Presente
Overview
Spanish present tense is used to express the English simple present (I sing) and present progressive tenses (I am singing). Spanish present tense can also be used if an adverbial expression of future time is included.
Irregular verbs are unaffected by stem changes in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
-Ar
Regular -ar verbs have the following form:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | -o | -amos |
| 2nd | -as | -áis |
| 3rd | -a | -an |
Irregular verbs ending in -ar have three possible changes in their stem:
- e > ie. Examples include cerrar, empezar, and pensar.
- o > ue. Examples include almorzar, encontrar, and recordar.
- u > ue. Examples include jugar.
-Er
Regular -er verbs have the following form:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | -o | -emos |
| 2nd | -es | -éis |
| 3rd | -e | -en |
Irregular verbs ending in -er have two possible changes in their stem:
- e > ie. Examples include endender, perder, and querer.
- o > ue. Examples include devolver, poder, and volver.
-Ir
Regular -ir verbs have the following form:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | -o | -imos |
| 2nd | -es | -ís |
| 3rd | -e | -en |
Irregular verbs ending in -ir have two possible changes in their stem:
- e > ie. Examples include mentir, preferir, and venir.
- e > i. Examples include pedir, repetir, and seguir.
- o > ue. Examples include dormir.