Spanish Regular Present Tense Verbs Tutorial

The present tense represents actions taken in the present. In English, the verb is used and is made plural if the verb is in the 3rd person. Here are a few examples of the present tense in English.

I speak Spanish and English.

You speak Spanish and English.

We speak Spanish and English.

They speak Spanish and English.

He speaks Spanish and English.

She speaks Spanish and English.

It speaks Spanish and English.

Spanish present tense verbs are expressed differently. In Spanish, verbs have -ar, -er, and -ir endings. For example, hablar means "to speak". This is considered an -ar verb and hablar is considered the infinitive form of the verb. The root of hablar is "habl-". The following endings are added to -ar verbs like hablar according to the subject of the sentence.

Spanish for yo ("I" in English) = -o

Spanish for tú ("you" in English) = -as

Spanish for ella/él/Ud. ("she/he/you/it" in English) = -a

Spanish for nosotros ("we" in English) - -amos

Spanish for ellos/ellas/Uds. ("they" in English) = -an

Remember that tú is used in the informal tense. The informal tense is used with a person you know well or someone that is younger than you. The formal tense (usted) is used with someone you don't know well, a boss, a professor, or an older person.

This is the conjugation for the verb hablar.

Hablar

Yo - Habla

Tú - Hablas

Ella/ él /Ud. - Habla

Nosotros - Hablamos

Ellos/Ellas/Uds. - Hablan

Here are a few examples of the use hablar with the sentences used in the first example.

Yo hablo español e ingles. - I speak Spanish and English.

Tú hablas español e ingles. - You (informal) speak Spanish and English.

Nosotros hablamos español e ingles. - We speak Spanish and English.

Ellos hablan español e ingles. - They speak Spanish and English.

An example of an -er verb is comer. Comer is considered the infinitive form of the verb. The root of comer is "com-". The following endings are added to -er verbs like comer accordingly.

Spanish for yo ("I" in English) = -o

Spanish for tú ("you" in English) = -es

Spanish for ella/él/Ud. ("she/he/you/it" in English) = -e

Spanish for nosotros ("we" in English) - -emos

Spanish for ellos/ellas/Uds. ("they" in English) = -en

This is the conjugation for the verb comer.

Comer

Yo - Como

Tú - Comes

Ella/ él /Ud. - Come

Nosotros - Comemos

Ellos/Ellas/Uds. - Comen

An example of an -ir verb is escribir. Escribir is considered the infinitive form of the verb. The root of escribir is "escrib-". The following endings are added to -ir verbs like escribir accordingly.

Spanish for yo ("I" in English) = -o

Spanish for tú ("you" in English) = -es

Spanish for ella/él/Ud. ("she/he/you/it" in English) = -e

Spanish for nosotros ("we" in English) - -emos

Spanish for ellos/ellas/Uds. ("they" in English) = -en

This is the conjugation for the verb escribir.

Escribir

Yo - Escribo

Tú - Escribes

Ella/ él /Ud. - Escribe

Nosotros - Escribemos

Ellos/Ellas/Uds. - Escriben

Here are some -ar, -er, and -ir verbs that are follow these rules of conjugation in the present tense. The best way to study these verbs in the present tense is to write them out like in the examples below.

Hablar
Yo-hablo
Tú - hablas
Ella/ él /Ud. - habla
Nosotros - hablamos
Ellas/Ellos/Uds. - hablan

-ar verbs

bailar - to dance

cantar - to sing

nadar - to swim

patinar - to skate

trabajar - to work

estudiar - to study

ayudar - to help

buscar - to look for, to search

contestar - to answer

enseñar - to teach

entrar - to enter

esperar - to arrive

llevar - to wear, to carry

mirar - to look at, to watch

necesitar - to need

pasar - to happen, to pass, to pass by

preparar - to prepare

usar - to use

comprar - to buy

descansar - to rest

terminar - to finish

tomar - to take, to eat or drink

visitar - to visit

cenar - to have dinner

pintar - to paint

limpiar - to clean

llamar - to call

contestar - to answer

marcar - to dial

ganar - to win

cambiar - to change/to exchange

tocar - to touch/to play an instrument

andar - to walk

levantar - to lift

sacar - to take out

ordenar - to arrange

planchar - to iron

quitar - to remove/to take out off/to take down

caminar - to walk

mandar - to send

practicar - to practice

-er verbs

aprender - to understand

barrer - to sweep

comer - to eat

leer - to read

vender - to sell

-ir verbs

abrir - to open

compatir - to share

escribir - to write

recibir - to receive

vivir - to live

The phases below are some common phrases used in Spanish that include the verbs from above list.

Phrase Key Words

El amigo - friend

El periódico- newspaper

El perro - dog

El poema - poem

El polvo - dust

El suelo - floor

La basura - trash

La bicicleta - bicycle

La carta - letter

La cena - dinner

La comida - food

La novela - novel

La revista - magazine

Las flores - flowers

Las fotos - photographs

Las pesas - weights

Los deportes - sports

Los libros - books

El sol - sun

La guitarra - guitar

Spanish Phrases

Barrer el suelo - to sweep the floor

Caminar con el perro - to walk the dog

Leer un periódico - to read a newspaper

Leer un poema - to read a poem

Leer una novela - to read a novel

Leer una revista - to read a magazine

Levantar pesas - to lift weights

Mandar una carta - to send a letter

Ordenar las flores - to arrange the flowers

Practicar deportes - to play sports

Preparar la cena - to prepare dinner

Preparar la comida - to prepare the food

Sacar fotos - to take pictures

Sacar la basura - to take out the trash

Tocar la guitarra - to play the guitar

Tomar el sol - to sunbathe

The best ways to study these phrases are to use note cards and write them out. Using of these phrases with the conjugated verbs while learning Spanish is also a great way to learn these phrases.