Overview

Usually the first tense everyone learns when learning a new language, the present tense (el presente) opens up many doors to communication providing a manner to ask questions, describe someone, regular activities, abilities, and present actions.

Quick links:

• Uses
• Regular Conjugations
• Spelling Changes
• Stem Changes
• Irregular Conjugations
• Exercises

Uses

The present tense in Spanish is used to express several English equivalents which may seem unnatural at first, but with practice, using the present tense will seem like second nature.

1. Habitual Actions

Habitual actions are the activities that a person does every day (or very often) for a long period of time. Daily routines, responsibilities, and job-related activities can be expressed this way.

• Me acuesto 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. Single Present Tense Events

In English and Spanish, this is usually expressed using the present progressive, but it is possible to use the present tense in Spanish as well.

• ¿Qué haces? (What are you doing?)
• Limpo la cocina. (I´m cleaning the kitchen.)
• ¿Cómo estás? (How are you doing?)
• Estoy bien, gracias. (I´m doing well, thank you.)

3. Timeless Events/Universal Truths

These are phrases that are not connected to a specific time, but are generally known. These can be facts, or generally accepted opinions.

• Uno más uno son dos. (One plus one is two.)
• La verdad es el amor. (The truth is love.)
• El hombre es mortal. (Man-kind is mortal.)

4. Hypothetical Situations

When introduced by si, the present tense expresses a hypothetical situation and reaction.

• Si llega Marcos, salgo. (If Marcos arrives, I leave.)
• Si llueve, la fiesta termina. (If it rains, the party ends.)

5. Past Tense Events that Continue to the Present

There are certain situations that may have begun in the past, but are still going on in the present. These are expressed using:

Time Affects Us Now

hace + time + 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.)

Present Tense

To conjugate a verb in the present tense, you must first determine which type of verb is to be conjugated, be it an -ar, -er, or -ir verb, a spelling-changing, a stem-changing, or an irregular verb. The first three, which are regular, are described below. You can find spelling-changing verbs, stem-changing verbs, and irregular verbs below.

The second step in conjugating a verb is to determine its stem, or root. The stem of the verb holds the meaning of the verb. To find the stem, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir).

• Hablar -> Habl-
• Comer -> Com-
• Escribir -> Escrib-

To end of the stem, add the appropriate ending depending on who the subject of the verb is. The ending indicates who is doing the action at what point in time. The ending will also depend on which verb group the verb belongs to (-ar, -er, -ir). The endings to these categories are described below.

No Pronouns Allowed!

Because the endings of each verb indicate the subject of the verb, the personal pronoun is not necessary and should be avoided if possible. Native Spanish-speakers RARELY use personal pronouns, so it's best to practice NOT using them for fluency's sake.

• Hablo español. (I speak Spanish.) is better than:
• Yo hablo español. (I speak Spanish.)

1. AR Verbs

To conjugate an -ar verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ar) to leave the stem, and add the appropriate ending depending on the subject.

AR Verb Endings

singular		plural
yo	-o	nosotros	-amos
tú	-as	vosotros	-áis
usted, él, ella	-a	ustedes, ellos, ellas	-an

Hablar -> Habl-

singular			plural
yo	hablo	I speak	nosotros	hablamos	We speak
tú	hablas	You (familiar) speak	vosotros	habláis	You (familiar) speak
usted, él, ella	habla	You (formal) speak, He/She speaks	ustedes, ellos, ellas	hablan	You (formal) speak, They speak

AR Verbs Dominate

The majority of all Spanish verbs are -ar verbs.

2. ER Verbs

To conjugate an -er verb, remove the infinitive ending (-er) to leave the stem, and add the appropriate ending depending on the subject.

