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:

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:

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:

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

Hablo tres idiomas — inglés, castellano y portugues.

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

2. Entrar

Cuando entra, todos la miran.

When she enters, everyone looks at her.

3. Trabajar

Trabajamos en el mismo edificio.

We work in the same building.

4. Gustar

A él le gusta la casa a la derecha.

He likes the house on the right.

5. Mirar

Te mira de una manera especial.

He looks at you in a special way.

6. Ganar

Gana españa, pero por muy poco.

Spain wins, but by very little.

7. Estudiar

Estudiáis mucho, ¿no? Yo creo que aprobáis.

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

8. Aceptar

Yo acepto tu disculpa. Gracias.

I accept your apology. Thanks.

9. Escuchar

Él escucha la radio todas las noches.

He listens to the radio every night.

10. Levantar

Yo me levanto a las ocho de la mañana.

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

11. Comprar

¿Me compras un billete? Quiero viajar también.

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

12. Cortar

Me cortan el pelo cada tres meses.

They cut my hair every three months.

13. Bajar

Me bajo de aquí. En esta parada.

I get off here. At this stop.

14. Mandar

¿Me mandas un mensaje cuando estes en casa?

Can you send me a message when you get home?

15. Representar

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):

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, tú, 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:

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

Cuento mucho contigo. Gracias por todo.

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

2. Pensar

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

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

3. Encontrar

Si encuentro a la persona perfecta, dejaré de buscar.

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

4. Llegar

Llegamos mañana en las islas canarias. ¡Tenemos suerte!

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

5. Empezar

El nino siempre empieza a llorar en la calle.

The child always starts to cry in the street.

6. Buscar

Buscamos camareros para nuestro restaurante en Santiago de Compostela.

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

7. Comenzar

El partido — comienza ahora. Ven a verlo.

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

8. Sacar

Saco el salmón de la nevera antes de cocinar.

I take out the salmon from the fridge before cooking.

9. Realizar

Realiza sus obligaciones de la familia real.

He performs his royal family obligations.

10. Explicar

Explicamos esto para que aprendas la verdad.

We explain this so you learn the truth.

11. Mostrar

Te muestro el regalo — es precioso.

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

12. Cerrar

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

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

13. Tocar

Toca la flauta muy bien. ¿Lo sabías?

He plays the flute very well. Did you know?

14. Demonstrar

Demuestro que soy un trabajador cada semana.

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

15. Colocar

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!

🎓 Cite article

Grab the link to this article

Copy Link

Grammar