Language Transfer Spanish notes
Lesson 11
The Big -AR Verb Pattern
Language Transfer Complete Spanish is by Mihalis Eleftheriou. Listen to the original audio first; use these notes for revision.
New vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| tolerar | to tolerate |
| eliminar | to eliminate / delete |
| durar | to last (from "duration") |
| mucho | much / a lot |
| exagerar | to exaggerate (j→kh) |
| masticar | to chew (from "mastication") |
| morder | to bite (think English "mordent") |
| colaborar | to collaborate |
| hablar | to speak (h is silent!) |
| tuitear | to tweet |
| googlear | to google |
| facebookear | to facebook |
| exageración | exaggeration |
| colaboración | collaboration |
Key concept: Most verbs are -ar. All new verbs entering Spanish become -ar (tuitear, googlear). -er/-ir verbs are a closed historic group.
-AR verb conjugation — key vowel is A
| Person | Ending | Example (hablar) |
|---|---|---|
| I | -o | hablo |
| He/she/it/formal | -a | habla |
| They/you guys | -an | hablan |
| You (informal) | -as | hablas |
Pronoun placement rules
-
Before the conjugated verb: Lo quiero. / Lo quiero ver.
-
After the infinitive: Quiero verlo.
-
Both are the same meaning — your choice!
-
But with ONE conjugated verb alone: must go before → Lo quiero. (not Quierolo)
Example sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Tolero. | I tolerate. |
| Elimino. | I eliminate/delete. |
| Elimina. | He/she eliminates. |
| Dura mucho. | It lasts a long time. |
| No dura mucho. | It doesn't last long. |
| Exagero. | I exaggerate. |
| Exagera. | He/she exaggerates. |
| No exagera. | He/she is not exaggerating. |
| Mastico. | I chew. |
| Mastica. | He/she chews. |
| Colaboro. | I collaborate. |
| Colabora. | He/she collaborates. |
| Colaboran. | They collaborate. |
| Hablo. | I speak. |
| No hablan con Pablo. | They don't speak with Pablo. |
| Quiero hablar. | I want to speak. |
| Voy a hablar. | I'm going to speak. |
| Es importante hablarlo. | It's important to talk about it. |
| Debo invitarlo. | I must invite him. (two options) |
| Lo debo invitar. | I must invite him. (two options) |
Key notes
-
For the present tense, the stress moves back to the penultimate syllable: tolero, not toleró.
-
New verbs that enter modern Spanish almost always become -ar verbs.
-
With a conjugated verb plus an infinitive, object pronouns can go before the conjugated verb or after the infinitive: Lo debo invitar / Debo invitarlo.