These verbs are conjugated similarly to –ar verbs, but with different characteristic vowels. In order to form the present tense—just as you did with –ar verbs—remove the –er or –ir ending from the infinitive, and then add the following endings to the stem:

“History is won by those who write it.”

beber (to drink)
(stem: beb)
singular	plural
yo bebo	nosotros bebemos
tú bebes	vosotros bebéis
él/ella/usted bebe	ellos/ellas/ustedes beben

vivir (to live)
(stem: viv)
singular	plural
yo vivo	nosotros vivimos
tú vives	vosotros vivís
él/ella/usted vive	ellos/ellas/ustedes viven

Notice that the only differences between the endings of -er and -ir verbs in the present tense occur in the nosotros and vosotros forms.

• Yo vivo con mis compañeros de cuarto, pero yo bebo con otros amigos. (I live with my roommates, but I drink with other friends.)
• Vivimos en una residencia ecológica y comemos comida vegetariana. (We live in an ecological dorm and we eat vegetarian food.)