To conjugate a verb means to change its form to match who is doing the action and when it happens. When you say “I walk,” “she walks,” or “they walked,” you're conjugating the verb “walk.” The verb shifts slightly depending on whether you're talking about yourself, someone else, right now, or yesterday.

In English, conjugation is relatively simple. Most verbs just add an “s” for third person singular (“he runs”) or “-ed” for regular past tense (“she jumped”). But in languages like Spanish or French, verbs conjugate much more dramatically. A Spanish student learning to conjugate “hablar” (to speak) must memorize different forms: “hablo” (I speak), “hablas” (you speak), “habló” (he spoke), and many more.

Teachers often have students practice conjugation by writing out verb charts, filling in all the different forms. Conjugation is essential for speaking clearly: if you say “she walk” instead of “she walks,” people notice that something sounds wrong.

In grammar class, you'll often hear about conjugating verbs in different tenses (present, past, future) and different persons (I, you, he, she, we, they).