Beginner grammar guide
The Spanish present tense in motion
Start with the infinitive ending, then listen for the person doing the action.
The present tense is the workhorse of everyday conversation: it describes habits, facts, current situations and, with a time marker, some planned future events. Spanish verb endings carry the subject, so a subject pronoun is often unnecessary.
Building everyday vocabulary too? Explore the free vocabulary guides.
The idea
Understand the choice, not just the label.
Remove -ar, -er or -ir from a regular infinitive and add the matching ending. For hablar, the endings are hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan. In Spain, vosotros is the familiar plural “you”; ustedes is also understood and used in formal contexts, with regional variation.
Many verbs are not fully regular. Some change the stem in stressed forms (pensar → pienso, pensamos), while others have an irregular first-person form (hacer → hago). Keep the ending and stem pattern separate when learning them.
The present can describe a routine (Trabajo los lunes), a current fact (Vivo en Granada), or a scheduled near-future event (Mañana salgo temprano). For an action explicitly in progress, Spanish often uses estar + gerund, but does not require it in every context.
| Form / pattern | Use it when… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ar | hablar: present endings | hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan |
| -er | comer: present endings | como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen |
| -ir | vivir: present endings | vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven |
| Subject pronouns | add them for contrast or clarity | Yo trabajo aquí, pero ella estudia allí. — I work here, but she studies there. |
Hear it in a sentence
Examples in everyday Spanish
Desayunamos en casa y luego cogemos el autobús.
We have breakfast at home and then take the bus.
A routine told with present forms.
¿A qué hora abre la biblioteca?
What time does the library open?
Mañana comemos con mis primos.
Tomorrow we’re having lunch with my cousins.
A future time marker makes the plan clear.
Look out for
Common mistakes, made clearer
Avoid
Nosotros vivimos en Madrid (with nosotros in every sentence).
Use / understand
Vivimos en Madrid.
The ending already identifies “we”; keep the pronoun when contrast or emphasis is useful.
Avoid
Vosotros habla español.
Use / understand
Vosotros habláis español.
The Spain-oriented familiar plural form takes the -áis ending for -ar verbs.
Avoid
Yo no sabo.
Use / understand
Yo no sé.
Saber has the irregular first-person present form sé.
Out in the world
Everyday use
¿Te apetece tomar algo después del trabajo?
Would you fancy getting a drink after work?
El tren sale de Atocha a las ocho.
The train leaves Atocha at eight.
Five quick checks
Try it before you peek.
- 01
Complete: Yo ___ (vivir) cerca del centro.
Reveal answer and explanation
vivo
The regular yo ending for -ir verbs is -o.
- 02
Complete: Tú ___ (pensar) en cambiar de piso.
Reveal answer and explanation
piensas
Pensar has an e → ie stem change in stressed forms.
- 03
Complete: Vosotros ___ (comer) aquí los viernes.
Reveal answer and explanation
coméis
The familiar plural form in Spain uses -éis for regular -er verbs.
- 04
Complete: Mi padre ___ (hacer) la compra.
Reveal answer and explanation
hace
Hacer is irregular in the yo form (hago), but the él/ella form is hace.
- 05
Translate: “Tomorrow I’m leaving early.”
Reveal answer and explanation
Mañana salgo temprano.
The present can express a scheduled or intended future when a time marker makes the meaning clear.
Still wondering
Questions about the spanish present tense in motion
Do I always need to say yo or tú?
No. Verb endings usually show the subject. Pronouns are useful for emphasis, contrast, or clarity when context is not enough.
Can the present tense refer to the future?
Yes, especially for arrangements and timetables when a future time is stated: El jueves tengo una cita (I have an appointment on Thursday).