How to Introduce Regular -Ar Verbs
No foreign language course would be complete without the dreaded verb conjugations. Surprisingly, learning regular Spanish verbs is far less onerous than most language students might expect. While there is no one guaranteed method that works to teach verb conjugations to every student, these few simple techniques will make this part of your job easier to do and increase the likelihood the students can master this basic aspect of Spanish grammar.
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Things You'll Need
- Spanish language grammar text
- List of Spanish -ar verbs
- Whiteboard or chalkboard
Instructions
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Introduce the three basic categories of regular Spanish verbs -- those ending in -ar, those ending in -er and those ending in -ir. Teach one category at a time, starting with the -ar verbs.
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Use a current grammar textbook and a list of Spanish verbs to teach students which verbs fall into the -ar category, and what they mean. Use one of the most common and useful of the Spanish -ar verbs, hablar, which means "to speak or talk," as your vehicle to demonstrate how to conjugate these verbs.
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Write on a chalkboard or whiteboard the full present-tense conjugation of the verb hablar. Show in writing as you explain verbally, how to conjugate each form of the verb. The basic rule of thumb is to remove the -ar ending from the infinitive (unconjugated) form of the verb and replace it with the appropriate ending. To say "I speak" in Spanish, for example, start with the infinitive -- hablar -- and remove the final -ar. Replace it with the letter -o -- the present-tense verb ending for the first person singular form of most Spanish-language verbs. This creates "hablo," which means "I speak."
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Practice the verb conjugation with the students both verbally and by having them write it down. Use the correct forms in sentences to provide students some context when each form should be used. When students have mastered the verb hablar, introduce other -ar verbs, such as bailar, cantar and caminar -- to dance, to sing and to walk. Show the students that the same conjugation procedure and endings apply to these verbs as to hablar. Explain that most verbs within each of the three categories follow generally consistent conjugation patterns, so that learning these three patterns will enable students to easily conjugate most regular Spanish present-tense verbs.
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References
Resources
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