The Infinitive & Conjugation

Summary

In this Spanish Quickie video, Jordan introduces the concept of infinitive verbs and conjugation in both English and Spanish. He explains that the infinitive is the base form of a verb, while conjugation involves changing the verb's form to match the subject. Jordan clarifies that in Spanish, infinitive verbs end in -ar, -er, or -ir, and emphasizes the importance of understanding these basics to avoid confusion in language learning. The video also touches on the use of infinitives alongside conjugated verbs in sentences and hints at a future lesson on the verb 'to be'. Jordan encourages viewers to subscribe for more language tips and resources.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video aims to clarify the concepts of infinitive verbs and conjugation in Spanish, which can be confusing for beginners.
• 🌐 'Infinitive verb' refers to the original form of a verb before it is conjugated, which is essential for understanding verb tenses and usage.
• 🔍 In Spanish, infinitive verbs are recognizable by their endings: -ar, -er, or -ir, which is a simple way to identify them.
• 🔄 Conjugation involves changing a verb's form to match the subject of a sentence, similar to the process in English.
• 👤 The speaker shares a personal anecdote about struggling with these concepts in high school, emphasizing the importance of clear explanations.
• 📝 English infinitive verbs are formed by adding 'to' before the verb, e.g., 'to work', 'to eat', which is a basic rule to remember.
• 📉 The video intentionally avoids specific examples of Spanish conjugation to keep the focus on the general concept, suggesting that details can be complex.
• 📈 Verb conjugation charts are introduced as a tool to organize and learn the different forms a verb can take in both English and Spanish.
• 📊 These charts typically have two columns for singular and plural forms and three rows for first, second, and third person, providing a structured way to learn.
• 🚫 Not all verbs need to be conjugated; sometimes they are used in their infinitive form, especially when two verbs are used consecutively in a sentence.
• 💡 The video highlights the importance of understanding 'to be' as a verb, which has unique conjugated forms and will be covered in a future lesson.
• 📧 The speaker invites viewers to subscribe to the Gringo Español mailing list for more resources and support in learning Spanish.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is to explain what an infinitive verb is in Spanish and how to identify them, as well as to introduce the concept of conjugation without going into specifics.

Why did the speaker fail Spanish originally?

The speaker failed Spanish originally because the teacher used terms like 'infinite' and 'conjugation' without explaining what they meant, which left the speaker confused from the start.

What is an infinitive verb according to the video?

An infinitive verb is the original form of a verb before it is conjugated.

How does conjugation work in English?

Conjugation in English involves changing the form of a verb depending on the subject, such as 'I eat', 'you eat', and 'he eats'.

What does the infinitive form of a verb look like in English?

In English, the infinitive form of a verb always has the word 'to' followed by the verb itself, such as 'to work', 'to eat', 'to sleep'.

How do Spanish infinitive verbs differ from English in terms of their form?

Spanish infinitive verbs end in either 'ar', 'er', or 'ir', unlike English where they are preceded by 'to'.

What are the three endings that Spanish infinitive verbs typically have?

Spanish infinitive verbs typically end in 'ar', 'er', or 'ir'.

Why does the speaker avoid giving examples of Spanish conjugation in this video?

The speaker avoids giving examples of Spanish conjugation because it's a complex topic and the focus of the video is to clarify the concepts of infinitive verbs and conjugation in general.

How are conjugations organized in a chart for both English and Spanish?

Conjugations are organized in a chart with two columns for singular and plural forms and three rows for first, second, and third person forms.

What is the purpose of the conjugation chart mentioned in the video?

The conjugation chart is used to organize all the different forms of a verb in a systematic way for easier learning and reference.

How does the use of infinitive verbs in English compare to their use in Spanish?

In both English and Spanish, infinitive verbs are sometimes used without conjugation, especially when two verbs are next to each other, and the first is conjugated while the second remains in its infinitive form.

Why is the verb 'to be' considered important and mentioned separately in the video?

The verb 'to be' is considered important because it is a fundamental verb in both English and Spanish, and its conjugated forms are used frequently in sentences.

What additional resources are available for vocabulary from the video?

Any vocabulary word mentioned in the video is added to the Word Lists available for download at gringoespanol.com/downloads/

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding Spanish Verbs: Infinitives and Conjugation

This paragraph introduces the concept of infinitive verbs and conjugation in Spanish. The speaker, Jordan, shares a personal anecdote about struggling with these concepts in high school and aims to clarify them for viewers. An infinitive verb is the base form of a verb before it's conjugated. Conjugation involves altering the verb's form to match the subject. In English, infinitive verbs are preceded by 'to' (e.g., 'to work', 'to eat'). In Spanish, infinitive verbs typically end in -ar, -er, or -ir, which is a key indicator of their form before conjugation. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of recognizing infinitive verbs and the basic principle of conjugation, without delving into the complexities of Spanish conjugation, which will be covered in future lessons.

