Present Tense Regular and Irregular Verbs in Spanish
Today we are going to talk about verbs in the present tense.
Did you know that that verbs run the show when it comes to Spanish grammar? Verbs are in charge of not just any old job, verbs are in charge of communication. A job that lets us know a lot of information.
Verbs let us know which action is being carried out, like in every language. However, in Spanish it also tells us which person is performing the action - I (yo), you (tú), he/she/it (él/ella), we (nosotros), you plural (vosotros) and they (ellos/ellas). Thus, verbs must be conjugated according to each person.
When starting to learn Spanish, this point is often stressed by teachers as in many other languages there isn’t this rule, meaning it can be a bit confusing for students.
Verbs inform us about whether the subject carrying out the action works or doesn't work.
They let us know what the intention of the person speaking is. Do they just want to give information, are they asking for something, presenting a hypothesis, or maybe they want to give an order or even advise someone about something.
Additionally, once conjugated, we can discover if the action is happening now, happened in the past or will happen in the future. Amazing, right?
Without a doubt, verbs run the show when it comes to Spanish grammar.
In this article, we’re going to help you understand how to express common actions that we do on a day to day basis and help you understand how to talk about what's going on around you right now.
That is, we are going to work together how it is and when the verbs in present vocabulary.
What is a verb in the present?
You know, the present in Spanish is the tense of here and now, what's going on right now.
Present tense is the most used verb tense What do we use the most when speaking? Let's see how regular and irregular verbs are in Spanish in the present tense.
Do you want to know the difference between regular and irregular verbs?
Want to find out more?
Regular Present Tense Verbs
Did you know that Spanish verbs are split into 3 big families ?
Just like at Howart's, where Harry Pottergoes to school, Spanish verbs are put into their houses too.
These families are called conjugations and it is very easy to identify which family each verb belongs to. You don't need no magic sorting hat, you just need to take a look at the verb ending .
Model conjugation of a verb is the form that it will take depending on the family to which it belongs and the verb tense it wants to talk about.
There are three conjugations that would be like the types of present in Spanish.
How are verbs conjugated in the present tense?
La first conjugation is that of the verbs that end in -AR. You know many, right? Speak, sing, walk, walk… It is the largest family we have in Spanish.
La second conjugation is that of the verbs that end in -ER. It is a slightly smaller family, but we will also have many in the group. For example: reading, learning, eating, drinking…
And the third conjugation is that of the verbs ending in -IR. It is the smallest group, but it is not less important for that. 😉 Long live minorities! LOL. Here we find verbs as beautiful as live, write, open, exist...
So, according to which conjugation the verb needs, we are able to form the present tense of the verb.
And when I find a verb that is already conjugated, to which conjugation model does it belong?
It's really easy! Each conjugation has a letter which helps us identify which family it belongs to. If we continue with our Harry Potter theme, it would be like the house shield or flag.
Said letter is always a vowel and we call it the “vocal temática” or the thematic vowel as it lets us know the ‘theme’ of the verb, in other words, the family it belongs to.
The ‘vocal temática’ of verbs ending in -AR is -A-. For example: CANT- AR.
The ‘vocal temática’ of verbs ending in -ER is -E-. For example: COM- ER.
The ‘vocal temática’ of verbs ending in -IR is -I-. For example: VIV-IR.
Now, when you see a verb in Spanish, you will already know how to choose the correct conjugation model.
Within these three conjugations, in Spanish there are two groups of verbs: regular verbs and irregular verbs.
Next, we are going to see how they are formed and what is the difference between regular and irregular verbs.
Present Tense Morphology for Regular Verbs
Now that you have a lot of information about the form of verbs, do you dare to discover how we form verbs? regular verbs in spanish? We are going to see the verb forms in the present tense with this list of regular verbs.
| Person/Subject | BAIL-AR | APREND-ER | VIV-IR |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
bail-o |
aprend-o |
viv-o |
|
You |
bail-as |
aprend-es |
viv-es |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
bail-a |
aprend-e |
viv-e |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
bail-amos |
aprend-emo |
viv-imos |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
bail-áis |
aprend-éis |
viv-ís |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
bail-an |
aprend-en |
viv-en |
Other verbs Very common regular present tense that you can find are:
- AR: cantar, hablar, escuchar, explicar, mirar, observar, llevar, alquilar, ayudar, desayunar.
- ER: comer, beber, comprender, responder, vender, romper, creer, leer.
- IR: escribir, abrir, subir, descubrir, existir, interrumpir.
Su form is simple, right? Its main part or root is always the same y just change the end of each word, depending on the person performing the action.
Regular Present Tense Verb Practice
Do we practice regular verbs in the present with exercises?
Give it a go and test your knowledge the examples of sentences correct form of the present tense: regular in Spanish of each verb:
- En mi familia todos __________ (comer, nosotros) paella los domingos.
- En Hispania los alumnos ____________ (aprender, ellos) mucho español.
- Mi profesora __________ (explicar, ella) muy bien la gramática.
