What is a conjugation?

Question

What is a conjugation in Spanish and how do they work?

Answer 1

A conjugation in Spanish is how the verb changes. A verb is an action word in Spanish. A subject is whatever is doing the verb. In Spanish, the verb must change to match who is doing the verb.

Yo voy a la picina.

I go to the swimming pool.

Our subject: I, yo

Our verb: go, voy

Usted va a la picina.

you go to the swimming pool.

Our subject: you, Usted

Our verb: Go, va

Depending on WHO is going to the swimming pool, the verb changes, from voy to va. Both are conjugations.

If you said

Yo va a la picina

that would mean

I you go to the swimming pool

Because you paired that conjugation with the wrong subject.

Answer 2

A conjugation is an organized serie of the different forms of a same verb which one can see the different modes, times, number and persons.

In Spanish the verbs which the infinitive ends in AR like bailer (to dance), cantor (to sing) are the first conjugation. Then verbs that end in ER and IR, they are only three infinitive forms of ending.

If in the INDICATIVE MODE in PRESENT tense for the verb CANTAR:

Yo CANTO

Tú cantas

El/Ella/usted canta

Nosotros/as cantamos

Vosotros/as cantáis

Ellos/as/ustedes cantan



Answer 3

I am just going to add a little to the previous comment. I often use the simple present of the "be" verb as an example to help students understand the concept of conjugation. It is the verb in English with the most conjugations.

Verb: to be

I am

you are

he, she, it is

we are

they are

The verb changes according to who or what the subject of the verb is. It would sound strange to say "I is" or "you am." Those would be incorrect conjugations of the verb.

The chart for the conjugations of the verb "be," called "ser" in Spanish are:

Verbo: ser

yo soy

tu eres

Ud., el, ella es

nosotros somos

vosotros sois

Uds., ellos, ellas son

(Please forgive my lack of accent marks as I haven't discovered a way to write those on the Wyzant platform.)

This is the way a conjugation chart is written, and they are essential in learning Spanish as there are so many changes/conjugations even in what are called "regular verbs," Additionally, there are many irregular verbs.