Indicative · Present

Present Tense

Presente de Indicativo

When to Use the Present Tense

The present tense in Spanish is used to describe actions that are happening now, habitual actions, general truths, and scheduled future events. It's one of the most versatile and commonly used tenses in Spanish.

Regular Verb Conjugations

Spanish verbs are divided into three groups based on their infinitive endings: -AR, -ER, and -IR.

Present Tense Endings

Pronoun-AR verbs-ER verbs-IR verbs
Yo-o-o-o
-as-es-es
Él/Ella/Usted-a-e-e
Nosotros/Nosotras-amos-emos-imos
Vosotros/Vosotras-áis-éis-ís
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes-an-en-en

-AR Verbs: Hablar (to speak)

PronounConjugation
Yohablo
hablas
Él/Ella/Ustedhabla
Nosotros/Nosotrashablamos
Vosotros/Vosotrashabláis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedeshablan

-ER Verbs: Comer (to eat)

PronounConjugation
Yocomo
comes
Él/Ella/Ustedcome
Nosotros/Nosotrascomemos
Vosotros/Vosotrascoméis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedescomen

-IR Verbs: Vivir (to live)

PronounConjugation
Yovivo
vives
Él/Ella/Ustedvive
Nosotros/Nosotrasvivimos
Vosotros/Vosotrasvivís
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedesviven

Examples

  • Yo hablo español. - I speak Spanish.
  • Tú comes pizza todos los días. - You eat pizza every day.
  • Ella vive en Madrid. - She lives in Madrid.
  • Nosotros hablamos inglés. - We speak English.
  • Vosotros coméis mucho. - You all eat a lot.
  • Ellos viven juntos. - They live together.

Irregular Verbs in Present Tense

Important: These categories are useful for learning and organizing irregular verbs, but they don’t always predict how a verb will be conjugated. Always learn each verb together with its specific type of irregularity, it will make everything much easier to remember.

There are three main categories of irregular verbs in the present tense:

1. Super Irregulars (Completely Unpredictable)

These three verbs are completely irregular and must be memorized:

Ser (to be)

Yosoy
eres
Él/Ella/Ustedes
Nosotrossomos
Vosotrossois
Ellos/Ustedesson

Ir (to go)

Yovoy
vas
Él/Ella/Ustedva
Nosotrosvamos
Vosotrosvais
Ellos/Ustedesvan

Haber (to have - auxiliary)

Yohe
has
Él/Ella/Ustedha
Nosotroshemos
Vosotroshabéis
Ellos/Ustedeshan

2. Yo Irregulars (Only "Yo" Form is Irregular)

These verbs are only irregular in the "yo" form. The rest follow regular patterns.

-acer, -ecer, -ocer, -ucir verbs → -zco

Examples:

Conocer (to know)

Yo → conozco

Parecer (to seem)

Yo → parezco

Producir (to produce)

Yo → produzco

Plus: nacer, crecer, vencer, reducir, conducir, traducir, etc.

Other Yo Irregulars

Examples:

Ver (to see)

Yo → veo

Hacer (to do/make)

Yo → hago

Poner (to put)

Yo → pongo

Salir (to leave)

Yo → salgo

Traer (to bring)

Yo → traigo

Also: valer, caber, caer, oír, and others.

3. Stem-Changing Verbs (All Forms Except Nosotros & Vosotros)

These verbs change their stem vowel in most forms, but nosotros and vosotros remain regular.

e → i

Examples:

Pedir (to ask for)

pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden

Vestir (to dress)

visto, vistes, viste, vestimos, vestís, visten

Plus: servir, repetir, seguir, conseguir, elegir, medir, reír, sonreír, etc.

e → ie

Examples:

Sentir (to feel)

siento, sientes, siente, sentimos, sentís, sienten

Mentir (to lie)

miento, mientes, miente, mentimos, mentís, mienten

Calentar (to heat)

caliento, calientas, calienta, calentamos, calentáis, calientan

Also: pensar, querer, cerrar, empezar, entender, perder, preferir, despertar, etc.

o → ue

Examples:

Poder (can/to be able)

puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden

Dormir (to sleep)

duermo, duermes, duerme, dormimos, dormís, duermen

Soñar (to dream)

sueño, sueñas, sueña, soñamos, soñáis, sueñan

Plus: volver, encontrar, recordar, contar, mostrar, probar, costar, almorzar, etc.

Exception: u → ue

Jugar (to play)

juego, juegas, juega, jugamos, jugáis, juegan

⚠️ Jugar is the only verb with this pattern!

Hybrid Verbs (Multiple Irregularities)

These verbs combine yo-form irregularities with stem changes, making them extra special:

Tener (to have)

Yotengo
tienes
Él/Ella/Ustedtiene
Nosotrostenemos
Vosotrostenéis
Ellos/Ustedestienen

Venir (to come)

Yovengo
vienes
Él/Ella/Ustedviene
Nosotrosvenimos
Vosotrosvenís
Ellos/Ustedesvienen

Decir (to say/tell)

Yodigo
dices
Él/Ella/Usteddice
Nosotrosdecimos
Vosotrosdecís
Ellos/Ustedesdicen

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