The Spanish present tense (Presente de Indicativo) is one of the most fundamental and frequently used verb tenses. It’s used to describe current actions, habits, routines, universal truths, and even future events.

When to Use the Spanish Present Tense

The Present Indicative tense is versatile and used for:

1. Current Actions & States

Actions happening right now or states of being.

  • Estudio español ahora. (I am studying Spanish now.)
  • María está cansada. (Maria is tired.)
  • Tenemos hambre. (We are hungry.)

2. Habits & Routines

Actions that occur regularly.

  • Como cereales cada mañana. (I eat cereal every morning.)

  • Ellos van al gimnasio los lunes. (They go to the gym on Mondays.)

  • Siempre llego temprano al trabajo. (I always arrive early to work.)

3. Universal Truths & Facts

General statements that are always true.

  • El sol sale por el este. (The sun rises in the east.)

  • Dos y dos son cuatro. (Two and two are four.)

  • El agua hierve a 100 grados Celsius. (Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.)

4. Near Future Actions

Actions planned for the near future (often with a time expression).

  • Mañana visito a mi abuela. (Tomorrow I visit / I’m visiting my grandmother.)

  • El tren sale en diez minutos. (The train leaves in ten minutes.)

  • La semana que viene tenemos un examen. (Next week we have an exam.)

5. Commands (Informal, Affirmative)

In some contexts, the present tense form can be used for informal commands (especially the tú form of some verbs).

  • ¡Come la verdura! (Eat the vegetables! - informal tú command, same as present tense él/ella/usted form)
  • ¡Sal ahora mismo! (Leave right now! - irregular tú command, same as present tense él/ella/usted form of salir without the ‘e’)

(Note: Formal commands and negative commands use the subjunctive mood.)

Present Tense Conjugation

To conjugate regular verbs in the present tense, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add the appropriate ending for the subject pronoun.

Regular Present Tense Endings

-AR Verb Endings

  • yo: -o
  • tú: -as
  • él/ella/usted: -a
  • nosotros/as: -amos
  • vosotros/as: -áis
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -an

-ER Verb Endings

  • yo: -o

  • tú: -es

  • él/ella/usted: -e

  • nosotros/as: -emos

  • vosotros/as: -éis

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -en

-IR Verb Endings

  • yo: -o
  • tú: -es
  • él/ella/usted: -e
  • nosotros/as: -imos
  • vosotros/as: -ís
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -en

Regular Verb Conjugation Examples

Hablar (to speak)

  • yo hablo (I speak)
  • tú hablas (you speak)
  • él/ella/usted habla (he/she/you speaks)
  • nosotros/as hablamos (we speak)
  • vosotros/as habláis (you all speak [Spain])
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes hablan (they/you all speak)

Comer (to eat)

  • yo como (I eat)

  • tú comes (you eat)

  • él/ella/usted come (he/she/you eats)

  • nosotros/as comemos (we eat)

  • vosotros/as coméis (you all eat [Spain])

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes comen (they/you all eat)

Vivir (to live)

  • yo vivo (I live)
  • tú vives (you live)
  • él/ella/usted vive (he/she/you lives)
  • nosotros/as vivimos (we live)
  • vosotros/as vivís (you all live [Spain])
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes viven (they/you all live)

Stem-Changing Verbs in the Present Tense

Many Spanish verbs undergo a vowel change in their stem in the present tense. These changes occur in all forms EXCEPT the nosotros/as and vosotros/as forms (often called “boot verbs” because the forms that change create a boot shape in conjugation tables).

Common Stem Changes:

1. e → ie

(e.g., querer, empezar, entender, pensar, cerrar, sentir, preferir)

Querer (to want):

  • yo quiero
  • tú quieres
  • él/ella/usted quiere
  • nosotros/as queremos
  • vosotros/as queréis
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes quieren

2. o → ue

(e.g., poder, dormir, encontrar, volver, costar, recordar, morir)

Poder (to be able):

  • yo puedo

  • tú puedes

  • él/ella/usted puede

  • nosotros/as podemos
  • vosotros/as podéis

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes pueden

3. e → i

(Mainly -ir verbs, e.g., pedir, servir, repetir, seguir, vestir)

Pedir (to ask for):

  • yo pido

  • tú pides

  • él/ella/usted pide

  • nosotros/as pedimos
  • vosotros/as pedís

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes piden

4. u → ue (Only Jugar)

The verb jugar (to play) is unique.

