The Present Tense (El presente)
In Spanish, there are 3 types of ending that a verb can have:
-ar |
-er |
-ir |
hablar (to speak) |
comer (to eat) |
vivir (to live) |
All regular Spanish verbs are conjugated by adding personal endings that reflect the subject doing the action. These are added to the stem (raíz) after deleting the infinitive ending.
In the present tense or "indicative" a verb can signify one of the following three things:
| Yo hablo español. |
| I speak Spanish. |
| I do speak Spanish. |
| I am speaking Spanish. |
In Spanish the personal pronoun (yo/tú /nosotros/vosotros) are not needed since each personal ending changes.
Only usted/él/ ella/ustedes/ellos/ellas should be used in order to clarify when needed.
Verbs: -ar endings
These are the endings for -ar regular verbs:
yo |
-o |
tú |
-as |
él/ella/usted |
-a |
nosotros |
-amos |
vosotros |
-aís |
ellos/ellas/ustedes |
-an |
The present tense of the verb Hablar is formed by adding the personal endings to the stem habl_
Personal Pronoun |
Conjugated Verb |
Translation |
| yo |
hablo |
I speak |
| tú |
hablas |
You speak |
| usted |
habla |
You speak |
| él, ella |
habla |
He/She speaks |
| nosotros |
hablamos |
We speak |
| vosotros |
hablaís |
You speak |
| ustedes |
hablan |
You speak |
| ellos, ellas |
hablan |
They speak |
Here are some common and important -ar regular verbs in their infinitive form:
Bailar ( to dance) |
Mirar (to watch) |
Buscar (to look for ) |
Necesitar (to need) |
Cantar (to sing) |
Pagar (to pay) |
Comprar (to buy) |
Practicar (to practice) |
Conversar (to chat) |
Tomar (to take/drink) |
Estudiar (to study) |
Trabajar (to work) |
Verbs: -er and - ir endings
The present tense of -er and -ir verbs is formed by adding personal endings to the stem (the infinitive minus its-er/-ir ending).
The personal endings for -er and -ir verbs are the same except for the first and second person plural.
-er verb (comer) |
-ir verb (vivir) |
| yo |
como |
yo |
vivo |
| tú |
comes |
tú |
vives |
| usted |
come |
usted |
vive |
| él/ella |
come |
él/ella |
vive |
| nosotros |
comemos |
nosotros |
vivimos |
| vosotros |
comeís |
vosotros |
vivís |
| ustedes |
comen |
ustedes |
viven |
| ellos/ellas |
comen |
ellos/ellas |
viven |
There are some common and important -er and -ir regular verbs in their infinitive form:
Aprender (to learn) |
Asistir a (to attend) |
Beber (to drink) |
Escribir (to write) |
Creer (to believe) |
Describir (to describe) |
Comprender (to understand) |
Partir (to split) |
Deber (+ infinitive) (should) |
Recibir (to receive) |
Leer (to read) |
Vivir (to live) |
*** Note that there are some present tense verbs that are only irregular in the first person singular (yo). The rest of the personal pronouns are conjugated in the regular form as shown in the charts above. The following verbs require memorization of the first person (yo) conjugation:
Infinitive Form |
First Person (Yo) |
Translation |
| conocer |
conozco |
I know, I am familiar with |
| dar |
doy |
I give |
| estar |
estoy |
I am |
| hacer |
hago |
I do, I make |
| saber |
sé |
I know |
| salir |
salgo |
I am leaving, I am going out |
| ver |
veo |
I see |
|
