Present tense verb conjugation in Spanish

In this post, you will find a detailed explanation of present tense verb conjugation in Spanish for the indicative mood. For a general explanation on Spanish verb conjugation, check out our main conjugation article.

1. Current actions, Spanish present tense verbs in everyday use

We use the present tense verb conjugation to expresses an unfinished action that is being executed in the same moment as the word is being said. For example, if you say yo hablo (I speak), you are expressing the action as the action is occurring. The same happens with tú hablas or vos hablás (you speak), you are implying that someone else is currently speaking and has not finished. We should also remember that the indicative mood is used to state an objective fact.

So the present, in this sense, should not be considered as an instant. It is more like the current timeframe, that could be quite long, in which talking about an action is taking place. So, if we say, Juan estudia español (Juan studies Spanish), it doesn’t mean that Juan is studying in this very instant. Juan will be studying Spanish for some months. This tense implies is that, at the moment when the verb is spoken, the action is a current event within the timeframe in which Juan is studying Spanish.

2. Present tense verbs as permanent truths and general facts

We also use the present tense conjugation to talk about permanent truths and general affirmations. For example, in the sentence: la tierra gira alrededor del Sol (the earth turns around the sun), the verb gira (turns) is in the present tense, because this is considered a permanent truth. Another example could be: las personas de Nueva York se llaman neoyorkinos (people from New York are called New Yorkers).  Here, the verb is llaman (called or named), and it is in the present tense.

3. Historical present

On occasions, when telling a story, people tend to relate the facts in the present tense. For language experts this is called «historical present». Just think about this common opening line for jokes: A man walks into a bar. In Spanish, this would be un hombre entra en un bar. The verb entra (enters or walks in) is in the present tense.

4. Present tense verbs in Spanish with a future sense

The present tense verb conjugation may also be used in a future sense. This is a way to express a firm certainty that something will happen. For example, in mañana te llevo a cenar (which would translate to: tomorrow I am taking you to dinner) the verb llevo (to take) is in the present tense. As we said before, this expresses an emphatic conviction that such action will happen.

 

Further examples for present tense verbs in Spanish

Let’s look into the present tense conjugation table for the words we have previously used as examples.

Hablar (to speak)

• Singular:
  • First person: yo hablo
  • Second person*: tú hablas (informal) / vos hablás (informal) / usted habla (formal)
  • Third person: él habla (masculine form) / ella habla (femenine form)
• Plural
  • First person: nosotros hablamos (masc. and neutral) / nosotras hablamos (fem.)
  • Second person**: vosotros habláis (masc. and neutral) / vosotras habláis (fem.) / ustedes hablan (neutral)
  • Third person: ellos hablan (masc. and neutral) / ellas hablan (fem.)

Estudiar (to study)

• Singular
  • First person: yo estudio
  • Second person*: tú estudias (informal) / vos estudiás (informal) / usted estudia (formal)
  • Third person: él estudia (masc.) / ella estudia (fem.)
• Plural
  • First person: nosotros estudiamos (masc. and neutral) / nosotras estudiamos (fem.)
  • Second person**: vosotros estudiáis (masc. and neutral) / vosotras estudiáis (fem.) / ustedes estudian (neutral)
  • Third person: ellos estudian (masc. and neutral) / ellas estudian (fem.)

Girar (to turn)

• Singular
  • First person: yo giro
  • Second person*: tú giras (informal) / vos girás (informal) / usted gira (formal)
  • Third person: él gira (masc.) / ella gira (fem.)
• Plural
  • First person: nosotros giramos (masc. and neutral) / nosotras giramos (fem.)
  • Second person**: vosotros giráis (masc. and neutral) / vosotras giráis (fem.) / ustedes giran (neutral)
  • Third person: ellos giran (masc. and neutral) / ellas giran (fem.)

Llamar (to call or to be called)

This example comes with a trick, because you can use the verb llamar in two different senses, and you should conjugate it accordingly. So we will provide two different tables to show how they work.

• Llamar meaning “to call”
  • Singular
    • First person: yo llamo
    • Second person*: tú llamas (informal) / vos llamás (informal) / usted llama (informal)
    • Third person: él llama (masc.) / ella llama (fem.)
  • Plural
    • First person: nosotros llamamos (masc. and neutral) / nosotras llamamos
    • Second person**: vosotros llamáis (masc. and neutral) / vosotras llamáis (fem.) / ustedes llaman (neutral)
    • Third person: ellos llaman (masc. and neutral) / ellas llaman
• Llamar meaning “to be called, to be named” (as in, “My name is John” or “we are called New Yorkers”)
  • Singular
    • First person: yo me llamo
    • Second person*: tú te llamas (informal) / vos te llamás (informal) / usted se llama (formal)
    • Third person: el se llama (masc.) / ella se llama (fem.)
  • Plural
    • First person: nosotros nos llamamos (masc. and neutral) / nosotras nos llamamos
    • Second person**: vosotros os llamáis (masc. and neutral) / vosotras os llamáis (fem.) / ustedes se llaman (neutral)
    • Third person: ellos se llaman (masc. and neutral) / ellas se llaman (fem.)

Entrar (to enter)

• Singular
  • First person: yo entro
  • Second person*: tú entras (informal) / vos entrás (informal) / usted entra (formal)
  • Third person: él entra (masc.) / ella entra (fem.)
• Plural
  • First person: nosotros entramos (masc. and neutral) / nosotras entramos (fem.)
  • Second person**: vosotros entráis (masc. and neutral) / vosotras entráis (fem.) / ustedes entran (neutral)
  • Third person: ellos entran (masc. and neutral) / ellas entran (fem.)

Llevar (to take)

• Singular
  • First person: yo llevo
  • Second person*: tú llevas (informal) / vos llevás (informal) / usted lleva (formal)
  • Third person: él lleva (masc.) / ella lleva (fem.)
• Plural
  • First person: nosotros llevamos (masc. and neutral) / nosotras llevamos (fem.)
  • Second person**: vosotros lleváis (masc. and neutral) / vosotras lleváis (fem.) / ustedes llevan (neutral)
  • Third person: ellos llevan  (masc. and neutral) / ellas llevan (fem.)

* Remember that each country and culture considers some of these variables as formal or informal. You can find more on that in this post. The short version: Usted is the most respectful form, and we use it when talking to elders or in formal circumstances. We consider the forms vos and tú to be informal, that is usually the way we talk to friends or family. However, there are some exemptions. For example, in Argentina, vos is the standard use; and in Mexico it is common to use the tú form.

** Vosotros / vosotras is pretty common Spain, but Latin American countries don’ t use it and consider it snobbish or foreign. Most Latin American countries, if not all, use ustedes for the second person plural.

Note: Always consider that, in Spanish, plural pronouns specify the gender. The common rule is to use the masculine form if the gender of the subjects in a group is either mixed or unknown.

PRO TIP for Spanish verb conjugation

One of the best resources to check the proper form of a verb according to each tense is the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española. Just look for the word and click on the button that says CONJUGAR that will appear next to the word.

That will display the table for all the possible conjugations for that verb. Check it out here!

 

Learn more!

Go ahead to our Spanish Verb Conjugation article for more information. There you will find a general explanation on the variables, paradigmes and rules on verb conjugation. You will also find an Index Chart with links to detailed articles on specific tenses, such as this one.