Spanish -er verbs are the verbs whose infinitive form ends in -er. Also called second conjugation verbs, a large number of them are among the most common verbs in Spanish.
Examples of -er verbs include:
beber
to drink
correr
to run
temer
to fear
sorprender
to surprise
depender
to depend
50 common regular -er verbs in Spanish
| absorver absorb | corresponder correspond to | prender pin, fasten |
| acceder gain access to | coser sew | pretender intend, expect |
| anteceder precede | creer believe | proceder proceed |
| aprender learn | deber have to, must, owe | prometer promise |
| aprehender apprehend, grasp | depender depend | proveer provide |
| arder burn | desprender detach | releer reread |
| arremeter charge at | emprender undertake, begin | repeler repel |
| atrever dare | entrever make out | responder answer |
| barrer sweep | esconder hide | retroceder go back |
| beber drink | exceder exceed | someter subdue |
| carcomer be consumed | interceder intercede | sorprender surprise |
| ceder yield, give in | lamer lick | suceder happen |
| cometer commit | leer read | suspender suspend |
| comprender understand | meter put | tejer knit |
| comprometer commit | ofender offend | temer fear |
| conceder concede, give | pender hang | toser cough |
| correr run | poseer own | vender sell |
¿Qué sucede?
What's going on?
¿Dónde aprendes español?
Where do you learn Spanish?
Es tarde; debo irme.
It’s late; I must be going.
¿Ustedes creen que todo irá bien?
Do you think everything’s going to be alright?
Los niños le temen a la oscuridad.
Children are afraid of the dark.
Conjugation of Spanish -er verbs
All regular Spanish verbs ending in -er follow the same conjugation pattern. To conjugate -er verbs, the infinitive -er ending is dropped and replaced with a verb ending depending on the subject pronoun and verb tense. The stem or “root” does not change with conjugation.
Spanish conjugation expresses information not only about time (when the action happens) but about the subject (who does the action). Unlike English, Spanish has one conjugation for each pronoun. This is why personal pronouns are usually omitted in Spanish, since each verb ending exactly indicates which subject performs the action.
How to conjugate -er verbs in the present tense
To conjugate -er verbs in the present tense, the -er ending of the infinitive form is dropped and one of the verb endings below is added, depending on the pronoun:
| Subject pronoun | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -o | Yo como fruta. I eat fruit. |
| tú (you) | -es | Tú comes fruta. You eat fruit. |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) |
-e | Él come fruta. He eats fruit. |
| nosotros/as (we) | -emos | Nosotros comemos fruta. We eat fruit. |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | -éis | Vosotros coméis fruta. You eat fruit. |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) |
-en | Ellos comen fruta. They eat fruit. |
The present tense (presente) is used for present actions and facts, and is equivalent to the simple present in English.
How to conjugate -er verbs in the past: preterite tense
To conjugate -er verbs in the preterite tense (pretérito perfecto simple or pretérito indefinido), the -er ending of the infinitive form is dropped and one of the verb endings below is added, depending on the pronoun:
| Subject pronoun | Verb endings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -í | Yo comí fruta. I ate fruit. |
| tú (you) | -iste | Tú comiste fruta. You ate fruit. |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) |
-ió | Él comió fruta. He ate fruit. |
| nosotros/as (we) | -imos | Nosotros comimos fruta. We ate fruit. |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | -isteis | Vosotros comisteis fruta. You ate fruit. |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) |
-ieron | Ellos comieron fruta. They ate fruit. |
The preterite tense (pretérito perfecto simple or pretérito indefinido) is used for past finished actions, and is equivalent to the simple past in English.
Quick tip: The preterite tense endings are the same for -er verbs and -ir verbs.
How to conjugate -er verbs in the past: imperfect tense
To conjugate -er verbs in the imperfect tense, the -er ending of the infinitive form is dropped and one of the verb endings below is added, depending on the pronoun:
| Subject pronoun | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -ía | Yo comía fruta. I ate fruit. |
| tú (you) | -ías | Tú comías fruta. You ate fruit. |
|
él, ella (he, she) |
-ía | Él comía fruta. He ate fruit. |
| nosotros/as (we) | -íamos | Nosotros comíamos fruta. We ate fruit. |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | -íais | Vosotros comíais fruta. You ate fruit. |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) |
-ían | Ellos comían fruta. They ate fruit. |
The imperfect tense (pretérito imperfecto) is used for repeated or progressive actions in the past, and is equivalent to the past simple for routines in the past.
Quick tip: The imperfect tense endings are the same for -ir verbs and -er verbs.
