The present tense
Regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs in the present: what you do and what you are doing now.
Learn
The present tense, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Find the stem of a regular verb
Every infinitive ends in -ar, -er or -ir. Take those two letters off to find the stem: hablar gives habl-, comer gives com- and vivir gives viv-. You then add an ending that shows who is doing the action.
Form the present of regular -ar verbs
Add -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an to the stem: hablo I speak, hablas you speak, habla he or she speaks, hablamos we speak. Most Spanish verbs are -ar verbs, so this is the pattern to know first.
Form the present of regular -er and -ir verbs
-er verbs take -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en: como I eat, comen they eat. -ir verbs share every ending except two, -imos and -ís: comemos is we eat, but vivimos is we live and vivís is you all live.
Leave out the subject pronoun unless you need it
The ending already shows the person, so yo, tú, él and the rest are normally left out: Estudio inglés means I study English. Put the pronoun in for contrast or emphasis: Yo trabajo, pero ella estudia.
Choose between the four words for you
Tú is one friend or family member, and vosotros is two or more of them; each has its own ending: comes, coméis. Usted and ustedes are the polite forms for adults you do not know well, and they take the he and they endings: ¿Habla usted inglés?
Use one present tense for what you do and what you are doing
The Spanish present covers both English presents: Leo can mean I read or I am reading. It also gives habits and routines, often with a time phrase: Los sábados trabajo en una tienda, Siempre desayuno en casa.
Make the g to j spelling change in cojo and escojoHigher only
Before the ending -o, a g would sound hard, so verbs ending in -ger write a j in the I form: coger gives cojo and escoger gives escojo. Every other person keeps the g: coges, escogemos.
The present tense key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Infinitive
- The form of a verb in the dictionary, ending in -ar, -er or -ir: hablar to speak, comer to eat, vivir to live.
- Stem
- What is left when you take -ar, -er or -ir off the infinitive: habl-, com-, viv-. The endings are added to it.
- Ending
- The letters added to the stem to show who is doing the action: the -amos in hablamos means we.
- Subject pronoun
- The words for I, you, he and so on: yo, tú, él, ella, nosotros, vosotros, ellos. Spanish usually leaves them out, because the ending shows the person.
- usted and ustedes
- The polite you, for one adult or for several, used with the he and they endings: ¿Vive usted aquí? asks an adult if they live here.
- vosotros
- You, to two or more friends or family members, with endings of its own: habláis, coméis, vivís. It is used in Spain, while Latin America uses ustedes.
- Regular verb
- A verb that follows the pattern of its group in every person, like trabajar, beber and escribir.
- Conjugate
- To give a verb the ending that matches its person and tense: conjugating vivir for we in the present gives vivimos.
Common mistakes in The present tense
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Leaving the verb in the infinitive, as in Yo hablar español.
Every verb in a sentence needs its ending. Take off -ar, -er or -ir and add the one for the person: Hablo español.
Giving -ir verbs the -er endings for we and you all, as in vivemos.
-ir verbs end in -imos and -ís for we and you all: vivimos, escribís. Every other person matches the -er pattern.
Using the he or she ending when you mean I, as in trabaja for I work.
For I, regular verbs end in -o: trabajo, como, vivo. The -a and -e endings are for he, she and usted.
Translating I am eating word for word, as in Soy como.
The plain present already means I am eating: Como. To stress that it is happening right now, use estar and the gerund: Estoy comiendo.
Leaving the accent off the vosotros endings, as in hablais.
The vosotros endings carry an accent: habláis, coméis, vivís. The accent is part of the spelling, so check for it as you write.
Practice
Try a The present tense question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which English meanings can Escucho música have?
- Only 'I listen to music'
- Only 'I am listening to music'
- Either 'I listen to music' or 'I am listening to music'
- Only 'I listened to music'
Show the answer and the working
Answer: Either 'I listen to music' or 'I am listening to music'
The Spanish present covers both English presents: escucho música can be a habit (I listen to music) or something happening now (I am listening to music). Context decides which.
- Escucho is the present tense of escuchar for yo.
- The Spanish present covers habits and actions happening now.
- So it can mean I listen to music or I am listening to music.