Verbs — regular/irregular conjugations in all tenses and moods; use of tenses (present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, perfect, future perfect, conditional perfect, pluperfect) — WJEC A-Level Spanish

This topic covers the complete system of Spanish verb conjugation, including regular and irregular verbs across all tenses and moods: present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, perfect, future perfect, conditional perfect, and pluperfect. You will learn how to form each tense and when to use it, with a focus on the indicative mood (the most common) and the subjunctive mood where relevant. Mastering these conjugations is essential for accurate communication in Spanish, as verbs carry information about time, aspect, and mood.

Understanding verb tenses allows you to narrate past events, describe ongoing actions, express future plans, and discuss hypothetical situations. For example, the preterite is used for completed actions (e.g., 'Ayer comí pizza'), while the imperfect describes habitual or ongoing past actions (e.g., 'Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol'). The perfect tenses (e.g., 'He comido') link past actions to the present, and the pluperfect ('Había comido') refers to actions completed before another past event. The future and conditional express predictions and polite requests, while the future perfect and conditional perfect indicate actions that will have been completed by a certain point or would have happened under different circumstances.

This topic is a cornerstone of A-Level Spanish because it underpins all written and spoken production. Examiners expect you to use a range of tenses accurately and appropriately in essays, translations, and oral tasks. By internalising conjugation patterns and irregular forms, you will gain the confidence to express complex ideas and achieve higher marks in the exam.

• →Regular verb endings: -ar, -er, -ir verbs follow predictable patterns in each tense (e.g., present: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs).
• →Irregular verbs: Common verbs like ser, ir, tener, estar, and haber have unique stems or endings that must be memorised (e.g., preterite of ir: fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron).
• →Use of tenses: Preterite for completed actions, imperfect for ongoing/habitual past, present for current actions/general truths, future for predictions, conditional for hypotheticals/politeness, perfect for recent past with present relevance, pluperfect for past-in-the-past, future perfect for actions completed by a future time, conditional perfect for unreal past conditions.
• →Mood: Indicative for facts, subjunctive for doubt/emotion/wishes (though subjunctive is not the main focus here, its use in certain tenses like present subjunctive is relevant for complex sentences).
• →Stem-changing and spelling-change verbs: Some verbs change their stem vowel (e.g., poder → puedo) or spelling (e.g., llegar → llegué) in certain tenses to maintain pronunciation.

• Correct use of definite articles (el, la, los, las)
• Correct use of indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas)
• Correct application of 'el' before feminine nouns beginning with a stressed 'a' (e.g., el agua, el alma)
• Correct use of 'lo + adjective' to express abstract concepts (e.g., lo importante, lo bueno)

• 💡Remember that 'el agua' is feminine despite the masculine article; adjectives modifying it must remain feminine (e.g., el agua fría)
• 💡Use 'lo + adjective' to add sophistication to your writing when discussing abstract concepts or opinions
• 💡Check for stressed 'a' at the start of feminine nouns to avoid the common 'la' error
• 💡Learn the 'Big 4' irregular verbs (ser, ir, tener, estar) in all tenses — they appear frequently in reading and writing tasks. Create a verb table for quick reference.
• 💡In essays, vary your tenses to show range. For example, when narrating a story, use preterite for main events, imperfect for description, and pluperfect for earlier actions. This demonstrates control.
• 💡Pay attention to time markers (e.g., ayer, normalmente, ya, antes de que) — they often dictate which tense to use. Practise identifying them in past papers.

• Using 'la' instead of 'el' before feminine nouns starting with a stressed 'a'
• Confusing 'lo' with masculine articles (el/un) when referring to abstract ideas
• Incorrect agreement of articles with nouns
• Confusing preterite and imperfect: Students often use the preterite for descriptions or habitual actions. Remember: preterite = completed action (e.g., 'Llegué a las cinco'), imperfect = background/setting/habit (e.g., 'Hacía sol').
• Overusing the present perfect: In Spanish, the present perfect is used for actions that have occurred in a time frame that includes the present (e.g., 'Hoy he comido'), not for distant past (use preterite). Avoid using it like English 'I have eaten' for last week.
• Forgetting irregular forms in the preterite: Many verbs have strong preterite stems (e.g., estar → estuv-, tener → tuv-, decir → dij-). Memorise these as they are high-frequency and often tested.