Practice Spanish Verb Conjugation (and Have Fun!) with These 9 Online Resources
This might be slightly mean, but I’m going to say something that just may make your blood run cold, your hands turn clammy and your heart beat fast. Consider this your warning.
Are you ready? Okay, here it comes:
Verb conjugation.
Did you mentally cringe? C’mon, we’re all friends here. You can tell the truth. You did, didn’t you?
Well, I expected you might. Let’s face it, verb conjugation—in any language—can make even the most grammar-confident learner shiver.
Many of us dread learning how to conjugate verbs. At first glance, it seems difficult—not to mention tedious. So, we might be tempted to push it to the bottom of our Spanish to-do list for as long as possible.
But honestly, Spanish verb conjugation is nothing to sweat over. It’s really not that big a deal once you dive in. And—hear me out—Spanish verb conjugation can even be fun! Yes, you heard me correctly: I said fun.
Like anything else, becoming skilled at conjugating Spanish verbs takes some practice. But once you get some basic conjugation rules under your belt, everything else will start falling into place.
The good news is that there are tons of excellent resources that can help you learn how to conjugate Spanish verbs with a minimum of fuss—and maybe even with a smile or two!
Let’s see what’s available!
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What Is Spanish Verb Conjugation?
Verb conjugation sounds intimidating, but it’s really very simple. It involves changing a verb ending to communicate the verb’s subject, tense or mood. When you conjugate in Spanish, the first part of the verb (the stem) stays the same, and the end is altered.
Even if the only thing you have ever said in Spanish is “no hablo español” (“I don’t speak Spanish”), you’re already conjugating! Hablo is the first-person, present-tense, indicative conjugation of the verb hablar (to speak). Notice how the root (habl-) stays the same, and the ending changes from -ar to -o.
Spanish verbs end in -ar, -er and -ir, and each verb ending has its own specific conjugation rules. There are a handful of “irregular” verbs that don’t follow these conjugation rules, including some super common ones like the Spanish verbs for “to be”: ser and estar.
Before we jump in, allow me to provide a few hints to master conjugation. Try one, or all, to boost your basic competency in this area:
- Nail down a few familiar verbs and their endings and then apply that knowledge to other verbs. Focusing on a few verbs at a time can make the process seem less overwhelming. And once you know the regular conjugation rules for -ar, -er and -ir verbs, the rest of the process will fall into place.
- Work on memorizing the irregular verbs. Sorry—there’s really no way around it. Once they’re part of your Spanish vocabulary, though, you’re set for life. This is where flashcards and fun memorization games will really come in handy!
- Carry flashcards with verbs on them for mobile studying. Some extra study time never hurts, especially when the learning moments are tucked into empty spots in your schedule. I love carrying flashcards because they mean I can study anytime—including when I’m waiting at the dentist’s office or lingering in the park during my lunch break. Little learning sessions add up!
- See Spanish verb conjugation in context. Memorizing Spanish verb conjugations patterns are only one piece of the puzzle. In order to use these conjugations patterns naturally, you’ll see to see them being used in authentic Spanish usage. You can find examples of real Spanish all over the internet, and you should start with FluentU.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
9 Online Resources to Make Spanish Verb Conjugation Practice Fun (Really!)
If you don’t think Spanish conjugation practice can be fun, then maybe you just haven’t found the right tools. These nine websites include games, activities, quizzes and exercises to get you conjugating in no time.
Are you looking for something that will appeal to your competitive side? Do you absolutely love cute animated flash games? Whatever your learning style, the perfect conjugation resource is out there!
Study Spanish
Study Spanish is a collection of lessons that cover every regular verb tense as well as irregular verbs, too.
Spanish verb conjugations are presented in context so learners can see exactly how sentences are formulated and how verb placement and tense affects meaning.
Verb drills are followed by quizzes so it’s easy for learners to see how well they’re doing and what areas still need work. Plus, each tense-specific conjugation quiz is uniquely generated, meaning that you’ll never run out of practice questions. Play over and over again and try to beat your previous scores!
For a bit of extra Spanish speaking practice, read the sentences aloud to work on your pronunciation.
PigQuiz
Like the fun, fast, challenging style of a good quiz? Then PigQuiz is for you!
PigQuiz allows learners to quiz themselves on their Spanish verb conjugation knowledge. There are pre-made quizzes available that cover all verb tenses.
Additionally, users are able to make their own quizzes using verbs and tenses of their choosing. This customizable option is simple to access and allows learners to focus on the areas where they personally need improvement.
If you have a learning buddy, you could even use PigQuiz to design custom-made quizzes for each other, and then challenge each other to see who scores highest!
Memrise
Memrise’s Learn Spanish Conjugation course is an uncomplicated, informative method for either learning Spanish verb conjugations or reviewing them.
