Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish present tense (el presente de indicativo) is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur regularly. Spanish verbs are grouped into three conjugation classes based on their infinitive endings:
- ‑ar verbs (e.g., hablar – to speak)
- ‑er verbs (e.g., comer – to eat)
- ‑ir verbs (e.g., vivir – to live)
To form the present tense, remove the infinitive ending and add the appropriate endings. The following charts show the regular present‑tense endings according to an explanation from Lingoda:
| Pronoun | ‑ar ending | ‑er ending | ‑ir ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | ‑o | ‑o | ‑o |
| tú (you, informal) | ‑as | ‑es | ‑es |
| él/ella/usted (he/she/you formal) | ‑a | ‑e | ‑e |
| nosotros/as (we) | ‑amos | ‑emos | ‑imos |
| vosotros/as (you all, informal Spain) | ‑áis | ‑éis | ‑ís |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes (they/you all) | ‑an | ‑en | ‑en |
For example:
- Hablar → Yo hablo, tú hablas, nosotros hablamos, etc.
- Comer → Yo como, tú comes, nosotros comemos, etc.
- Vivir → Yo vivo, tú vives, nosotros vivimos, etc.
Some verbs are irregular and change their stem or endings in the present tense. For example, ser (to be) and ir (to go) have irregular forms. We’ll explore irregular verbs in a separate lesson, but for now practice the regular patterns using common verbs.