In Spanish, -ir and -er verbs are both regular verb types, and while they share some similarities in their conjugation patterns, they also have distinct endings. Here’s a breakdown of how they differ in their conjugations in the present tense:
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Yo (I):
- -er verb: -o (e.g., comer → como)
- -ir verb: -o (e.g., vivir → vivo)
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Tú (you - informal):
- -er verb: -es (e.g., comer → comes)
- -ir verb: -es (e.g., vivir → vives)
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Él/Ella/Usted (he/she/you - formal):
- -er verb: -e (e.g., comer → come)
- -ir verb: -e (e.g., vivir → vive)
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Nosotros/Nosotras (we):
- -er verb: -emos (e.g., comer → comemos)
- -ir verb: -imos (e.g., vivir → vivimos)
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Vosotros/Vosotras (you all - informal in Spain):
- -er verb: -éis (e.g., comer → coméis)
- -ir verb: -ís (e.g., vivir → vivís)
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Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (they/you all - formal):
- -er verb: -en (e.g., comer → comen)
- -ir verb: -en (e.g., vivir → viven)
Summary of Differences:
- The main difference occurs in the nosotros/nosotras (we) and vosotros/vosotras (you all) forms, where -er verbs use -emos and -éis, while -ir verbs use -imos and -ís respectively.
- In other forms (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, ellos/ellas/ustedes), the endings for -er and -ir verbs are identical.
Understanding these distinctions helps when conjugating verbs accurately in Spanish.