Regular Verbs: Present Tense in Spanish

This section explains Present Tense Regular Verbs in Spanish. In Spanish, the present tense (el presente) is used to describe actions that are happening now, habitual actions, or general truths. Spanish regular verbs are divided into three groups based on their endings:

1. -ar verbs (e.g. hablar - to talk)
2. -er verbs (e.g. comer - to eat)
3. -ir verbs (e.g. vivir - to live)

Present Tense Regular Verbs: -AR Endings

For regular -ar verbs, you remove the -ar ending and add the following endings:

• yo (I) → -o
• tú (you, informal) → -as
• él/ella/usted (he/she/you formal) → -a
• nosotros/nosotras (we) → -amos
• vosotros/vosotras (you all, informal in Spain) → -áis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes (they/you all) → -an

Example:

Hablar (to talk)

• yo hablo (I talk)
• tú hablas (you talk)
• él/ella/usted habla (he/she/you talk)
• nosotros hablamos (we talk)
• vosotros habláis (you all talk)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes hablan (they/you all talk)

Present Tense Regular Verbs: -ER Endings

For regular -er verbs, you remove the -er ending and add the following endings:

• yo → -o
• tú → -es
• él/ella/usted → -e
• nosotros/nosotras → -emos
• vosotros/vosotras → -éis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes → -en

Example:

Comer (to eat)

• yo como (I eat)
• tú comes (you eat)
• él/ella/usted come (he/she/you eat)
• nosotros comemos (we eat)
• vosotros coméis (you all eat)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes comen (they/you all eat)

Present Tense Regular Verbs: -IR Endings

For regular -ir verbs, you remove the -ir ending and add the following endings:

• yo → -o
• tú → -es
• él/ella/usted → -e
• nosotros/nosotras → -imos
• vosotros/vosotras → -ís
• ellos/ellas/ustedes → -en

Example:

Vivir (to live)

• yo vivo (I live)
• tú vives (you live)
• él/ella/usted vive (he/she/you live)
• nosotros vivimos (we live)
• vosotros vivís (you all live)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes viven (they/you all live)

Higher Tier Example: Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense

Some verbs are irregular in the present tense. These verbs do not follow the regular conjugation patterns above.

Example:

Hacer (to do/make)

• yo hago (I do)
• tú haces (you do)
• él/ella/usted hace (he/she/you do)
• nosotros hacemos (we do)
• vosotros hacéis (you all do)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes hacen (they/you all do)

Summary of Present Tense Regular Verbs:

• -AR verbs: Remove -ar, add -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an
• -ER verbs: Remove -er, add -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en
• -IR verbs: Remove -ir, add -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en

English and Spanish Translations of Key Words:

• I speak = Yo hablo
• You eat (informal) = Tú comes
• He lives = Él vive
• We talk = Nosotros hablamos
• You all live (informal) = Vosotros vivís
• They eat = Ellos comen

This is a basic overview of how regular verbs in the present tense are conjugated in Spanish. Don't forget to practice with other verbs and be aware of irregular forms that do not follow these patterns.