【英文版西语语法】Spanish Present Tense Forms

 The Spanish simple present tense (el presente  or el presente del indicativo ) can be used to talk about habitual actions, routines, things happening now or in the near future, universal truths, facts, hypotheticals, lapses of time, and for ordering in restaurants and stores.

Regular Present Indicative Forms

 

Below you'll find instructions for forming regular verbs in the present tense, including the endings you need to know for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

 

Verbs that End in -ar

 

To conjugate an -ar verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ar) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

 

Present Tense Endings for -ar Verbs

 

Subject -ar Endings Example with Hablar English translation

yo -o

hablo

 

I speak

tú -as

hablas

 

you (informal) speak

usted -a

habla

 

you (formal) speak

él, ella -a

habla

 

he/she speaks

nosotros -amos

hablamos

 

we speak

vosotros -áis

habláis

 

you (informal) speak

ustedes, ellos, ellas -an

hablan

 

you (formal) speak

ellos, ellas -an

hablan

 

they speak

Verbs that End in -er

 

To conjugate an -er verb, remove the infinitive ending (-er) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

 

Present Tense Endings for -er Verbs

 

Subject -er Endings Example with Comer English translation

yo -o

como

 

I eat

tú -es

comes

 

you (informal) eat

usted -e

come

 

you (formal) eat

él, ella -e

come

 

he/she eats

nosotros -emos

comemos

 

we eat

vosotros -éis

coméis

 

you (informal) eat

ustedes, ellos, ellas -en

comen

 

you (formal) eat

ellos, ellas -en

comen

 

they eat

Verbs that End in -ir

 

To conjugate an -ir verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ir) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

 

Present Tense Endings for -ir Verbs

 

Subject -ir Endings Example with Vivir English translation

yo -o

vivo

 

I live

tú -es

vives

 

you (informal) live

usted -e

vive

 

you (formal) live

él, ella -e

vive

 

he/she lives

nosotros -imos

vivimos

 

we live

vosotros -ís

vivís

 

you (informal) live

ustedes, ellos, ellas -en

viven

 

you (formal) live

ellos, ellas -en

viven

 

they live

Copy Cats

 

Notice that most of the present tense endings for -er and -ir verbs are the same. only the nosotros and vosotros endings are different.

Irregular Yo Forms

 

Some present tense yo conjugations undergo spelling changes or are irregular.

 

Verbs with Spelling Changes in the Yo Form

 

Verbs that end in -guir, -ger, or -gir undergo a spelling change in their present tense yo forms.

 

For verbs that end in -guir, the yo form ends in go.

For verbs that end in -ger or -gir, the g in the yo form changes to a j.

Spanish Infinitive English Infinitive Yo Form

extinguir

 

to extinguish

extingo

 

dirigir

 

to direct

dirijo

 

escoger

 

to choose

escojo

 

exigir

 

to demand

exijo

 

recoger

 

to pick up

recojo

 

Verbs with Irregular Yo Forms

 

The following verbs have irregular yo forms. The other present tense forms of these verbs follow the patterns for regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

 

Spanish Infinitive English Infinitive Yo Form

caber

 

to fit

quepo

 

caer

 

to fall

caigo

 

conocer

 

to know

conozco

 

dar

 

to give

doy

 

hacer

 

to do/make

hago

 

poner

 

to put

pongo

 

saber

 

to know

sé

 

salir

 

to leave/to go out

salgo

 

traducir

 

to translate

traduzco

 

traer

 

to bring

traigo

 

valer

 

to be worth

valgo

 

ver

 

to see

veo

 

Most verbs that end in -cer or -ucir have irregular present tense yo forms. Click here for more on irregular present tense verbs.

Here are a few examples of the above verbs in action.

 

Hago la tarea en la biblioteca.

I do my homework in the library.

 

Sé que hoy es martes.

I know today is Tuesday.

 

Stem-changing Verbs

Many present tense verbs undergo what is called a stem change. The present tense endings for these verbs are regular, but there is a vowel change in the verb stem (the part of the verb that comes before -ar, -er, or -ir). Click here to read our article on stem-changing verbs.

Present Indicative Uses

 

The Spanish present tense can be used to talk about habitual actions, routines, things happening now or in the near future, universal truths, facts, hypotheticals, lapses of time, and for ordering in restaurants and stores. Read on for more on each of these uses.

 

Dropping Subject Pronouns

 

Because the endings of Spanish verbs indicate who the subject of an action is, you can often dro the subject pronoun (yo, tú, nosotros, etc.). Many Spanish speakers rarely use personal pronouns, although this varies from country to country.

 

For example, in the sentence Hablo español. (I speak Spanish.), the pronoun yo isn't really necessary. The -o ending tells you who the subject of the verb is.

1. Habitual Actions

 

Habitual actions are activities that a person does every day (or very often) . Daily routines, responsibilities, hobbies, and jobs can be talked about using the present tense.

 

Me levanto a las seis y media cada mañana.

I get up at six thirty every morning.

 

Doy de comer al perro tres veces cada día.

I feed the dog three times each day.

 

Trabajo para el zoológico.

I work for the zoo.

 

Estudio biología en la universidad.

I study biology at the university.

 

2. Things Happening Now

 

In English, something happening at the moment of speaking is usually expressed using the present progressive. In Spanish, both the simple present and the present progressive can be used to talk about things happening now.

 

¿Cómo estás?

How are you doing?

 

Estoy bien, gracias.

I'm doing well, thank you.

 

¿Qué haces?

What are you doing?

 

Limpio la cocina.

I'm cleaning the kitchen.

 

3. Things Happening in the Near Future

 

The Spanish present tense can also be used to talk about things that will happen in the near future.

 

Voy al parque. ¿Vienes?

I'm going to the park. Want to come?

 

Salgo para el aeropuerto en media hora.

I'm leaving for the airport in half an hour.

 

4. Timeless Events/Universal Truths

 

Things that are universally known or generally excepted are often expressed using the simple present. These can be facts, opinions, or proverbs.

 

Uno más uno son dos.

One plus one is two.

 

Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.

Wisdom comes with age. (Literal translation: The devil's wisdom comes more from age than from being the devil.)

 

El hombre es mortal.

Mankind is mortal.

 

5. Hypothetical Situations

 

When used with the conjunction si (if), the present tense can express hypothetical situations and outcomes.

 

Si llega Marcos, salgo.

If Marcos comes, I'm out.

 

Si llueve, la fiesta termina.

If it rains, the party's over.

 

6. Lapses of Time

 

The present tense is commonly used to talk about the amount of time something has been going on. The following formula is used with the present tense for this purpose.

 

hace + time period + que + present tense verb

Hace tres años que esperamos tu llamada.

We've been waiting three years for your call.

 

Hace una semana que pinta este cuadro.

He's been painting this painting for a week.

 

7. Ordering

 

It's also quite common to use the present tense in Spanish when ordering something in a restaurant or store.

 

Me trae un café, por favor.

Would you bring me a coffee, please?

 

Quiero el arroz con pollo.

I would like the chicken and rice.