Present Tense

In this topic we will look at some useful Spanish verbs and learn the rules of how to use verbs in Present Tense.

In recent lessons we have been practicing using Ser, Estar, Tener, and Querer for all persons (Yo, Tú, Él, Ella, Nosotros/as, Vosotros/as, Ellos/as). Ser, Estar, Tener, and Querer are all verbs. Verbs are words that describe an action, state or occurrence and every sentence has one. We will now see some more common Spanish verbs and learn how to use them in the Spanish Present Tense.

Hablar: To speak
Trabajar: To work
Escuchar: To listen to
Comprar: To buy
Comer: To eat
Beber: To drink
Leer: To read
Comprender: To understand
Vivir: To live
Escribir: To write

Regular Verbs

All of these verbs are “regular” Spanish verbs in the present tense. “Regular verbs” are verbs that are all conjugated (endings changed) following the same rules. The majority of verbs are regular, but there are also irregular Spanish verbs which do not follow the same patterns. Learning the patterns of how to conjugate verbs is an important part of learning Spanish.

Present tense

We will begin by learning the patterns/conjugations for Spanish present tense with regular verbs. We aren’t going to talk about things in the future or past yet. Describing things in different tenses requires different patterns/conjugations and we will learn the rules for speaking in the future and past later in the course. Present tense is when we describe things that we usually/generally do. For example: Yo como pizza los martes (I eat pizza on Tuesdays) or Ella trabaja en una escuela (She works in a school).

Here are the rules of how to conjugate regular verbs in present tense:

(All Spanish verbs finish in -AR, -ER or –IR. With regular verbs you remove the final -AR, -ER, or -IR and add the correct ending for whichever person is doing the action of the verb.)

-AR endings:
-o: (Yo) Hablo (I speak) / Trabajo (I work) / Escucho (I listen) / Compro (I buy)
-as: (Tú) Hablas (you speak) / Trabajas (you work) / Escuchas (you listen) / Compras (you buy)
-a: (Él/Ella) Habla (he/she speaks) / Trabaja (he/she works) / Escucha (he/she listens) / Compra (he/she buys)
-amos: (Nosotros/as) Hablamos (we speak) / Trabajamos (we work) / Escuchamos (we listen) / Compramos (we buy)
-áis: (Vosotros/as) Habláis (you speak) / Trabajáis (you work) / Escucháis (you listen) / Compráis (you buy) (plural)
-an: (Ellos/as) Hablan (they speak) / Trabajan (they work) / Escuchan (they listen) / Compran (they buy)

-ER endings:
-o: (Yo) Como (I eat) / Bebo (I drink) / Leo (I read) / Comprendo (I understand)
-es: (Tú) Comes (you eat) / Bebes (you drink) / Lees (you read) / Comprendes (you understand)
-e: (Él/Ella) Come (he/she eats) / Bebe (he/she drinks) / Lee (he/she reads) / Comprende (he/she understands)
-emos: (Nosotros/as) Comemos (we eat) / Bebemos (we drink) / Leemos (we read) / Comprendemos (we understand)
-éis: (Vosotros/as) Coméis (you eat) / Bebéis (you drink) / Leéis (you read) / Comprendéis (you understand) (plural)
-en: (Ellos/as) Comen (they eat) / Beben (they drink) / Leen (they read) / Comprenden (they understand)

-IR endings:
-o: (Yo) Vivo (I live) / Escribo (I write)
-es: (Tú) Vives (you live) / Escribes (you write)
-e: (Él/Ella) Vive (he/she lives) / Escribe (he/she writes)
-imos: (Nosotros/as) Vivimos (we live) / Escribimos (we write)
-ís: (Vosotros/as) Vivís (you live) / Escribís (you write) (plural)
-en: (Ellos/as) Viven (they live) / Escriben (they write)

Little by little

This may seem a lot to take in at first glance, but you don’t have to try to learn everything right away. Give yourself time and aim to practice steadily, little by little. Practice saying and writing sentences for the first person Yo/I initially and see how you get on conjugating the regular verbs we have seen here. Once you get a bit more confident, try conjugating sentences using Tú/You. And remember the great positive that once you remember these patterns you are able to apply them to a vast range of different scenarios. You will need to learn or look up more regular verbs, but once you know the verb, you can be sure on how to conjugate it. We will practice lots with these same rules in upcoming topics.

Some students find it helpful to have a simplified version of the conjugation pattern:

Yo: -o
Tú: -as/-es
Él/Ella: -a/-e
Nosotros/as: -amos/-emos/-imos
Vosotros/as: -áis/-éis/-ís
Ellos/Ellas: -an/-en