How to Use and Conjugate the Spanish Present Tense (Presente de Indicativo)
The Spanish present tense (presente de indicativo) is one of the first tenses students learn, and one of the most useful. We use it to talk about daily routines, general truths, habits, feelings, and sometimes to refer to the near future.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- When to use the Spanish present tense
- How to conjugate regular and irregular verbs
- Examples and practice exercises to help you master it
Let’s dive in! 🏊♂️
Contents on this post
When do we use the Present Tense in Spanish?
The present tense in Spanish is used to express:
- Actions happening right now: Estoy en casa. (I am at home)
- Habits and routines: Trabajo de lunes a viernes. (I work from Monday to Friday)
- General truths and facts: El agua hierve a 100 grados. (Water boils at 100 degrees)
- Near future events: Mañana tengo una reunión. (I have a meeting tomorrow)
How to Conjugate Regular Verbs in the Spanish Present Tense
There are three types of regular verbs in Spanish, depending on their endings: -ar, -er and -ir. Each group follows a consistent pattern. To conjugate, remove the infinitive ending and add the correct ending for each subject.
Regular -AR Verbs (e.g. hablar)
Subject | Conjugation (hablar) |
yo | hablo |
tú | hablas |
él/ella/usted | habla |
nosotros/as | hablamos |
vosotros/as | habláis |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablan |
Regular -ER verbs (e.g. comer)
| Subject | Conjugation (comer) |
| yo | como |
| tú | comes |
| él/ella/usted | come |
| nosotros/as | comemos |
| vosotros/as | coméis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comen |
Regular -IR verbs (e.g. vivir)
Subject | Conjugation (vivir) |
yo | vivo |
tú | vives |
él/ella/usted | vive |
nosotros/as | vivimos |
vosotros/as | vivís |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | viven |
Common Irregular Verbs in the Spanish Present Tense
Some verbs in Spanish have irregular forms in the present tense. Here are some of the most common ones:
SER – To Be (Permanent Characteristics)
| Subject | Form |
| yo | soy |
| tú | eres |
| él/ella/usted | es |
| nosotros/as | somos |
| vosotros/as | sois |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | son |
IR – To Go (Movement or Future Plans)
Used to express movement or future plans.
Subject | Form |
yo | voy |
tú | vas |
él/ella/usted | va |
nosotros/as | vamos |
vosotros/as | vais |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | van |
ESTAR – to be (temporary)
Used to describe temporary states, emotions, and location.
Subject | Form |
yo | estoy |
tú | estás |
él/ella/usted | está |
nosotros/as | estamos |
vosotros/as | estáis |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | están |
We are CactusBCN Languages, a Spanish language school located in Barcelona.
In March 2020, the pandemic situation encouraged us to start teaching online. All our students were happy with this change so we will keep teaching online for a while.
The school was founded and is run by enthusiastic teachers. Out team was teaching Spanish around the world for a few years and when we come back to Spain, we decided to start our own school.
Stem-Changing Verbs in the Spanish Present Tense (Boot Verbs)
These verbs change their stem in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
E → IE Stem Change (e.g. querer – to want)
Subject | Form (querer) |
yo | quiero |
tú | quieres |
él/ella/usted | quiere |
nosotros/as | queremos |
vosotros/as | queréis |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | quieren |
O → UE Stem Change (e.g. poder – to be able to)
Subject | Form (poder) |
yo | puedo |
tú | puedes |
él/ella/usted | puede |
nosotros/as | podemos |
vosotros/as | podéis |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | pueden |
E → I Stem Change (e.g. pedir – to ask for)
Subject | Form (pedir) |
yo | pido |
tú | pides |
él/ella/usted | pide |
nosotros/as | pedimos |
vosotros/as | pedís |
ellos/ellas/ustedes | piden |
Spanish Verbs Irregular Only in the First Person (Yo Form)
Some verbs are only irregular in the ‘yo’ form.
Verb | Yo form |
tener | tengo |
hacer | hago |
salir | salgo |
poner | pongo |
traer | traigo |
saber | sé |
conocer | conozco |
Practice: Test Your Knowledge of the Spanish Present Tense
Let’s see how much you remember! Try to conjugate the following verbs in the present tense:
- (yo) vivir → __________
- (tú) comer → __________
- (ella) tener → __________
- (nosotros) dormir → __________
- (vosotros) pedir → __________
- (ellos) salir → __________
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✅ Answers to the Practice Section
- vivo
- comes
- tiene
- dormimos
- pedís
- salen
big learning.
We are CactusBCN Languages, a Spanish language school located in Barcelona.
In March 2020, the pandemic situation encouraged us to start teaching online. All our students were happy with this change so we will keep teaching online for a while 🙂
The school was founded and is run by enthusiastic teachers. Our team was teaching Spanish around the world for a few years and when we came back to Spain, we decided to start our own school.
Online classes are as fun as face-to-face classes but with the added benefits of online learning:
- You can save time and money on travel.
- Continue to study from anywhere. You don't have to interrupt your classes or change schools if you move to another city or travel.
- Access your class materials at any time. Digital materials are always available to study or do homework.
