Regular Present Tense
Build the present tense of regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
Regular Present Tense in Spanish
Use the present tense to talk about things happening now, regular activities, habits, and general facts.
For a regular verb, remove -ar, -er, or -ir and add an ending that matches the subject.
Regular present tense endings
| Subject | hablar (-ar) | comer (-er) | vivir (-ir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | como | vivo |
| tú | hablas | comes | vives |
| él / ella / usted | habla | come | vive |
| nosotros/as | hablamos | comemos | vivimos |
| vosotros/as | habláis | coméis | vivís |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablan | comen | viven |
For example:
hablar → habl- + o → hablo
When to use the present tense
Use it for regular activities and routines:
- Trabajo en una tienda. — I work in a shop.
- Comemos a las dos. — We eat at two.
- Estudio español todos los días. — I study Spanish every day.
It can also describe something happening now, depending on the context:
- ¿Qué haces? — What are you doing?
- Leo un libro. — I’m reading a book.
More examples
- ¿Estudias español? — Do you study Spanish?
- Marta bebe café. — Marta drinks coffee.
- Vivimos en Barcelona. — We live in Barcelona.
- Viven en Madrid. — They live in Madrid.
- Los domingos cocino en casa. — On Sundays, I cook at home.
Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun because the verb ending already shows who does the action:
- Yo trabajo aquí.
- Trabajo aquí.
Both mean I work here, but the second is often more natural.
Common irregular verbs
Not every Spanish verb follows the regular pattern. Some very common A1 verbs are irregular, including:
- ser — to be
- estar — to be
- tener — to have
- ir — to go
- hacer — to do / make
- querer — to want
- poder — can / to be able to
Learn these forms separately instead of trying to apply the regular endings exactly.
For common irregular conjugations, see Irregular Present Tense.
Reflexive verbs also use a reflexive pronoun such as me, te, or se.
To practise present-tense conjugation, review the Daily Routine vocabulary, then see these verbs in context in Un día normal.
Quick rule
Remove -ar, -er, or -ir, then add the ending that matches the subject.