When do we use the present tense?
The present tense is the most commonly used tense in Spanish. We use it to describe actions that are taking place in the present moment – here and now.
| I live | Customary Action |
| I am living | Action in Progress |
| I do live | Emphatic Form |
| I will live | Near future action |
| Do I live? | Interrogative form |
| I have been living | Action started in the past and still taking place |
How do we form the present tense?
To form the present tense, take the infinitive – remove the ar/er/ir and add the following endings:
HABLAR/COMER/VIVIR (infinitive) – AR/ER/IR (ending) = HABL/COM/VIV (stem)
| Pronouns | AR endings | ER endings | IR endings |
| Yo | o | o | o |
| Tu | as | es | es |
| El/Ella | a | e | e |
| Nosotros | amos | emos | imos |
| Vosotros | áis | éis | ís |
| Ellos/Ellas | an | en | en |