Infinitive Verbs Explained

The infinitive is the most basic form of a!verb. In Spanish, infinitives always end

in!-ar,!-er!or!-ir, with!-ar!being the most common. In English, "infinitive" is

usually used to refer to the "to + verb" form of the verb such as "to run" or "to

eat.”

An infinitive by itself does not indicate!tense!nor who or what is performing the

action of the verb.

The Spanish word for "infinitive" is!infinitivo.

distinctive!conjugation, it exists only with "tú" (you, singular, informal) and

“ustedes” (you, plural, formal).

Commands can often sound rude or impolite. Using the word “please” (por favor)

before or after the imperative will cut that “edge.”

The imperative form of verbs in Spanish is fairly easy to learn. For regular

infinitive verbs, drop the final letter (the "r") of the infinitive, except for verbs

ending in "-ir," in which case, the ending is changed to "-e."

Examples of imperatives in Spanish are!¡habla!,!¡viaja!,!¡comprende!,

and!¡resiste!. The corresponding English imperatives are “speak!,”

“travel!," “understand!," and “resist!”