Spanish Grammar in Context

A reference grammar with video examples from the Spanish in Texas collection

  • Credits
  • Index
  • About
  • Home
  • Adjectives
    • Introduction to Adjectives
    • Adjectives – Formation and Placement
    • Comparisons and Superlatives with Adjectives
    • Past Participles as Adjectives
    • Todo
    • Indefinite Adjectives
    • Adjectives Practice
  • Adverbs
    • Introduction to Adverbs
    • Adverbs – Formation and Placement
    • Comparative Adverbs
    • Adverbs Practice
  • Conjunctions
    • Introduction to Conjunctions
    • Coordinating Conjunctions
    • Subordinating Conjunctions
    • Conjunctions Practice
  • Determiners
    • Introduction to Determiners
    • Definite Articles
    • Indefinite Articles
    • Possessive Determiners
    • Demonstrative Determiners
    • Expressions of Quantity
    • Determiners Practice
  • Negation
    • Introduction to Negation
    • Basic Negation: No
    • Alternate Forms of Negation
    • One-word Negative Sentences
    • Negation Practice
  • Nouns
    • Introduction to Nouns
    • Nouns – Number
    • Nouns – Gender
    • Nouns Practice
  • Prepositions
    • Introduction to Prepositions
    • Common Prepositions
    • Por vs. Para
    • Prepositions Practice
  • Pronouns
    • Introduction to Pronouns
    • Subject Pronouns
    • Direct Object Pronouns
    • Indirect Object Pronouns
    • Reflexive Pronouns
    • Order of Object Pronouns
    • Relative Pronouns
    • Indefinite Pronouns
    • Demonstrative Pronouns
    • Possessive Pronouns
    • Pronouns Practice
  • Verbs
    • Introduction to Verbs
    • Tense/Mood
    • Introduction to Present Tense
      • -ar Verbs (Regular) Present Tense
      • -er Verbs (Regular) Present Tense
      • -ir Verbs (Regular) Present Tense
    • Ser “To Be”
    • Haber “To Have”
    • Reflexive Verbs
    • Preterit
    • Present Perfect
    • Imperfect
    • Narration: Preterit vs. Imperfect
    • Pluperfect
    • Future
    • Conditional
    • Past Conditional
    • Imperative Mood (commands)
    • Introduction to Subjunctive
      • Subjunctive – Present
      • Subjunctive – Past or Imperfect
      • Subjunctive – Present Perfect
      • Subjunctive – Pluperfect
      • Tense Sequences
    • Si Clauses (If Clauses)
    • Indirect Speech
      • Indirect Speech – Present
      • Indirect Speech – Past
    • Passive Voice
    • Language Contact
    • Verbs Practice
Share
Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly
Practice quizzes: verbs

Introduction to Present Tense

Present

Present tense forms from the Spanish in Texas Corpus

The present tense indicates an action that is either recurring, habitual, or a general truth, a so-called eternal verity.

Siempre tenemos un Mexican Thanksgiving, que tiene que haber nachos, y tiene que haber frijoles, eso es muy traditional para nosotros.
We always have a Mexican Thanksgiving, where you must have nachos, you must have beans, this is very traditional for us.

The present tense endings differ according to the verb category. In Spanish regular verbs can be classified into 3 main groups: -ar, -er, and -ir.

Irregulars

There are 4 main types of irregular verbs in the present tense: stem changers, irregulars in the yo form, irregular in all forms, spelling changers.

Stem Changers

There are three types of stem changers: e-> ie, e-> i, o-> ue

Irregular in the yo form

c-> zc

conocer

-g

decir, venir, hacer, tener

others

dar, saber, caber

Irregular in all forms

ser, ir, estar, oler

Spelling changers

g > j: Verbs whose infinitive form ends in -gir change the g to j before an a or an o.

gu > g: Verbs whose infinitive form ends in -guir drop the u before an a or an o.

COERLL • The University of Texas at Austin • info@coerll.utexas.edu Creative Commons License

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. By using this site you are accepting the use of such cookies.OkPrivacy policy