ER Verb Endings

singular		plural
yo	-o	nosotros	-emos
tú	-es	vosotros	-éis
usted, él, ella	-e	ustedes, ellos, ellas	-en

Comer -> Com-

singular			plural
yo	como	I eat	nosotros	comemos	We eat
tú	comes	You (familiar) eat	vosotros	coméis	You (familiar) eat
usted, él, ella	come	You (formal) eat, He/She eats	ustedes, ellos, ellas	comen	You (formal) eat, They eat

3. IR Verbs

To conjugate an -ir verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ir) to leave the stem, and add the appropriate ending depending on the subject.

IR Verb Endings

singular		plural
yo	-o	nosotros	-imos
tú	-es	vosotros	-ís
usted, él, ella	-e	ustedes, ellos, ellas	-en

Copy Cat Endings

Notice that -ir verbs have the same conjugations as -er verbs for all persons except nosotros and vosotros. You may hear this referred to as "the boot" since when you look at the conjugation chart, the persons that are the same as -er endings form the shape of a boot.

Escribir -> Escrib-

singular			plural
yo	escribo	I write	nosotros	escribimos	We write
tú	escribes	You (familiar) write	vosotros	escribís	You (familiar) write
usted, él, ella	escribe	You (formal) write, He/She writes	ustedes, ellos, ellas	escriben	You (formal) write, They write

Spelling-Changing Verbs

Spanish has several verbs whose spelling changes in order to preserve the pronunciation presented in the infinitive. Below you will find several rules for when the spelling changes in a verb conjugation. If memorizing the rules is too confusing or just too much information, remember that most spellings only changes to preserve the original pronunciation of the infinitive. If you hear a G sound in the infinitive, make sure the spelling reflects that same sound in all the conjugations.

1. Verbs ending in -ger or -gir

In the first person singular, the g changes to a j to preserve the [h] (IPA /x/) sound.

Example Conjugations

proteger - to protect			fingir - to pretend
protejo	protegemos		finjo	fingimos
proteges	protegéis		finges	fingís
protege	protegen		finge	fingen

Some Common g -> j Verbs

acoger	to greet	escoger	to choose	resurgir	to re-emerge
afligir	to afflict	exigir	to demand	rugir	to roar
coger	to catch, grab	fingir	to prentend	sumergir	to submurge
corregir	to correct	infringir	to infringe	surgir	to emerge
dirigir	to direct	proteger	to protect	urgir	to urge
emerger	to emerge	recoger	to pick up
encoger	to shrink	restringir	to restrain

2. Verbs that end in -guir

In the first person singular, the gu changes to g to preserve the /g/ sound (and prevent a /w/ sound by creating a [uo] combination).

Example Conjugations

distinguir - to distinguish
distingo	distinguimos
distingues	distinguís
distingue	distinguen

Some Common -gu -> g Verbs

distinguir	to distinguish	perseguir	to pursue/go after
conseguir	to come by/get	proseguir	to proceed
erguir	to build	seguir	to follow
extinguir	to extinguish

Spelling Change + Stem Change

These verbs also have stem change.

3. Verbs that end in -uir (without a g)

Between vowels, an unstressed i always changes to a y.

Conjugation Example

concluir - to conclude
concluyo	concluimos
concluyes	concluís
concluye	concluyen

Some Common i -> y Verbs

argüir	to argue	destruir	to destroy	influir	to influence
atribuir	to argue	diluir	to dilute	intuir	to intuit
constituir	to constitute	disminuir	to diminish	obstruir	to obstruct
construir	to construct	distribuir	to distribute	recluir	to confine
contribuir	to contribuite	huir	to run away	reconstruir	to reconstruct
destituir	to dismiss	incluir	to include	sustituir	to substitute

4. Verbs that end in -cer or -cir

If the stem ends in a consonant, the c changes to a z in the first person singular to preserve the /s/ or [th]sound (IPA [?]) and prevent the /k/ sound of the [co] combination.)

