WriteIn Spanish is designed to help you master Spanish verb conjugation. Practice Spanish writing with AI-powered feedback that catches verb tense errors, agreement mistakes, and helps you use the correct conjugations in context.
Start Free TrialSpanish verb conjugation is the process of changing a verb form to indicate the person (I, you, he/she, we, they), tense (present, past, future), and mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative) of an action. Mastering conjugation is essential for speaking and writing Spanish correctly.
Unlike English, which has relatively simple verb conjugation, Spanish verbs change significantly based on who performs the action and when it happens. Each verb has dozens of different forms, and learning these patterns is crucial for Spanish fluency.
Spanish verbs are divided into three conjugation groups based on their infinitive endings:
Each group follows specific conjugation patterns, though many common verbs are irregular and must be memorized individually.
The present tense in Spanish is used for:
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | I speak |
| tú | hablas | you speak (informal) |
| él/ella/usted | habla | he/she speaks, you speak (formal) |
| nosotros/as | hablamos | we speak |
| vosotros/as | habláis | you all speak (Spain) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablan | they speak, you all speak |
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | como | I eat |
| tú | comes | you eat |
| él/ella/usted | come | he/she eats, you eat |
| nosotros/as | comemos | we eat |
| vosotros/as | coméis | you all eat |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comen | they eat, you all eat |
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | vivo | I live |
| tú | vives | you live |
| él/ella/usted | vive | he/she lives, you live |
| nosotros/as | vivimos | we live |
| vosotros/as | vivís | you all live |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | viven | they live, you all live |
Use WriteIn Spanish to practice using present tense verbs in context. Our AI identifies incorrect conjugations and helps you learn the patterns naturally through writing practice.
Start Practicing Nowsoy, eres, es, somos, sois, son
estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están
tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen
voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van
hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen
Ser is for permanent characteristics, origin, time, and identity:
Estar is for location, temporary states, and ongoing actions:
Spanish has two main simple past tenses, and choosing between them is one of the most challenging aspects for English speakers.
Use for:
Signal words: ayer (yesterday), anoche (last night), el año pasado (last year), de repente (suddenly)
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablé | I spoke |
| tú | hablaste | you spoke |
| él/ella/usted | habló | he/she spoke, you spoke |
| nosotros/as | hablamos | we spoke |
| vosotros/as | hablasteis | you all spoke |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaron | they spoke, you all spoke |
Use for:
Signal words: siempre (always), todos los días (every day), generalmente (usually), mientras (while)
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaba | I was speaking/used to speak |
| tú | hablabas | you were speaking/used to speak |
| él/ella/usted | hablaba | he/she was speaking/used to speak |
| nosotros/as | hablábamos | we were speaking/used to speak |
| vosotros/as | hablabais | you all were speaking/used to speak |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaban | they were speaking/used to speak |
Preterite: "Ayer comí pizza" (Yesterday I ate pizza - completed action)
Imperfect: "Cuando era niño, comía pizza todos los viernes" (When I was a child, I used to eat pizza every Friday - habitual)
Together: "Comía pizza cuando sonó el teléfono" (I was eating pizza when the phone rang - imperfect for background, preterite for interruption)
Many common verbs have irregular preterite forms:
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron
hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron
estuve, estuviste, estuvo, estuvimos, estuvisteis, estuvieron
pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron
The future tense in Spanish is used to express actions that will happen. It's formed by adding endings to the infinitive (no stem changes needed for regular verbs!).
| Person | Endings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | hablaré, comeré, viviré |
| tú | -ás | hablarás, comerás, vivirás |
| él/ella/usted | -á | hablará, comerá, vivirá |
| nosotros/as | -emos | hablaremos, comeremos, viviremos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | hablaréis, comeréis, viviréis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | -án | hablarán, comerán, vivirán |
Uses:
The conditional expresses what would happen. Like future tense, endings are added to the infinitive.
| Person | Endings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -ía | hablaría, comería, viviría |
| tú | -ías | hablarías, comerías, vivirías |
| él/ella/usted | -ía | hablaría, comería, viviría |
| nosotros/as | -íamos | hablaríamos, comeríamos, viviríamos |
| vosotros/as | -íais | hablaríais, comeríais, viviríais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | -ían | hablarían, comerían, vivirían |
Uses:
Some verbs have irregular stems for both future and conditional (same stem for both tenses):
The subjunctive is one of the most challenging aspects of Spanish for English speakers. Unlike the indicative mood (which states facts), the subjunctive expresses doubt, desire, uncertainty, emotion, or hypothetical situations.
Start with the yo form of present indicative, drop the -o, add opposite endings:
hable, hables, hable, hablemos, habléis, hablen
coma, comas, coma, comamos, comáis, coman
viva, vivas, viva, vivamos, viváis, vivan
Remember when to use subjunctive with WEIRDO:
sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean
esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén
vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan
sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan
dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den
The subjunctive is difficult to master, but essential for advanced Spanish. WriteIn Spanish helps you practice using subjunctive correctly in your writing, with instant feedback when you use indicative instead of subjunctive (or vice versa).
