Explanation
The presente de indicativo is the Spanish present tense, used for habitual actions, general truths and things happening now. Verbs are conjugated across six persons and follow one of three patterns based on their -ar, -er or -ir ending.
The present tense is the first tense every learner needs, and the one that carries most real conversation.
The three regular patterns
Drop the -ar, -er or -ir ending and add the endings for each person. Hablar (to speak) gives hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan.
Stem-changing verbs
These change the vowel in the stem for every form except nosotros and vosotros — which is why they are nicknamed "boot verbs": circling the changed forms draws a boot shape. Querer becomes quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren.
Irregulars worth memorising
Ser, estar, ir, tener, hacer, poder and ver are the highest-frequency irregulars. Learn them as whole sets rather than trying to derive them.
Key points
- -ar verbs take -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
- -er verbs take -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en.
- -ir verbs take -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en.
- Stem-changing verbs keep the original stem in nosotros and vosotros.
- Spanish drops subject pronouns because the ending already identifies the subject.
Examples
Hablo español todos los días.
I speak Spanish every day.
¿Dónde vives?
Where do you live?
Quiero aprender más.
I want to learn more. (querer is a stem-changer, e → ie)
Tenemos clase a las nueve.
We have class at nine.
Common mistakes
- Changing the stem in nosotros: quieremos should be queremos.
- Always stating the subject pronoun, which sounds stilted — Spanish normally drops it.
- Mixing up -er and -ir endings in nosotros (comemos versus vivimos).
Quiz
Test your present-tense conjugation, including stem-changing verbs.
Nosotros ___ español. (hablar)