🎭 The Magic Show of Spanish Verbs

Welcome to the most exciting show in town! Today, you’ll learn how Spanish verbs transform right before your eyes!

🎪 The Big Idea: Verbs Are Shape-Shifters!

Imagine you have a magical word that can change its costume depending on who is doing the action.

In English, we say:

• I eat / She eats ← tiny change
• We eat / They eat ← same!

But in Spanish? Verbs are like actors putting on different costumes for every character! 🎭

The Verb Family Analogy: Think of Spanish verbs as members of three big families:

• The -AR family (the biggest family!)
• The -ER family
• The -IR family

Each family has its own set of costumes (endings)!

📖 Chapter 1: The -AR Family (The Popular Kids)

The most common verbs in Spanish end in -AR!

Meet the Star: HABLAR (to speak)

The stem is the verb without its ending: HABL-

Now watch the magic! We add different endings:

🌟 Real Examples

Pro Tip: Drop the -AR, add the ending. That’s it! 🎯

📖 Chapter 2: The -ER Family

These verbs are just as friendly, but wear different costumes!

Meet the Star: COMER (to eat)

Stem: COM-

Spot the Difference!

Compare -AR and -ER:

Notice: The vowel changes from A to E! 🔄

📖 Chapter 3: The -IR Family

The third family is almost identical to -ER!

Meet the Star: VIVIR (to live)

Stem: VIV-

The Secret!

-ER and -IR are twins except for nosotros:

• -ER: comemos
• -IR: vivimos

That’s the only difference! 🎯

📖 Chapter 4: Spelling Changes (The Rebels)

Some verbs need a tiny spelling adjustment to keep their sound correct.

Why Does This Happen?

In Spanish, letters can sound different before certain vowels:

• C before e/i = “s” sound
• G before e/i = “h” sound

So verbs change spelling to keep the same sound!

Example: BUSCAR (to look for)

In the yo form of the past tense (we’ll learn later), you write:

• busqué (not buscé)

Example: LLEGAR (to arrive)

• llegué (not llegé)

The u keeps the “g” sound hard!

📖 Chapter 5: Stem-Changing Verbs (The Drama Queens!)

These verbs have a secret change hidden inside them!

🎭 Type 1: E → IE (E becomes IE)

The e in the stem transforms into ie (except for nosotros).

PENSAR (to think)

More Examples:

• Querer (to want): quiero, quieres, quiere…
• Cerrar (to close): cierro, cierras, cierra…
• Empezar (to begin): empiezo, empiezas…

🎭 Type 2: O → UE (O becomes UE)

The o transforms into ue!

PODER (to be able to)

More Examples:

• Dormir (to sleep): duermo, duermes…
• Volver (to return): vuelvo, vuelves…
• Encontrar (to find): encuentro…

🎭 Type 3: E → I (E becomes I)

Some -IR verbs change e to i.

PEDIR (to ask for)

More Examples:

• Servir (to serve): sirvo, sirves…
• Repetir (to repeat): repito, repites…

📖 Chapter 6: Irregular YO Forms (The Rebels)

Some verbs only act weird in the yo form!

The Famous Irregulars

The Pattern

Many add -go in the yo form:

• tengo, hago, pongo, salgo, vengo

After yo, they act normal! 🎭

🎬 The Big Picture

graph TD
    A[Spanish Verb] --> B{What ending?}
    B -->|AR| C[-o, -as, -a, -amos, -an]
    B -->|ER| D[-o, -es, -e, -emos, -en]
    B -->|IR| E[-o, -es, -e, -imos, -en]
    A --> F{Stem change?}
    F -->|e→ie| G[pensar→pienso]
    F -->|o→ue| H[poder→puedo]
    F -->|e→i| I[pedir→pido]
    A --> J{Irregular yo?}
    J -->|Yes| K[tener→tengo]

🌟 Quick Summary

1. -AR verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -an
2. -ER verbs: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -en
3. -IR verbs: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -en (twins with ER!)
4. Spelling changes: Keep the sound the same
5. E→IE: pensar → pienso
6. O→UE: poder → puedo
7. E→I: pedir → pido
8. Irregular yo: tengo, hago, pongo, salgo, vengo

🎯 You Did It!

Now you know the secret patterns of Spanish verbs!

Remember: Every verb is just a shape-shifter putting on different costumes. Once you know the patterns, you can conjugate thousands of verbs!

Your superpower: When you see a new verb, ask:

1. What family? (-AR, -ER, -IR)
2. Any stem changes?
3. Irregular yo?

That’s all you need! 🚀