Lesson 2

Verbs

As in most languages verbs are conjugated to agree with the subject and to reflect tense.  Verbs can be regular or irregular.  An example of a verb that is regular in both English and Spanish is “to eat” [“comer”].

I eat. Yo como.
You eat. Tu comes.
He eats.  She eats.  (It eats.*) El come.  Ella come.
We eat. Nosotros comemos.
They eat. Ellos comen.

*Because nouns have gender, one actually uses “he” or “she” when referring to an object.  (In English, we do this sort of thing when referring to a ship, for example.)

An example of a verb that is irregular in both English and Spanish is “to be” [“estar”].

I am. Yo soy.    or    Estoy.     [where “I” is understood, not said.]
You are. Tu estas.
He is.  She is. El estaElla esta
We are. Nosotros estamos.
They are. Ellos estan.