Start Practicing NowPerfect tenses are formed with the auxiliary verb haber + past participle. They express actions completed at a certain point.
Used for recent past actions or actions with relevance to the present.
Haber: he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han
Past participle: -AR verbs: -ado (hablado), -ER/-IR verbs: -ido (comido, vivido)
Examples:
Used for actions that occurred before another past action.
Haber: había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían
Example: "Cuando llegué, ya habían comido" (When I arrived, they had already eaten)
Used for actions that will be completed by a certain future time.
Haber: habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán
Example: "Para las cinco, habré terminado" (By five o'clock, I will have finished)
Wrong: "Estoy de México" ❌
Right: "Soy de México" ✓ (origin uses ser)
Wrong: "Soy cansado" ❌
Right: "Estoy cansado" ✓ (tired is temporary state)
Wrong: "Era las dos cuando llegué" ❌
Right: "Eran las dos cuando llegué" ✓ (time in past uses imperfect plural)
Wrong: "Vivía en España tres años" ❌
Right: "Viví en España tres años" ✓ (specific completed time period)
Wrong: "Yo jugo fútbol" ❌
Right: "Yo juego fútbol" ✓ (jugar: u→ue stem change)
Wrong: "Ellos duermen" used in preterite ❌
Right: "Ellos durmieron" ✓ (e→i stem change in 3rd person preterite)
Wrong: "Espero que tienes suerte" ❌
Right: "Espero que tengas suerte" ✓ (esperar que triggers subjunctive)
Wrong: "Es importante que estudias" ❌
Right: "Es importante que estudies" ✓ (impersonal expression triggers subjunctive)
Wrong: "Yo levanto a las siete" ❌
Right: "Me levanto a las siete" ✓ (levantarse is reflexive)
Wrong: "Él se llama Juan y trabaja se" ❌
Right: "Él se llama Juan y trabaja" ✓ (trabajar is not reflexive)
WriteIn Spanish identifies verb conjugation errors in your writing and explains the correct forms. Practice writing in Spanish and get instant feedback on verb tenses, agreement, and subjunctive usage.
Start Practicing NowThe main Spanish verb tenses are: Present (presente), Preterite (pretérito), Imperfect (imperfecto), Future (futuro), Conditional (condicional), Present Perfect (pretérito perfecto), and the Subjunctive moods. Advanced learners also use Past Perfect, Future Perfect, and Conditional Perfect.
Preterite is used for completed actions in the past with a definite beginning and end ("Comí pizza ayer" - I ate pizza yesterday). Imperfect describes ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past ("Comía pizza todos los viernes" - I used to eat pizza every Friday, or "Comía pizza cuando..." - I was eating pizza when...).
Each Spanish verb can have over 100 different conjugated forms when you count all persons (I, you, he/she, we, you all, they), tenses (present, past, future, etc.), and moods (indicative, subjunctive, imperative). Regular verbs follow patterns, but many common verbs are irregular and must be memorized.
For most English speakers, the subjunctive mood is the most challenging aspect of Spanish verb conjugation because English doesn't use subjunctive extensively. Distinguishing between preterite and imperfect is also difficult. Regular practice in context helps these concepts become natural.
You don't need to memorize every conjugation chart. Instead, focus on learning patterns for regular verbs and memorizing the most common irregular verbs. With practice, conjugation becomes automatic. The most commonly used verbs (ser, estar, tener, hacer, ir, etc.) should be memorized thoroughly since they're used constantly.
Stem-changing verbs (also called "boot verbs") have vowel changes in their stem in certain conjugations. For example, "querer" (to want) changes e→ie in present tense: quiero, quieres, quiere, but not in nosotros/vosotros forms. Common patterns are e→ie, o→ue, and e→i.
Use the subjunctive for: 1) Doubt or uncertainty (Dudo que venga), 2) Emotions (Me alegro de que estés aquí), 3) Wishes or desires (Quiero que hables), 4) Impersonal expressions (Es importante que estudies), 5) After certain conjunctions (para que, antes de que). Remember WEIRDO: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt/Denial, Ojalá.
Basic conjugation patterns can be learned in 3-6 months with consistent practice. Full mastery, including subjunctive and all compound tenses, typically takes 1-2 years of regular study and practice. The key is using verbs in context through writing and speaking, not just memorizing charts.
"He comido" (present perfect) is used for recent past or actions connected to the present, similar to English "I have eaten." "Comí" (preterite) is for completed actions at a specific time in the past, like English "I ate." In Spain, present perfect is more common; in Latin America, preterite is often used instead.
Yes! Focus on: 1) The most common 50 verbs first, 2) Learning patterns rather than individual verbs, 3) Practice with authentic materials (songs, movies, books), 4) Use spaced repetition apps for irregular verbs, 5) Practice writing in Spanish regularly with feedback to reinforce correct patterns.
The best way to learn conjugation is through consistent writing practice with immediate feedback.
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