How to conjugate Spanish verbs and impress your friends

Are you at that point in your language learning where conjugating Spanish verbs — or constructing “doing” words such as running, swimming and cooking — is causing you headaches? Have you realized that, in this respect, English is a relatively simpler language?

In Spanish, you must conjugate the verb depending on who you are speaking to. In English, you often don’t.

When my Italian boyfriend started learning Spanish, I noticed that he learned some easy verb combinations. It was a simple way for him to make progress, without racking his brain.

In these combinations, you only have to remember the pattern and then add the verb you intend to actually use. Here are some examples.

To express the future, an intention or a plan 

VOY A (going to) 

Voy a comer (I am going to eat) 

Voy a leer (I am going to read) 

¿Vas a venir? (Are you coming) 

Vamos a bailar (We are going to dance) 

To talk about something you have to do 

TENER QUE (have to) 

Tengo que descansar (I have to rest) 

Tienes que comprar leche (You have to buy milk) 

Tenemos que manejar (We have to drive)  

To talk about something you have just finished 

ACABO DE (I just) 

Acabo de llegar (I just arrived) 

¿Acabas de comer? (Did you just eat?) 

Acabamos de terminar (We have just finished) 

To express that you are about to do something 

ESTAR POR (To be about to) 

Estoy por llegar (I am about to arrive) 

Estoy por comer (I am about to eat) 

Estamos por terminar (We are about to finish) 

To express you need something 

NECESITO (I need) 

Necesito dormir (I need to sleep) 

¿Necesitas comprar más? (Do you need to buy more) 

Necesitamos empezar ya (We need to start now) 

These are some examples of verb combinations that can help you start speaking faster. My recommendation would be to learn one or two of them and start practising whenever you have the chance. It is all about finding the pattern, getting used to it and start using it as soon as you can!  

Paulina Gerez is a translator-interpreter, content creator, and founder of Crack The Code, a series of online courses focused on languages. Through her social media, she helps people see learning a language from another perspective through her fun experiences. Instagram: paulinagerezm / Tiktok: paugerez3 / YT: paulina gerez