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Present (presente)

For habits, general truths, current states, and the near future.

Usage

For habits, general truths, current states, and the near future.

Formation

Regular endings

-ar-er-ir
yo (I)-o-o-o
tú (you)-as-es-es
él/ella (he/she)-a-e-e
nosotros (we)-amos-emos-imos
vosotros (you, pl.)-áis-éis-ís
ellos/ellas (they)-an-en-en

Rules

5

1Regular endings

Stem plus -ar, -er, or -ir endings; -er and -ir are nearly identical.

  • Hablo español todos los días. — I speak Spanish every day.-ar: habit
  • Comemos a las dos. — We eat at two.-er: nosotros
  • ¿Dónde vives? — Where do you live?-ir form

2Stem change

Stem vowel changes (e>ie, o>ue, e>i, u>ue) except in nosotros and vosotros.

  • Quiero un café, pero queremos agua. — I want a coffee, but we want water.e>ie, nosotros plain
  • No puedo dormir bien. — I can't sleep well.o>ue
  • Él siempre dice la verdad. — He always tells the truth.e>i

3Irregular yo

Many verbs take -go only in the yo form (tengo, hago); rest often regular.

  • Tengo dos hermanos. — I have two siblings.yo: -go
  • Hago la cena hoy. — I'm making dinner today.only yo irregular

4Fully irregular

ser, estar, and ir have unique forms you must memorize.

  • Soy de Alemania y estoy en Madrid. — I'm from Germany and I'm in Madrid.ser vs. estar
  • Vamos al cine esta noche. — We're going to the cinema tonight.ir: vamos

5Near future

The present also expresses planned, upcoming actions.

  • Mañana voy a la playa. — Tomorrow I'm going to the beach.future via present
  • Esta tarde como con María. — This afternoon I'm eating with María.planned

Examples

  • Los niños duermen ocho horas. — The children sleep eight hours.
  • El sol sale por el este. — The sun rises in the east.
  • ¿Qué haces los fines de semana? — What do you do on weekends?
  • Ahora mismo estamos cansados. — Right now we are tired.

Conjugate

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Test

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