05:03

📘 Organization and Usage of Verbs in English and Spanish

The second paragraph discusses how to organize and use verbs in both English and Spanish. It explains the use of charts to categorize different verb conjugations based on person and number, with singular and plural forms arranged in columns and persons in rows. The speaker also touches on the use of infinitive forms in sentences, particularly when two verbs are used consecutively, where only the first verb is conjugated, and the second remains in its infinitive form. Examples are provided to illustrate this, such as 'I like to eat' and 'I want to be fluent'. The paragraph concludes with a note on the verb 'to be', highlighting its importance and the confusion it can cause, especially for beginners. The speaker reassures viewers that further clarification on this verb will be provided in a dedicated future video.

Keywords

💡Infinitive verb

An infinitive verb refers to the base form of a verb, which is used before any conjugation occurs. In the context of the video, the infinitive is essential for understanding how verbs are transformed to match different subjects in a sentence. For example, the script mentions 'to work', 'to eat', and 'to sleep' as infinitive forms in English, and 'trabajar', 'comer', and 'dormir' as their Spanish counterparts, all ending in 'ar', 'er', or 'ir', respectively.

💡Conjugation

Conjugation is the process of altering a verb's form to match the subject of a sentence. The video emphasizes that conjugation is a fundamental concept in learning a language, as it allows for the expression of different subjects performing an action. The script illustrates this with the English examples 'I eat', 'You eat', and 'He eats', showing how the verb 'eat' is conjugated to agree with the subject.

💡Subject

In grammar, the subject refers to the person or thing that performs the action of a verb. The video script explains that conjugation changes the verb to agree with the subject, such as 'I', 'you', 'he', 'she', 'it', 'we', 'they', and so on. This is crucial for understanding how verbs are used in various sentences, as demonstrated by the script's examples of 'I eat' and 'He eats'.

💡Spanish Quickie

The term 'Spanish Quickie' is used in the script to describe the fast and easy Spanish lessons provided by the speaker. It is a part of the video's branding and is meant to convey the idea of quick, digestible language lessons. The script uses this term to set the expectation for the viewer about the nature of the content they will receive.

💡Chart

A chart in the script represents a visual tool used to organize and display the different forms of verb conjugations in both English and Spanish. The video mentions that these charts, despite initially seeming complicated, are actually straightforward once explained and are essential for learning and memorizing verb conjugations. The script describes a typical chart layout with columns for singular and plural, and rows for first, second, and third persons.

💡Person

In grammar, 'person' refers to the category of a verb or pronoun that indicates whether the speaker (first person), the listener (second person), or someone or something else (third person) is performing the action. The video script uses the concept of person to explain the organization of conjugation charts and to illustrate the different forms a verb takes based on who is doing the action.

💡Word List

The 'Word List' mentioned in the script is a resource provided by the video creator for learners to practice and reinforce the vocabulary introduced in the lessons. It is a part of the educational material available for download on the associated website, gringoespanol.com/downloads/, and serves as a tool for language learners to expand their vocabulary.

💡To be

The verb 'to be' is highlighted in the script as a particularly important verb in both English and Spanish. It is unique because its infinitive form is the same in both languages and it has various conjugated forms like 'I am', 'you are', 'he is', which are used to describe states of being. The script points out that understanding 'to be' is crucial for language learners and promises a dedicated lesson on it in the future.

💡Mailing list

The 'Mailing list' in the script refers to a subscription service offered by the video creator, where subscribers receive updates, newsletters, or additional learning materials via email. It is a way for the creator to engage with the audience and provide them with more resources to enhance their language learning experience.

💡Hasta luego

The phrase 'Hasta luego' is used by the speaker to say goodbye to the viewers in Spanish, which translates to 'See you later' in English. It is a part of the cultural and linguistic immersion that the video aims to provide, giving learners a taste of common Spanish phrases that can be used in everyday conversation.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of an infinitive verb and its importance in understanding Spanish conjugation.

Personal anecdote about the confusion caused by the terms 'infinitive' and 'conjugation' in high school Spanish.

Explanation of what conjugation is and its role in changing verb forms based on the subject.

Clarification that the video will not delve into specific conjugation examples to avoid overwhelming the viewer.

Definition of the infinitive verb as the original form of a verb before conjugation.

Description of how to spot infinitive verbs in Spanish by their endings: ar, er, or ir.

Comparison of the infinitive form in English and Spanish, highlighting the use of 'to' in English.

Illustration of infinitive verbs in Spanish with examples like 'trabajar', 'comer', and 'dormir'.

Discussion on the infinite possibilities of an infinitive verb before conjugation.

Introduction to the concept of changing verb endings in Spanish conjugation.

Explanation of the complexity and simplicity of Spanish conjugation compared to English.

Organizing conjugations using a chart with two columns and three rows for singular and plural forms.

Clarification of the chart's purpose for organizing different verb forms during learning.

Use of infinitive verbs in English without conjugation, such as in phrases like 'I like to eat'.

Emphasis on the importance of the verb 'to be' and its conjugated forms in both English and Spanish.

Offer of additional resources and vocabulary lists on gringoespanol.com for further learning.

