Stem and ending
With comer (to eat), the ending -er is removed. What remains is the stem com-. Depending on the subject pronounsubject pronounA word like yo or tú that shows who is doing the action or who is being talked about., you add the matching personal ending to this stem:
| yo | como |
|---|---|
| tú | comes |
| él/ella/usted | come |
| nosotros/as | comemos |
| vosotros/as | coméis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comen |
Other regular -er verbs such as beber, aprender, leer, or vender follow the exact same pattern: stem + the same endings.
Note on vosotros: In Latin America, vosotros/vosotras is not normally used - ustedes is used instead. Since vosotros is common in Spain, the form is still taught here.
Not every verb is regular
Some verbs also change their stem in the present tensetenseThe time form of a verb, for example present, past, or future., or follow entirely their own forms. Those irregular verbs are not covered here - this topic only deals with the regular -er pattern.
Examples
- Yo como fruta.
- Tú bebes agua.
- Nosotros aprendemos español.