How to conjugate -er verbs in future simple
To conjugate -er verbs in the future simple, one of the verb endings below is added to the the infinitive form, depending on the pronoun:
| Subject pronoun | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -eré | Yo comeré fruta. I’ll eat fruit. |
| tú (you) | -erás | Tú comerás fruta. You’ll eat fruit. |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) |
-erá | Él comerá fruta. He’ll eat fruit. |
| nosotros/as (we) | -eremos | Nosotros comeremos fruta. We’ll eat fruit. |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | -eréis | Vosotros comeréis fruta. You’ll eat fruit. |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) |
-erán | Ellos comerán fruta. They’ll eat fruit. |
The future simple (futuro simple or futuro imperfecto) is used for future actions and facts, and is equivalent to the future simple in English.
Quick tip: The future simple tense endings are the same for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
Most common irregular -er verbs in Spanish
A large number of the most common -er verbs in Spanish are irregular. This means they do not follow the same conjugation pattern as regular -er verbs. The most common irregular Spanish verbs ending in -er are:
1. Ser (to be)
The verb ser is irregular in all pronouns and verb tenses, except the future simple.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | soy | fui | era | seré |
| tú (you) | eres | fuiste | eras | serás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | es | fue | era | será |
| nosotros/as (we) | somos | fuimos | éramos | seremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | sois | fuisteis | erais | seréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | son | fueron | eran | serán |
Soy de Argentina.
I’m from Argentina.
Son las 9 en punto.
It's 9 o’clock.
Ser is used for permanent states (as opposed to estar, which is used for temporary states).
2. Saber (to know)
The conjugation of saber has irregular forms in all verb tenses except the imperfect tense.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | sé | supe | sabía | sabré |
| tú (you) | sabes | supiste | sabías | sabrás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | sabe | supo | sabía | sabrá |
| nosotros/as (we) | sabemos | supimos | sabíamos | sabremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | sabéis | supisteis | sabíais | sabréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | saben | supieron | sabían | sabrán |
Sabemos cómo resolver el problema.
We know how to solve the problem.
¿Sabes hablar inglés?
Can you speak English?
Other -er verbs with a similar conjugation pattern include: caber (fit), haber (have, auxiliary verb).
3. Hacer (to do)
The conjugation of hacer is irregular for all pronouns in the preterite and future tenses. In the present tense, only the first person singular conjugation is irregular.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | hago | hice | hacía | haré |
| tú (you) | haces | hiciste | hacías | harás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | hace | hizo | hacía | hará |
| nosotros/as (we) | hacemos | hicimos | hacíamos | haremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | hacéis | hicisteis | hacíais | haréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | hacen | hicieron | hacían | harán |
¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre?
What do you do in your free time?
Hago yoga every morning.
I do yoga every morning.
Other -er verbs with the same conjugation pattern include: satisfacer (satisfy), deshacer (undo), rehacer (redo).
4. Tener (to have)
The conjugation of tener is irregular for all pronouns and tenses, with the exception of the imperfect tense.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | tengo | tuve | tenía | tendré |
| tú (you) | tienes | tuviste | tenías | tendrás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | tiene | tuvo | tenía | tendrá |
| nosotros/as (we) | tenemos | tuvimos | teníamos | tendremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | tenéis | tuvisteis | teníais | tendréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | tienen | tuvieron | tenían | tendrán |
Tengo una hermana menor.
I have a younger sister.
¿Tienes idea de a qué hora llegarán?
Do you have any idea what time they’ll arrive?
Other -er verbs with the same conjugation pattern include: obtener (obtain), mantener (maintain), sostener (hold).
5. Poder (be able to)
The conjugation of poder is irregular in all verb tenses except the imperfect.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | puedo | pude | podía | podré |
| tú (you) | puedes | pudiste | podías | podrás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | puede | pudo | podía | podrá |
| nosotros/as (we) | podemos | pudimos | podíamos | podremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | podéis | pudisteis | podíais | podréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | pueden | pudieron | podían | podrán |
¿Puedes repetir, por favor?
Can you repeat, please?
No puedo encontrar las llaves de mi coche.
I can’t find my car keys.
Other -er verbs with a similar conjugation pattern include: volver (come back), mover (move), devolver (give back), resolver (solve).
6. Haber (to be, to have)
Haber is both a main verb and an auxiliary verb depending on the context.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | he | hube | había | habré |
| tú (you) | has | hubiste | habías | habrás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | ha | hubo | había | habrá |
| nosotros/as (we) | hemos | hubimos | habíamos | habremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | habéis | hubisteis | habíais | habréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | han | hubieron | habían | habrán |
No hay café.
There’s no coffee.
Habremos terminado el proyecto para la semana que viene.
We will have finished the project by next week.
The impersonal form hay is equivalent to “there is” / “there are”.
