Three Verb Conjugations: -AR, -ER, and -IR

Galician verbs are divided into three main conjugations, distinguished by their infinitive endings: -AR, -ER, and -IR. To comprehend the structure of regular verbs, one must first identify the verb conjugation it belongs to.

-AR Conjugation

The first conjugation, -AR, contains a vast majority of Galician regular verbs. Some common examples are:

– falar (to speak)
– amar (to love)
– estudar (to study)

-ER Conjugation

The second conjugation, -ER, also contains several regular verbs such as:

– comer (to eat)
– correr (to run)
– aprender (to learn)

-IR Conjugation

The third and final conjugation, -IR, includes verbs like:

– abrir (to open)
– descubrir (to discover)
– cumprir (to fulfill)

Basic Inflections: Person, Number, Tense, and Mood

Regular verbs in Galician grammar change or inflect to agree with the subject in person (first, second, or third), number (singular or plural), tense (present, past, or future), and mood (indicative, subjunctive, or imperative).

Indicative Mood

The indicative mood is employed to state facts or express certainty about actions. The present, past, and future tenses are inflected differently for each conjugation:

Present Indicative

-AR: falo, falas, fala, falamos, falades, falan
-ER: como, comes, come, comemos, comedes, comen
-IR: abro, abres, abre, abrimos, abrides, abren

Past Indicative

-AR: falei, falaches, falou, falamos, falastes, falaron
-ER: comin, comiches, comeu, comemos, comestes, comeron
-IR: abrin, abriches, abriu, abrimos, abristes, abriron

Future Indicative

-AR: falarei, falarás, falará, falaremos, falaredes, falarán
-ER: comerei, comerás, comerá, comeremos, comeredes, comerán
-IR: abrire, abrirás, abrirá, abriremos, abrides, abrirán

Subjunctive Mood

Regular verbs in the subjunctive mood represent actions with uncertainty, doubt, or desire.

Present Subjunctive

-AR: fale, fales, fale, falemos, fale, falem
-ER: coma, comas, coma, comamos, come, coman
-IR: abra, abras, abra, abramos, abrades, abran

Past Subjunctive

-AR: falase, falases, falase, falasemos, falasedes, falasen
-ER: comes, comieses, themes, comiesemos, comiesedes, comiesen
-IR: abrise, abrisess, abrise, abrisemos, abrisedes, abrisen

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood is used for commands or requests.

-AR: fala, falade
-ER: come, comede
-IR: abre, abride

Conclusion

Mastering the use of regular verbs in Galician grammar requires understanding the three primary conjugations and their respective inflections for person, number, tense, and mood. A strong foundation in these areas will enable effective communication and enhance language proficiency.