Mastering Spanish Present Tense: Regular & Irregular Verbs
Learn Spanish present tense conjugation including -AR/-ER/-IR verbs, Ser vs Estar, stem changers, 'Yo-Go' verbs, and the present progressive form.
Mastering the Present Tense
Spanish 2: Regulars, Irregulars, and the Progressive Form
Regular -AR Verbs
Hablar (to speak)
Habl-o
Habl-as
Habl-a
Habl-amos
Habl-an
Regular -ER & -IR Verbs
Comer (to eat)
Vivir (to live)
-o, -es, -e, -emos, -en
-o, -es, -e, -imos, -en
The Big Two: Ser vs. Estar
DOCTOR: Description, Occupation, Characteristic, Time, Origin, Relationship
PLACE: Position, Location, Action, Condition, Emotion
Soy, Eres, Es, Somos, Son
Estoy, Estás, Está, Estamos, Están
TENER (To Have)
Tengo
Tienes
Tiene
Tenemos
Useful Phrases: Tener que (to have to) • Tener [x] años (to be x years old) • Tener hambre/sed (to be hungry/thirsty)
The 'Yo-Go' Verbs
These verbs are only irregular in the 'Yo' form. The rest is regular!
Hacer (to do/make) → HAGO
Poner (to put) → PONGO
Salir (to leave/go out) → SALGO
Traer (to bring) → TRAIGO
Stem-Changing Verbs (Boot Verbs)
The vowel in the stem changes in all forms EXCEPT Nosotros.
e → ie
Querer (quiero), Pensar (pienso)
o → ue
Poder (puedo), Dormir (duermo)
The Verb IR (To Go)
Voy • Vas • Va • Vamos • Van
Ir + a + [Location / Infinitive]
Voy a la playa. (I go to the beach)
Vamos a comer. (We are going to eat)
Present Progressive
Happening right now: -ing
1. Estar (conjugated)
2. Present Participle
AR verbs → -ANDO
ER/IR verbs → -IENDO
Yo estoy hablando. (I am speaking)
Irregular Progressive Forms
Rule 1: Double Vowels (i → y)
Leer → Leyendo
Creer → Creyendo
Rule 2: Stem Changers (o → u, e → i)
Dormir → Durmiendo
Decir → Diciendo
¡Vamos a practicar! (Let's practice)
1. Yo ______ (tener) dos gatos.
2. Nosotros ______ (comer) tacos.
3. Ella ______ (estar) feliz hoy.
4. Tú ______ (jugar) al fútbol.
- spanish-grammar
- present-tense
- verb-conjugation
- language-learning
- ser-vs-estar
- spanish-verbs
- education