Lesson 1: Introduction to Spanish Verbs - Conquering Conjugation Fear

Introduction to Spanish Verbs: Conquering conjugation fear

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Starting out in Spanish

If you are just starting out learning Spanish, you might notice that verbs in Spanish work very differently than they do in English. In this lesson, we’ll cover some of the big differences between the English and Spanish verb systems and explain why the Spanish verb system can be such a challenge to native English speakers.

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English Verb Forms

In both English and Spanish, verbs have multiple verb forms. A verb form is a variation in a verb’s spelling that helps to change its meaning. The process of making these changes is called conjugation. For example, these are the simple forms, or conjugations, of the English verb walk:

walk, walks, walked, walking

We can use these forms in different contexts to talk about the past, the present, and the future. Check it out:

I walked, I walk, I will walk

We use these same forms with other words to convey more information:

I used to walk, I am walking, I am going to walk

And we even use the same forms when talking about other people:

you walk, he walks, we walk, they walk

Some English verbs have bigger spelling changes (for example: eat-ate; break-broke). But there just aren’t that many verb form variations in English–usually only about 4 or 5 per verb.

sweet, innocent English verb conjugation verblings showing the very few forms that constitute a conjugated English verb

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Spanish Verb Forms

The Spanish verb system, on the other hand, has lots of forms for each verb. A single Spanish verb can have over 40 different forms!

Every. Single. One. For every. Single. Verb.

Lesson 1 horrified, shocked face at the complicated nature of spanish verbs
Scary Spanish verb conjugations verblings showing way a lot of conjugated forms of comer on its many tentacles

Does it seem overwhelming? You’re not the only one who thinks so! Our research suggests that learning verb conjugations is one area where Spanish learners tend to struggle the most.

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Spanish Verbs

But fear not! While it may seem like a daunting task to memorize all these forms and how to use them, VerbMaster is here to help. In the Spanish Verbs Crash Course, you’ll learn patterns that are built into the Spanish verb system that make the memorization process easier for both forming verbs and using them in the right contexts.

Cute little organized verblings in their conjugation tense groupings of the verb comer
Chopping up the beast into bite-sized pieces, if you will

If you really want to master Spanish verbs, you’ll need to grab the VerbMaster app. (If you’re reading this lesson from the app, you already have!) In the app, you’ll be able to practice conjugating the verbs we cover in each lesson. So if you haven’t, go grab VerbMaster from the app store now!

Up next, we’ll get started with some basics about how verbs work in Spanish.