Verbs are the heart of a sentence: Spanish action verbs tell you what’s happening, what happened, or what will happen. Learning as many verbs as possible can open up your ability to communicate with dynamic and expressive sentences. See how many of these essential verbs you recognize!
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What is an action verb?
Commonly defined as “action words,” verbs are one of the vital parts of speech in Spanish. Quite often they tell us what action the subject is doing, but there are other categories of verbs that don’t quite fit that definition. Let’s differentiate between action verbs and non-action verbs.
As with English action verbs, Spanish action verbs tell you what the subject is doing. This action could be a mental action. Action verbs, such as trabajar (to work), can be easy to recognize because they often evoke a mental picture of the action taking place.
- Jessie trabaja el sábado por la mañana. = Jessie works on Saturday morning.
Stative verbs are non-action verbs that express a state of being, thought, emotion, or relationship.
- Jessie es trabajadora. = Jessie is a hard worker.
Auxiliary verbs (or “helping verbs) are non-action verbs that are paired with another main verb in the sentence. They work differently in English and in Spanish, but in both cases, they allow another verb to be expressed in a different way, such as other Spanish verb tenses.
- Jessie no está trabajando ahora.= Jessie isn’t working right now.
- Jessie ha trabajado cinco horas. = Jessie has worked five hours.
What are the types of Spanish action verbs?
Because Spanish action verbs are essential to your sentences, and they can be categorized in a few ways to make it easier to remember how to use them.
- -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs: These groups of verbs are categorized by their infinitive ending and help when learning conjugation or changing this ending to indicate verb tense, mood, and subject.
- Regular and irregular Spanish verbs: Regular verbs follow predictable patterns in a certain tense, whereas irregular verbs will have changes in their forms, or might be entirely unique in their conjugations. The most common irregular Spanish verbs are both action verbs and non-action verbs.
- Reflexive verbs in Spanish: The subject of the sentence (the “doer” of the action) is also the object of the sentence (the “receiver” of the action). In Spanish, these verbs use specific reflexive pronouns to show this relationship.
>>Learn eight more essential Spanish grammar rules to master Spanish sentence structure.
Examples of Spanish action verbs in sentences
Here are a few examples of the types of verbs you can use to communicate in Spanish.
- Mi abuela sabe textear, tuitear, y chatear. = My grandmother knows how to text, tweet, and chat.
- La casa está limpia y tranquila, así que pronto mis hijos van a aparecer, encender todo, mover muchas cosas, y no devolver nada. = The house is clean and calm, so soon my children are going to appear, turn everything on, move a lot of things, and not return anything.
- Es importante decir la verdad y no mentir. = It is important to tell the truth and not lie.
- Los futbolistas deben correr, marcar, y luego defender! = The soccer players must run, score, and then defend!
- Ahora tengo que arreglar mi cuarto, cortar el césped, y secar la ropa. = Now I have to tidy my room, mow the lawn, and dry the clothes.
- Buscamos participantes que quieran bailar, cantar, y actuar para la comedia musical. = We are looking for participants who want to dance, sing, and act for the musical.
- Para ahorrar dinero, es importante depositar más que vas a gastar! = To save money, it’s important to deposit more than you are going to spend!
You can learn more verbs intuitively by using Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method, where you’ll see verbs within sentences, stories, and more!
Spanish action verbs ending in -AR
This is the largest group of action verbs in Spanish and also the group with the lowest number of irregular verbs. When new verbs enter the lexicon due to emerging technology, they usually end up in this group.
Each action verb ending in -AR is listed in its infinitive form—the unchanged, not conjugated, or “dictionary” form.
| Spanish | English |
| alcanzar | to reach |
| andar | to walk |
| apagar | to turn off (lights, etc) |
| ayudar | to help |
| bajar | to lower / to get off (bus, train) |
| buscar | to look for |
| dar | to give |
| dejar | to leave / to stop |
| encontrar | to find |
| entrar | to enter |
| enviar | to send |
| hablar | to speak / to talk |
| intentar | to try / to attempt |
| llamar | to call |
| llevar | to bring / to carry |
| llorar | to cry |
| mirar | to look at, to watch |
| pasar | to pass / to spend |
| presentar | to introduce |
| prestar | to borrow / to lend |
| regresar | to come back |
| trabajar | to work |
| usar / utilizar | to use |
Spanish action verbs ending in -ER
Another group of verbs in Spanish are those with the -ER ending. This group will follow different patterns than the -AR group.
| Spanish | English |
| aparecer | to appear |
| caerse | to fall |
| crecer | to grow |
| devolver | to return (something) |
| encender | to turn on (lights, etc) |
| hacer | to do / to make |
| mover | to move |
| nacer | to be born |
| obtener | to obtain |
| proteger | to protect |
| traer | to bring |
| ver | to see |
| volver | to come back |
Spanish action verbs ending in -IR
The group of action verbs ending in -IR includes many important and common action verbs in Spanish.
