comer
to eat| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | como |
| tú | comes |
| él | come |
| nosotros | comemos |
| vosotros | coméis |
| ellos | comen |
Yo como fruta cada mañana. — I eat fruit every morning.
Level 2 of 60 · Tense System · Presente
Regular -ER Verbs
The 10 most common -ER verbs in Presente
When to use it
The present tense (Presente) of regular -ER verbs is used to express:
- Actions happening right now — "Yo como una manzana." (I eat an apple.)
- Habitual or repeated actions — "Ella lee cada noche." (She reads every night.)
- General truths or facts — "Los niños aprenden rápido." (Children learn fast.)
-ER Verbs vs -AR Verbs
-ER verbs are the second most common verb group in Spanish. They follow a similar pattern to -AR verbs, but with different endings. If you already know how to conjugate -AR verbs, you will notice that the endings change but the process stays the same: remove the infinitive ending and add the new endings.
Key Differences
| Feature | -AR verbs | -ER verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive ending | -ar | -er |
| Example | hablar | comer |
| "You" ending | -as | -es |
| "We" ending | -amos | -emos |
| "You all" ending (Spain) | -áis | -éis |
Note: The "yo" ending (-o) and the "they" ending (-en/-an) look very similar between groups. The main changes are in the tú, nosotros, and vosotros forms.
How to form it
ER
To conjugate a regular -ER verb in the present tense, remove -er from the infinitive and add the correct ending.
Example: comer → com- (stem)
| Pronoun | Ending | Full Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | como |
| tú | -es | comes |
| él / ella / usted | -e | come |
| nosotros / nosotras | -emos | comemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -éis | coméis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -en | comen |
Meaning: como = I eat, comes = you eat, come = he/she eats, comemos = we eat, coméis = you all eat, comen = they eat.
Grammar in detail
The -ER Verb Group
Spanish verbs ending in -er form the second of three conjugation groups. This level focuses only on regular -ER verbs — verbs that follow the standard pattern without any stem changes or irregular forms.
Infinitive
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb. In English, it appears as "to + verb".
- comer = to eat
- beber = to drink
- leer = to read
- correr = to run
- aprender = to learn
Stem
The stem is the part that remains after removing the -er ending.
| Infinitive | Stem | Ending | Verb Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| comer | com- | -er | -ER verb |
| beber | beb- | -er | -ER verb |
| aprender | aprend- | -er | -ER verb |
| correr | corr- | -er | -ER verb |
| leer | le- | -er | -ER verb |
Present Tense Endings for -ER Verbs
| Pronoun | Ending |
|---|---|
| yo | -o |
| tú | -es |
| él / ella / usted | -e |
| nosotros / nosotras | -emos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -éis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -en |
Full Conjugation: comer (to eat)
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | como |
| tú | comes |
| él / ella / usted | come |
| nosotros / nosotras | comemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | coméis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | comen |
Comparing -AR and -ER Endings
| Pronoun | -AR ending | -ER ending |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | -o |
| tú | -as | -es |
| él / ella / usted | -a | -e |
| nosotros | -amos | -emos |
| vosotros | -áis | -éis |
| ellos / ustedes | -an | -en |
Notice the pattern: where -AR verbs use the vowel "a", -ER verbs use "e". The "yo" form (-o) is the same for both groups.
Quick Pattern Check
All regular -ER verbs follow the same present tense pattern:
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella |
|---|---|---|---|
| comer | como | comes | come |
| beber | bebo | bebes | bebe |
| aprender | aprendo | aprendes | aprende |
| correr | corro | corres | corre |
The 10 verbs in this level
beber
to drink| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bebo |
| tú | bebes |
| él | bebe |
| nosotros | bebemos |
| vosotros | bebéis |
| ellos | beben |
Yo bebo agua durante el día. — I drink water during the day.
leer
to read| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | leo |
| tú | lees |
| él | lee |
| nosotros | leemos |
| vosotros | leéis |
| ellos | leen |
Yo leo un capítulo antes de dormir. — I read one chapter before going to sleep.
correr
to run| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | corro |
| tú | corres |
| él | corre |
| nosotros | corremos |
| vosotros | corréis |
| ellos | corren |
Yo corro cada mañana en el parque. — I run every morning in the park.
aprender
to learn| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aprendo |
| tú | aprendes |
| él | aprende |
| nosotros | aprendemos |
| vosotros | aprendéis |
| ellos | aprenden |
Yo aprendo español con vídeos cortos. — I learn Spanish with short videos.
comprender
to understand| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprendo |
| tú | comprendes |
| él | comprende |
| nosotros | comprendemos |
| vosotros | comprendéis |
| ellos | comprenden |
Yo comprendo bien tus razones. — I understand your reasons well.
vender
to sell| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendo |
| tú | vendes |
| él | vende |
| nosotros | vendemos |
| vosotros | vendéis |
| ellos | venden |
Yo vendo libros usados en internet. — I sell used books online.
responder
to answer| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | respondo |
| tú | respondes |
| él | responde |
| nosotros | respondemos |
| vosotros | respondéis |
| ellos | responden |
Yo respondo los correos antes de salir. — I answer the emails before leaving.
meter
to put in| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | meto |
| tú | metes |
| él | mete |
| nosotros | metemos |
| vosotros | metéis |
| ellos | meten |
Yo meto las llaves en el cajón. — I put the keys in the drawer.
prometer
to promise| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prometo |
| tú | prometes |
| él | promete |
| nosotros | prometemos |
| vosotros | prometéis |
| ellos | prometen |
Yo prometo decir la verdad. — I promise to tell the truth.