Present tense: -ar verbs In this lesson we will learn to conjugate regular –ar verbs. But let’s review a little first. All Spanish verbs fit into one of three categories: -ar, -er, or -ir verbs. IMPORTANT VOCABULARY TERMS: Verb – A word that represents an action or a state of being. Infinitive - the simple or basic form of the verb, the unchanged verb with the –ar, -er, or –ir still attached to the end of the word. Generally means “to do something” ex: hablar – to speak Subject – the person doing the action Subject pronouns – Words that replace the person’s name and used as the subject of a noun, in English: I, you, he, she, we, they, you all. In Spanish: yo, tú, él, ella, Ud., nosotros(as), vosotros(as),ellos, ellas, Uds. Conjugate – changing the verb to match the subject. Conjugations – the forms of the verb after it has been conjugated or changed to match the Examples : Hablar (to speak) is an -ar verb because it ends in –ar. Comer (to eat) is an -er verb because it ends in –er. Vivir (to live) is an –ir verb because it ends in –ir. It’s that easy! THE FUNDAMENTAL PARTS OF THE VERB: THE INFINITIVE: The basic, not conjugated form of the verb. Example: estudiar (to study) THE ENDING: The last two letters of the infinitive. Example: estudiar THE STEM: What is left after taking, the ending from the infinitive. Example: estudi