| Spanish | English |
| compartir | to share |
| conducir | to drive |
| conseguir | to achieve / to obtain |
| construir | to construct / to build |
| convertir | to convert |
| cubrir | to cover |
| decir | to say |
| descubrir | to discover |
| despedir | to say goodbye to |
| destruir | to destroy |
| dormir | to sleep |
| ir | to go |
| medir | to measure |
| mentir | to lie |
| morir | to die |
| producir | to produce |
| recibir | to receive |
| reír | to laugh |
| repetir | to repeat |
| seguir | to follow |
| sonreír | to smile |
| venir | to come |
Spanish action verbs for sports and activities
Game on! These action verbs in Spanish will be helpful when discussing sports and other physical activities, whether you are a participant or a fan!
| Spanish | English |
| animar | to cheer / to encourage |
| caminar | to walk |
| correr | to run |
| defender | to defend |
| empatar | to tie / to even the score |
| ganar | to win |
| gritar | to yell / to shout |
| jugar | to play |
| lanzar | to throw / to pitch |
| marcar | to score |
| montar (en bicicleta, en caballo) | to ride (a bike, a horse) |
| nadar | to swim |
| participar | to participate |
| patear | to kick |
| perder | to lose |
| practicar | to practice |
| saltar | to jump |
| surfear | to surf |
| tirar | to throw |
Spanish action verbs for chores and household routines
These day-to-day actions are easily expressed using Spanish action verbs.
| Spanish | English |
| arreglar | to repair / to tidy up |
| barrer | to sweep |
| cortar | to cut |
| doblar | to fold |
| fregar | to scrub / to mop |
| lavar | to wash |
| limpiar | to clean |
| ordenar / organizar | to organize |
| pasar (la aspiradora) | to vacuum |
| planchar | to iron |
| poner | to put / to set |
| quitar | to remove |
| recoger | to pick up / to tidy |
| sacar | to take out |
| secar | to dry |
Spanish action verbs for travel
Use these Spanish action verbs to talk about travel and transportation, whether you’re getting directions or boarding a flight to your next destination. ¡Buen viaje! (Have a great trip!)
| Spanish | English |
| abrir | to open |
| aterrizar | to land (a plane) |
| caminar | to walk |
| cancelar | to cancel |
| cerrar | to close |
| confirmar | to confirm |
| cruzar | to cross |
| despegar | to take off (a plane) |
| doblar / girar | to turn (left / right) |
| embarcar | to board |
| facturar | to check in |
| Hospedarse/quedarse/alojarse | to stay (at a lodging) |
| llegar | to arrive |
| manejar | to drive |
| parar | to stop |
| reservar | to reserve |
| salir | to depart / to leave / to go out |
| tomar | to take |
| viajar | to travel |
| visitar | to visit |
| volar | to fly |
Spanish action verbs for food and eating
Meal-taking in Spanish involves several specific verbs. Use these action verbs for ordering food in Spanish or discussing your meal plans. ¡Buen provecho! (Enjoy your meal!)
| Spanish | English |
| almorzar | to have lunch |
| beber | to drink |
| calentar | to heat up |
| cenar | to have dinner |
| cocinar | to cook |
| comer | to eat |
| desayunar | to have breakfast |
| llenar | to fill |
| merendar | to have a snack |
| ofrecer | to offer |
| ordenar | to order |
| pedir | to ask for |
| preparar | to prepare |
| probar | to taste / to sample |
| recomendar | to recommend |
| servir | to serve |
| tomar | to have / to drink |
Spanish action verbs for arts and entertainment
This list of action verbs in Spanish will unlock a variety of entertainment options and hobbies, both as a fan and a participant.
| Spanish | English |
| actuar | to act |
| asistir | to attend |
| bailar | to dance |
| cantar | to sing |
| crear | to create |
| dibujar | to draw |
| ensayar | to rehearse |
| esculpir | to sculpt |
| estrenar | to premier |
| grabar | to record |
| pintar | to paint |
| presentar | to present |
| representar | to portray |
| tocar | to play (an instrument) |
Spanish action verbs for money and shopping
Use these Spanish action verbs to talk about finances and transactions.
| Spanish | English |
| ahorrar | to save |
| alquilar | to rent |
| cambiar | to exchange |
| comprar | to buy |
| contar | to count |
| contratar | to hire |
| costar | to cost |
| depositar | to deposit |
| gastar | to spend |
| ofrecer | to offer |
| pagar | to pay |
| recibir | to receive |
| regalar | to give as a gift |
| regatear | to bargain / to negotiate |
| retirar / sacar | to withdraw |
| vender | to sell |
Action verbs to help you learn Spanish
Action verbs can help you start your language-learning journey. Rosetta Stone’s live lessons help you put what you’ve learned into practice and introduce you to even more Spanish action verbs
Use these words to talk about your efforts and successes as you learn Spanish.
| Spanish | English |
| aprender | to learn |
| contestar | to answer |
| corregir | to correct |
| decir | to say |
| enseñar | to teach / to show |
| escribir | to write |
| escuchar | to listen to |
| explicar | to explain |
| hablar | to speak |
| identificar | to identify |
| leer | to read |
| memorizar | to memorize |
| preguntar | to ask |
| traducir | to translate |
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