Lesson 10

The Verb System Starts to Open Up

Language Transfer Complete Spanish is by Mihalis Eleftheriou. Listen to the original audio first; use these notes for revision.

New vocabulary

The three verb groups: All infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir.

Making the "I" form: Remove -ar/-er/-ir → add -o

intentar → intento, donar → dono, crear → creo, comer → como
Accent shifts to penultimate syllable: inTENto (present) vs intentÓ (he tried — past)

Present tense with future context: If you have a word showing future (mañana, luego), just use present tense.

Tener = to have. Related to English "-tain":

Irregular -go pattern: tener→tengo, venir→vengo (same irregularity pattern — group them together)

Spanish	English
Dono.	I donate.
No dono.	I don't donate.
Creo.	I create.
Voy a comer.	I'm going to eat.
Voy a comer tarde.	I'm going to eat late.
Voy a comer mañana.	I'm going to eat tomorrow.
Como mañana.	I eat tomorrow. (= I'm eating tomorrow)
Como con Pablo mañana.	I'm eating with Pablo tomorrow.
Voy a comer con Pablo mañana.	I'm going to eat with Pablo tomorrow.
Organizo.	I organize.
Quiero tenerlo.	I want to have it.
Voy a tenerlo.	I'm going to have it.
Voy a tenerlo tarde.	I'm going to have it late.
Voy a tenerlo más tarde.	I'm going to have it later.
Vengo mañana.	I'm coming tomorrow.

This lesson starts the real conjugation system: infinitive in -r, first-person singular in -o.
Present tense can express the future if the time word is already clear: Como mañana works because mañana already signals the future.
Tener belongs with the English -tain family: contener, obtener, sostener, mantener, entretener.
Group tengo and vengo together early so the irregular -go pattern feels familiar.