-AR verbs

Just like in English, we conjugate verbs to agree with the subject of the sentence. This helps when trying to be more specific about which actions are being performed. In Spanish, we distinguish the subject mainly based on the verb being used.

In this module, we’ll learn to conjugate regular verbs that end in -ar. One of those verbs is bailar to dance. In English we say “I dance, you dance, they dance, etc.” with the verb dance remaining the same while having many different subjects (I, you, they). In Spanish, we do it a little differently, and in this module you will learn how to conjugate, or change the verb forms to match the subject.

Listen to these two songs and watch the video. How many different conjugated forms do you see?”

Macaco – Bailo la Pena
Macaco is a band from Barcelona, Spain.

You can view the transcript for “Bailo la Pena” here (opens in new window).

Gran Rah – Bailas?
Sergio Miranda, known as Gran Rah, is a Chilean M.C.

You can view the transcript for “Bailas?” here (opens in new window).

La hora

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez who was known as the “Queen of Tejano music” is remembered by many of her Spanish speaking fans, and it was Selena’s second language. In a memorable interview, Selena attempted to say the number catorce and said diecicuatro which is similar to saying oneteen instead of eleven. She and her audience laughed it off and this became a memorable moment. Just like Selena, many of us will have those “oops” moments when learning a new language, but that is how we learn. Along with learning numbers, we’ll also learn how to tell time.

What numbers can you hear in the song below?

You can view the transcript for “La Carchaca” here (opens in new window).