Learn Spanish Verbs 29: Common Uses and Memory Hacks

Spanish Verbs 29 Workbook: Exercises to Boost FluencyLearning verb conjugations is one of the fastest ways to move from recognizing Spanish to producing it fluently. This workbook-style guide — designed around the theme “Spanish Verbs 29” — gives clear explanations, varied exercises, and practical tips so you can study actively and track progress. Use it on its own or alongside a course. Each section has short explanations followed by exercises you can print or copy into a notebook.

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How to use this workbook

Set aside 20–40 minutes per session. Read the short explanation, attempt the exercises without looking up answers, then check yourself. Repeat incorrect items until you can do them from memory. Alternate written drills with speaking the answers aloud.

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Target verbs and concepts

This workbook focuses on 29 commonly used Spanish verbs across regular, irregular, stem-changing, and reflexive categories. It also covers key tenses for everyday communication: present indicative, preterite, imperfect, present progressive, and simple future. The verbs are selected for frequency and usefulness:

• ser, estar, tener, hacer, ir, venir, poder, poner, saber, decir, dar, ver, querer, deber, parecer, venir (included), llegar, pasar, deber (included), deber? (avoid duplicates), comer, vivir, escribir, leer, abrir, cerrar, empezar, dormir, sentirse (reflexive), llamarse (reflexive), sentirse/seguir?

(If you want a definitive list of exactly 29 verbs, tell me and I’ll produce it and tailor exercises accordingly.)

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Section 1 — Quick conjugation reference (present indicative)

Below are concise patterns and a practice list.

Regular conjugation patterns

• -ar verbs (e.g., hablar): hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan
• -er verbs (e.g., comer): como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen
• -ir verbs (e.g., vivir): vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven

Irregular highlights

• Ser: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son
• Estar: estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están
• Ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van
• Tener: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen

Practice — fill in present tense Conjugate the infinitives for the pronouns given.

1. (yo) hablar = ______
2. (tú) comer = ______
3. (ella) vivir = ______
4. (nosotros) ser = ______
5. (vosotros) estar = ______
6. (ellos) ir = ______
7. (yo) tener = ______
8. (tú) hacer = ______

Answers (check after trying):

1. hablo
2. comes
3. vive
4. somos
5. estáis
6. van
7. tengo
8. haces

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Section 2 — Present progressive & uses

Form: estar + gerund (-ando / -iendo). Use to describe actions happening right now.

Examples:

• Estoy hablando — I am speaking.
• Está comiendo — She is eating.

Practice — convert the following:

1. (yo) leer → I am reading: ______
2. (ellos) estudiar → They are studying: ______
3. (tú) escribir → You are writing: ______

Answers: 1. Estoy leyendo 2. Están estudiando 3. Estás escribiendo

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Section 3 — Preterite vs. Imperfect (when to use each)

Quick rule: use the preterite for completed actions with definite beginnings/ends; use the imperfect for ongoing, habitual, or descriptive past actions.

Preterite example: Ayer fui al mercado. (Completed once.)
Imperfect example: Cuando era niño, iba al parque todos los sábados. (Habitual.)

Practice — choose preterite or imperfect and conjugate:

1. (yo — caminar) every morning as a child = ______
2. (ella — llegar) last night at 9 = ______
3. (nosotros — tener) background description = ______

Suggested answers: 1. caminaba 2. llegó 3. teníamos

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Section 4 — Irregular preterite highlights

Common verbs with irregular stems: hacer (hice), tener (tuve), estar (estuve), poder (pude), poner (puse), decir (dije), traer (traje), venir (vine).

Fill-in practice:

1. (yo) hacer — last week = ______
2. (tú) decir — she said = ______ (use tú form? adjust) — better: (ella) decir = ______
3. (ellos) venir — they came = ______

Answers: 1. hice 2. dijo 3. vinieron

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Section 5 — Commands (affirmative and negative tú)

Affirmative tú: use third-person singular of present (habla, come, vive).
Negative tú: use tú form of present subjunctive (no hables, no comas, no vivas).

Practice:

1. Tell a friend to speak (affirmative): ______
2. Tell a friend not to eat that (negative): ______

Answers: 1. Habla 2. No comas eso

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Section 6 — Reflexive verbs practice

Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Common reflexives: levantarse, ducharse, llamarse, sentirse.

Conjugate and translate:

1. (yo) despertarse (present) = ______ — I wake up
2. (nosotros) llamarse (present) = ______ — Our names are / we call ourselves

Answers: 1. me despierto — I wake up 2. nos llamamos — we are called / we call ourselves

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Section 7 — Mixed drills (fill-in cloze)

Complete sentences with the correct tense and conjugation.

1. Cuando (ser — yo) niño, ______ muy tímido.
2. Ayer (tener — ellos) un examen y (ir — ellos) a la escuela temprano.
3. Ahora (nosotros — estudiar) para el examen de español.
4. Mañana (ella — viajar) a Madrid.

Suggested answers:

1. era
2. tuvieron, fueron
3. estamos estudiando
4. viajará

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Section 8 — Translation practice (realistic dialogues)

Translate the short mini-dialogues into Spanish, focusing on verb forms.

Dialogue A:
— Are you coming to the party tonight?
— Yes, I’m coming, but I have to finish my homework first.

Suggested translation:
— ¿Vienes a la fiesta esta noche?
— Sí, voy a venir, pero tengo que terminar mi tarea primero.

Dialogue B:
— How long did you live in Barcelona?
— I lived there for three years.

Suggested translation:
— ¿Cuánto tiempo viviste en Barcelona?
— Viví allí durante tres años.

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Section 9 — Timed speaking drill (fluency booster)

Set a 3-minute timer. Speak continuously about your last weekend using at least 10 different verbs from this workbook. Don’t stop to conjugate perfectly — prioritize flow. Record and then note 2–3 verbs you stumbled on; review their conjugations.

Suggested prompt: “Last weekend I went to the market, bought fruits, met a friend, walked, talked for hours, cooked dinner, watched a movie…”

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Section 10 — Error analysis checklist

When practicing, watch for these frequent mistakes:

• Mixing ser and estar. Quick heuristic: use ser for identity/characteristics and estar for states/locations.
• Wrong preterite/imperfect choice. Ask: was it a single completed event? Use preterite.
• Forgetting reflexive pronouns or placing them incorrectly with infinitives/commands.
• Stem-changing verbs not changing in the boot forms (present) or irregular stems in preterite.

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Exercises answer key (condensed)

• Present practice: hablo, comes, vive, somos, estáis, van, tengo, haces.
• Progressive: Estoy leyendo; Están estudiando; Estás escribiendo.
• Past choices: caminaba; llegó; teníamos.
• Irregular preterite: hice; dijo; vinieron.
• Commands: Habla; No comas eso.
• Reflexives: me despierto; nos llamamos.
• Mixed: era; tuvieron, fueron; estamos estudiando; viajará.

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Final tips for steady progress

• Practice small, consistent chunks daily (15–30 minutes).
• Mix written drills with spoken timed drills.
• Use real materials (songs, short articles, podcasts) to see verbs in context.
• Keep a personal list of verbs you miss and review them in spaced intervals.

If you want, I’ll: produce printable worksheets of the exercises, expand to include the exact 29-verb list, or make an audio script for the speaking drills. Which would you like?