Tú abrazas a tu hermana .(-AR verb infinitive: abrazar) You hug your sister.
Simple past tense regular -ar Spanish endings
| Subject Pronoun | Verb Ending in Simple Past (Preterite) Tense |
| yo | –é |
| tú | -aste |
| él, ella, usted | –ó |
| nosotros | -amos |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -aron |
For example:
- Yo enseñé español. I taught Spanish.
- Tú abrazaste a tu hermana. You hugged your sister.
35 regular -ar verbs in Spanish
1. Abrazar – to hug, to hold, to embrace
Me gusta abrazar a mi madre cuando la veo. I like to hug my mom when I see her.
2. Acabar – to end, to finish
Voy a acabar la universidad el otro año. I am going to finish university next year.
3. Aceptar – to accept, to agree to, to admit
Aceptamos las consecuencias. We accept the consequences.
4. Admirar – to admire, to surprise
Admiro mucho a Milena Muzquiz por su arte. I admire Milena Muzquiz a lot for her art.
5. Amar – to love
Amo a mi hijo. I love my son.
6. Apoyar – to support, to lean, to rest
Ustedes no me apoyan como deberían. You (all) don’t support me like you should.
7. Ayudar – to help
¿Puedes ayudarme? Are you able to help me?
8. Bailar – to dance
Me encanta bailar con mis amigos. I love to dance with my friends.
9. Bajar – to take down, to lower, to come down, to get out of a vehicle
Bajamos en la siguiente parada. We get out (of the vehicle) at the next stop.
10. Caminar – to walk, to function
Me gusta salir a caminar por las mañanas. I like to go out for a walk in the morning.
11. Cocinar – to cook
Quiero cocinar mejor. I want to cook better.
12. Crear – to create, to cause, to establish (a company)
Cuando escribo, creo nuevos mundos. When I write, I create new worlds.
13. Dejar – to allow, to let, to leave, to lend
Voy a dejar de preocuparme por lo que no puedo controlar. I’m going to stop worrying about what I can’t control.
14. Desayunar – to eat (or have) breakfast
¿Usted ya desayunó? Did you already eat breakfast?
15. Disfrutar – to enjoy
¡Qué lo disfrutes! I hope you enjoy it!
16. Enseñar – to teach, to show
Te voy a enseñar a hablar español. I’m going to teach you how to speak Spanish.
17. Entrar – to enter, to fit (into)
No puedes entrar sin permiso. You can’t come in without permission.
18. Escuchar – to listen to, to hear
¿Escuchas eso? Do you hear that?
19. Estudiar – to study
Hay que estudiar mucho para graduarse de la universidad. You have to study a lot to graduate from university.
20. Evitar – to avoid, to prevent, to save from
Evito todo tipo de mariscos. I avoid all types of seafood.
21. Expresar – to express, to voice, to state
Prefiero expresar lo que siento sin miedo. I prefer to express what I feel without fear.
22. Ganar – to win
¿Qué ganaste? What did you win?
23. Gustar – to like, to please, to taste
Me gusta andar en bicicleta. I like to ride bikes.
24. Hablar – to talk
Ella tiene que hablar con su madre. She has to talk to her mom.
25. Invitar – to invite, to treat someone to something, to buy
Mi novio me invitó a almorzar. My boyfriend invited me to lunch.
26. Lavar – to wash, to launder
Voy a lavar la ropa sucia. I’m going to wash the dirty laundry.
27. Limpiar – to clean, to wipe (down or off)
Tengo que limpiar la casa una vez por semana. I have to clean the house once a week.
28. Llorar – to cry, to whine, to water
Nunca lloro. I never cry.
29. Llevar – to carry, to take, to bring, to give a ride
Tienes que llevar tu abrigo. You need to take your coat.
30. Lograr – to achieve, to accomplish, to attain
Logré conseguir dinero para el proyecto. I managed to get money for the project.
31. Manejar – to drive, to handle
¿Quieres aprender a manejar? Do you want to learn to drive?
32. Olvidar – to forget
Quiero olvidar ese recuerdo doloroso. I want to forget that painful memory.
33. Parar – to stop, to end up
Ella paró el tráfico. She stopped traffic.
34. Pasar – to pass, to happen
¿Qué te pasó? What happened to you?
35. Preguntar – to ask
Preguntan por tí. They’re asking for you.
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Frequently asked questions
Q. What is the rule for AR verbs in Spanish?
A. Simply put, to conjugate an -ar verb, drop the -ar and add the appropriate ending according to the person and tense. For example, in the present tense you add -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, or -an to the remaining stem after removing -ar.
Q. How many AR Spanish verbs are there?
A. Since learning -ar verbs as a group will help improve your learning, let’s jump in with this set of 116 verbs.
Q. Why are they called AR verbs?
A. -AR verbs, as the name implies, are verbs that end in -AR.
Conclusion
These are some of the most practical Spanish AR verbs. Stop wondering how to learn Spanish grammar and try conjugating them and incorporating them into your daily conversations. Every day, your Spanish will sound more natural.
The more you practice, the more proficient you become. Join the italki class with one of our teachers who is certified, and start speaking with -ar verbs and –ir verbs in Spanish right away!
