Present (e.g.: yo hablo)

An Overview of the Present Tense:

The present verb form usually indicates an action that takes place in the present (veo la televisión). However, it can also describe actions that are generally true (trabajo con mi padre) and can even be used for events that have not yet happened (e.g.: llego mañana).

To master writing verbs in the present tense, you need to learn the correct verb endings. In Spanish, a verb’s ending varies according to two main factors: a) the subject (e.g. yo hablo) and b) the kind of infinitive (-ar, -er, -ir). Let’s examine the different kinds of verbs (in the infinitive), and their corresponding endings for the different kinds of subjects. The relevant verb catgories are:

1. -ar verbs, like hablar, preguntar, etc.
2. -er verbs like comer, vender, etc.
3. -ir verbs like partir, escribir, etc.
4. Stem changing verbs, like pensar, pedir, etc.
5. irregular verbs, like ser, hacer and ir.

Let’s look at how each of these works in the present tense for different kinds of subjects (the other tenses are much more straightforward).

1. -ar verbs, like hablar, preguntar, etc.

The following table shows the endings for -ar verbs, e.g.: hablar:

Points to keep in mind for -ar verbs in the present tense:

* Yo verb forms always end in -o (NEVER in -a or -s).

* Tú verb forms always end in -as (NEVER in just -a).

* Él,ella, and usted, always end in -a (NEVER in -as).

* Nosotros always ends in -amos.

* Vosotros always ends in -áis.

* Ellos, Ellas and Ustedes always end in -an.

*the root (to which you attach the endings) is simply the infinitive, minus the -ar ending, e.g.: the root of hablar is habl-. However, a number of common -ar verbs do involve a stem change for all persons other than nosotros and vosotros (see section 4 below).

2. -er verbs like vender, entender, etc.

The following table shows the endings for -er verbs, e.g.: vender:

Points to keep in mind for -er verbs in the present tense:

* Yo verb forms always end in -o (NEVER in -e or -s).

* Tú verb forms always end in -es (NEVER in just -e).

* Él,ella, and usted, always end in -e (NEVER in -es).

* Nosotros always ends in -emos.

* Vosotros always ends in -éis.

* Ellos, Ellas and Ustedes always end in -en.

*the root form tends to be based on the infinitive, minus the -er ending, e.g.: the root of vender is vend-. However, a number of common -er verbs do involve a stem change for all persons other than nosotros and vosotros (see section 4 below).

3. -ir verbs like escribir, compartir, etc.

The following table shows the endings for -ir verbs, e.g.: sortir:

Points to keep in mind for -ir verbs in the present tense:

* Yo verb forms always end in -o (NEVER in -e or -s).

* Tú verb forms always end in -es (NEVER in just -e).

* Él,ella, and usted, always end in -e (NEVER in -es).

* Nosotros always ends in -imos.

* Vosotros always ends in -ís.

* Ellos, Ellas and Ustedes always end in -en.

*The root form tends to be based on the infinitive, minus the -ir ending, e.g.: the root of escribir is escrib-. However, many common -ir verbs do involve a stem change for all persons other than nosotros and vosotros (see section 4 below).

4. Stem Changing Verbs, like pensar, poder, mentir

Many Spanish verbs modify the root of the infinitive when conjugated. Three main changes occur:

• e > ie, e.g.: pensar > pienso
• e > i, e.g.: pedir > pido
• o > ue, e.g.: poder > puedo

The change involves all persons except nosotros and vosotros (although the yo form of some irregular verbs works differently, e.g.: yo tengo/él tiene). The following tables list the most common verbs that involve a stem change:

Stem Changes e > ie

Stem change o > ue

Stem change e > i

5. Irregular verbs, like ser, estoy, saber and ir.

Some of the most frequent verbs in Spanish are also the most irregular in the sense that they don't follow a predictable pattern (particulary for the yo forms). Still, since they are highly frequent, you must learn them. The most common ones are: ser, estar, tener, hacer, saber, ir, decir and dar. The conjugation of these verbs is provided in the following tables:

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