30 Commonly Used -AR Verbs In Spanish (With Examples)

  • Jada Lòpez
    Written byJada Lòpez
    Jada LòpezSpanish teacher, translator
    🎓 B.A., Translation and Interpreting English and Spanish, Universidad de Granada
    🎓 M.A., Formación de Profesores de Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE), Universidad Pablo de Olavide

    Passionate language teacher and translator. Wife, mother of 3 and amateur surfer.
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30 Commonly Used -AR Verbs In Spanish (With Examples)

To learn Spanish fluently, it might help you to know as much about Spanish verbs as possible.

One important thing to keep in mind is that all Spanish verbs in their infinitive form either have ER, AR or IR endings.

This is useful as it will help you learn the rules required to conjugate these verbs more simply. We know that verb conjugation is not always easy…

But if your Spanish language journey is just beginning and you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by verb conjugations — don’t worry.

This guide will focus on some of the huge number of Spanish verbs that have AR endings in their infinitive form (and how to conjugate them).

What is an AR Spanish verb?

If you’ve encountered a Spanish verb with an AR ending, these are very common in Spanish.

We mentioned above that Spanish verbs either have different endings. An AR Spanish verb is a verb that ends in an AR suffix.

AR Spanish verbs have different conjugations. Some are regular and others are irregular.

Practice makes perfect when learning verb conjugations, but you’ll definitely get there.

Conjugating regular AR Spanish verbs — present simple

When conjugating regular AR Spanish verbs, you’ll need to remove the AR suffix and replace it with the correct suffix thar corresponds to the subject pronoun.

Take a look at the table below to find out how to conjugate the regular verb cantar (to sing) in the present simple:

PronounSimple PresentEnglish Translation
YoCantoI sing
CantasYou sing
Él/Ella/UstedCantaHe/She sings/You sing (formal)
NosotrosCantamosWe sing
VosotrosCantáisYou sing
Ellos/UstedesCantanThey sing / You sing
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What are the simple present regular AR verb suffixes when conjugated?

To conjugate the Spanish AR verbs, here are the suffixes you will need for each subject pronoun:

PronounSuffix
YOO
AS
ÉL/ELLA/USTEDA
NOSOTROSAMOS
VOSOTROSÍS
ELLOS/USTEDESAN

Remember, when conjugating AR verbs, you just need to replace the AR endings with the right suffix from the above table.

If you wanted to say ‘I sing’ in Spanish, you should use the verb cantar (which is in its infinitive form), and replace the AR ending with the yo suffix — giving you canto.

Common regular AR Spanish verbs you will come across

The following are a few examples of commonly used AR Spanish verbs that you may have come across in your studies:

SpanishEnglish
HablarTo speak
EntrarTo enter
TrabajarTo work
GustarTo like
MirarTo look
GanarTo win
EstudiarTo study
AceptarTo accept
EscucharTo listen
LevantarTo raise/lift up
ComprarTo buy
CortarTo cut
BajarTo lower
MandarTo send
RepresentarTo represent

Here are a few examples of these verbs being used in sentences. We have put them in their conjugated forms. Which ones do you recognise?

1. Hablar

Listen to audio

Hablo tres idiomas — inglés, castellano y portugues.

I speak three languages -- English, Spanish and Portuguese.

2. Entrar

Listen to audio

Cuando entra, todos la miran.

When she enters, everyone looks at her.

3. Trabajar

Listen to audio

Trabajamos en el mismo edificio.

We work in the same building.

4. Gustar

Listen to audio

A él le gusta la casa a la derecha.

He likes the house on the right.

5. Mirar

Listen to audio

Te mira de una manera especial.

He looks at you in a special way.

6. Ganar

Listen to audio

Gana españa, pero por muy poco.

Spain wins, but by very little.

7. Estudiar

Listen to audio

Estudiáis mucho, ¿no? Yo creo que aprobáis.

You all study a lot, right? I think you will pass.

8. Aceptar

Listen to audio

Yo acepto tu disculpa. Gracias.

I accept your apology. Thanks.

9. Escuchar

Listen to audio

Él escucha la radio todas las noches.

He listens to the radio every night.

10. Levantar

Listen to audio

Yo me levanto a las ocho de la mañana.

I wake up at eight o'clock in the morning.

11. Comprar

Listen to audio

¿Me compras un billete? Quiero viajar también.

Will you buy me a ticket? I want to travel too.

12. Cortar

Listen to audio

Me cortan el pelo cada tres meses.

They cut my hair every three months.

13. Bajar

Listen to audio

Me bajo de aquí. En esta parada.

I get off here. At this stop.

14. Mandar

Listen to audio

¿Me mandas un mensaje cuando estes en casa?

Can you send me a message when you get home?

15. Representar

Listen to audio

Yo la represento. Soy abogado.

I represent her. I'm a lawyer.

Conjugating irregular AR Spanish verbs — present simple

Verb conjugation gets a little challenging with irregular AR Spanish verbs.

This is because conjugations don’t follow the same patterns we’ve covered above.

