After -ar verbs, the other two Spanish verb families end in -er and -ir. They share almost all their endings, so you learn them together.
comer (to eat) — Yo como pan. (I eat bread.)
beber (to drink) — Ella bebe agua. (She drinks water.)
vivir (to live) — Vivimos en Madrid. (We live in Madrid.)
Quick rule: remove -er or -ir, then add the ending that matches the subject.
Remove -er from the infinitive and add these endings:
| yo | como | I eat |
| tú | comes | you eat |
| él / ella / usted | come | he/she eats |
| nosotros | comemos | we eat |
| vosotros | coméis | you all eat |
| ellos / ustedes | comen | they eat |
-IR verbs use the same endings as -er except for nosotros and vosotros:
| yo | vivo |
| tú | vives |
| él / ella / usted | vive |
| nosotros | vivimos ← different! |
| vosotros | vivís ← different! |
| ellos / ustedes | viven |
Memory trick: -er → comemos; -ir → vivimos. The vowel of the infinitive survives in the nosotros form.
These regular -er verbs cover everyday life:
beber (to drink) — Bebo café por la mañana.
leer (to read) — Leemos el periódico.
aprender (to learn) — Aprendes español.
correr (to run) — Ellos corren en el parque.
vender (to sell) — La tienda vende fruta.
comprender (to understand) — No comprendo la pregunta.
And the most useful regular -ir verbs:
vivir (to live) — Vivo en Barcelona.
escribir (to write) — Escribes un mensaje.
abrir (to open) — Abrimos la ventana.
recibir (to receive) — Recibe muchos regalos.
subir (to go up) — Subo las escaleras.
compartir (to share) — Compartimos la pizza.
Because the ending shows the subject, Spanish often drops the pronoun:
Como fruta todos los días. (I eat fruit every day — "yo" not needed)
¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live? — "tú" not needed)
No bebemos alcohol. (We don't drink alcohol — "no" goes before the verb)
Word order tip: Negation is simple — just put no directly before the conjugated verb.
Traps for English speakers
These are the errors English speakers make most often.