Conjugating regular -ir verbs
The final group of regular verbs in Spanish ends in -ir. To conjugate them in the present tense, drop the -ir from the infinitive and add the ending that matches the subject.
You will notice that regular -ir verbs share almost all the same endings as regular -er verbs. The only difference is the nosotros / nosotras form, which uses -imos instead of -emos.
| Pronoun | Ending | Example (escribir) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | escribo |
| tú | -es | escribes |
| él / ella / usted | -e | escribe |
| nosotros / nosotras | -imos | escribimos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -en | escriben |
Here are some common regular -ir verbs like compartir (to share), abrir (to open), and recibir (to receive) in action:
| I share the apartment with my brother. | Yo comparto el departamento con mi hermano. |
| You open the door and decide to rest. | Tú abres la puerta y decides descansar. |
| She receives an important message from her family. | Ella recibe un mensaje importante de su familia. |
The nosotros difference
Remember, the only time an -ir verb differs from an -er verb in the present tense is when we say "we" (nosotros/nosotras).
Compare how nosotros works in these sentences, alongside other standard endings:
| We decide to live in a new apartment. | Nosotras decidimos vivir en un departamento nuevo. |
| We write a book and you read the mail. | Nosotros escribimos un libro y ustedes leen el correo. |
| You eat apples, but we share the bread. | Ustedes comen manzanas, pero nosotros compartimos el pan. |
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