Jugar (to play):

  • yo juego
  • tú juegas
  • él/ella/usted juega
  • nosotros/as jugamos
  • vosotros/as jugáis
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes juegan

Irregular ‘Yo’ Forms in the Present Tense

Some verbs have irregular forms only in the first person singular (yo) form.

-go Verbs

(yo form ends in -go, other forms regular or stem-changing)

  • hacer (to do/make) → yo hago
  • poner (to put) → yo pongo
  • salir (to leave) → yo salgo
  • traer (to bring) → yo traigo
  • decir (to say/tell) → yo digo (also e→i stem change)
  • tener (to have) → yo tengo (also e→ie stem change)
  • venir (to come) → yo vengo (also e→ie stem change)
  • oír (to hear) → yo oigo (also has other irregularities)

-zco Verbs

(Verbs ending in -cer or -cir preceded by a vowel change to -zco in the yo form)

  • conocer (to know people/places) → yo conozco

  • parecer (to seem) → yo parezco

  • conducir (to drive) → yo conduzco

  • traducir (to translate) → yo traduzco

  • ofrecer (to offer) → yo ofrezco

(Note: If preceded by a consonant, like vencer (to defeat), it becomes venzo)

Other Irregular ‘Yo’ Forms

  • saber (to know facts/info) → yo sé
  • ver (to see) → yo veo
  • dar (to give) → yo doy
  • caber (to fit) → yo quepo

Completely Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense

Some of the most common verbs are completely irregular:

Ser (to be - permanent/characteristic)

  • yo soy
  • tú eres
  • él/ella/usted es
  • nosotros/as somos
  • vosotros/as sois
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes son

Estar (to be - temporary/location)

  • yo estoy

  • tú estás

  • él/ella/usted está

  • nosotros/as estamos

  • vosotros/as estáis

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes están

Ir (to go)

  • yo voy
  • tú vas
  • él/ella/usted va
  • nosotros/as vamos
  • vosotros/as vais
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes van

Common Time Expressions with Present Tense

While versatile, the present tense often appears with expressions indicating frequency or current time:

  • ahora(now)

    Estamos ocupados ahora.

  • hoy(today)

    Hoy hace buen tiempo.

  • siempre(always)

    Ella siempre dice la verdad.

  • nunca / jamás(never)

    Nunca como carne.

  • a veces / algunas veces(sometimes)

    A veces voy al cine.

  • a menudo / frecuentemente(often / frequently)

    Visitan a sus padres a menudo.

  • cada día/semana/mes/año(every day/week/month/year)

    Leo el periódico cada día.

  • todos los días / todas las semanas(every day / every week)

    Todos los días paseo a mi perro.

  • generalmente / normalmente(generally / normally)

    Generalmente me levanto temprano.

  • de vez en cuando(from time to time)

    De vez en cuando salimos a cenar.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Forgetting Stem Changes

Remember that stem changes don’t apply to nosotros/vosotros.

  • Incorrect: Nosotros piensamos

  • Correct: Nosotros pensamos

  • Incorrect: Vosotros puedéis

  • Correct: Vosotros podéis

2. Incorrect Irregular ‘Yo’ Forms

Don’t apply the regular -o ending to verbs with irregular yo forms.

  • Incorrect: Yo haco la cena.

  • Correct: Yo hago la cena.

  • Incorrect: Yo conozo a Juan.

  • Correct: Yo conozco a Juan.

3. Confusing Ser vs. Estar

This is a major topic, but remember basic uses: Ser for identity/characteristics, Estar for location/temporary states.

  • Ser: Yo soy alto. (I am tall - characteristic)

  • Estar: Yo estoy cansado. (I am tired - temporary state)

  • Estar: Madrid está en España. (Madrid is in Spain - location)

(See our detailed guide on Ser vs. Estar)

4. Forgetting Accent Marks

Accents are needed on some vosotros forms (-áis, -éis, -ís) and estar forms (estás, está, estáis, están).

  • Incorrect: Vosotros hablais.

  • Correct: Vosotros habláis.

  • Incorrect: Tu estas aqui.

  • Correct: Tú estás aquí.

Practice What You’ve Learned

Ready to test your knowledge of the Spanish present tense? Head over to our Practice page and select the presente option to practice with unlimited new sentences and examples.

The practice tool will generate new sentences each time, allowing you to reinforce your understanding of present tense conjugations and usage in various contexts.