This article is one of a series called Spanish Tidbits for Beginners. Readers need a general working vocabulary base, as these lessons focus on specific grammar and vocabulary content.
The simple present tense, also known as the present indicative, in Spanish is quite similar to the simple present in English, except that it can be more specific and has more verb endings. In English, if we say I walk, we mean that it is something that is an ongoing part of our lives. In Spanish, the simple present can mean I walk, I do walk, and sometimes I am walking. Although there are other structures to emphasize the last two, it is acceptable to use the simple present for these three meanings.
Remember the Infinitive –
Verbs in Spanish are always known in their most basic form, the infinitive. This translates as to ~~~ as in to walk. Verbs are listed in the Spanish dictionary in their infinitive form. Infinitives all end in -ar, -er, or -ir. The root of the word before the ending is called the stem and contains the meaning of the verb. It is important to learn the conjugation patterns for the verbs you want to use.
Remember What Conjugation Is –
This means to order the verb with the correct endings and sometimes other parts according to subject and tense or mood. Another way to word it is that we order the verb according to who did what when! We do this in English, too, when we say things like I am, you are, he is, we are, and they are.
To conjugate a verb, we need to know what is the subject going with it, the tense or mood, in this case the simple present, and the characteristics of the verb (that is, whether it is regular, irregular, or stem-changing). Each subject in the present tense gets its own ending. As you learn the pattern, this concept becomes clearer.
There are regular, irregular, and stem-changing verbs. If we know the conjugation pattern for the present tense in a regular verb, we usually drop the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and add the ending from the pattern that corresponds to the subject we are using. Irregular and stem-changing verbs have patterns, too, but don’t exactly follow this simple pattern.
[Note: The principle of verb conjugation is so basic and so important that you may see part of this information in several of my articles in this series, for the purpose of brief review. This is for your convenience only. This article here is a specific explanation of conjugating in the present tense, therefore needs this review repeated here briefly.]
Here are charts with the endings of all three types of infinitives in the present tense. To form the verb, drop the infinitive ending and add the ending for the subject that goes with the verb. An example follows each type. (You might like to read an explanation on the different ways to say YOU.)
-ar Verb Endings
Singular
first person -o
second person -as
third person -a
Plural
first person -amos
second person -áis
third person -an
cantar – to sing
Singular
first person canto
second person cantas
third person canta
Plural
first person cantamos
second person cantáis
third person cantan
-er Verb Endings
Singular
first person -o
second person -es
third person -e
Plural
first person -emos
second person -éis
third person -en
comer- to eat
Singular
first person como
third person come
Plural
first person comemos
second person coméis
third person comen
-ir Verb Endings
Singular
first person -o
second person -es
third person -e
Plural
first person -imos
second person -ís
third person -en
vivir- to live
Singular
first person vivo
second person vives
third person vive
Plural
first person vivimos
second person vivís
third person viven
Notice that in -er and -ir verbs, the first and second persons plural are the only endings that are different in the present tense.
Other Verb Types
Some verbs are stem-changing in the present tense. That means that the stem, or main part of the verb, changes its principle vowel with some of the persons in the conjugation. Some verbs are completely irregular. Some verbs are reflexive. We discuss stem-changing, irregular, and reflexive verbs in other articles.
You may also like to learn about verbs in the preterite tense and in the imperfect tense, and two compound tenses using haber.
Exercises: Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
A Conjugate the regular -ar verbs below according to the subject indicated in parentheses. Follow the model.
(nosotros) bailarNosotros bailamos.
(él) orarÉl ora.
1. (yo) cocinar (to cook)
2. (Ud.) comer (to eat)
3. (tú) abrir (to open)
4. (ellas) viajar (to travel)
5. (nosotras) beber (to drink)
6. (ella) vivir (to live)
7. (Uds.) nadar (to swim)
8. (ellos) gruñir (to grumble)
9. (yo) correr (to run)
10. (vosotros) esquiar (to ski)
B Fill in the blank with any subject pronoun you know to be okay for the verb given. (For some verbs there is only one choice!) You may need to consult a verb book for some of these.
1. ¿Qué fruta comes _____________ para el almuerzo? (What fruit do ___ eat for lunch?)
2. _____________ enseña la clase de español. (___ teaches Spanish class.)
3. _____________ necesito un bolígrafo. (___ need a pen.)
4. ¿Qué regalo abres _____________ para la Navidad? (What gift do ___ open for Christmas?
5. _____________ estudiamos mucho en la clase de matemáticas. (___ study a lot in math class.)
6. _____________ viven en la casa amarilla. (___ live in the yellow house.)
7. _____________ discutimos el tema. (___ discuss the topic.)
8. _____________ aprendo en la escuela. (___ learn at school.)
9._____________ escuchamos música también. (___ listen to music, too.)
10. _____________ ayudan en casa. (___ help at home.)
Answers
A 1) Yo cocino.; 2) Ud. come.; 3) Tú abres.; 4) Ellas viajan.; 5) Nosotras bebemos.; 6) Ella vive.; 7) Uds. nadan.; 8) Ellos gruñen.; 9) Yo corro.; 10) Vosotros esqiáis.
B 1) tú; 2) Ud., él, or ella; 3) yo; 4) tú; 5) nosotros or nosotras; 6) Uds., ellos, or ellas; 7) nosotros or nosotras; 8) yo; 9) nosotros or nosotras; 10) Uds., ellos, or ellas
