Explanation
All Spanish infinitives end in either -ar, -er, or -ir, as in hablar, leer, and escribir.
In this article we'll cover regular -er verbs, as well as some common -er verbs with irregular forms.
Regular -er Verbs
Many -er verbs follow the same conjugation pattern. To conjugate a regular -er verb, follow these steps:
- First, decide your tense. Every tense in Spanish has a different set of endings.
- Next, remove the infinitive ending (-er).
- Lastly, add the ending that matches the subject of the sentence.
Click here for a conjugation chart for the regular Spanish verb comer. You can follow the same pattern to conjugate all other -er verbs, unless they are irregular.
Here is a list of the most common regular -er verbs. These verbs are regular in all forms and tenses.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| aprender | to learn |
| comer | to eat |
| comprender | to understand |
| correr | to run |
| deber | to owe |
| meter | to put |
| romper | to break |
| temer | to fear |
| vender | to sell |
Let’s take a look at some examples using these regular -er verbs.
| examples |
|---|
Irregular -er Verbs in the Present Tense
-er Stem Changers
Many common -er verbs have a stem change when conjugated in the present tense. These verbs use the same endings as regular -er verbs, but undergo a vowel change in the last syllable of the stem.
e > ie
For verbs in this group, the e in the last syllable of the stem changes to ie. Some common -er verbs that undergo this change are:
o > ue
For verbs in this group, the o in the last syllable of the stem changes to ue. Some common -er verbs that undergo this change are:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| doler | to hurt |
| llover | to rain |
| mover | to move |
| oler | to smell |
| poder | to be able to |
| volver | to return |
Take a look at the conjugations of two stem-changing -er verbs.
Irregular Yo
Some present tense yo conjugations undergo spelling changes or are irregular.
Yo “go” Verbs
Many essential -er verbs end in “go” in the present tense yo form.
| Spanish Infinitive | English Infinitive | Yo Form |
|---|---|---|
| caer | to fall | caigo |
| hacer | to do/make | hago |
| poner | to put/place | pongo |
| suponer | to suppose | supongo |
| tener | to have | tengo |
Yo “zco” Verbs
There are other -er verbs that end in “zco” in the present tense yo form.
| Spanish Infinitive | English Infinitive | Yo Form |
|---|---|---|
| aparecer | to appear | aparezco |
| conocer | to know/meet | conozco |
| nacer | to be born | nazco |
| ofrecer | to offer | ofrezco |
| parecer | to seem | parezco |
| reconocer | to recognize | reconozco |
Yo “jo” Verbs
For verbs that end in -ger, the g in the yo form changes to a j.
Here are some examples.
| Spanish Infinitive | English Infinitive | Yo Form |
|---|---|---|
| coger | to get | cojo |
| escoger | to choose | escojo |
| recoger | to pick up | recojo |
Other Irregular Yo Verbs
Séis the yo form of the verb saber(to know) and veois the yo form of ver(to see).
Click here to learn more about irregular present tense verbs.
Irregular -er Verbs in the Preterite Tense
Many of the must-know -er verbs are irregular in the preterite tense. Let's take a look!
-er Verbs with uv and u Preterite Stems
-er Verbs with i and j Preterite Stems
Preterite Conjugations of Caer, Leer, and Creer
Verbs that have stems ending in a vowel + -er take a y in the él, ella, usted and ellos, ellas, ustedes forms.
Click here to learn more about irregular verbs in the preterite tense.
-er Verbs with Irregular Future/Conditional Stems
Many -er verbs have irregular stems when conjugating in the future and conditional.
Ser and Haber
The Spanish verbs serand haberare irregular verbs in many forms and tenses. To review ser in all tenses, click here. Click here to review the forms of haber.
Tense about tenses in Spanish? Never fear! Read about other tenses in Spanish in these articles:
