Present Tense of –AR Verbs The present tense of regular –ar verbs is formed by dropping infinitive ending –ar and adding the personal endings –o, -as, -a, -amos, -an. The present tense has the following meanings in English: Usted cantayou sing, youre singing, you do sing él cantaHe sings, hes singing, he does sing
Lets use the word caminar caminar means to walk You would remove the ar and replace it with o, as, a, amos, an as appropriate. yo camino túcaminas él/ella/ud.camina nosotroscaminamos ellos/ellas/uds.caminan
Lets use the word decorar decorar means to decorate You would remove the ar and replace it with o, as, a, amos, an as appropriate. yo decoro túdecoras él/ella/ud.decora nosotrosdecoramos ellos/ellas/uds.decoran
NOTE: 1.The subject pronouns usted (Ud.) and ustedes (Uds.) are usually expressed in Spanish. The other subject pronouns (yo, tú, él ella, nosotros, ellos, ellas) are usually omitted, unless they are required for clarity or emphasis. Canto bien.I sing well. Cantan bien. They sing well. BUT Ud. Canta bien.You sing well. Ella canta bien pero él canta mal.She sings well, but he sings badly. Ella y yo cantamos bien.She and I sing well. 2.Tú (the familiar form) is used when addressing close relatives, intimate friends, or small children. In many Spanish-American countries, the ustedes form is used.