- ¿___________ (hablar, tú) español?
- Siempre ___________ (subir, yo) los tres pisos de escaleras de mi casa.
- Perdone, ¿___________ (vivir, usted) aquí?
- Vosotros __________ (viajar) normalmente durante las vacaciones de verano.
- Yo siempre ___________ (llevar) vaqueros en invierno, pero Paula __________ (llevar) vestidos y medias.
- A los valencianos nos gusta mucho el verano y ___________ (nadar, nosotros) en la playa siempre que podemos.
- A mi madre le encantan los libros y siempre ___________ (leer, ella) un poco antes de dormir.
Answers
- comemos
- aprenden
- explica
- hablas
- subo
- vive
- viajáis
- llevo – lleva
- nadamos
- lee
Irregular Present Tense
When we talk about the form of verbs we differentiate between regular e irregular in spanish.
So, what does that mean exactly? It’s simple really, let’s take a look.
Each verb changes according to the person and verb tense . However, there is a group of verbsthat has a few more changes than just that.
All words that have the ability to change in Spanish are made up of two parts: the lexeme or in other words, the root of the verb (such as the part of the trees that is hidden underground) and the morpheme or in other words, the verb ending.
For example, lets point out the root included in the song and it's the morpheme of the verb "to sing" would look like this:
CANT (root)- AR (morpheme)
La The root, or lexeme tells us the definition of the verbsounds a lot like the word “lexis”, right? Well, thanks to the lexeme, we are able to understand what is the action being done.
This part of the verb, the root, sometimes changes and sometimes doesn't, depending on whether the verb is regular or irregular. With regular verbs, the root regular participles changes.It is simply repeated, regardless of the person completing the action.
Looking back at our example with “cantar”, the root of the verb is “ CANT”. Another example would be, “bailar”, here the root of the verb is “BAIL”.
Both of these verbs are regular and thus, the root never changes: yo cant-o, tú cant-as, él cant- a… ...
Pretty logical, right?
On the other hand, the morpheme or verb ending gives us information about the person and the tense. In other words, who is doing the action and when.
This part of the verb changes each time we need to change the person doing the action, the tense which the action is happening in and a few other times that we’ll find out about together.
And then, what are irregular verbs in the present?
It's exactly what you thought! We call them verbs of present verbs because the root of the verb also sometimes changes. .
How to know if a verb is regular or irregular?
Irregular presents in Spanish are classified into 4 groups that will help you understand irregular verbs quickly:
- irregular verbs where the vowel changes.
- irregular verbs where it only changes in the first person.
- irregular verbs where the vowel changes + it changes in the first person.
- irregular verbs where it changes completely.
Here I show you one list of irregular verbs in Spanish with their 4 types. You will see how easy they are!
Morphology of Irregular Present Verbs
Irregular Verbs with Vowel Changes
Within this group we have various vowel changes:
O > UE
E > IE
E > I
U > EU
With these verbs it's important to keep in mind that not everyone will have to change. NOSOTROS (US) y VOSOTROS (YOU PLURAL) in the verbs conjugated in the present irregular never change .
Lets take a look, here are some examples of each group.
1. OR > EU → encontrar – encuentro
Yo encUEntro
You encUEntras
Él/ella/usted encUEin
we encOwe enter IT DOES NOT CHANGE
You you encOenter IT DOES NOT CHANGE
Ellos/ellas/ustedes encUEenter
Other verbs belonging to this group are: poder, soñar, costar, volver, recordar, dormir.
Dare to conjugate some irregular verbs yourself?
2. E > IE → querer – quiero
Yo quIEro
You quIErs
Él/ella/usted quIEre
we whetherEWe IT DOES NOT CHANGE
You you whetherÉis IT DOES NOT CHANGE
Ellos/ellas/ustedes quIEren
Other verbs belonging to this group are: cerrar, preferir, empezar, entender, pensar.
3. E > I →pedir-pido
Yo pIdo
You pIof
Él/ella/usted pIde
we pEwe gave IT DOES NOT CHANGE
You you pEsay IT DOES NOT CHANGE
Ellos/ellas/ustedes pIthe material moisture meter shows you the
Other verbs belonging to this group are: reír, seguir, servir, conseguir, repetir, vestir.
4. U > UE →jugar–juego
Yo jUEgo
You jUEgas
Él/ella/usted jUEga
we jUgamos IT DOES NOT CHANGE
You you jUgay IT DOES NOT CHANGE
Ellos/ellas/ustedes jUEgan
In this group there are no more verbs in the present. So, this group makes it easy for you to remember.