The course is divided into 25 sections which cover every point of Spanish verb conjugation. This one is great for absolute beginners, because Memrise’s conjugation course starts right at the beginning: by explaining Spanish personal pronouns like yo (I), tú (you) and so on. There’s even a memory game near the end of the course so learners can have fun while checking their skills.
Audio ensures accurate pronunciation and is a bonus for anyone who wants to add some speaking practice to their program!
Maestro Spanish
Warning: Maestro Spanish may be mildly addicting to Spanish learners who like a challenge. Their Quick Play option is not only intellectually stimulating, it’s just plain amusing.
In this game, you’ll be given a phrase and you’ll have to quickly choose the correct verb tense to complete the phrase. Choose the correct option and the meter at the bottom will inch toward the full line. Don’t fret if you choose incorrectly, though, because the game points out the correct answer. So even a “wrong” answer is a learning opportunity!
This game is a great way to learn to conjugate on the fly and to conjugate verbs within the context of a sentence—two skills that you’ll need to develop, especially for conversational Spanish.
The site allows users to do more than play this game. There is a full-on spaced repetition option that includes all Spanish verbs and tenses. Use this option, track your progress and learn verb conjugation in record time!
Digital Dialects
Digital Dialects turns learning Spanish verb conjugations into a game. The site covers a ton of verbs and tenses.
Unlike other websites, which organize their games and quizzes by tense, Digital Dialects organizes them by verb. That makes this website great for more advanced learners, since you’ll be testing your knowledge of many tenses at once.
To start, click on any verb of your choosing. You’ll first see a conjugation chart for the verb, which will allow you to quickly review your conjugation rules. Once you feel confident, it’s time to click the “play game” button. A conjugated verb will appear at the top of the screen; it’s up to you to match it to the correct subject and tense.
A great feature of Digital Dialects is that at the end of each round, you’ll see which of your answers were correct and incorrect—and you’ll see the correct response, too. So even when you’re wrong, you’ll get the chance to learn the correct conjugation! How’s that for a silver lining?
Spaleon
Spaleon’s approach to teaching Spanish verb conjugations is unique. Verbs are sorted into sets (regular verbs, irregular verbs and special topics) and learners are directed to choose which set they’d like to focus on.
The special topics include learning and traveling. Spanish learners enrolled in a class or other educational experience will adore the learning section, whereas those embarking on a Spanish travel adventure will benefit from concentrating on travel-related verbs.
It’s also possible to get a random selection of verbs to study in quiz form! This feature will really test the limits of your conjugation knowledge. I did it several times and was surprised that verbs didn’t overlap from selection to selection!
By the way, if you need extra help, Spaleon also offers a conjugation tool, which you can use for studying or for producing flashcards.
Spanish Grammar Lessons
Spanish Grammar Lessons delivers exactly what it promises: Spanish grammar lessons—and they cover all topics, not just verb conjugation!
The conjugation section is divided into eight lessons. Each lesson is a complete and in-depth explanation of the topic, complete with examples.
Download the printable worksheets included in the lessons for extra practice away from the computer.
For the best practice experience, check out the additional exercises at the bottom of each page. They include reading activities, matching and fill-in-the-blank games, conversation practice, quizzes and more.
Polly Lingual
Polly Lingual offers a Spanish verb conjugation trainer that is entertaining to use. Simply choose from the verb type list (-ar verbs, -er verbs, -ir verbs, irregular verbs, or stem-changing verbs), and then select your verb tense. From there, you’ll begin to fill in the blanks with correct conjugations. The game scores success automatically—and even has a winning streak section for those who like to compete against themselves!
Below the trainer, learners can find an abundance of information about verb conjugations. All aspects of conjugating are covered. Additionally, there are verb vocabulary lists available. They’re an excellent resource for compiling a master verb vocabulary list!
Live Lingua
Live Lingua makes Spanish verb conjugation look like a walk in the park. Really, it does! The verb practice page explains everything anyone ever wondered or wanted to know about how—and why—verbs are conjugated. And it’s done in concise language that leaves no room for misunderstanding.
Their verb tense practice resources are highly customizable: You can create your own practice quiz by choosing which tense and verb ending you want to practice, as well as deciding if you want to include irregular verbs, reflexive verbs and vosotros/as conjugations. At the end of each quiz, your score is tallied, correct responses and incorrect answers are identified and you’re given the chance to either retake the quiz or move forward to the next challenge.
Depending on the verb tense chosen, the practices can be pretty challenging. There are options for both beginners as well as intermediate and advanced learners!
Spanish verb conjugation doesn’t have to be a drag. With the right resources, it can be super fun.
Add some of these to your language program to increase your grammar skills. You’ll be conjugating verbs like a native Spanish-speaker in no time!
Good luck, and happy conjugating!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
