Present Tense in Spanish | Conjugation & Examples

The present tense in Spanish (“el presente indicativo”) is used in a similar way as the simple present tense in the indicative mood in English.

It is conjugated differently depending on if the verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.

If you want to use the present tense in Spanish in the negative, you just have to add a “no” in front of the conjugated verb. For questions, invert the order of the subject and verb, and surround the question with “¿” and “?”

When to use the present tense in Spanish

The use of the present tense in Spanish is similar to the simple present in English.

Present tense conjugation in Spanish

The present tense in Spanish is conjugated differently depending on:

• The verb ending (-ar, -er, or -ir)
• The subject of the sentence (e.g., “I,” “you,” “Maria,” etc.)
• The formality of the context you’re communicating in

Conjugating -ar verbs in the present tense

To conjugate verbs ending in “-ar,” remove the “-ar” from the infinitive, and then add the verb ending that matches the subject of the sentence.

If you’re learning the present tense in Spanish, it’s a good idea to study some common verbs you’ll likely come across.

Conjugating -er verbs in the present tense

For verbs that end in “-er,” drop the “-er” from the infinitive and add the appropriate ending.

Knowing some commonly used “-er” verbs can help you practice conjugating.

Conjugating -ir verbs in the present tense

For “-ir” verbs, drop the “-ir” from the infinitive and add the ending that matches the subject.

Getting to know some common -ir verbs can help you get a feel for this conjugation pattern.

Irregular present tense verbs in Spanish

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the normal conjugation patterns. In Spanish, verbs can be irregular because:

• They have unique, irregular conjugations for every form.
• They have an irregular ending in the “yo” form.
• They have a stem change when conjugated.

Irregular verbs with unique conjugations

Some verbs in Spanish are uniquely conjugated for every subject. If studying the present tense in Spanish, you should memorize three important verbs that fall into this category.

Irregular verbs with unique “yo” forms

Some irregular verbs have unique present tense conjugations for the “yo” form but follow the  rules for the rest of the subjects.

Verbs that end in -guir, -ger, or -gir also have irregular “yo” forms:

• If the verb ends in “-guir,” the “yo” form ends in “-go.”
• If the verb ends in “-ger” or “-gir,” the “yo” form changes the “g” to a “j.”

Irregular verbs with stem changes

Some irregular verbs undergo a stem change, meaning the stem or base of the verb changes in all conjugations except the “nosotros” and “vosotros” forms.

There are some general patterns that stem changes follow:

• The vowel “e” in the stem changes to “ie” (e.g., “tener”).
• The vowel “o” in the stem changes to “ue” (e.g., “dormir”).
• The vowel “e” in the stem changes to “i” (e.g., “decir”).
• The vowel “u” in the stem changes to “ue” (e.g., “jugar”).

Unfortunately, the only way to remember which Spanish verbs are irregular is to memorize them.

A QuillBot Grammar Check can also make sure you’re conjugating both regular and irregular verbs correctly.

Present tense in Spanish quiz

Check your knowledge of the present tense in Spanish with these practice questions.

Frequently asked questions about present tense in Spanish

What is the present tense of venir in Spanish?

The present tense in Spanish of the verb “venir” [“to come”] depends on the subject of the sentence:

• Yo vengo [“I come”]
• Tú vienes [“You come,” singular, informal]
• Usted viene [“You come,” singular, formal]
• El/ella viene [“He/she/it comes”]
• Nosotros/nosotras venimos [“We come”]
• Vosotros/vosotras venís [“You come,” plural, informal]
• Ustedes vienen [“You come,” plural, formal or informal]
• Ellos/ellas vienen [“They come”]

Subject pronouns are optional in Spanish. For example, “vengo” and “yo vengo” have the same meaning.

A QuillBot Grammar Check can check you conjugate verbs correctly in Spanish.

What’s the present tense of ser in Spanish?

The present tense in Spanish of the verb “ser” [“to be”] varies based on the subject of the sentence:

• Yo soy [“I am”]
• Tú eres [“You are,” singular, informal]
• Usted es [“You are,” singular, formal]
• El/ella es [“He/she/it is”]
• Nosotros/nosotras somos [“We are”]
• Vosotros/vosotras sois [“You are,” plural, informal]
• Ustedes son [“You are,” plural, formal or informal]
• Ellos/ellas son [“They are”]

You can drop subject pronouns in Spanish. For example, to say, “I’m American,” you can say “soy estadounidense,” without “yo.”

Check that you correctly conjugate verbs in Spanish with a QuillBot Grammar Check.

What are present tense endings in Spanish?

Verb endings in Spanish depend on if the verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.

Present tense endings in Spanish

Subject	-ar	-er	-ir
Yo	-o	-o	-o
Tú	-as	-es	-es
Usted/el/ella	-a	-e	-e
Nosotros/as	-amos	-emos	-imos
Vosotros/as	-áis	-éis	-ís
Ustedes/ellos/ellas	-an	-en	-en

For example, “He eats” would be “Él come,” using “comer,” which means eat in Spanish.

A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you use the present tense in Spanish correctly.

What is present subjunctive in Spanish?

The subjunctive mood expresses desires, wishes, suggestions, commands, or hypothetical situations.

Before conjugating the present subjunctive, you need to know the present tense in Spanish for the indicative mood.

To form the subjunctive, take the “yo” form of an indicative verb and drop the final “-o.” Then, for -ar verbs, apply the “-er” endings, and for -er and -ir verbs, apply the -ar endings.

For example, “Llueve hoy” means “It’s raining today.” The verb used is “llover” [“to rain”] in the indicative. In the subjunctive, we could say “Espero que llueva hoy,” or “I hope it rains today.”

A QuillBot Grammar Check  can make sure you use the present subjunctive in Spanish correctly.

What are irregular verbs in Spanish?

Irregular verbs in Spanish are verbs that do not follow regular conjugation patterns.

A few common irregular verbs are:

• Ser [“to be”]
• Estar [“to be”]
• Ir [“to go”]
• Tener [“to have”]

For example, “comer” is a regular verb that means eat in Spanish. To say “I eat” in the present tense in Spanish, you say “yo como.” On the other hand, “I have” would be “yo tengo,” not “yo teno,” because “tener” is irregular.

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help you spot any irregular verbs in Spanish and conjugate them correctly.