⇒ The Spanish simple present tense (el presente or el presente del indicativo) can be used to talk about habitual actions, routines, things happening now or in the near future, universal truths, facts, hypotheticals, lapses of time, and for ordering in restaurants and stores.

⇒ To conjugate an -ar verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ar) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

⇒ To conjugate an -er verb, remove the infinitive ending (-er) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

⇒ To conjugate an -ir verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ir) and add the ending that matches the subject. You can find these endings in the table below.

⇒ Some present tense yo conjugations undergo spelling changes or are irregular.

⇒ Verbs that end in -guir, -ger, or -gir undergo a spelling change in their present tense yo forms.

• For verbs that end in -guir, the yo form ends in go.
• For verbs that end in -ger or -gir, the g in the yo form changes to a j.

⇒ The following verbs have irregular yo forms. The other present tense forms of these verbs follow the patterns for regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

⇒ Most verbs that end in -cer or -ucir have irregular present tense yo forms. Click here for more on irregular present tense verbs.

⇒ Here are a few examples of the above verbs in action:

⇒ Many present tense verbs undergo what is called a stem change

⇒ The present tense endings for these verbs are regular, but there is a vowel change in the verb stem (the part of the verb that comes before -ar, -er, or -ir).

⇒ Click here to read our notes on stem-changing verbs.

⇒ Habitual actions are activities that a person does every day (or very often) .

⇒ Daily routines, responsibilities, hobbies, and jobs can be talked about using the present tense.

⇒ In English, something happening at the moment of speaking is usually expressed using the present progressive.

⇒ In Spanish, both the simple present and the present progressive can be used to talk about things happening now.

⇒ The Spanish present tense can also be used to talk about things that will happen in the near future.

⇒ Things that are universally known or generally excepted are often expressed using the simple present. These can be facts, opinions, or proverbs.

⇒ When used with the conjunction si (if), the present tense can express hypothetical situations and outcomes.

⇒ The present tense is commonly used to talk about the amount of time something has been going on. The following formula is used with the present tense for this purpose:

• hace + time period + que + present tense verb

⇒ It's also quite common to use the present tense in Spanish when ordering something in a restaurant or store.