Conjugation Example

fruncir - to frown
frunzo	fruncimos
frunces	fruncís
frunce	fruncen

Some Common c -> z Verbs ||||| |-|-|-|-| | convencer | to convince | fruncir | to frown | | ejercer | to exert | vencer | to vanquish | | esparcir | to disperse | zurcir | to darn | If the stem ends in a vowel, a z is added before the c.

Conjugation Example

conocer - to know
conozco	conocimos
conoces	conocís
conoce	conocen

Some Common c -> zc Verbs

aborrecer	to detest	deducir	to deduce	producir	to produce
agradecer	to thank	desaparecer	to disappear	nacer	to be born
aparecer	to appear	desconocer	to ignore	reaparecer	reappear
apetecer	to feel an urge for	establecer	to establish	reconocer	to recognize
complacer	to satisfy	inducir	to induce	reducir	to reduce
conducir	to drive	introducir	to introduce	restablecer	to restore
conocer	to know/meet	merecer	to deserve	rejuvenecer	to rejuvenate
crecer	to grow	obedecer	to obey	traducir	to translate

Exceptions!

Hacer, decir, and satisfacer do not follow the c->zc rule. Instead, the c changes to a g in the first person singular:>

Conjugation Examples

decir - to say			hacer - to do | | | satisafacer - to satisfy | | digo | decimos | | hago | hacemos | | satisfago | satisfacemos
dices	decís		haces | hacéis | | satisfaces | satisfacéis
dice	dicen		hace | hacen | | satisface | satisfacen

Other Verbs that Add g in the 1st Person

asir -> asgo	to sieze	salir -> salgo	to leave
oír -> oigo	to hear	tener -> tengo	to have
poner -> pongo	to put	valer -> valgo	to cost

Stem-Changing Verbs

In all three conjugations of verbs (-ar, -er, and -ir) there are some verbs whose vowels change within the stem. These stem-changes occur in all persons except nosostros and vosotros. These two persons maintain the regular stem. There are six varieties of stem-changes: o->ue, e -> ie, e -> i, i -> ie, u -> ue, o -> hue. Each of these are described below with examples.

1. e to ie

This is the most common stem change for Spanish verbs.

Conjugation Example

quiero - to want
quiero	queremos
quieres	queréis
quiere	quieren

The Boot!

As you can see, the stem change is only applied in 1st, 2nd, 3rd person singular and 3rd person plural, forming the shape of a boot in the conjugation chart. The "boot" is a good way to remember which persons have the stem change.

Some Common e -> ie Verbs

acertar	to guess	divertirse	to have fun	pensar (en)	to think (about)
atender	to attend to	empezar	to begin	perder	to lose
atravesar	to cross	encender	to light/ignite, to turn on	preferir	to prefer
calentar	to warm	encerrar	to enclose	querer	to want
cerrar	to close	entender	to understand	recomendar	to recommend
comenzar	to begin	fregar	to scrub/wash	remender	to mend/patch
confesar	to confess	gobernar	to govern	sentar (se)	to sit down
conseguir	to get	helar	to freeze	sentir	to feel
defender	to defend	mentir	to lie	sugerir	to suggest
descender	to descend	negar	to deny	tropezar (con)	to stumble (into, across)
despertar (se)	to wake up	nevear	to snow

1. o to ue

This is the 2nd most common stem change after i->ie.

Conjugation Example

| soñar - to dream | | |-|-| | sueño | soñamos | | sueñas | soñáis | | sueña | sueñan | Some Common o -> ue Verbs

absolver	to absolve	doler	to hurt	recordar	to remember
acordarse (de)	to go to bed	dormir	to sleep	remover	to remove
almorzar	to have lunch	encontrar	to find	resolver	to resolve
aprobar	to approve	envolver	to wrap	retorcer	to twist
cocer	to boil/bake	llover	to rain	revolver	to mix/shake
colgar	to hang (up)	morder	to bite	rogar	to beg
conmover	to move (emotionally)	moler	to grind	soler	to be accustomed to
contar	to count	morir	to die	sonar	to sound
costar	to cost	mostrar	to show	soñar	to dream
demoler	to demolish	mover	to move	torcer	to twist
demostrar	to demonstrate/prove	poder	to be able to	tronar	to thunder
devolver	to return (something)	probar	to taste, to prove	volar	to fly
disolver	to dissolve	promover	to promote

