The Present Indicative
The infinitive of a verb (expressed in English as to walk, to read, to write) can have oneof three possible endings in Spanish: -ar (caminar), -er (leer), or -ir (escribir). Based
on these endings, verbs are said to belong to the fi rst conjugation (-ar verbs), to the
second conjugation (-er verbs), or to the third conjugation (-ir verbs). All other verb
forms are derived from the infinitive.
In order to conjugate a verb in the present tense, that is, to assign a form for
each subject pronoun such as I [am], you [are], he [is], she [is], etc., the first step is to
eliminate the infinitive ending (terminaciَn). Th e beginning of the verb, or the stem
(raíz), takes new endings according to the subject pronoun that performs the action
denoted by the verb.
Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
Verbs that do not change their stem are called regular verbs, while those that undergo
changes in the stem are classifi ed as irregular verbs. As for the endings, regular verbs
and most irregular verbs take the same endings in the present tense, while a few verbs
show some spelling diff erences.
The Present Tense of -ar Verbs
The endings for -ar verbs are: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, and -an.
Notice
él, ella,and Ud. (usted) share the same verb form in the singular, and ellos, ellas, and Uds.
(ustedes) share the same verb form in the plural.
The Present Tense of -er Verbs
The endings for -ar verbs are: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, and -en.
The Present Tense of -ir Verbs
Summary of verb endings in the present tense
amar (to love) am- o, as, a, amos, áis, an
beber (to drink) beb- o, es, e, emos, éis, en
escribir (to write) escrib- o, es, e, imos,ís, en
NOTES:
(1) Since Spanish verb endings indicate who or what the subject of the sentence
is, it is not necessary to include the personal (or subject) pronouns. When clarifi
cation is needed, as for example él or ella, ellos or ellas, nosotros or nosotras, the
subject is used.
(2) The third persons él, ella, and Ud., which are singular forms, always share
the same endings. Th is rule also applies to the third persons ellos, ellas, and Uds.,
which are plural forms.
(3) The verb form must always agree with the subject, even when the subject is
left out.
(4) When there are two verbs back to back, as in Jane wants to rest, the following
rules must be taken into consideration:
- If the second verb in English is an infi nitive, as in to rest, it is also written in Spanish as an infinitive: Jane wants to rest. Jane quiere descansar.
- If the second verb is a gerund in English, as in waiting, it is also written in Spanish as a gerund: I am waiting for the mailman. (Yo) Estoy esperando al cartero.
IRRegular Verbs in the Present Tense
Verbs considered irregular in Spanish fit into one of the following categories:
* Verbs that change a vowel into another vowel or a diphthong in the present tenseTh ese verbs are also known as stem-changing verbs. There are three main groups.
For the fi rst conjugation shown below—the conjugation of pedir (to ask for) as an
example of verbs that change e to i—we show all the personal pronouns. Notice that
ella and Ud. (usted) share the él form, and ellas and Uds. (ustedes) share the ellos
form. Also nosotras and vosotras have the same form as the masculine nosotros and
vosotros, respectively.
Verbs that change e to i in the present tense:
NOTES:
(1) Some of the other common verbs in this category include concebir, corregir,
elegir, medir, reír, seguir, sonreír, teٌir, vestir, as well as other verbs that contain
some of these verbs, such as conseguir, desmedirse, desteٌir, desvestirse, impedir,
reelegir, etc.
(2) Th e first vowel of the nosotros/as and vosotros/as forms does not change.
Verbs that change e to ie in the present tense:
NOTES:
(1) Some of the other common verbs in this category include comenzar, despertar,
divertirse, empezar, encender, entender, mentir, perder, querer, sentir, as well
as other verbs that contain some of these verbs, such as desmentir, resentir, etc.
(2) adquirir (to acquire) is an exceptional verb that changes i to ie in all persons
with the exclusion of nosotros/as and vosotros/as, which maintain the i of the
infinitive: adquiero, adquieres, adquiere, adquirimos, adquirís, adquieren
- Verbs that change o to ue in the present tense:
you can use this useful site to know more verbs .
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