Trabajo en el centro, pero vivo a las afueras
Regular Verbs in the Present Tense in Spanish
In Spanish, like in English, there are both regular and irregular verbs in most tenses. Regular verbs in the present tense are relatively straightforward to remember. It is important to note that in Spanish, verbs in their infinitive form (the pure, unconjugated form of the verb) fall into three categories: -ar, -er, and -ir.
Let’s examine their conjugation:
Here are some useful tips for remembering the conjugations of regular verbs:
- The conjugated verb in the first-person singular (“yo”) always ends in “o”.
- -er and -ir verbs are conjugated almost the same, except for “nosotros / nosotras” (we)
The verb “ver” (to see) is an exception only in the first person, as instead of saying “yo vo”, we say “yo veo”:
Spelling changes
It is important to note that in Spanish, there are some regular verbs in which the spelling changes. While these verbs are regular morphologically, they undergo spelling changes to ensure that the sound remains consistent, which would otherwise alter if we followed the standard pattern. Let’s look at them in more detail.
In some verbs ending in -er or -ir, the last consonant changes in the first-person singular:
Many verbs ending in -iar and -uar must have an accent on the letters “i” and “u” in the singular and in the third-person plural. This rule applies to all pronouns except “nosotros / nosotras” (we):
In verbs ending in -uir, a “y” should be added before the endings that do not begin with an “i”. Basically, all pronouns except “nosotros / nosotras” (we). For example:
Reflexive Verbs
The same principle applies to reflexive verbs, where the action of the verb is directed back onto the subject. As you may already know, reflexive verbs consist of two words since we always include the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, se, se). However, it is important to note that we conjugate the second part in the same way we would conjugate a regular verb. Nevertheless, they still follow the -ar, -er, or -ir verb pattern. Let’s look at some examples:
Another important point to remember is that when we have two verbs, we only conjugate the first verb:
If one of these verbs is reflexive, typically the second one, it does not function as a two-word verb as usual. Instead, the reflexive pronoun remains attached to the verb’s root. Let’s examine some examples to illustrate this:
Exercises / Ejercicios
(Monday mornings we gather the necessary documents before the presentation)
2. Casi nunca las letras en los textos sin mis lentes. (distinguir)
(I almost never distinguish the letters in texts without my glasses)
3. Mi tía a mis primos jugar videojuegos. (prohibir)
(My aunt forbids my cousins from playing video games)
4. Todos los actores de la compañía muy bien. (actuar)
(All the actors in the company act very well)
5. En casa normalmente a las 9:00 a.m. (nosotros / desayunar)
(At home we usually have breakfast at 9:00 a.m.)
6. Normalmente las noticias en la noche después de cenar. (nosotros / ver)
(We usually watch the news at night before dinner)
7. Sofía siempre con su tiempo y esfuerzo. (contribuir)
(Sofia always contributes with her time and effort)
8. Los niños siempre las manos antes de comer. (lavarse)
(The children always wash their hands before eating)
9. Nuestros vecinos siempre a los demás. (espiar)
(Our neighbors always spy on others)
10. ¿Quieres ahora? (bañarse)
(Do you want to take a shower now?)
Exercises / Ejercicios
(Ricardo swims in the pool every day)
2. Ellos trabajan en la ciudad, pero en el campo.
(They work in the city, but they live in the countryside)
3. María siempre a casa a las siete de la noche.
(María always arrives home at seven in the evening)
4. ¿A qué hora (ustedes) normalmente entre semana?
(What time do you get up during the week?)
5. ¿Por qué usted la puerta? Hay mucho ruido afuera.
(Why do you open the door? There is a lot of noise outside)
6. Yo un libro cada mes. ¿Cuántos libros ustedes cada año?
(I read one book every month. How many books do you all read each year?)
7. Ella la televisión sólo los fines de semana.
(She only watches TV on weekends)
8. Las dos amigas el departamento cuando está sucio.
(The two friends clean the apartment when it is dirty)
9. Verónica ocho vasos de agua al día.
(Veronica drinks eight glasses of water a day)
10. Todos los días media hora cuando llego a casa.
(I rest for half an hour when I get home every day)
In this lesson, we explored the present tense in Spanish. We provided a general overview of how regular verbs in the present tense are conjugated in Spanish and how some of them experience changes in the spelling. We also offered some examples and practical applications. If you would like to learn more about tenses and conjugations in Spanish we suggest exploring “Introduction to Spanish Conjugations” and “The Present Tense in Spanish”.