Lesson 14: Regular -ER Verbs (Present Tense)

¡Bienvenidos! (Welcome!)

Welcome to Lesson 14! In Lesson 13, you learned how to conjugate -AR verbs (hablar, estudiar, trabajar). Today, we're learning the second verb group: -ER verbs!

The good news? The pattern is very similar to -AR verbs - you just need to learn a new set of endings. Once you master -ER verbs, you'll be able to express even more actions and activities. Let's dive in!

Part 1: What Are -ER Verbs?

Remember, Spanish infinitives end in three ways:
- -AR verbs: hablar (to speak) ✅ Learned in Lesson 13
- -ER verbs: comer (to eat) ⬅️ TODAY
- -IR verbs: vivir (to live) - Coming in Lesson 15

-ER verbs are the second-largest group of regular verbs in Spanish.

Part 2: The -ER Verb Pattern

To conjugate regular -ER verbs, follow this pattern:

STEP 1: Remove the -ER ending → comer → com-
STEP 2: Add the new ending for each pronoun

The -ER Endings (Present Tense)

Memory Trick: o-es-e-emos-en (compare to -AR: o-as-a-amos-an)

Notice: The yo form is the same (-o) for both -AR and -ER verbs!

Part 3: COMER - Complete Conjugation

Let's look at comer (to eat) in detail:

Practice Sentences:
- Yo como frutas. (I eat fruits.)
- Tú comes mucho. (You eat a lot.)
- Nosotros comemos en casa. (We eat at home.)

Part 4: Common -ER Verbs You Need to Know

Food & Drink Verbs

Communication Verbs

Action Verbs

Knowledge Verbs

💡 Teacher's Tip: There are fewer common -ER verbs than -AR verbs, but they include many essential daily verbs like "eat," "drink," "read," and "run"!

Part 5: Conjugating More -ER Verbs

BEBER (to drink)

Examples:
- Yo bebo agua. (I drink water.)
- ¿Bebes café? (Do you drink coffee?)
- Nosotros bebemos té. (We drink tea.)

LEER (to read)

Examples:
- Yo leo libros. (I read books.)
- Ella lee el periódico. (She reads the newspaper.)
- Nosotros leemos en la biblioteca. (We read in the library.)

Part 6: Comparing -AR and -ER Verbs

Let's see the patterns side by side:

Pattern:
- yo form is SAME: -o
- tú, él/ella, nosotros, ellos change the "a" to "e"
- -as → -es
- -a → -e
- -amos → -emos
- -an → -en

Part 7: APRENDER (to learn) - Special Use

Aprender is often followed by a + infinitive:

Pattern: aprender + a + infinitive

Examples:
- Yo aprendo a hablar español. (I'm learning to speak Spanish.)
- Tú aprendes a cocinar. (You're learning to cook.)
- Nosotros aprendemos a bailar. (We're learning to dance.)

Why "a"? This is a Spanish idiom - "aprender a" means "to learn to [do something]."

Part 8: DEBER (should/must) - Special Verb

Deber has a special use with infinitives:

Pattern: deber + infinitive (no "a" needed!)

Meanings:
1. Should/ought to: Debo estudiar. (I should study.)
2. Must: Debes comer. (You must eat.)
3. To owe: Te debo dinero. (I owe you money.)

Examples:
- Yo debo hacer mi tarea. (I must do my homework.)
- Tú debes comer más vegetales. (You should eat more vegetables.)
- Nosotros debemos correr más. (We should run more.)

💡 Teacher's Tip: "Deber" + infinitive is like English "should" or "must" + verb!

Part 9: Negative Sentences with -ER Verbs

Same pattern as -AR verbs: NO + verb

Examples:
- Yo no como pescado. (I don't eat fish.)
- Él no bebe alcohol. (He doesn't drink alcohol.)
- Nosotros no leemos revistas. (We don't read magazines.)

Part 10: Questions with -ER Verbs

Three ways (same as -AR verbs):

Method 1: Intonation

• ¿Comes pizza? (Do you eat pizza?)
• ¿Bebes agua? (Do you drink water?)
• ¿Lees libros? (Do you read books?)

Method 2: Inversion

• ¿Come ella pescado? (Does she eat fish?)
• ¿Beben ellos café? (Do they drink coffee?)

Method 3: Question Words

• ¿Qué comes? (What do you eat?)
• ¿Dónde corres? (Where do you run?)
• ¿Cuándo lees? (When do you read?)

Part 11: Complete Conversations

Conversation 1: At a Restaurant

A: ¿Qué comes normalmente? (What do you normally eat?)
B: Como pollo y arroz. (I eat chicken and rice.)
A: ¿Bebes vino? (Do you drink wine?)
B: No, no bebo vino. Bebo agua. (No, I don't drink wine. I drink water.)

Conversation 2: Daily Activities

A: ¿Lees el periódico? (Do you read the newspaper?)
B: Sí, leo el periódico todos los días. (Yes, I read the newspaper every day.)
A: ¿Dónde lees? (Where do you read?)
B: Leo en casa por la mañana. (I read at home in the morning.)

Conversation 3: Exercise

A: ¿Corres? (Do you run?)
B: Sí, corro tres veces por semana. (Yes, I run three times per week.)
A: ¿Dónde corres? (Where do you run?)
B: Corro en el parque. (I run in the park.)

Part 12: Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake #1: Using -AR Endings on -ER Verbs

• ❌ WRONG: Yo comas pescado. (-AR ending)
• ✅ CORRECT: Yo como pescado. (-ER ending)

❌ Mistake #2: Wrong Ending for Subject

• ❌ WRONG: Tú como pizza. (yo ending with tú subject)
• ✅ CORRECT: Tú comes pizza.

❌ Mistake #3: Forgetting "a" with APRENDER

• ❌ AWKWARD: Aprendo hablar español.
• ✅ BETTER: Aprendo a hablar español.

❌ Mistake #4: Adding "a" with DEBER

• ❌ WRONG: Debo a estudiar.
• ✅ CORRECT: Debo estudiar. (no "a"!)

Vocabulary Summary: Essential -ER Verbs

Most Common -ER Verbs

The Endings Pattern

Key Takeaways

✅ -ER verbs follow a regular pattern: remove -ER, add endings
✅ Endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -en
✅ yo form same as -AR: both use -o
✅ Other forms change "a" to "e" (compared to -AR)
✅ APRENDER uses "a" before infinitive
✅ DEBER + infinitive means "should" or "must"
✅ Negatives and questions work the same as -AR verbs

Practice Tips for Success

1. Memorize endings: o-es-e-emos-en
2. Compare to -AR: Notice the pattern change (a→e)
3. Practice 5 -ER verbs daily: comer, beber, leer, correr, aprender
4. Use with food: Yo como..., Yo bebo...
5. Describe your routine: Leo el periódico, Corro en el parque
6. Practice deber: Debo estudiar, Debo trabajar
7. Mix with -AR verbs: Yo trabajo y como. Yo estudio y leo.

Ready to Practice!

You now know TWO verb groups (-AR and -ER)! This means you can conjugate hundreds of verbs and express a huge variety of actions. Next lesson, you'll learn -IR verbs and complete the trio!

The 50 exercises ahead will help you master:
- Conjugating -ER verbs for all subjects
- Choosing correct endings
- Using aprender a + infinitive
- Using deber + infinitive
- Comparing -AR and -ER verbs
- Real-world conversations

¡Excelente trabajo! (Excellent work!) 🎉