by Crystal Bustamante

Created on: June 17, 2009

Learning how to properly conjugate verbs can be one of the most daunting tasks when learning how to speak Spanish (or any other language), especially for those of you that are beginning learners. Fortunately, the basic verb forms follow a similar pattern making it easier to learn how to properly conjugate the verb. However, before we begin our examination of the various forms of the verb "invitar", allow me to review a few basic facts.

1. There are several verb tenses that are commonly used in Spanish. These include the present, past and future tenses. In addition to these three, there are variations of the present, past and future tenses known as preterites.

2. If you are beginning to learn how to conjugate verbs, you can develop a small chart to keep inside the cover of your notebook or you can simply draw the chart on the inside cover of the notebook. Either way, the chart will help remember which verb ending is associated with each of the different pronouns.

3. In most Spanish speaking countries, there are five verb conjugations that are commonly used for each verb tense. In Spain, there is an additional verb tense that is used.

Now that we have covered these basic facts, let us begin by developing a chart that will aid in conjugating the verb "invitar" as well as other verbs ending in '-ar'.

PRESENT TENSE

The first pronoun is 'I', in Spanish 'yo'. The verb ending for this pronoun is "-o".

The second is "you", in Spanish "t". The verb ending is "-as"

The third is "he/she/it", in Spanish "l/ella/lo". The verb ending is "-a". (In rare occasions, this is written with an accent).

The fourth is "they", in Spanish "ello". The verb ending is "-an".

The last is "we", in Spanish "nosotros". The verbs ending is "amos".

In Spain, there is an additional verb tense, which is a formal variation of 'you'. It is 'vosotros'. The verb ending for this pronoun is "-ais".

For the verb "invitar", the verb takes the following forms:

Yo - "invito"

T - "invitas"

El/Ella/Lo - "invita"

Ellos - "invitan"

Nosotros - "invitamos"

Vosotros - "invitais"

FUTURE TENSE

The verb ending for "yo" in the future tense is "-"

For "t", it is "-s"

For "l/ella/lo", it is "-"

For "ellos", it is "-n"

For "nosotros", it is "-amos" (This tense rarely changes form for verbs ending in "-ar").

For "vosotros", it is "is".

For the verb "invitar", the verb takes the following forms:

Yo - "invitar"

T - "invitars"

El/Ella/Lo - "invitar"

Ellos - "invitarn"

Nosotros - "invitaramos"

Vosotros - "invitaris"

PAST TENSE

When conjugating verbs in the past tense, the verb takes the following forms:

Yo - '-"

T - "-aste"

El/Ella/Lo - "-"

Ellos - "-aron"

Nosotros - "-amos"

Vosotros - "-is"

For the verb "invitar", the verb takes the following forms:

Yo - "invit"

T - "invitaste"

El/Ella/Lo - "invit"

Ellos - "invitaron"

Nosotros - "invitamos"

Vosotros - "invitis"

An additional verb form that you will find useful is the Spanish version of the common English "-ing" verb ending. To use this form in Spanish, use the Spanish verb "estar" (to be) with the correct verb ending listed above followed by the verb that you will be using with the verb ending "-ando"

For example, "I am inviting". In Spanish, the correct translation would be "estoy invitando".

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