3. e to i

Conjugation Example

repetir - to repeat
repito	repetimos
repites	repetís
repite	repiten

Some Common e -> i Verbs

conseguir	to get	repetir	to repeat
corregir	to correct	reírse (de)	to laugh/100064/to make fun of
despedir	to fire/100064/to say goodbye	seguir	to follow
elegir	to elect	servir	to serve
impedir	to impede	sonreírse	to smile
medir	to measure	vestirse	to get dressed
perseguir	to follow

4. i to ie

There are only only two commonly used verbs whose stem changes from i to ie:

Conjugation Examples

adquirir - to acquire			inquirir - to inquire
adquiero	adquirimos		inquiero	inquirimos
adquieres	adquirís		inquieres	inquirís
adquiere	adquieren		inquiere	inquieren

5. u to ue

There is only one commonly used verb whose stem changes from u to ue, and it is a very common verb.

Conjugation Example

jugar - to play
juego	jugamos
juegas	jugáis
juegas	juegan

6. o to hue

There is only one commonly used verb whose stem changes from o to hue.

Conjugation Example

oler - to smell
huelo	olemos
hueles	oléis
huele	huelen

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs can fall into two categories in the present indicative: irregular in the yo form, or irregular in all forms.

Irregular in the Yo Form

As in every language there will be verbs that do not seem to follow any of the rules. Irregular verbs are verbs that violate conjugation rules for one or more persons and do not fall into any of the stem-changing or spelling-changing categories. And unfortunately, these are usually the most useful and regularly used words in the language. The following words are irregular only in the yo form. They are regular in all other conjugations.

Irregular Yo Conjugations

infinititve	yo form	definition
caber	quepo	to fit
caer	caigo	to fall
dar	doy	to give
saber	sé	to know
traer	traigo	to bring
ver	veo	to see

The Compounds Count Too!

The compounds of these verbs are also irregular in the yo form:

• componer, deshacer, disponer, distraer, proponer, rehacer, reponer, suponer

Irregular in All Forms

There are only four verbs irregular in all forms in the present tense, but they may be the four most useful and used verbs in Spanish.

Irregular Conjugations

	ser (to be)	estar (to be)	ir (to go)	haber (to have (done))
yo	soy	estoy	voy	he
tú	eres	estás	vas	has
usted, él, ella	es	está	va	ha
nosotros	somos	estamos	vamos	hemos
vosotros	sois	estáis	vais	habéis
ustedes, ellos, ellas	son	están	van	han

To Be or To Be?

To see the difference between ser and estar, see the Ser vs. Estar reference.

To Have, but Not Possess

To see how to use the verb haber, see the perfect tense reference.

Uses

The present tense in Spanish is used to express several English equivalents which may seem unnatural at first, but with practice, using the present tense will seem like second nature.

1. Habitual Actions

Habitual actions are the activities that a person does every day (or very often) for a long period of time. Daily routines, responsibilities, and job-related activities can be expressed this way.

• Me acuesto 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. Single Present Tense Events

In English and Spanish, this is usually expressed using the present progressive, but it is possible to use the present tense in Spanish as well.

• ¿Qué haces? (What are you doing?)
• Limpo la cocina. (I´m cleaning the kitchen.)
• ¿Cómo estás? (How are you doing?)
• Estoy bien, gracias. (I´m doing well, thank you.)

3. Timeless Events/Universal Truths

These are phrases that are not connected to a specific time, but are generally known. These can be facts, or generally accepted opinions.

