Guide to Spanish Present Tense Verb Conjugation

The present tense is the engine of everyday Spanish. Before you can describe what you do, what you like, where you live, or what is happening right now, you need to know how to conjugate verbs in the present tense. This is the single most important grammar skill for a beginning Spanish learner.

Spanish verb conjugation works differently from English in one fundamental way: the verb ending changes to show who is performing the action. In English, you say "I eat," "you eat," "we eat" - the verb stays the same and the pronoun does the work. In Spanish, you say "como," "comes," "comemos" - the verb ending does the work, which is why the pronoun can often be dropped entirely.

This guide covers the complete present tense system in Spanish: regular -AR, -ER, and -IR verb patterns, the most important irregular verbs, stem-changing verbs, and reflexive verbs. Every pattern comes with a full conjugation table and multiple example sentences so you can see each form in real use. By the end, you will be able to conjugate the vast majority of Spanish verbs you encounter in everyday speech and writing.

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The Six Subject Pronouns

Before conjugating, you need to know the six subject pronoun slots that Spanish conjugation fills.

Person	Spanish	Meaning
1st singular	yo	I
2nd singular	tu	you (informal)
3rd singular	el / ella / usted	he / she / you (formal)
1st plural	nosotros / nosotras	we
2nd plural	vosotros / vosotras	you all (Spain informal)
3rd plural	ellos / ellas / ustedes	they / you all (formal, or Latin America informal)

Note: "Vosotros" is used in Spain for informal "you all." In Latin America, "ustedes" serves both formal and informal plural "you." This guide uses both forms in conjugation tables.

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Regular -AR Verb Conjugation

The -AR group is the largest in Spanish and the one you will encounter most often. Once you master this pattern, you can conjugate hundreds of verbs correctly.

To conjugate a regular -AR verb: remove the -AR ending and add the appropriate personal ending.

Model verb: HABLAR (to speak)

Table 1: Regular -AR Present Tense Endings

Subject	Ending	Full Form	Meaning
yo	-o	hablo	I speak
tu	-as	hablas	you speak
el/ella/usted	-a	habla	he/she speaks / you speak
nosotros	-amos	hablamos	we speak
vosotros	-ais	hablais	you all speak (Spain)
ellos/ustedes	-an	hablan	they speak / you all speak

Example sentences with HABLAR:

• "Yo hablo espanol e ingles." (I speak Spanish and English.)
• "?Hablas chino?" (Do you speak Chinese?)
• "Mi profesora habla muy rapido." (My teacher speaks very fast.)
• "Hablamos de politica a veces." (We talk about politics sometimes.)
• "Los ninos hablan con sus abuelos." (The children speak with their grandparents.)

Other common -AR verbs conjugated the same way:

• caminar (to walk): camino, caminas, camina, caminamos, caminais, caminan
• trabajar (to work): trabajo, trabajas, trabaja, trabajamos, trabajais, trabajan
• escuchar (to listen): escucho, escuchas, escucha, escuchamos, escuchais, escuchan
• comprar (to buy): compro, compras, compra, compramos, comprais, compran
• mirar (to look/watch): miro, miras, mira, miramos, mirais, miran
• necesitar (to need): necesito, necesitas, necesita, necesitamos, necesitais, necesitan
• usar (to use): uso, usas, usa, usamos, usais, usan
• llevar (to carry/wear): llevo, llevas, lleva, llevamos, llevais, llevan
• llamar (to call): llamo, llamas, llama, llamamos, llamais, llaman
• cocinar (to cook): cocino, cocinas, cocina, cocinamos, cocinais, cocinan

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Regular -ER Verb Conjugation

The -ER group has its own set of endings. Notice that the nosotros form (-emos) and the individual endings differ from -AR verbs.

Model verb: COMER (to eat)

Table 2: Regular -ER Present Tense Endings

Subject	Ending	Full Form	Meaning
yo	-o	como	I eat
tu	-es	comes	you eat
el/ella/usted	-e	come	he/she eats
nosotros	-emos	comemos	we eat
vosotros	-eis	comeis	you all eat (Spain)
ellos/ustedes	-en	comen	they eat

Example sentences with COMER:

• "Como mucha fruta cada dia." (I eat a lot of fruit every day.)
• "?Comes carne?" (Do you eat meat?)
• "Mi hijo come muy rapido." (My son eats very fast.)
• "Comemos juntos los domingos." (We eat together on Sundays.)
• "Los estudiantes comen en la cafeteria." (The students eat in the cafeteria.)

Other common -ER verbs:

• beber (to drink): bebo, bebes, bebe, bebemos, bebeis, beben
• leer (to read): leo, lees, lee, leemos, leeis, leen
• correr (to run): corro, corres, corre, corremos, correis, corren
• vender (to sell): vendo, vendes, vende, vendemos, vendeis, venden
• aprender (to learn): aprendo, aprendes, aprende, aprendemos, aprendeis, aprenden
• comprender (to understand): comprendo, comprendes, comprende, comprendemos, comprendeis, comprenden
• creer (to believe): creo, crees, cree, creemos, creeis, creen
• responder (to answer): respondo, respondes, responde, respondemos, respondeis, responden

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Regular -IR Verb Conjugation

The -IR group shares many endings with -ER verbs but differs in the nosotros and vosotros forms.

Model verb: VIVIR (to live)

Table 3: Regular -IR Present Tense Endings

Subject	Ending	Full Form	Meaning
yo	-o	vivo	I live
tu	-es	vives	you live
el/ella/usted	-e	vive	he/she lives
nosotros	-imos	vivimos	we live
vosotros	-is	vivis	you all live (Spain)
ellos/ustedes	-en	viven	they live

Example sentences with VIVIR:

• "Vivo en Madrid." (I live in Madrid.)
• "?Donde vives?" (Where do you live?)
• "Mi familia vive en el campo." (My family lives in the countryside.)
• "Vivimos cerca del centro." (We live near the center.)
• "Muchos jovenes viven con sus padres." (Many young people live with their parents.)

Other common -IR verbs:

• escribir (to write): escribo, escribes, escribe, escribimos, escribis, escriben
• abrir (to open): abro, abres, abre, abrimos, abris, abren
• recibir (to receive): recibo, recibes, recibe, recibimos, recibis, reciben
• subir (to go up): subo, subes, sube, subimos, subis, suben
• decidir (to decide): decido, decides, decide, decidimos, decidis, deciden

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Key Irregular Verbs

Several of the most frequently used Spanish verbs are irregular - they do not follow the standard patterns. These verbs appear in almost every conversation, so they must be memorized individually.

SER (to be - permanent characteristics)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
soy	eres	es	somos	sois	son

• "Soy estudiante." (I am a student.)
• "?Eres americano?" (Are you American?)
• "Es una buena idea." (It's a good idea.)
• "Somos hermanos." (We are brothers/siblings.)

ESTAR (to be - states and conditions)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
estoy	estas	esta	estamos	estais	estan

• "Estoy cansado." (I am tired.)
• "?Estas bien?" (Are you okay?)
• "El libro esta en la mesa." (The book is on the table.)
• "Estamos muy contentos." (We are very happy.)

The difference between ser and estar is one of the most important - and most challenging - concepts in Spanish. Both mean "to be" but they are used in completely different situations. See the dedicated guide "Ser vs Estar: The Complete Guide" for full coverage.

IR (to go)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
voy	vas	va	vamos	vais	van

• "Voy al supermercado." (I'm going to the supermarket.)
• "?Adonde vas?" (Where are you going?)
• "Vamos a la playa este fin de semana." (We're going to the beach this weekend.)
• "Los ninos van al colegio a pie." (The children walk to school.)

"Ir + a + infinitive" is the most common way to talk about future plans in conversational Spanish: "Voy a estudiar manana" (I'm going to study tomorrow).

TENER (to have)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
tengo	tienes	tiene	tenemos	teneis	tienen

• "Tengo mucho trabajo." (I have a lot of work.)
• "?Tienes hermanos?" (Do you have siblings?)
• "Tiene treinta anos." (He/she is thirty years old.)
• "Tenemos una reunion manana." (We have a meeting tomorrow.)

TENER is used in many idiomatic expressions: "tener hambre" (to be hungry), "tener sed" (to be thirsty), "tener frio/calor" (to be cold/hot), "tener razon" (to be right), "tener miedo" (to be afraid), "tener sueno" (to be sleepy).

HACER (to do / to make)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
hago	haces	hace	hacemos	haceis	hacen

• "Hago ejercicio todos los dias." (I exercise every day.)
• "?Que haces este fin de semana?" (What are you doing this weekend?)
• "Hace mucho frio hoy." (It is very cold today.)
• "Hacemos la cena juntos." (We make dinner together.)

QUERER (to want / to love)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
quiero	quieres	quiere	queremos	quereis	quieren

• "Quiero aprender espanol." (I want to learn Spanish.)
• "?Quieres cafe?" (Do you want coffee?)
• "Te quiero." (I love you. - used with family and partners in many regions)
• "Queremos ir de vacaciones." (We want to go on vacation.)

PODER (to be able to / can)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
puedo	puedes	puede	podemos	podeis	pueden

• "Puedo hablar espanol un poco." (I can speak Spanish a little.)
• "?Puedes ayudarme?" (Can you help me?)
• "No podemos ir manana." (We can't go tomorrow.)

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Stem-Changing Verbs

Stem-changing verbs are regular in their endings but have a vowel change in the verb stem for all forms except nosotros and vosotros. There are three main patterns.

E to IE Change

The stem vowel "e" changes to "ie" in all forms except nosotros/vosotros.

QUERER (to want) - already shown above
ENTENDER (to understand)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
entiendo	entiendes	entiende	entendemos	entendeis	entienden

Other e-ie verbs: pensar (to think), empezar (to start), perder (to lose), preferir (to prefer), sentir (to feel), mentir (to lie), venir (to come - also irregular yo form: vengo)

• "Pienso que tienes razon." (I think you're right.)
• "?A que hora empieza la pelicula?" (What time does the movie start?)
• "Prefiero el cafe sin azucar." (I prefer coffee without sugar.)