Irregular verbs which only change in 1st person singular
Some irregular verbs only have a different first person singularform, meaning, the "YO"form. Some examples of verbs in this group are as following:
| Person/Subject | SABER | CONOCER | DAR | HACER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yo/I |
sé |
conoZC-o |
doy |
haGO |
|
You |
sab-es |
conoc-es |
d-as |
hac-es |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
sab-e |
conoc-e |
d-a |
hac-e |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
sab-emos |
conoc-emos |
d-amos |
hac-emos |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
sab-éis |
conoc-éis |
d-ais |
hac-éis |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
sab-en |
conoc-en |
d-an |
hac-en |
Here's a few more examples to make things clear verbs like this are as following:
Estar - estoy
Put On - I pose
Bring - i bring
Logout - salgo
*Coger- cojo The verb "coger" is special as it is only considered irregular on a written level.In Spanish we sometimes have to amend the spelling so it sounds correct on an oral level. For instance, if we were to write "cogo" and not change the spelling, it doesn’t sound right.
However, from the oral point of view it is considered a regular verb.
Interesting, right?
Irregular verbs where the vowel + the 1st person singular changes
This group of irregular verbs are a combination of the two irregularities we’ve just learned about.
| Person/Subject | DECIDIR | OÍR | TENER | VENIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yo/I |
DIGO |
OIGO |
TENGO |
VENGO |
|
You |
DIC-ES |
OYES |
TIEN-ES |
VIEN-ES |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
DIC-E |
OYE |
TIENE |
VIENE |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
dec-mos |
oh-oh |
ten-emos |
ven- imo |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
dec-is |
o-is |
ten-eis |
ven- is |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
DIC-ON |
OYEN |
TIEN-IN |
VIEN-IN |
Completely irregular verbs
Verbs belonging to this group are completely irregular, meaning that infinitive form of the verb and the conjugated whether they are entirely different.
| Person/Subject | IR | SER |
|---|---|---|
|
Yo |
voy |
soy |
|
You |
vas |
eres |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
va |
es |
|
Nosotros/Nosotras |
vamos |
somos |
|
Vosotros/Vosotras |
vais |
sois |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
van |
whether they are |
Activities to practice present irregulars
Now play BLANK the shape of the present irregular with exercises in these sentence examples.
- Pepe nunca __________ (cerrar) las puertas cuando sale.
- A veces los alumnos no ____________ (entender) a su profesora de español.
- Rosa, yo te ______________ (querer), ¿____________ (querer, tú) casarte conmigo?
- ¿Tú siempre ____________ (recordar) los cumpleaños de tus amigos?
- Últimamente, yo __________ (salir) a bailar todos los viernes por la noche.
- Mi marido ___________ (oir) las noticias de la radio todas las mañanas.
- Yo no _____________ (conocer) a Paula, y tú, ¿la ____________ (conocer)?
- Este restaurante _____________ (servir) las mejores bravas de la ciudad.
- Me cuesta mucho dormir en verano por el calor, pero Juan siempre ____________ (dormir) como un bebé.
- ¿Sabes dónde están mis llaves? Las dejé en la mesa anoche y hoy no las ___________ (encontrar).
Answers
- cierra
- entienden
- quiero – quieres
- recuerdas
- salgo
- oye
- conozco – conoces
- sirve
- duerme
- encuentro
Basic uses of the present tense
Now that you are clear about the present form of regular and irregular verbs in Spanish, and that you surely know how to conjugate it perfectly, the most important moment has arrived: when do we use the present?
Below we’ll explain the four basic ways we use uses of the present tense so that you’ll be able to use it whenever you need:
- 1. The present tense allows us to talk about actions that are happening that very moment, , the now. With it we can talk about everything that surrounds us at the moment we are expressing ourselves.
For example:
Vivo en Valencia y tengo 34 years.
Me like one go to an italian restaurantianor why tengo desire to eat pizza.
- 2. We use the present tense to talk about habits habits, and exceeding that we se carry out or repeat on a regular basis..
Regarding this use, we have a few words and phrases to help you expressfrequency (siempre/always, nunca/never, a veces/sometimes, todos los días/every day, por la mañana/in the morning, por la noche/at night, cada día/every day, etc.)
For example: Mi hermana va a clases de natación todos los días, (my sister goes to swimming lessons every day).
- 3. We can also use the present tense to ask or say what the time is.
For example: ¿Qué hora es? The music is taken from las 6 de la tarde. (What time is it? It’s XNUMXpm).
Remember that when using the verb "ser" in present tense to talk about time, it is only in its singular form when it is 1 oclock, “es la XNUMX”, any other hour requires the plural form, “son”. .
- 4. Lastly, we use the present tense to talk about universal facts, things and actions that never change, usually facts that everyone knows.
For example: El agua del mar es salada y el universo es inmenso. (Sea water is salty and the universe is immense).
Now you know the present regular and irregular in Spanish. Cool!
How important is this verb tense! Thanks to him we can communicate in Spanish in any context. So, now all you have to do is come to Spain to put it into practice.
So, if you’re interested in learning a little more Spanish, you can always sign up to enjoy one of our general Spanish courses en Hispania, escuela de español. Our school has been accredited by the Cervantes Institute, and we have some of the best teachers around.
Similarly, you can take a course online, as always, if you decide to come to Valencia, we would absolutely love to meet you.
We look forward to seeing you soon! 😉
Article written by Nerea Milan y Maria Palanca for Hispania, escuela de español
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