The present tense (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
The present tense
The present tense in Spanish is used to express what you're doing right now, what you do regularly, and to describe things as they are. This comprehensive guide covers both regular verbs and stem-changing verbs to help you master this essential tense.
Regular verbs in the present tense
Spanish verbs in their infinitive form end in -ar, -er, or -ir. To create the present tense, you remove these endings and add new ones that match the person doing the action.
Conjugation patterns
Here's how to conjugate regular verbs by removing the infinitive ending and adding the appropriate present tense ending:
| Person | -ar verbs (hablar - to speak) | -er verbs (comer - to eat) | -ir verbs (vivir - to live) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | hablo | como | vivo |
| you | hablas | comes | vives |
| he/she/it | habla | come | vive |
| we | hablamos | comemos | vivimos |
| you (plural) | habláis | coméis | vivís |
| they | hablan | comen | viven |
Notice that -er and -ir verbs share the same endings except for the 'we' and 'you plural' forms. This makes learning these patterns easier since you only need to memorise two sets of endings rather than three!
When to use the present tense
The Spanish present tense is quite versatile and covers several situations that English might express differently:
Current actions and states
Use the present tense for actions happening right now or current situations:
- Spanish: Mañana voy a España
- English: Tomorrow I'm going to Spain
Regular activities and habits
Describe things you do regularly or routinely:
- Spanish: Rafael juega al baloncesto los viernes
- English: Rafael plays basketball on Fridays
General characteristics and facts
Express what things are like or permanent characteristics:
- Spanish: ¿Quieres salir esta noche?
- English: Do you want to go out tonight?
Planned future events
Spanish often uses the present tense for planned future activities, whereas English might use future forms.
Special construction with "desde hace"
When talking about actions that started in the past and continue to the present, Spanish uses the present tense with "desde hace":
Worked Example: Using "desde hace"
Spanish: Vivo aquí desde hace dos años English: I have been living here for two years
This construction shows an action that began in the past but continues in the present moment.
Remember that "usted" (the polite/formal form of 'you') takes the same endings as 'he/she/it'. For example: "¿Habla inglés?" means "Do you speak English?" in formal speech.
Stem-changing verbs (radical-changing verbs)
Some Spanish verbs undergo vowel changes in their stem (the part before the infinitive ending) when conjugated. These changes occur in all persons except 'we' and 'you plural'. There are three main patterns of change.
The three patterns of stem changes
| Change pattern | Example verb | Meaning | I form | They form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| o → ue | poder | to be able | puedo | pueden |
| e → ie | querer | to want | quiero | quieren |
| e → i | pedir | to ask | pido | piden |
Complete conjugation example
Let's look at how these stem-changing verbs work with "poder" (to be able):
Worked Example: Conjugating "poder" (to be able)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| I | puedo |
| you | puedes |
| he/she/it | puede |
| we | podemos (no change) |
| you (plural) | podéis (no change) |
| they | pueden |
Notice how 'we' and 'you plural' keep the original 'o' vowel, while the other forms change to 'ue'.
Key Pattern to Remember: Stem changes affect all conjugations EXCEPT 'we' (nosotros) and 'you plural' (vosotros). These two forms always keep the original stem vowel.
Useful vocabulary
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation tip |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | to speak | The 'h' is silent |
| comer | to eat | Stress on the second syllable |
| vivir | to live | Double 'v' sound |
| poder | to be able | 'o' sounds like 'oh' |
| querer | to want | Roll the 'r' |
| pedir | to ask for | 'e' sounds like 'eh' |
| jugar | to play | 'u' pronounced like 'oo' |
| dormir | to sleep | Roll both 'r's |
| empezar | to start | 'z' sounds like 'th' |
| entender | to understand | Stress on second syllable |
Additional stem-changing verbs
Here are more examples of stem-changing verbs organised by their pattern:
u/o → ue pattern:
- jugar → juego (to play)
- dormir → duermo (to sleep)
- volver → vuelvo (to return)
e → ie pattern:
- empezar → empiezo (to start)
- entender → entiendo (to understand)
- pensar → pienso (to think)
e → i pattern:
- encontrar → encuentro (to meet)
- preferir → prefiero (to prefer)
These stem-changing verbs follow the same pattern as the examples above - the stem change occurs in all forms except 'we' and 'you plural'. Learning these common verbs will greatly improve your Spanish fluency.
Translation practice
Try these translation exercises to test your understanding:
Translation Practice Exercises
Spanish to English:
- No escucho música clásica.
- ¿Quieres ir al cine conmigo esta noche?
English to Spanish: 3. My friend plays basketball with me. 4. We always eat fruit to stay healthy.
Answers:
- I don't listen to classical music.
- Do you want to go to the cinema with me tonight?
- Mi amigo juega al baloncesto conmigo.
- Nosotros siempre comemos fruta para estar sanos.
Grammar tips
Pronunciation: Spanish vowels are always pronounced the same way - 'a' like 'ah', 'e' like 'eh', 'i' like 'ee', 'o' like 'oh', 'u' like 'oo'.
Stress patterns: Most present tense verbs are stressed on the second-to-last syllable (e.g., 'HA-blo', 'co-MES').
Question formation: Simply change your intonation or add question marks - no word order change needed.
Negative formation: Add 'no' before the verb: "No hablo español" (I don't speak Spanish).
Key Points to Remember:
- Remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add present tense endings to form regular verbs
- The present tense covers current actions, habits, characteristics, and even planned future events
- Stem-changing verbs modify their main vowel in all persons except 'we' and 'you plural'
- The three main stem-change patterns are: o→ue, e→ie, and e→i
- Use "desde hace" with the present tense to express actions that started in the past and continue now