Spanish regular -er verbs in the present tense
Vocalyra teaching team · Last updated:
Spanish present-tense endings identify who performs the action. For regular -er verbs, one pattern works across common everyday verbs such as comer, beber, aprender, and vender.
Build the six present forms
Remove -er from the infinitive and add -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Comer becomes como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen. In most Latin American varieties, ustedes comen serves as plural you; in much of Spain, vosotros coméis is also used informally. Usted uses the same third-person singular form as él and ella: usted come. The verb ending often identifies the subject, so Spanish can omit the pronoun when context is clear.
Use present tense for routines and general truths
Como fruta cada mañana means I eat fruit every morning. Mi hermana aprende español means my sister learns Spanish. A present form can also describe an action occurring now when context supports it: ¿Qué comes? means What are you eating? Spanish can use estar + gerund to emphasize an action in progress, but it is not required for every English present-continuous sentence. Regular -er endings are stable; the challenge is applying them to the right person.
An English-speaker error to avoid
English usually adds -s only for he/she/it, while Spanish changes the ending for nearly every subject. Do not say nosotros come or tú comemos. English also needs a subject pronoun in ordinary statements, but Spanish often does not: Bebemos agua is a complete sentence. Remember that Spanish -er and -ir verbs share some endings but differ in nosotros and vosotros: comemos versus vivimos, coméis versus vivís.
Speak in short exchanges
Write three questions using beber, aprender, and comer. Ask ¿Bebes café?, ¿Aprendes francés?, ¿Comen aquí tus amigos? Answer with a full sentence, then remove the pronoun if it remains clear. Next change one question to formal usted and one to plural ustedes. End by saying what your family eats and what you study, without consulting the conjugation table.
| Person | Comer | Beber |
|---|---|---|
| yo | como | bebo |
| tú | comes | bebes |
| nosotros | comemos | bebemos |
| ellos / ustedes | comen | beben |
Check accents carefully: vosotros coméis carries a written accent, but ustedes comen does not. Both are valid regional choices.
Quick self-check
Complete: nosotros (comer).
Show answer
comemos
Complete: tú (beber).
Show answer
bebes
Complete: ella (aprender).
Show answer
aprende
Choose: ustedes (comen / coméis) in Latin American Spanish.
Show answer
comen
Translate: We drink water.
Show answer
Bebemos agua.