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Published on: Grammar

The Beginner’s Guide to ER Verbs in Spanish

Did you know that -ER verbs are the second biggest category of regular Spanish verbs?

Spanish grammar may seem a bit overwhelming and complicated at first, but in reality, once you learn to conjugate regular verbs you are halfway there. It may be a little slow at first, but as you practice, it will become a piece of cake. 

An effective strategy is to prioritize the most common verbs you use daily, and over time, add slightly more complicated verbs. 

In this article, we will exclusively focus on regular -ER verbs to enhance your understanding of Spanish grammar. Remember that regular verbs differ from irregular verbs in that their root does not vary. When you start learning irregular verbs, you will see how the basic stem of a verb (when the -AR, -ER, or -IR ending is eliminated) will also change and you will have to memorize these changes. 

For now, with regular verbs, you will not have to remember any changes in the root, only the changes in the verb endings.

QUICK NOTE…

Notice that “él”, “ella” and “usted share the same verb form in the singular, and “ellos”, “ellas” and “ustedes” share the same verb form in the plural.

ER Spanish Verbs Conjugation In The Present Simple Tense

To conjugate -er verbs in the present tense in Spanish, just delete the -er and add the following endings to the stem: -o, -es, -en, -emos, -éis, -en. 

Spanish Personal Pronouns Conjugation Present Simple Tense
Yo (singular) -o
Tú / vos (singular) -es
Él / Ella, Usted (singular) -en
Nosotros (plural) -emos
Vosotros (plural – Spain) -éis
Ellos / Ellas, Ustedes (plural) -en

 

Spanish Infinitive verb Yo Tu Él/Ella/Usted Nosotros Vosotros Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Beber (to drink) Bebo Bebes Bebe Bebemos Bebéis Beben
Comer (to eat) Como Comes Come Comemos Coméis Comen
Correr (to run) Corro Corres Corre Corremos Corréis Corren
Leer (to read) Leo Lees Lee Leemos Leéis Leen
Ver (to see / watch) Veo Ves Ve Vemos Véis Ven
Vender (to sell) Vendo Vendes Vende Vendemos Vendéis Venden

 

Here are some examples of verbs ending in ER conjugated to the present simple in Spanish:

Yo bebo agua

I drink water

Juan lee un libro

Juan reads a book

María ve la televisión

María watches TV

ER Spanish Verbs Conjugation In The Past Simple Tense

To conjugate -er verbs in the past tense in Spanish, delete the -er and add the following endings to the stem: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -ísteis, -ieron. 

Spanish Personal Pronouns Conjugation Past Simple Tense
Yo (singular)
Tú / vos (singular) -iste
Él / Ella, Usted (singular) -ió
Nosotros (plural) -imos
Vosotros (plural – Spain) -isteis
Ellos / Ellas, Ustedes (plural) -ieron

 

Spanish Infinitive verb Yo Tu Él/Ella/Usted Nosotros Vosotros Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Beber (to drink) Bebí Bebiste Bebió Bebimos Bebisteis Bebieron
Comer (to eat) Comí Comiste Comió Comimos Comisteis Comieron
Correr (to run) Corrí Corriste Corrió Corrimos Corristeis Corrieron
Leer (to read) Leí Leiste Leyó (*) Leímos Leísteis Leyeron (*)
Ver (to see / watch) Viste Vió Vimos Vísteis Vieron
Vender (to sell) Vendí Vendiste Vendió Vendimos Vendisteis Vendieron

QUICK NOTE…

(*) For past tense verbs that would logically end in vowel-i-vowel (e.g., leió, leieron), the -i is replaced by an -y. (Leyó, leyeron).

Here are some examples of verbs ending in ER conjugated to the past simple in Spanish:

Yo bebí agua

I drank water

Juan leyó un libro

Juan read a book

María vió la televisión

María watched TV

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Image by yanalya via Freepik

ER Spanish Verbs Conjugation In The Future Simple Tense

To conjugate -er verbs in the future tense in Spanish, you’ll need to delete the -er and add the following endings to the stem: -eré, -erás, -erá, -emos, -eréis, -án.

Spanish Personal Pronouns Conjugation Future Simple Tense
Yo (singular) -eré
Tú / vos (singular) -erás
Él / Ella, Usted (singular) -erá
Nosotros (plural) -emos
Vosotros (plural – Spain) -eréis
Ellos / Ellas, Ustedes (plural) -án

 

Spanish Infinitive verb Yo Tu Él/Ella/Usted Nosotros Vosotros Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Beber (to drink) Beberé Beberás Beberá Beberemos Beberéis Beberán
Comer (to eat) Comeré Comerás Comerá Comeremos Comeréis Comerán
Correr (to run) Correré Correrás Correrá Correremos Correréis Correrán
Leer (to read) Leeré Leerás Leerá Leeremos Leeréis Leerán
Ver (to see / watch) Veré Verás Verá Veremos Veréis Verán
Vender (to sell) Venderé Venderás Venderá Venderemos Venderéis Venderán

Here are some examples of verbs ending in AR conjugated to the future simple in Spanish:

Yo beberé agua

I will drink water

Juan leerá un libro

Juan will read a book

María verá la televisión

María will watch TV

List Of +30 Spanish Verbs Ending In -ER

Here is a list of +30 Spanish verbs ending in -ER. It’s funny but there are few regular verbs with this ending since many of them are irregular! But with this list, you can practice the regular conjugations, memorize them, and add them to your vocabulary. 

Spanish  English
Absorber Absorb
Acceder Access
Aprehender Apprehend
Barrer Sweep
Ceder Yield
Cometer Commit
Comprender Understand
Comprometer Compromise
Conceder Concede
Corresponder Correspond
Corromper Corrupt
Coser Sew
Deber Duty
Depender Depend
Emprender Undertake
Esconder Hide
Exceder Exceed
Interceder Intercede
Lamer Lick
Leer Read
Meter Put
Prender Turn on
Pretender Pretend
Proceder Proceed
Prometer Promise
Repeler Repel
Responder Respond
Retroceder Backtrack
Romper Break
Socorrer Help
Someter Submit
Sorprender Surprise
Suceder Succeed
Suspender Suspend
Tejer Weave
Temer Fear
Toser Cough
Vender Sell
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Native Spanish teachers can help you understand intricate aspects of the language like the infinitive form, regular ER verbs, and the appropriate verb ending. They can guide you through mastering the use of the Spanish language, including irregular verb forms and verb endings.

Don’t put off your Spanish journey. With SpanishVIP’s proven teaching methods, you’ll quickly gain a firm grasp on the infinitive form, conquer common ER verbs twice over, and comprehend the structure of the regular ER verb. Begin today and enhance your proficiency in the Spanish language in no time.

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