Three verb groups
Spanish infinitives end in -ar, -er or -ir. To conjugate a regular verb, remove the ending to get the stem (habl-, com-, viv-) and add the ending for the person.
| Person | hablar (to speak) | comer (to eat) | vivir (to live) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | como | vivo |
| tú | hablas | comes | vives |
| él / ella / usted | habla | come | vive |
| nosotros/-as | hablamos | comemos | vivimos |
| vosotros/-as (Spain) | habláis | coméis | vivís |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablan | comen | viven |
- The yo form ends in -o in all three groups.
- -er and -ir verbs share every ending except nosotros (-emos / -imos) and vosotros (-éis / -ís).
- Only the vosotros forms carry a written accent. All other present forms are written without one: hablo, comes, viven.
More regular verbs
| -ar | -er | -ir |
|---|---|---|
| trabajar (to work) | beber (to drink) | escribir (to write) |
| estudiar (to study) | leer (to read) | abrir (to open) |
| cocinar (to cook) | aprender (to learn) | recibir (to receive) |
| tomar (to take, have) | comprender (to understand) | subir (to go up) |
| necesitar (to need) | vender (to sell) | compartir (to share) |
What the present is used for
- Habits and routines: Trabajo en un hospital. — I work in a hospital.
- Facts: Los españoles cenan tarde. — Spaniards have dinner late.
- What is happening now: ¿Qué haces? Leo el periódico. — What are you doing? I'm reading the paper.
- Near future with a time word: Mañana cocino yo. — I'll cook tomorrow.
- How long something has lasted, with desde hace: Vivo aquí desde hace dos años. — I have lived here for two years.
One Spanish present covers "I speak", "I am speaking" and "I do speak".
Questions and negatives
There is no helper verb like "do". Put no before the verb for a negative, and use intonation (plus ¿ ?) for questions:
- No hablo alemán. — I don't speak German.
- ¿Vives en Barcelona? — Do you live in Barcelona?
- ¿Comen ustedes aquí? — Do you eat here?
Watch out as an English speaker
- The -s is not "he/she". English adds -s for the third person ("she speaks"); in Spanish the final -s marks tú. ✗ Ella hablas. / ✓ Ella habla. ✗ Mi jefe comes aquí. / ✓ Mi jefe come aquí.
- Don't overuse the progressive. English says "I'm working" for now; the simple present usually works in Spanish too. ✓ ¿Qué haces? ✓ Estudio. The progressive (estoy estudiando) exists but is not needed as often.
- "For two years" with the present. English uses the present perfect ("I have lived here for two years"); for a situation still going on, Spanish uses the present with desde hace, not por. ✗ Vivo aquí por dos años. / ✓ Vivo aquí desde hace dos años.
- Endings matter more than pronouns. Only the ending tells hablo (I speak) from habla (he/she/you speak). Pronounce the final vowel clearly.
Example dialogue
¿Dónde trabajas? — Where do you work?
Trabajo en una escuela. Enseño inglés. — I work in a school. I teach English.
¿Y vives cerca? — And do you live nearby?
Sí, vivo en la calle Mayor. Normalmente como en casa. — Yes, I live on Calle Mayor. I usually eat at home.