🎯 Spanish Present Tense Verbs
Spanish present-tense conjugation: regular patterns and key irregular verbs. Free Spanish grammar guide covering clear rules and examples for learners.
Three Verb Families
Every Spanish verb belongs to one of three families based on its infinitive ending: -ar, -er, or -ir. Each family follows its own conjugation pattern. The good news: -er and -ir verbs share most of their endings.
| Family | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -ar | hablar | to speak |
| -er | comer | to eat |
| -ir | vivir | to live |
Regular -ar Verbs
Drop the -ar ending and add the conjugation endings. This is the largest verb family — about 70% of Spanish verbs are -ar verbs.
| Person | Ending | hablar | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | hablo | I speak |
| tú | -as | hablas | you speak |
| él/ella/usted | -a | habla | he/she speaks, you (formal) speak |
| nosotros | -amos | hablamos | we speak |
| ellos/ustedes | -an | hablan | they/you all speak |
Regular -er and -ir Verbs
These two families are nearly identical in the present tense. They only differ in the nosotros form.
| Person | -er (comer) | -ir (vivir) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | como | vivo |
| tú | comes | vives |
| él/ella/usted | come | vive |
| nosotros | comemos | vivimos |
| ellos/ustedes | comen | viven |
Stem-Changing Verbs
Many common verbs change their stem vowel in all forms except nosotros. The three patterns are e→ie, o→ue, and e→i. The endings stay regular — only the stem vowel shifts.
| Type | Verb | yo | tú | nosotros |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| e→ie | pensar (to think) | pienso | piensas | pensamos |
| e→ie | querer (to want) | quiero | quieres | queremos |
| o→ue | poder (to be able) | puedo | puedes | podemos |
| o→ue | dormir (to sleep) | duermo | duermes | dormimos |
| e→i | pedir (to ask for) | pido | pides | pedimos |
Key Irregular Verbs
These verbs don't follow any pattern and must be memorized. They're also among the most commonly used verbs in the language.
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ser (to be) | soy | eres | es | somos | son |
| estar (to be) | estoy | estás | está | estamos | están |
| ir (to go) | voy | vas | va | vamos | van |
| tener (to have) | tengo | tienes | tiene | tenemos | tienen |
| hacer (to do/make) | hago | haces | hace | hacemos | hacen |
| decir (to say) | digo | dices | dice | decimos | dicen |
Ser vs. Estar
Both mean "to be," but they're not interchangeable. Ser is for permanent traits, identity, origin, and time. Estar is for location, temporary states, emotions, and conditions.
| Ser (permanent) | Estar (temporary/location) |
|---|---|
| Soy alto. (I'm tall.) | Estoy cansado. (I'm tired.) |
| Es profesor. (He's a teacher.) | Está en casa. (He's at home.) |
| Somos de México. (We're from Mexico.) | Estamos contentos. (We're happy.) |
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