Words to describe actions

In Spanish, verbs are used to describe actions. Verbs have different forms to show who is doing the action and when the action is taking place.
The infinitive form of a verb is its basic, unchanged form. In English, infinitives include the word ‘to’, for example, ‘to eat’. In Spanish, all infinitives end in -ar, -er, or -ir, such as ‘comer’ (to eat).
The present tense is used to describe what is happening now, what usually happens or what is always true. For example, ‘Yo como’ means ‘I eat’ or ‘I am eating’.
The preterite tense is used to describe something that happened and is now completed. For instance, ‘Yo comí’ means ‘I ate’.
The imperfect tense is used to describe something that was happening in the past over a period of time, or to describe what something used to be like. For example, ‘Yo comía’ could mean ‘I was eating’ or ‘I used to eat’.
The future simple tense is used to talk about what will happen or will be true in the future. For example, ‘Yo comeré’ means ‘I will eat’.
The conditional tense is used to talk about what would happen or would be true under certain conditions. For instance, ‘Yo comería’ means ‘I would eat’.
The present perfect tense talks about a time period that includes both the past and the present. It’s used to describe actions that have happened at an unspecified time before now. For example, ‘Yo he comido’ means ‘I have eaten’.
Spanish verbs can be regular or irregular. Regular verbs follow certain rules for their different forms, while irregular verbs do not.
Verb tables are useful tools in learning the different forms that each verb can take.
Spanish also uses reflexive verbs, which involve the action being done by the subject to the subject itself. For instance, ‘Yo me llamo’ means ‘I call myself’.
The first person form (I/we), second person form (you), and third person form (he/she/it/they) for both singular and plural are essential in determining the subject of the sentence.
The use of direct and indirect object pronouns also plays a significant role in sentences to avoid repetition. They replace the noun that receives the action of the verb.
The concept of gender and agreement also applies to action descriptions, which means that the form of verb used depends on the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the subject.
Lastly, the importance of auxiliary verbs such as “estar”, “ser” and “haber” cannot be understated as they can dramatically alter the meaning of phrases. For example, “estar” is used to indicate a temporary state or location while “ser” reflects permanent identity and characteristics.

Remember to practise using different verb forms in sentences to better grasp these concepts. Memorising the common basic verbs and their forms is a good starting point.