Spanish Verbs 64 Drill: Flashcards and Printable WorksheetsLearning Spanish verbs is one of the fastest ways to unlock real conversational ability. This article provides a complete, practical drill plan for “Spanish Verbs 64” — a focused set of 64 commonly used verbs — along with ready-to-use flashcard layouts and printable worksheet templates you can use to practice every day. The materials are designed for beginner-to-intermediate learners who want a systematic, time-efficient way to build conjugation fluency and active recall.
Why focus on 64 verbs?
Focusing on a limited, high-frequency set accelerates progress. 64 well-chosen verbs cover most daily communication needs in spoken and written Spanish. Mastering these verbs in key tenses (present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, and imperative) plus essential past participles and gerunds gives you a robust toolkit for describing actions, intentions, routines, and memories.
The 64 verbs (recommended list)
Below is a balanced list of 64 verbs that includes regular and irregular patterns, modal/helping verbs, and high-frequency actions. (Use this as the master list for flashcards and worksheets.)
- ser
- estar
- tener
- haber
- hacer
- ir
- venir
- decir
- poder
- poner
- salir
- ver
- dar
- saber
- conocer
- querer
- deber
- parecer
- quedar
- llevar
- dejar
- encontrar
- hablar
- escuchar
- mirar
- pensar
- creer
- sentir
- seguir
- comenzar (empezar)
- volver
- traer
- usar
- trabajar
- estudiar
- aprender
- comprender
- escribir
- leer
- vivir
- pagar
- comprar
- abrir
- cerrar
- cocinar
- beber
- comer
- ayudar
- esperar
- recordar
- perder
- ganar
- jugar
- viajar
- entrar
- salir (listed already — replace with cumplir)
- cumplir
- llamar
- seguir (listed already — replace with cambiar)
- cambiar
- ganar (duplicate — replace with reducir)
- reducir
- ofrecer
- recibir
- morir
- nacer
- existir
- permitir
(Note: when you make physical flashcards, pair synonyms or near-synonyms like comenzar/empezar as needed. If you prefer specific regional vocabulary, swap verbs accordingly.)
Drill structure — a progressive 8-week plan
Follow this progressive plan, adaptable to any pace. Each week focuses on a subset of the 64 verbs and specific tenses or tasks.
Week 1 — Core present tense (verbs 1–16): recognition + spoken drills
Week 2 — Present tense continued (verbs 17–32): mixed practice + mini-dialogues
Week 3 — Past tense (preterite) basics for verbs 1–24: translation and timeline practice
Week 4 — Imperfect vs. preterite (verbs 25–40): contrast drills and story-building
Week 5 — Future & conditional (verbs 41–48): hypothetical & planning exercises
Week 6 — Subjunctive introduction (verbs 1–16): triggers and short sentences
Week 7 — Imperatives and gerunds (verbs 17–40): commands, progressive forms, and role-play
Week 8 — Consolidation (all 64): mixed tense drills, timed recall, and fluency checks
Daily practice: 20–40 minutes (10 minutes review with spaced repetition; 10–30 minutes active production: writing, speaking, or worksheets).
Flashcard design (digital or physical)
Keep flashcards minimal and actionable.
Front:
- Infinitive (e.g., “hablar”)
- Optional: small icon representing action
Back:
- English gloss (one word/short phrase)
- Conjugation grid for selected tense(s) (use separate cards for each tense when learning)
- Example sentence in Spanish + English translation
- Irregular notes (stem changes, orthographic changes)
Example card (back content):
- Gloss: “to speak”
- Present: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan
- Sentence: “Ella habla con su madre.” — “She speaks with her mother.”
For digital flashcards (Anki, Quizlet): use separate decks per tense and enable spaced repetition with graduated intervals.
Printable worksheet templates
Below are templates you can copy into a document editor and print. Each worksheet focuses on a skill: conjugation, translation, fill-in-the-blank, sentence building, and error correction.
