Present Simple in SpanishA1

The simple present places the action in the present moment when someone is doing something right now. The sentence usually has an idea of continuity, even though a progressive form does not appear. In hablo, comes and viven, the action is presented as currently in effect at this instant. It also appears with expressions such as ahora, en este momento and todavía. To compare this use with a more explicit form of ongoing action, it is useful to see Present Progressive.

Regular -ar verbs form the simple present by removing -ar from the infinitive and adding the correct endings to the root. hablar gives habl-o, habl-as, habl-a, habl-amos, habl-áis, habl-an. The persons are: I -o, you -as, he, she and you formal -a, we -amos, you all -áis, they and you all -an. The same pattern appears in trabajar, estudiar and caminar. These verbs follow the basic model that is also seen in Regular verbs.

Conjugation of regular -ar verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	hablar	hablo
tú	hablar	hablas
él	hablar	habla
nosotros	hablar	hablamos
vosotros	hablar	habláis
ellos	hablar	hablan

ScrambleShow Translation

In regular verbs ending in -er, you remove -er and add these endings: I -o, you -es, he, she and you formal -e, we -emos, you all -éis, they and you all -en. Thus, comer yields com-o, com-es, com-e, com-emos, com-éis, com-en. Other forms with the same endings are beber, aprender and vender. The stem does not change and the ending marks the grammatical person.

Conjugation of regular -er verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	comer	como
tú	comer	comes
él	comer	come
nosotros	comer	comemos
vosotros	comer	coméis
ellos	comer	comen

ScrambleShow Translation

Regular -ir verbs follow almost the same scheme as those of -er: I -o, you -es, he, she and you formal -e, we -imos, you all -ís, they and you all -en. With vivir you form viv-o, viv-es, viv-e, viv-imos, viv-ís, viv-en. Also work like escribir, abrir and recibir. The main difference is in the first person plural and the second person plural, which use -imos and -ís.

Conjugation of regular -ir verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	vivir	vivo
tú	vivir	vives
él	vivir	vive
nosotros	vivir	vivimos
vosotros	vivir	vivís
ellos	vivir	viven

ScrambleShow TranslationShow Questions

The simple present expresses actions that repeat regularly. It is used for daily routines, customs and habitual activities: me levanto temprano, cenamos a las ocho, los lunes estudio español. It does not talk about a specific moment, but about a behavior that repeats again and again. Therefore it appears with frequency markers such as siempre, a menudo, normalmente, todos los días and cada semana. When the action is repeated, the present marks a habit even if it refers to a week, a month or an entire year.

Usage of the present for routines

Usage	Explanation
Daily routines	Use the present for actions you do every day or almost every day.
Frequent habits	Use the present for habits that happen regularly.
Usual schedules	Use the present to express an activity that happens at a known or fixed time.

Show TranslationShow Questions

The present tense is used to affirm things that are considered valid in a general way. It is used with scientific facts, permanent relationships and accepted truths: el agua hierve a cien grados, España está en Europa, dos y dos son cuatro. The sentence does not present the information as an isolated event, but as a stable reality. It also appears in definitions and in phrases that describe how the world works. In this use, the present does not depend on the moment of speaking; the statement is understood as true at any time.

Present for general truths

Idea
We use the present for general truths that seem valid all the time.
We use the present for permanent or very stable facts.
We use the present for universal affirmations that do not depend on the moment.

Show Translation

To describe how someone or something is in the present, the simple present is used with state verbs and with descriptive verbs. Estoy cansado, tienes frío, la puerta está abierta, mi hermano vive en Sevilla show current conditions, emotions, location and visible traits. It is also used to talk about appearance, age, size or situation: la mesa pesa mucho, el cielo está gris, Ana parece nerviosa. Here the present does not count an action, but a condition that exists now.

Use of the present for current states

Usage	Explanation
Physical state	Use the present to say how someone or something is right now.
Emotional condition	Use the present to describe a current feeling or mood.
Description of people and things	Use the present to describe a visible or stable characteristic of someone or something.

Show Translation

Some very common verbs do not follow the regular pattern and change their stem or their whole form. ser is soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son. estar is estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están. tener is tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen. ir uses voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. hacer is hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen. decir changes to digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen. venir is vengo, vienes, viene, venimos, venís, vienen. In several of them there is an added consonant in the first person singular, such as g in tengo, hago, digo and vengo. In others, the whole conjugation is irregular and must be learned as a complete series.

Common irregular present forms

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	ser	soy
yo	estar	estoy
yo	tener	tengo
yo	ir	voy
yo	hacer	hago
yo	decir	digo
yo	venir	vengo

ScrambleShow Translation

Many verbs change the vowel of the stem in some present forms. In poder, the stem pod- changes to pued- in I, you, he, she, you formal, they forms: puedo, puedes, puede, pueden. In querer, quer- becomes quier- in those same persons. In dormir, o changes to ue: duermo, duermes, duerme, duermen. In pensar, e changes to ie: pienso, piensas, piensa, piensan. In pedir, e changes to i: pido, pides, pide, piden. These alternations do not appear in nosotros, nosotras, vosotros, vosotras, ustedes nor vosotros, where the root remains unchanged. The ending follows the regular verb model.

Root changes in present

Idea
Some verbs change the root in some persons of the present.
In these verbs, the ending usually stays the same while the root changes.
These changes occur mainly in yo tú él y ellos.

Show Translation

The simple present can talk about a future action when the context already marks the time. It is used for fixed plans, schedules and appointments: mañana salgo temprano, el tren llega a las seis, esta noche cenamos con Laura. The idea sounds secure and near. When you want to mark the future as a more general reference, an intention or a prediction, the Simple Future expresses that temporal distance better: viajaré el próximo año. The present can also sound more immediate than the future, and that is why it is often used to talk about things already organized. In narrative contexts, the present can chain with other forms to tell what happens in sequence, and when the action is unfolding at the moment, the Present Progressive tends to be more explicit.