Present tense: regular -ar, -er, -ir verbs

What it is

The present tense (presente de indicativo) is the first tense you need and the one you will use most. Spanish verbs fall into three groups, named after the ending of the infinitive: -ar (hablar, to speak), -er (comer, to eat) and -ir (vivir, to live). Regular verbs in each group follow one pattern, so three model verbs unlock hundreds.

How to form it

Take the ending off the infinitive to get the stem (habl-, com-, viv-) and add the ending for the person:

Three things to notice:

• The yo form ends in -o in all three groups.
• -er and -ir verbs share every ending except nosotros: comemos but vivimos.
• usted and ustedes take the same form as él and ellos: ¿Usted habla inglés? ¿Ustedes viven aquí?

Because the ending already says who is doing the action, Spanish usually leaves the subject pronoun out: Hablo español (I speak Spanish). Add yo, tú, ella only for contrast or emphasis: Yo trabajo y tú descansas.

In Spain you will also hear vosotros for an informal "you all": habláis, coméis, vivís. In Argentina and Uruguay vos replaces tú: vos hablás, comés, vivís. This course uses tú and ustedes, which everyone understands.

Regular verbs to start with: -ar trabajar, estudiar, tomar, comprar, escuchar, cocinar, llegar, necesitar; -er aprender, beber, leer, comprender, vender, correr; -ir escribir, abrir, recibir, compartir, decidir.

When to use it

• Habits and routines: Trabajo los lunes y los martes.
• Facts, things that are true now: Vivo en Quito. Mi hermana habla tres idiomas.
• What is happening right now: —¿Qué lees? —Un libro de cuentos. English says "I'm reading"; Spanish is happy with the simple present.
• Fixed plans, with a time word: Mañana trabajo hasta tarde.

• Vivo en Quito y trabajo en un banco.I live in Quito and work in a bank.yo → -o
• ¿Hablas portugués?Do you speak Portuguese?tú → -as
• Mi papá cocina los domingos.My dad cooks on Sundays.a habit
• Mis primos viven en Monterrey.My cousins live in Monterrey.ellos → -en
• Comemos juntos los viernes.We eat together on Fridays.-er: -emos
• ¿Usted trabaja aquí?Do you work here?usted = the él form

Contrasts and traps

• No extra "am" or "do": "I am working" or "I do work" is just trabajo. Never soy trabajo.
• -er or -ir in nosotros: comemos, bebemos, leemos but vivimos, escribimos, abrimos.
• The stress changes the tense: hablo (I speak) is present; habló, with an accent, means "he spoke". Regular present forms never carry a written accent.
• usted looks like "he": ¿Habla español? can mean "Does he speak Spanish?" or "Do you (usted) speak Spanish?". Context decides, or add usted.

If you also speak Portuguese

The endings look almost the same, so the slips are easy to miss: tú needs -s (tú hablas), the plural ends in -n (hablan, not hablam), and vivir, escribir, recibir are -ir verbs in Spanish, so vivimos, not vivemos.