Worksheet A — Conjugation grid (for 8 verbs)
- Columns: Infinitive | Yo | Tú | Él/Ella/Ud. | Nosotros | Vosotros | Ellos/Ellas/Uds.
- Rows: Eight verbs from the week’s subset.
Task: Fill the correct forms in one tense (mark irregulars).
Worksheet B — Fill-in-the-blank cloze (10 sentences)
- Provide sentences with missing verb forms and a word bank of the infinitives.
Example: “Ayer, nosotros ______ (ir) al mercado.” — Answer: fuimos.
Worksheet C — Translate & adapt (6 items)
- Spanish sentences in present; translate to English, then rewrite in preterite or future.
Example: “Juan come arroz.” — Translate; then “Juan comió arroz.”
Worksheet D — Error correction (10 sentences)
- Provide sentences containing incorrect conjugations; student must identify and correct.
Example: “Yo comió la cena.” — Correct: “Yo comí la cena.”
Worksheet E — Role-play prompts (speaking)
- Short scenarios to practice imperative, conditional, and subjunctive.
Example prompt: “You are a travel agent. Recommend three activities for a visitor (use conditional): ‘Si yo fuera tú, …’”
You can create one-page printables by arranging these templates into a single document and duplicating for different verb sets.
Sample printable worksheet (concrete example)
Conjugation Grid — Present (verbs: hablar, comer, vivir, ir, tener, hacer, poder, decir)
Infinitive | Yo | Tú | Él/Ella/Ud. | Nosotros | Vosotros | Ellos/Ellas/Uds.
hablar | | | | | |
comer | | | | | |
vivir | | | | | |
ir | | | | | |
tener | | | | | |
hacer | | | | | |
poder | | | | | |
decir | | | | | |
Cloze (fill-in):
- Nosotros ______ (tener) una reunión mañana.
- Ella ______ (decir) la verdad ayer.
- Yo no ______ (poder) venir.
Translation & shift:
- “Él escribe una carta.” — Translate; then change to preterite.
Error correction:
- “Tú sabes la respuesta ayer.” — Correct tense.
Tips for making drills effective
- Use active recall: cover answers and produce forms from memory.
- Speak aloud while writing to engage motor and auditory memory.
- Mix regular and irregular verbs each session to practice pattern recognition.
- Time yourself for 5–10 minute rapid conjugation sprints.
- Create micro-goals (e.g., 8 verbs perfectly conjugated in present within 5 minutes).
- Use color-coding on physical cards: regular (-ar, -er, -ir), stem-changers, completely irregular.
Tracking progress
Keep a simple log (spreadsheet or notebook): date, verbs practiced, tenses, accuracy (%). Aim to reduce error rate by 5–10% weekly. When you can accurately conjugate 90% of the 64 verbs across present, preterite, and imperfect, add more complex tenses (subjunctive, compound perfects).
Sample study session (30 minutes)
- 5 min: Warm-up — review 20 flashcards (SRS or shuffled stack).
- 10 min: Conjugation grid worksheet (choose one tense; 8 verbs).
- 8 min: Cloze sentences / translation (write answers).
- 7 min: Speaking drill — 3 role-play prompts, record yourself.
Adapting for classrooms or groups
- Pair students for role-plays and peer correction.
- Use timed group competitions: fastest correct conjugation wins points.
- Assign each student 4 verbs to be the “expert” on; teach classmates in a short mini-lesson.
Next steps and expansion
After mastering the 64 verbs in core tenses, expand by:
- Adding compound tenses (present perfect, pluperfect).
- Practicing subjunctive in more triggers (emotion, doubt, desire).
- Incorporating idiomatic expressions and phrasal verb equivalents.
- Writing short paragraphs and recording monologues using targeted verbs.
If you’d like, I can:
- Generate printable PDFs of flashcards and the worksheet pages for each weekly subset.
- Create ready-to-import Anki or Quizlet decks (by tense or full verb list).
- Produce a downloadable 8-week calendar with daily tasks tied to these materials.
Leave a Reply