Present

The Spanish simple present tense (el presente or el presente del indicativo) can be used to talk about habitual actions, routines, things happening now or in the near future, universal truths, facts, hypotheticals, lapses of time, and for ordering in restaurants and stores.

Regular Present Indicative Forms

Below you'll find instructions for forming regular verbs in the present tense, including the endings you need to know for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

Verbs that End in -ar

To conjugate an -ar verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ar) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

Present Tense Endings for -ar Verbs

Verbs that End in -er

To conjugate an -er verb, remove the infinitive ending (-er) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

Present Tense Endings for -er Verbs

Verbs that End in -ir

To conjugate an -ir verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ir) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

Present Tense Endings for -ir Verbs

 Tip
Notice that most of the present tense endings for -er and -ir verbs are the same. Only the nosotros and vosotros endings are different.

Irregular Yo Forms

Some present tense yo conjugations undergo spelling changes or are irregular.

Verbs with Spelling Changes in the Yo Form

Verbs that end in -guir, -ger, or -gir undergo a spelling change in their present tense yo forms.

• For verbs that end in -guir, the yo form ends in go.
• For verbs that end in -ger or -gir, the g in the yo form changes to a j.

Spanish Infinitive	English Infinitive	Yo Form
extinguir	to extinguish	extingo
dirigir	to direct	dirijo
escoger	to choose	escojo
exigir	to demand	exijo
recoger	to pick up	recojo

Verbs with Irregular Yo Forms

The following verbs have irregular yo forms. The other present tense forms of these verbs follow the patterns for regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

Spanish Infinitive	English Infinitive	Yo Form
caber	to fit	quepo
caer	to fall	caigo
conocer	to know	conozco
dar	to give	doy
hacer	to do/make	hago
poner	to put	pongo
saber	to know	sé
salir	to leave/to go out	salgo
traducir	to translate	traduzco
traer	to bring	traigo
valer	to be worth	valgo
ver	to see	veo

 Attention
Most verbs that end in -cer or -ucir have irregular present tense yo forms.

Here are a few examples of the above verbs in action.

Hago la tarea en la biblioteca. I do my homework in the library.

Sé que hoy es martes. I know today is Tuesday.

Present Indicative Uses

The Spanish present tense can be used to talk about habitual actions, routines, things happening now or in the near future, universal truths, facts, hypotheticals, lapses of time, and for ordering in restaurants and stores. Read on for more on each of these uses.

Habitual Actions

Habitual actions are activities that a person does every day (or very often). Daily routines, responsibilities, hobbies, and jobs can be talked about using the present tense.

Me levanto a las seis y media cada mañana. I get up at six thirty every morning.

Doy de comer al perro tres veces cada día. I feed the dog three times each day.

Trabajo para el zoológico. I work for the zoo.

Estudio biología en la universidad. I study biology at the university.

Things Happening Now

In English, something happening at the moment of speaking is usually expressed using the present progressive. In Spanish, both the simple present and the present progressive can be used to talk about things happening now.

¿Cómo estás? How are you doing?

Estoy bien, gracias. I'm doing well, thank you.

¿Qué haces? What are you doing?

Limpio la cocina. I'm cleaning the kitchen.

Things Happening in the Near Future

The Spanish present tense can also be used to talk about things that will happen in the near future.

Voy al parque. ¿Vienes? I'm going to the park. Want to come?

Salgo para el aeropuerto en media hora. I'm leaving for the airport in half an hour.

Timeless Events/Universal Truths

Things that are universally known or generally accepted are often expressed using the simple present. These can be facts, opinions, or proverbs.

Uno más uno son dos. One plus one is two.

Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo. Wisdom comes with age. (Literal translation: The devil's wisdom comes more from age than from being the devil.)

El hombre es mortal. Mankind is mortal.

Hypothetical Situations

When used with the conjunction si (if), the present tense can express hypothetical situations and outcomes.

Si llega Marcos, salgo. If Marcos comes, I'm out.

Si llueve, la fiesta termina. If it rains, the party's over.

Lapses of Time

The present tense is commonly used to talk about the amount of time something has been going on. The following formula is used with the present tense for this purpose.

hace + time period + que + present tense verb

Hace tres años que esperamos tu llamada. We've been waiting three years for your call.

Hace una semana que pinta este cuadro. He's been painting this painting for a week.

Ordering

It's also quite common to use the present tense in Spanish when ordering something in a restaurant or store.

¿Me trae un café, por favor? Would you bring me a coffee, please?

Quiero el arroz con pollo. I would like the chicken and rice.