Invitation to subscribe to the YouTube channel and join the Gringo Español mailing list for updates.

Sign-off phrase 'Hasta luego!' which means 'See you later' in Spanish.

Transcripts

Hola, I'm Jordan and this is a Spanish Quickie--fast, easy Spanish lessons from somebody who speaks

your language.

In this video, we're gonna go over real generally what an infinitive verb is and how to spot

them in Spanish.

Then I’ll explain what conjugation is.

We're not gonna get into specifics in this video, I just want to make this really clear

for you generally, right from the start.

I remember vividly, my first day of high school Spanish.

Right away, the teacher was using words like infinite and conjugation and was drawing tons

of crazy charts on the board.

That's probably why I failed Spanish originally.

I didn't even know what the infinitive or conjugation was in English.

I was doomed from the start.

This video, is all about helping you avoid that same fate.

[intro]

Okay, the infinitive verb.

The infinitive verb is the original form of a verb, before you conjugate it.

So what's conjugation?

Conjugation is when you take a verb and put in different forms, depending on the subject.

For example.

I eat.

You eat.

But he eats.

That's conjugation.

When you conjugate a verb, you take the infinitive of the verb and put it in different forms

like eat/eats.

In English, the infinitive form of a verb always has the word “to” and then the

word.

So "to work".

"To eat".

"To sleep".

The infinitive form of an English verb is “to” plus the word.

Real simple, but I don’t recall knowing that when I started Spanish.

Well, in Spanish, it works exactly the same way.

All verbs in their infinitive form end in either ar, er or ir.

If you see a bunch of Spanish words, any word that ends in ar, er or ir is a verb in its

infinitive form.

So "To work" is "trabajar".

See how "trabajar" ends in ar.

“To eat" is "comer".

"Comer" is an er verb.

Then, "to sleep" is "dormir".

Notice "dormir" ends in ir.

So there you have it, a verb in it's natural form so to speak, is an infinitive verb, it

has infinite possibilities because you haven't conjugated it.

Then to conjugate is when you put an infinitive verb in different forms based on the subject.

I'm purposefully avoiding giving you any examples of Spanish conjugation right now, because

that's opening a huge can of worms, it's not the point of this video, and your effort and

energy is better spent elsewhere right now.

Just know, it works generally like it does in English, you change the ending of the word

around depending on the subject...

but truthfully it's a lot more complicated in Spanish but somehow simpler too.

But like I said, don't worry about that now.

Just the infinitive form of a Spanish verb ends in ar, er or ir.

Then we change the endings of those ar, er and ir words when we conjugate.

Now, remember those crazy charts I mentioned in the intro of this video?

In the end, they weren't really that complicated, they just weren't explained to me very well.

Basically, to organize all the conjugations of a verb, whether it's English or Spanish,

we use a chart that looks something like this or like this.

Regardless of exactly how it looks, it will have two columns and three rows.

The left column is for singular conjugations.

I, you, he/she/it.

Then the right side is for plural conjugations.

We, you both, they.

Then the first row is for the first person which means I and we.

The second row is for the second person which is you (singular on the left and plural on

the right).

Finally the third row is for third person which is he/she/it or they.

Is that clear?

These charts are just a way to organize all the different forms of a verb when you're

learning them.

If you were learning English, you would put the infinitive form of the verb here at the

top.

To eat.

Then fill in the chart with the appropriate forms.

I eat.

you eat.

He eats.

We eat.

You both eat.

They eat.

Now, we don't always conjugate a verb.

Sometimes we use verbs in the infinitive form.

Spanish and English work exactly the same way in this case.

Have you ever noticed, in English, when there are two verbs next to each other, you conjugate

the first one but not the second one.

For the second one, you use the infinitive form.

Think about it.

I like to eat.

I like is the conjugated form of to like.

But to eat is still in the infinitive form.

A couple more examples: I like to sleep.

I want to be fluent.

Notice that last one?

To be.

That was tricky for me to get through my head at first.

"To be" is a very important verb, so important it will get it's own Spanish Quickie real

soon.

For now just know that I am, you are, he is, those are all conjugated forms of to be.

The infinitive form of that word is to be.

Then it's conjugated I am, you are, he is, etc.

This really confused me at first because the word “to be” was being thrown around left

and right in Spanish class and I couldn’t get it through my thick skull what the heck

that word was or how it was related to “I am” in any way.

Hopefully, now you won’t have the same problem.

But you might, and if you do, I’ll be here to help you through it.

Okay, that's it.

No homework assignment in this video.

I just really needed to get this off my chest.

Thanks for listening.

Just let this marinate a little bit, it will come in real handy in future videos.

Of course, as always, any vocab word mentioned in this video will be added to the Word Lists

at gringoespanol.com/downloads/

And if you liked this video, subscribe to my channel on YouTube or like my Facebook

page.

And if you're new here, hop on the Gringo Espanol mailing list by clicking the link

below or by going straight to gringoespanol.com

Hasta luego!

That basically means “See you later!”