by Crystal Bustamante

Created on: July 18, 2009   Last Updated: July 24, 2009

Since Spanish verbs are not usually preceded by a pronoun (e.g. I, you, he) as are English verbs, it is important for the person learning Spanish to learn the proper forms for conjugating the verb in order to be understood.

While this may seem like a difficult task, with a little time and practice, you will soon be using these verb forms with little effort.

In this article, you will be introduced to the four most common tenses that a verb is used in (present, past, future and the present participle.

Now that we have covered these basic facts, let us begin by developing a chart that will aid in conjugating the verb "odiar" 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 "usar", which means use, the verb takes the following forms:

Yo - "uso"
T - "usas"
El/Ella/Lo - "usa"
Ellos - "usan"
Nosotros - "usamos"
Vosotros - "usais"

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 "usar", the verb takes the following forms:

Yo - "usar"
T - "usars"
El/Ella/Lo - "usar"
Ellos - "usarn"
Nosotros - "usaramos"
Vosotros - "usaris"

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 "usar", the verb takes the following forms:

Yo - "us"
T - "usaste"
El/Ella/Lo - "us"
Ellos - "usaron"
Nosotros - "usamos"
Vosotros - "usis"

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 using." In Spanish, the correct translation would be "estoy usando."

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