• Uno más uno son dos. (One plus one is two.)
• La verdad es el amor. (The truth is love.)
• El hombre es mortal. (Man-kind is mortal.)

4. Hypothetical Situations

When introduced by si, the present tense expresses a hypothetical situation and reaction.

• Si llega Marcos, salgo. (If Marcos arrives, I leave.)
• Si llueve, la fiesta termina. (If it rains, the party ends.)

5. Past Tense Events that Continue to the Present

There are certain situations that may have begun in the past, but are still going on in the present. These are expressed using:

Time Affects Us Now

hace + time + 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.)

Exercises

Part 1) Regular Present Indicative - Write the form of the present tense for each verb in parenthesis to complete the sentences.

Example: Mi hermana ___|\___|\___|\___|_ (estudiar) en la universidad. -> estudia

1. Mis vecinos ___|\___|\___|\___|__ (leer) los periódicos cada mañana.
2. Y tú, ¿___|\___|\___|\___|__ (hablar) español?
3. Mi madre y yo ___|\___|\___|\___|__ (cocinar) un pastel grande para el cumpleaños de mi padre.
4. Elena siempre ___|\___|\___|\___|\___| (correr) por las mañanas.
5. Yo ___|\___|\___|\___|_ (beber) café con leche.
6. Ella ___|\___|\___|\___|\___| (comer) solamente vegetales.
7. María y Juan ___|\___|\___|\___|__ (mirar) los programas de noticias a las seis.
8. Hace 9 años que yo ___|\___|\___|\___|\___| (estudiar) español.

Part 2: Spelling Changes - Complete the following sentences in the present tense using the verb in parenthesis.

Example: Yo (aborrecer) los días fríos. -> aborrezco

1. La lluvia (destruir) los castillos de arena.
2. Yo (proteger) mis derechos.
3. Yo nunca (conducir) los camiones.
4. Yo siempre (convencer) mis amigos de mis ideas.
5. Yo (tener) que lavar los platos.

Part 3: Stem Changes - Complete each sentence in the present tense with the following stem-changing verbs.

Example: Yo (almorzar) cada día en el café cerca de mi oficina. -> almuerzo

1. Yo (pensar) que voy al cine esta noche.
2. Mi profesor siempre (repetir) las respuestas tres veces.
3. Si tú no (elegir) a alguien pronto, vas a quedarte soltero.
4. ¿Cómo (sentir) tú?
5. Su padre (inquirir) sobre lo ocurrido anoche.
6. Los perros (oler) las ardillas en el parque.
7. Él (jugar) al fútbol los martes y los jueves.
8. Yo no (recordar) muy bien las letras de esa canción.

Part 4: Irregular - Conjugate each irregular verb in parenthesis in the present tense to complete each sentence.

Example: Siempre (decir) la verdad. -> digo

1. Yo no (caber) en estos pantalones.
2. Yo (ver) a mi hermana allí.
3. Ella (estar) en su dormitorio.
4. Nosotros (ir) a ir al parque esta tarde.
5. Yo (saber) la respuesta.
6. Tú (ser) inteligente, cómica y guapa.
7. Siempre yo (traer) el postre a las fiestas.
8. Yo (dar) los mejores regalos por la Navidad.
9. Mi hermana (haber) viajado a Marruecos muchas veces.
10. Yo no puedo bailar. Siempre (caer).

Answers

Part 1 - Regular present indicative

1. leen
2. hablas
3. cocinamos
4. corre
5. bebo
6. come
7. miran
8. estudio

Part 2 - Spelling Changes

1. destruye
2. protejo
3. conduzco
4. convenzo
5. tengo

Part 3 - Stem Changes

1. pienso
2. repite
3. eliges
4. sientes
5. inquiere
6. huelen
7. juega
8. recuerdo

Part 4 - Irregular

1. quepo
2. veo
3. está
4. vamos
5. sé
6. eres
7. traigo
8. doy
9. ha
10. caigo