{"id":143510,"date":"2024-02-28T03:22:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T08:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/spanish-infinitive-verbs\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T23:51:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T04:51:22","slug":"spanish-infinitive-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-infinitive-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish Infinitives: What They Are and How to Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spanish infinitives\u2014also known as “dictionary form” verbs\u2014are verbs that\u00a0end in -er<\/em>, -ar<\/em> or -ir<\/em>. They’re the verbs before the endings are removed and conjugated.<\/p>\n

Aside from being how verbs appear in dictionaries, infinitives are also used in daily life. So today, we’ll uncover when and how to use them.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Are Spanish Infinitives?<\/h2>\n

Spanish infinitive verbs\u00a0are the basic verb forms that you see listed in a dictionary before they have been conjugated.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The infinitive always informs us about an action<\/strong>, but in their original form, they don’t tell us any more information.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Infinitive verbs in Spanish are the equivalent of an English verb preceded by\u00a0to.\u00a0<\/em>For example: estudiar<\/em>\u00a0means “to study” in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 3 Types of Spanish Infinitives<\/h2>\n

In Spanish, infinitive verbs always end in -er<\/strong><\/em>, -ar<\/strong><\/em> or -ir<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • comer<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 to eat<\/li>\n
  • hablar<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 to speak<\/li>\n
  • vivir<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 to live<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    It’s important to remember that infinitives by themselves tell us what the action is, but they don’t tell us who’s doing it<\/strong> or<\/strong> when<\/strong> they’re doing it<\/strong> (past, present, future, etc.).<\/p>\n

    If I want to say “I’m speaking,” for example, I would need to conjugate\u00a0hablar<\/em> in the present tense (yo hablo<\/strong>) <\/em>or present progressive tense\u00a0(estoy hablando<\/strong>)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    Some verbs are regular and follow specific conjugation patterns. Others are irregular and have to be memorized separately.<\/p>\n

    Common Spanish Infinitives<\/h2>\n

    Here are\u00a010 of the most common -ir<\/em>, -ar<\/em> and -er<\/em> Spanish infinitive verbs.<\/p>\n

    Common -ir<\/em> Verbs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Spanish -ir<\/em> Verbs<\/th>English Translation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Vivir <\/td>To live<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Escribir *<\/td>To write<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Abrir *<\/td>To open<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Decidir <\/td>To decide<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Describir *<\/td>To describe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Existir <\/td>To exist<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Recibir <\/td>To receive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Permitir <\/td>To allow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Compartir <\/td>To share<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Subir <\/td>To go up, to get on<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    *Note that escribir<\/em>, abrir\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0describir\u00a0<\/em>are all regular -ir<\/em> verbs, however they have irregular past participles\u00a0escrito\u00a0<\/em>(escribir<\/em>),\u00a0abierto\u00a0<\/em>(abrir<\/em>) and\u00a0descrito\u00a0<\/em>(describir<\/em>).<\/p>\n

    To learn more about\u00a0-ir<\/em> verbs, check out this guide:<\/p>\n

    24 Most Common IR Verbs in Spanish<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n