Infinitives
Start first lessonExplanation
- In English, infinitive verbs are preceded by the word to, as in to speak, to read, or to write.
- In Spanish, infinitives are only one word and end in either -ar, -er, or -ir, as in hablar, leer, and escribir.
Verb Stems
Many verb tenses use a form of the infinitive as the stem to which verb conjugation endings are attached. In general, for regular verbs, you simply need to remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) to find the stem, and then you can the add specific endings needed to give tense/subject information.
-Ar Verbs
Verbs that end in-ar are more common than -er and -ir verbs. There are also fewer irregular -ar verbs than -er or -ir verbs. Here are some examples of common -ar infinitives and their stems.
Infinitive | Definition | Stem |
---|---|---|
to look for | busc- | |
to sing | cant- | |
to buy | compr- | |
to listen to | escuch- | |
to miss/to yearn for | extrañ- | |
to speak | habl- | |
to call | llam- | |
to fill | llen- | |
to carry | llev- | |
to watch | mir- | |
to visit | visit- |
-Er Verbs
Verbs that end in -er are the second-largest group of infinitives in Spanish. Here are some examples of common -er infinitives and their stems.
Infinitive | Definition | Stem |
---|---|---|
to drink | beb- | |
to eat | com- | |
to understand | comprend- | |
to run | corr- | |
to believe | cre- | |
to owe | deb- | |
to read | le- | |
to put into | met- | |
to break | romp- | |
to sell | vend- |
-Ir Verbs
Verbs that end in -ir are the smallest group of Spanish infinitives. Here are some examples of common -ir infinitives and their stems.
Infinitive | Definition | Stem |
---|---|---|
to open | abr- | |
to attend | asist- | |
to cover | cubr- | |
to write | escrib- | |
to include | inclu- | |
to order | ped- | |
to allow | permit- | |
to receive | recib- | |
to serve | serv- | |
to live | viv- |
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