This is how to conjugate pensar, for instance, (which is an irregular AR ver that means ‘to think’ in English):

PronounSimple PresentEnglish Translation
YoPiensoI think
PiensasYou think
Él/Ella/UstedPiensaHe/She thinks / You think
NosotrosPensamosWe think
VosotrosPensáisYou think
Ellos/UstedesPiensanThey think / You think
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What makes the Spanish verb pensar irregular?

Though the endings of the Spanish verb pensar follow a similar pattern to the regular verb cantar, above, there is a reason this verb is an irregular verb.

Notice how, in this case, the infinitive form pensar, changes from having an e to an ie for the yo, , él, and ellos forms. Instead of conjugating pensar as ‘penso’ for the yo form, it requires an extra i. For this reason, pensar is an irregular verb.

This is the same for many Spanish verbs that don’t follow a strict pattern.

Here are a couple of things to watch out for.

Verbs that change from e to ie

In some cases, as with the verb pensar there is a change in the stem of the verb. Watch out for verbs that, when conjugated, require an i before the e in their conjugation.

One example is the verb empezar. Here is how it’s conjugated:

Yo empiezo

Tú empiezas

Él empieza

Nosotros empezamos

Vosotros empezáis

Ellos empiezan

So, remember this little rule. And don’t forget, for the present simple tense, the nosotros form doesn’t have the extra i, and the vosotros form has an accent mark over the a.

Verbs that change from o to ue

In other cases, AR verbs that have an o in their stem can change to feature an ue. Keep an eye out for verbs such as costar, which follow this rule and are conjugated like this:

Yo cuesto

Tú cuestas

Él cuesta

Nosotros costamos

Vosotros costáis

Ellos cuestan

Bear in mind that the nosotros form doesn’t feature a u, and neither does the vosotros form. And be on the lookout for verbs that follow this pattern to help you learn.

Common irregular Spanish AR verbs you will come across

Below, you’ll find the most common irregular AR verbs used in Spanish speaking countries:

SpanishEnglish
ContarTo count
PensarTo think
EncontrarTo find
LlegarTo arrive
EmpezarTo start
BuscarTo search (for)
ComenzarTo begin
SacarTo take out
RealizarTo perform/achieve
ExplicarTo explain
MostrarTo show
CerrarTo close
TocarTo play (an instrument)
DemostrarTo demonstrate
ColocarTo organise/colocate

Take a look at these verbs being used in sentences.

We have conjugated them with different subjects. Can you identify which personal pronoun (or subject) is the focus of the sentence?

1. Contar

Listen to audio

Cuento mucho contigo. Gracias por todo.

I count on you for a lot. Thanks for everything.

2. Pensar

Listen to audio

El piensa que es mi cumpleaños hoy, pero es mañana.

He thinks it's my birthday today, but it's tomorrow.

3. Encontrar

Listen to audio

Si encuentro a la persona perfecta, dejaré de buscar.

If I find the perfect person, I will stop looking.

4. Llegar

Listen to audio

Llegamos mañana en las islas canarias. ¡Tenemos suerte!

We arrive tomorrow in the Canary Islands. We're lucky!

5. Empezar

Listen to audio

El nino siempre empieza a llorar en la calle.

The child always starts to cry in the street.

6. Buscar

Listen to audio

Buscamos camareros para nuestro restaurante en Santiago de Compostela.

We are looking for waiters for our restaurant in Santiago de Compostela.

7. Comenzar

Listen to audio

El partido — comienza ahora. Ven a verlo.

The match -- it starts now. Come and see it.

8. Sacar

Listen to audio

Saco el salmón de la nevera antes de cocinar.

I take out the salmon from the fridge before cooking.

9. Realizar

Listen to audio

Realiza sus obligaciones de la familia real.

He performs his royal family obligations.

10. Explicar

Listen to audio

Explicamos esto para que aprendas la verdad.

We explain this so you learn the truth.

11. Mostrar

Listen to audio

Te muestro el regalo — es precioso.

I'll show you the gift. It's precious.

12. Cerrar

Listen to audio

Cerramos las puertas con llave para que no entren los ladrones.

We lock the doors so the thieves don't enter.

13. Tocar

Listen to audio

Toca la flauta muy bien. ¿Lo sabías?

He plays the flute very well. Did you know?

14. Demonstrar

Listen to audio

Demuestro que soy un trabajador cada semana.

I demonstrate that I'm a hard worker every week.

15. Colocar

Listen to audio

Mira que bien colocáis la habitación. Muy bien.

Look how well you clean your bedroom. Very good.

Begin practicing your AR Spanish conjugations to increase your confidence

The only thing left for us to say about AR Spanish verb is that you’ll master them with practice.

We all have to begin somewhere, and I recommend that you start with simple verb exercises to help you.

If you are studying an A2 level Spanish course, now is the time to start listening to dialogues, songs and news broadcasts to put into practice what you know. Listening is important and will help you to back up your knowledge.

There are also some listening resources ideal for helping you pass an exam. Using resources like these will help you identify these AR verbs in spoken Spanish — not just in writing.

Get practicing and you’ll be understanding them in no time!


Any advice that I’ve missed for understanding AR verbs?

List them below!

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