verbos

Verbos are words that express actions, events, processes, or states and function as the predicate of a clause. The term is widely used in Spanish- and Portuguese-language grammar, where verbo is singular and verbos is the plural form. In other languages, the equivalent category is simply “verbs.”

Verbs are typically conjugated to reflect the subject’s person and number and to mark tense, aspect, mood, and voice. Finite verb forms agree with the subject, while non-finite forms include the infinitive, gerund, and participles. Many languages also employ auxiliary verbs to form compound tenses and constructions. The exact system varies by language, but the basic idea is to encode time, certainty, possibility, obligation, and other attitude toward the action or state.

Verbs can be classified as lexical (main verbs with semantic content) or auxiliary (supporting verbs that help form tenses, aspects, or voices). They can be transitive (requiring a direct object), intransitive (not requiring an object), or ditransitive (taking two objects). Verbs also differ in voice (active vs. passive) and mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative, among others). Irregular verbs deviate from standard conjugation patterns, often changing stems or endings.

Conjugation patterns vary by language. In Spanish, examples of common verbs include hablar (to speak), comer (to eat), and vivir (to live). Conjugated forms differ by person and number, such as hablo, hablas, habla in the present tense. Verbs are central to sentence construction, enabling statements, questions, negation, and commands across languages.