Regular Present Indicative Forms

1. AR Verbs
To conjugate an -ar verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ar) to leave the stem, and add the appropriate
ending depending on the subject. There are more -AR verbs than -ER or -IR verbs.
AR Verb Endings

singular
yo
t
usted, l, ella

plural
-o
-as
-a

nosotros
vosotros
ustedes, ellos, ellas

-amos
-is
-an

Example Conjugation: Hablar -> Habl-

singular
yo
hablo I speak
t
hablasYou (familiar) speak
usted, l,
You (formal) speak,
habla
ella
He/She speaks
2. ER Verbs

plural
nosotros
hablamosWe speak
vosotros
hablis You (familiar) speak
ustedes, ellos,
You (formal) speak,
hablan
ellas
They speak

To conjugate an -er verb, remove the infinitive ending (-er) to leave the stem, and add the appropriate
ending depending on the subject.
ER Verb Endings

singular
yo
t
usted, l, ella

plural
-o
-es
-e

nosotros
vosotros
ustedes, ellos, ellas

-emos
-is
-en

Example Conjugation: Comer -> Com-

yo
t
usted, l,
ella

3. IR Verbs

singular
como I eat
nosotros
comesYou (familiar) eat
vosotros
You (formal) eat, He/She ustedes, ellos,
come
eats
ellas

plural
comemosWe eat
comis You (familiar) eat
You (formal) eat, They
comen
eat

To conjugate an -ir verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ir) to leave the stem, and add the appropriate
ending depending on the subject.
IR Verb Endings

singular
yo
t
usted, l, ella

plural
-o
-es
-e

nosotros
vosotros
ustedes, ellos, ellas

-imos
-s
-en

Copy Cat Endings

Notice that -ir verbs have the same conjugations as -er verbs for all persons except nosotros and
vosotros. You may hear this referred to as "the boot" since when you look at the conjugation chart, the
persons that are the same as -er endings form the shape of a boot.
Example Conjugation: Escribir -> Escrib-

singular
yo
escribo I write
t
escribesYou (familiar) write
usted, l,
You (formal) write,
escribe
ella
He/She writes

plural
nosotros
escribimosWe write
vosotros
escribs You (familiar) write
ustedes, ellos,
You (formal) write,
escriben
ellas
They write

No Pronouns Allowed!
Because the endings of each verb indicate the subject of the verb, the personal pronoun is not
necessary and should be avoided if possible. Native Spanish-speakers rarely use personal pronouns,
so it's best to practice not to use them for fluency's sake.

Hablo espaol. (I speak Spanish.) is better than:

Yo hablo espaol. (I speak Spanish.)

Present Indicative Uses

The present tense in Spanish is used to express several English equivalents which may seem
unnatural at first, but with practice, using the present tense will seem like second nature.

1. Habitual Actions
Habitual actions are the activities that a person does every day (or very often) for a long period of
time. Daily routines, responsibilities, and job-related activities can be expressed this way.

Me levanto a las seis y media cada maana. (I get up at six thirty every morning.)

Doy de comer al perro tres veces cada da. (I feed the dog three times each day.)

Trabajo para el zoolgico. (I work for the zoo.)

Estudio biologa en la universidad. (I study Biology at the university.)

2. Single Present Tense Events

In English and Spanish, this is usually expressed using the present progressive, but it is possible to
use the present tense in Spanish as well.

Qu haces? (What are you doing?)

Limpio la cocina. (Im cleaning the kitchen.)

Cmo ests? (How are you doing?)

Estoy bien, gracias. (Im doing well, thank you.)

3. Timeless Events/Universal Truths

These are phrases that are not connected to a specific time, but are generally known. These can be
facts, or generally accepted opinions.

Uno ms uno son dos. (One plus one is two.)

La verdad es el amor. (The truth is love.)

El hombre es mortal. (Man-kind is mortal.)

4. Hypothetical Situations
When introduced by si, the present tense expresses a hypothetical situation and reaction.

Si llega Marcos, salgo. (If Marcos arrives, I leave.)

Si llueve, la fiesta termina. (If it rains, the party ends.)

5. Past Tense Events that Continue to the Present

There are certain situations that may have begun in the past, but are still going on in the present.
These are expressed using:
hace + time + que + present tense verb

Hace tres aos que esperamos tu llamada. (Weve been waiting three years for your
call.)
Hace una semana que pinta este cuadro. (Hes been painting this painting for a week.)

6. Ordering in restaurants and cafes

While the translation isnt direct, it is quite common to use the present indicative instead of a more
formal conditional or subjunctive when asking for something in a restaurant.

Me trae un caf, por favor. (Would you bring me a coffee, please.)

Quiero el arroz con pollo. (I would like the chicken and rice.)