Spanish Present Tense for Beginners

What is the Present Tense in Spanish?

The present tense in Spanish (presente del indicativo) is used to describe what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true.

It is one of the most common tenses in Spanish and the first one you should learn when starting to speak the language.

Examples:

• Yo estudio español. I study Spanish.
• Ella trabaja en un restaurante. She works at a restaurant.
• Nosotros vivimos en Madrid. We live in Madrid.

How to Form the Present Tense

Spanish verbs are divided into three groups based on their endings:

Verb ending	Verb	English
-AR verbs	habl-ar	to speak
-ER verbs	beb-er	to drink
-IR verbs	escrib-ir	to write

Each group follows its own pattern when conjugated.

Regular Verbs

1. -AR Verbs (trabajar – to work)

Subject	Conjugation	Example Sentence
yo	trabajo	Trabajo en casa. I work at home.
tú	trabajas	Trabajas mucho. You work a lot.
él / ella / usted	trabaja	Ella trabaja los fines de semana. She works on weekends.
nosotros / nosotras	trabajamos	Trabajamos juntos. We work together.
vosotros / vosotras	trabajáis	Trabajáis en la oficina. You all work in the office.
ellos / ellas / ustedes	trabajan	Ellos trabajan en un banco. They work in a bank.

2. -ER Verbs (comer – to eat)

Subject	Conjugation	Example Sentence
yo	como	Como frutas cada día. I eat fruit every day.
tú	comes	Comes rápido. You eat fast.
él / ella / usted	come	Ella come pasta. She eats pasta.
nosotros / nosotras	comemos	Comemos juntos. We eat together.
vosotros / vosotras	coméis	Coméis mucho. You all eat a lot.
ellos / ellas / ustedes	comen	Ellos comen a las dos. They eat at two.

3. -IR Verbs (vivir – to live)

Subject	Conjugation	Example Sentence
yo	vivo	Vivo en España. I live in Spain.
tú	vives	Vives cerca del centro. You live near downtown.
él / ella / usted	vive	Él vive con su familia. He lives with his family.
nosotros / nosotras	vivimos	Vivimos en una casa pequeña. We live in a small house.
vosotros / vosotras	vivís	Vivís en Madrid. You all live in Madrid.
ellos / ellas / ustedes	viven	Ellos viven en México. They live in Mexico.

Common situations to use Present Tense

1. To describe actions happening now:
   • Leo un libro. I am reading a book.
2. To describe habits or routines:
   • Trabajo todos los días. I work every day.
3. To express general truths:
   • El sol sale por el este. The sun rises in the east.
4. To talk about the near future:
   • Mañana viajamos a Valencia. We travel to Valencia tomorrow.

Common Irregular Verbs

Some verbs do not follow the regular patterns. Here are some of the most frequent ones:

Verb	Yo Form	Example
ser	soy	Soy estudiante. I am a student.
estar	estoy	Estoy cansado. I am tired.
ir	voy	Voy al trabajo. I go to work.
tener	tengo	Tengo un perro. I have a dog.
hacer	hago	Hago deporte. I do sport.
decir	digo	Digo la verdad. I tell the truth.

Visit our Grammar page for more content about Spanish verbs.