The present tense in Spanish, although not the easiest, is the most basic tense that exists in the whole language. In this article, I’ll give you tips that I wish I had before learning these conjugations, and I’ll show you some tricks and example sentences.
After you leave this article, you’ll understand the basics, and the most advanced uses for these conjugations.
Are you ready to level up your Spanish?
¡Vamos!
What Is The Present Tense?
The present tense is used to talk about habitual actions in the simplest way. For example: “I eat a hamburger.” The present tense in Spanish can be used for SO MUCH more than it can in English. Check out the section below and you’ll learn the secret nobody wants you to know.
Present Tense Tricks In Spanish
his is a secret that nobody will tell you, and they might hate me for letting you know without experiencing it for yourself. But check it out, all of these sentences can be expressed with the same tense in Spanish, check it out!
Yo como un hamburguesa means...
I eat a hamburger
I am eating a hamburger
I will eat a hamburger
What? How? Why?
I don’t know, friend, but it’s the truth, let’s look at more examples of this below so that you can master the use of this tense. Ready? Vamos.
Use The Present Tense In Place Of The Present Progressive
The present progressive is used to talk about actions that are happening right now, like saying “I am eating a hamburger.” This tense is interchangeable with the present tense in Spanish. Check out these examples:
Ey bro, ¿qué haces? (Hey bro, what are you doing?)
Como un hamburguesa hermano (I am eating a hamburger brother)
Yo escribo una canción (I am writing a song)
Ella habla mucho (She is talking a lot)
Use The Present Tense To Speak About The Future
The present tense can be used to speak about the future too? What the heck? But for real, I’m not pulling your leg. Not many people would tell you this, but I want you to be ready for the real world Spanish - because this shocked the heck out of me!
When natives are speaking about the near future with the present tense, they just add a time, day, or week, for example:
Mañana como un hamburguesa
(Tomorrow I will eat a hamburger)
Hablo con ella la semana que viene
(I will talk with her next week)
Hablamos el viernes
(We’ll talk on friday)
Nos vemos el año que viene
(We’ll see each other next year)
Common Present Conjugations Endings
The most common present tense endings are super simple - but hold your horses! There are tons of exceptions (dang!). Luckily, the many verbs that don’t follow these rules have their own patterns.
Let’s take a look at the most common endings, and then the other patterns that exist. ¡Vamos!
Common Present Tense Verb Endings For AR verbs
Subject | Verb Ending |
Yo (I) | O |
Tú (You) | AS |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | A |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | AN |
Nosotros/as (We) | AMOS |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | ÁIS |
Example: Hablar
Yo hablo
Tú hablas
Él habla
Ellos hablan
Nosotros hablamos
Vosotros habláis
Common Present Tense Verb Endings For ER verbs
Subject | Verb Ending |
Yo (I) | O |
Tú (You) | ES |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | E |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | EN |
Nosotros/as (We) | EMOS |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | ÉIS |
Example: Comer
Yo como
Tú comes
Ella come
Ellos comen
Nosotros comemos
Vosotros coméis
Common Present Tense Verb Endings For IR verbs
Subject | Verb Ending |
Yo (I) | O |
Tú (You) | ES |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | E |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | EN |
Nosotros/as (We) | IMOS |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | ÍS |
Example: Vivir
Yo vivo
Tú vives
Usted vive
Ellas viven
Nosotros vivimos
Vosotros vivís
Exception #1 Present Tense Patterns CIR & CER
Whenever a verb ends in CIR or CER (Traducir, Conocer) we add ZCO to the first person (Yo). For example:
Yo conozco (Conocer)
Yo conduzco (Conducir)
Traduzco (Traducir)
Produzco (Produir)
Agradezco (Agradecer)
Permanezco (Permanecer)
Exception #2 Present Tense Patterns GO
Some words for the first person (Yo) will end in GO, for example:
Hago (Hacer)
Pongo (Poner)
Propongo (Proponer)
Salgo (Salir)
Valgo (Valer)
Exception #3 Present Tense Patterns UE
Sometimes, you’ll see some words that throw UE in the middle of the word. Let’s take a look:
Almuerzo (Almorzar)
Juego (Jugar)
Vuelvo (Volver)
Resuelvo (Resolver)
Vuelo (Volar)
Exception #4 Present Tense Patterns IE
Another very common change in vowels for present tense verbs is IE. Here are some examples of this change:
Tiene (Tener)
Pienso (Pensar)
Siento (Sentir)
Entiendo (Entender)
Empiezo (Empezar)
10 Common Spanish Verbs In The Present Tense
These are 10 extremely common verbs conjugated for the present tense. Just look them over, friend, no need to stress over things that you will acquire through time and exposure :)
Hablar (To speak)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Hablo |
Tú (You) | Hablas |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Habla |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Hablan |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hablamos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Habláis |
Escribir (To write)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Escribo |
Tú (You) | Escribes |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Escribe |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Escriben |
Nosotros/as (We) | Escribimos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Escribís |
Tener (To have)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Tengo |
Tú (You) | Tienes |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Tiene |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Tienen |
Nosotros/as (We) | Tenemos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Tenéis |
Vivir (To live)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Vivo |
Tú (You) | Vives |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Vive |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Viven |
Nosotros/as (We) | Vivimos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Vivís |
Intentar (To try)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Intento |
Tú (You) | Intentas |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Intenta |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Intentan |
Nosotros/as (We) | Intentamos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Intentáis |
Aprender (To learn)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Aprendo |
Tú (You) | Aprendes |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Aprende |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Aprenden |
Nosotros/as (We) | Aprendemos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Aprendéis |
Ser (To be)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Soy |
Tú (You) | Eres |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Es |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Son |
Nosotros/as (We) | Somos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Sois |
Estar (To be)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Estoy |
Tú (You) | Estás |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Está |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Están |
Nosotros/as (We) | Estamos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Estáis |
Hacer (To do)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Hago |
Tú (You) | Haces |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hace |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Hacen |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hacemos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hacéis |
Ir (To go)
Subject | Verb In The Present Tense |
Yo (I) | Voy |
Tú (You) | Vas |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Va |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (Them/You-Plural) | Van |
Nosotros/as (We) | Vamos |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Vais |
Example Sentences In The Present Tense
If you want to acquire the conjugations for the Spanish present tense, I suggest that you write these sentences down. This will help you remember how to spell them, and it will make it easier to produce them when you're speaking. You got this friend, I believe in you!
Yo hablo con ella cada mañana | I talk with her everyday |
Ella escribe un libro | She writes a book |
Tenemos doce años | We are 12 years old |
Ella me dice que no | She says no to me |
Intento aprender cada día | I try to learn every day |
Aprendo cosas nuevas | I learn new things |
Ella es doctora | She is a doctor |
Estamos aburridos | We are bored |
Yo hago el desayuno | I make the breakfast |
Tú vives en el sur | You live in the south |
Conclusion: The Spanish Present Tense
In conclusion, the present tense in Spanish is much more than just a normal “present tense.” In fact, it can be used to talk about the near future, the present, and can replace the present progressive tense [Ex. I’m running].
Although there are some variations in the tense structure, there are some tricks that we can use that give consistency to these “abnormalities.”
If you are interested in taking your Spanish to the next level, check out the future tense article I did - BTW, it’s the easiest tense in the whole language.
Thanks for stopping by, keep acquiring the Spanish language, and I’ll see you on the beach in Cancún. ¡Hasta luego!