7. Querer (to want)
The conjugation of querer is irregular in all verb tenses except the imperfect.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | quiero | quise | quería | querré |
| tú (you) | quieres | quisiste | querías | querrás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | quiere | quiso | quería | querrá |
| nosotros/as (we) | queremos | quisimos | queríamos | querremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | queréis | quisisteis | queríais | querréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | quieren | quisieron | querían | querrán |
Queremos mudarnos.
We want to move.
¿Quieres una taza de té?
Would you like a cup of tea?
Other -er verbs with a similar conjugation pattern include: perder (lose, miss), tender (hang), atender (attend to).
Sentences with -er verbs in Spanish
No comprendo lo que dices. (comprender)
I don’t understand what you’re saying.
¿Qué bebes? (beber)
What are you drinking?
¿Quieres ir al cine esta noche? (querer)
Do you want to go to the movies tonight?
Les agradezco a todos. (agradecer)
I thank you all.
El espectáculo se suspendió por lluvia. (suspender)
The show was suspended due to rain.
Eres muy amable. (ser)
You’re very kind.
No entiendo español. (entender)
I don’t understand Spanish.
Tú corres muy rápido. (correr)
You run very fast.
Hizo lo que pudo. (hacer)
He did what he could.
No conozco a ese autor. (conocer)
I don’t know that author.
¿Pudieron llegar a tiempo? (poder)
Were they able to arrive on time?
Tosí toda la noche. (toser)
I coughed all night.
No sabe lo que dice. (saber)
He doesn’t know what he’s saying.
Perdón si te ofendí. (ofender)
Sorry if I offended you.
¿Hay pan? (haber)
Is there any bread?
Juana se cayó de la bicicleta. (caer)
Juana fell off her bike.
¿Tienes hora? (tener)
Do you have the time?
Te prometo que no sucederá más. (prometer)
I promise it won’t happen again.
Las niñas se escondieron en el armario. (esconder)
The girls hid in the wardrobe.
¿Qué tipo de libros lees? (leer)
What type of books do read?
No creen lo que él dice. (creer)
They don’t believe what he says.
Te compadezco. (compadecer)
I feel sorry for you.
La niñita se parece a su madre. (parecer)
The little girl takes after her mother.
Si no me apuro, perderé mi tren. (perder)
If I don’t hurry up, I’ll miss my train.
¿Encendiste el televisor? (encender)
Did you turn on the TV?
El equipo merece ganar. (merecer)
The team deserves to win.
Debes mantener la calma. (deber - mantener)
You must keep calm.
Esta planta crecerá bien al sol. (crecer)
This plant will grow well in the sun.
Su respuesta me sorprendió. (sorprender)
His answer surprised me.
¿Qué es lo que pretendes decir? (pretender)
What do you mean to say?
Nos comprometimos a ayudarlos. (comprometer)
We committed to help them.
Emprendieron el viaje temprano por la mañana. (emprender)
They set off early in the morning.
¿Tienes hermanos? (tener)
Do you have brothers or sisters?
Mi abuela teje todo el tiempo. (tejer)
My grandmother knits all the time.
Le concedo la palabra. (conceder)
I give you the floor.
Cometí muchos errores en el examen. (cometer)
I made many mistakes in the exam.
¿Cuándo volverá a la ciudad? (volver)
When will she be back in town?
Deben poner los juguetes en sus cajas. (deber - poner)
You must put the toys in their boxes.
¿A qué le temías cuando eras niño? (temer)
What were you afraid of when you were a child?
Lo multaron por exceder la velocidad máxima. (exceder)
He was fined for speeding.
El perro no te morderá. (morder)
The dog won’t bite you.
Descendimos por las escaleras lentamente. (descender)
We went down the stairs slowly.
Esto no depende de mí. (depender)
This doesn't depend on me.
Intercederá por nosotros ante las autoridades. (interceder)
He will intercede with the authorities on our behalf.
¿Te atreves a tirarte en paracaídas? (atrever)
Do you dare go skydiving?
Se sometió a una cirugía. (someter)
He underwent surgery.
Los niños rompieron una ventana con la pelota. (romper)
The children broke a window with the ball.
Resolveré el acertijo. (resolver)
I’ll solve the riddle.
Moverás una pieza durante tu turno. (mover)
You will move a piece during your turn.
Reconocieron su error. (reconocer)
They acknowledged their mistake.
Practice: Spanish -er verbs
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References
- Real Academia Española, Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, s.v. “Modelos de conjugación verbal,” accessed July 2, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Real Academia Española, Nueva gramática de la lengua española, s.v. “La conjugación regular,” accessed July 2, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Real Academia Española, Nueva gramática de la lengua española, s.v. “Verbos irregulares,” accessed July 3, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press, accessed June 28, 2024.
- Wordreference.com, s.v. “Spanish verb conjugation,” accessed July 3, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
- Wordreference.com, accessed July 1, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
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