In Spanish, the conjugation of a regular verb depends on the ending of its infinitive. (The infinitive is the basic form of the verb that you find in the dictionary; for example, English infinitives are always written with to, like the verbs to run or to speak. Click here to read more about infinitives in English.)

Spanish verbs conjugate depending on the verb’s subject; that is, their ending changes depending on who is doing the action. This occurs in the English verb to be (e.g. I am, you are, he is, etc.), but in Spanish this occurs for all persons in all verbs (click here to learn more about verb conjugation in English).

Let’s start with the regular verb “hablar” – to speak.

Hablar:

(yo) hablo	(nosotros) hablamos
(tú) hablas	(vosotros) habláis*
(él / ella / usted) habla	(ellos / ellas / ustedes) hablan

* Note: This second-person plural form (vosotros) is only used in the variety of Spanish used in Spain. In other Spanish dialects the third person plural form (ustedes) is used in both formal and informal plural direct-address situations.

Ejemplos:

• ¿Qué idiomas hablas tú? (What languages do you speak?)
• Yo hablo español y francés. (I speak Spanish and French.)
  
• ¿Qué idiomas hablan tus amigos? (What languages do your friends speak?)
  
• Ellos hablan inglés y chino. (They speak English and Chinese.)