To talk about your work, you need verbs. In Spanish, verbs change their endings based on who is doing the action. This is called conjugation. You already know how 'ser' and 'estar' work for states of being. Now, we'll focus on action verbs to describe what you and your colleagues do every day.

Regular verbs in Spanish fall into three categories based on their endings: '-ar', '-er', and '-ir'. Think of these as templates. To conjugate a regular verb, you simply drop the ending and add a new one that matches the subject. Let's look at the pattern for the present indicative tense, which describes current actions and routines.

Notice how the 'yo' form for all three verb types ends in '-o'. The 'nosotros' (we) forms are also easy to remember because they keep the original vowel from the infinitive: '-amos' for '-ar' verbs, '-emos' for '-er' verbs, and '-imos' for '-ir' verbs. This is useful for distinguishing individual actions from team actions.

For example:

• Yo preparo el informe. (I prepare the report.)
• Nosotros preparamos el informe. (We prepare the report.)

Many of the most common verbs don't follow the rules. Their conjugations must be memorised. In a professional setting, you'll constantly use verbs like 'tener' (to have), 'hacer' (to do/make), 'poner' (to put), and 'salir' (to leave). These verbs are irregular only in the 'yo' form.

• Yo tengo una reunión. (I have a meeting.)
• Yo hago una presentación. (I make a presentation.)
• Yo pongo los documentos en la mesa. (I put the documents on the table.)
• Yo salgo de la oficina a las cinco. (I leave the office at five.)

For other subjects like 'nosotros', they often follow the regular pattern. For instance, nosotros tenemos and nosotros hacemos.

Another group of irregulars are stem-changing verbs, sometimes called boot verbs. In these verbs, the vowel in the stem (the part before -ar, -er, or -ir) changes for all subjects except 'nosotros' and 'vosotros'. The most common changes are e → ie and o → ue.

A good example is 'entender' (to understand).

• ¿Entiendes el proyecto? (Do you understand the project?)
• Sí, pero mi jefe no entiende la situación. (Yes, but my boss doesn't understand the situation.)
• Nosotros entendemos las instrucciones. (We understand the instructions.)

Notice how 'nosotros' keeps the original 'e' in the stem.

Now you can combine these verbs to describe your professional life. To talk about how often you do something, you can use adverbs of frequency like 'siempre' (always), 'normalmente' (usually), 'a menudo' (often), 'a veces' (sometimes), and 'nunca' (never). These adverbs usually go before the verb.

This paragraph translates to: "Usually, I arrive at the office at nine. I always check my emails first. Sometimes, I have meetings in the morning. My team and I discuss current projects. In the afternoon, I write reports and my colleagues analyse data."

This simple structure allows you to build complex sentences about your daily routine. The more you practice connecting subjects with their correct verb forms, the more natural it will become. Remember to distinguish between the formal 'usted' and the informal 'tú' when speaking to colleagues, depending on your workplace culture.

Ready to check your understanding? Let's see how well you can apply these rules.

With these patterns, you have the tools to describe your professional world accurately and confidently.