O to UE Change

The stem vowel "o" changes to "ue" in all forms except nosotros/vosotros.

PODER - already shown above
VOLVER (to return)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
vuelvo	vuelves	vuelve	volvemos	volveis	vuelven

Other o-ue verbs: dormir (to sleep), encontrar (to find), recordar (to remember), contar (to count/tell), poder (to be able to), sonar (to sound), costar (to cost), morir (to die)

• "Duermo ocho horas cada noche." (I sleep eight hours every night.)
• "No recuerdo su nombre." (I don't remember his/her name.)
• "?Cuanto cuesta esto?" (How much does this cost?)

E to I Change

This pattern appears only in -IR verbs. The stem vowel "e" changes to "i" in all forms except nosotros/vosotros.

PEDIR (to ask for / to order)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
pido	pides	pide	pedimos	pedis	piden

Other e-i verbs: servir (to serve), seguir (to follow/continue), repetir (to repeat), vestirse (to get dressed), conseguir (to get/obtain), elegir (to choose)

• "Pido siempre el mismo plato." (I always order the same dish.)
• "?Me sirves mas agua?" (Can you serve me more water?)
• "Sigo aprendiendo cada dia." (I keep learning every day.)

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Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs describe actions that the subject performs on or for itself. They are marked by a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) that appears before the conjugated verb. The infinitive of a reflexive verb always ends in -se: llamarse (to be named), levantarse (to get up), lavarse (to wash oneself).

LEVANTARSE (to get up)

yo	tu	el/ella	nosotros	vosotros	ellos
me levanto	te levantas	se levanta	nos levantamos	os levantais	se levantan

• "Me levanto a las siete." (I get up at seven.)
• "?A que hora te acuestas?" (What time do you go to bed?)
• "Se llama Maria." (Her name is Maria. / She is called Maria.)
• "Nos duchamos por la manana." (We shower in the morning.)
• "Se visten rapidamente." (They get dressed quickly.)

Common reflexive verbs:

• llamarse (to be named): "Me llamo Juan." (My name is Juan.)
• sentirse (to feel): "Me siento bien." (I feel well.)
• despertarse (to wake up): "Me despierto temprano." (I wake up early.)
• banharse (to bathe): "Me banho cada noche." (I bathe every night.)
• peinarse (to comb one's hair)
• cepillarse los dientes (to brush one's teeth)
• quitarse (to take off - clothing)
• ponerse (to put on - clothing)
• divertirse (to have fun / to enjoy oneself)
• aburrirse (to get bored)
• preocuparse (to worry)

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Common Mistakes in Present Tense Conjugation

1. Keeping the infinitive ending when conjugating Saying "yo hablar" instead of "yo hablo." Always remove the -AR/-ER/-IR ending and add the personal ending.

2. Using the wrong ending for the wrong group Saying "como - coma" (mixing -AR ending onto -ER verb) instead of "como - come." The three groups have different endings for tu, el, and ellos.

3. Forgetting the irregular yo forms "Hago" not "haco," "tengo" not "teno," "salgo" not "salo." Many common verbs have an irregular yo form that ends in -go. Learn this pattern: hacer-hago, tener-tengo, salir-salgo, poner-pongo, traer-traigo, caer-caigo, valer-valgo.

4. Applying stem changes to nosotros/vosotros "Entendemos" not "entiendemos" - nosotros never takes the stem change. The boot pattern (a visual of which forms change) helps: all forms EXCEPT nosotros and vosotros have the stem change.

5. Forgetting reflexive pronouns Saying "levanto a las siete" instead of "me levanto a las siete." The reflexive pronoun is mandatory with reflexive verbs.

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Quick Reference: Present Tense Endings

Subject	-AR	-ER	-IR
yo	-o	-o	-o
tu	-as	-es	-es
el/ella/usted	-a	-e	-e
nosotros	-amos	-emos	-imos
vosotros	-ais	-eis	-is
ellos/ustedes	-an	-en	-en

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Conclusion

The present tense is your gateway to real Spanish communication. With regular -AR, -ER, and -IR patterns mastered, plus the core irregular verbs and stem-changing groups, you can now express the vast majority of everyday actions and states.

The patterns in this guide recur throughout all other tenses - the stem changes, the irregular yo forms, and the reflexive pronoun system all appear again when you move into past and future tenses. Learning them thoroughly now will make every subsequent step easier.

Your next priorities in the grammar series are "Ser vs Estar: The Complete Guide" - which deserves dedicated study because both verbs appear constantly - and "Spanish Past Tense: Preterite vs Imperfect" for talking about things that have already happened.

Practice conjugating verbs in context: take any regular verb you encounter and practice all six forms, then use each form in a real sentence. Active practice with real sentences builds the automatic recall you need for fluent speech.