Verb tenses are an integral part of speaking Spanish. Whereas nouns are at the center of the English language, verbs are at the heart of Spanish. Native speakers play with verbs in tense, conjugation and verb choice to ever so slightly change the meaning of sentences. Worked into verb conjugations are not only time markers but also grades of politeness and emotion toward a particular event. At first, these cultural nuances can be complicated to the Spanish learner, but once you've mastered some of the most common tenses, you'll begin to see the beauty of the language intertwined into its verb usage.
Understanding Spanish Conjugations
Before diving into the various tenses, it's important to understand how verbs are conjugated. There are three types of verbs in Spanish. You can distinguish these verbs by their endings: -ar, -er and -ir verbs. When you see a verb that ends in -ar, -er or -ir you know that it is in its base form. Once you remove the ending, you are left with the stem. Let's look at an example:
hablar→ base form (meaning "to talk")
habl → stem form
To conjugate a verb you simply add the ending from the designated tense you would like to use, to the verbs stem form. The ending you use is based on the subject of the verb.
Note: And here is the tricky part - some stems do change for some verbs in some tenses. These are called irregular verbs which, at some point, you will need to memorize. For the purposes of this article, we will reference only regular verbs in examples.
Now that you have a basic understanding of how conjugating works, let's look at all of the verb tenses in Spanish.
Indicative Mood (El Indicativo)
The indicative mood is used to talk about statements, activities and events that are believed to be truth-based and factual. This includes discernable qualities and characteristics of people, things and situations.
Present Tense (el presente)
Using the present tense is something you will do everyday so it's important to learn it first before any of the other tenses. The present tense is used to talk about habits and routines as well as things that are true all the time, such as characteristics. Sometimes, it's used to talk about the near future. (Note: There are several irregular verbs that must be memorized in the present tense.)
Conjugations:
| HABLAR (to talk) | |||||
| Yo | hablo | I talk | Nosotros/as | hablamos | we talk |
| Tú | hablas | you talk | Vosotros/as | habláis | you talk (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | habla | he/she talks | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | Hablan | they/you talk (plural) |
| COMER (to eat) | |||||
| Yo | como | I eat | Nosotros/as | comemos | we eat |
| Tú | comes | you eat | Vosotros/as | coméis | you eat (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | come | he/she talks | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | comen | they/you eat (plural) |
| *-ir verbs are conjugated the same in the present tense | |||||
| Note: -er and -ir verbs often have the same endings or are very similar. | |||||
Present Progressive (el presente progresivo)
The present progressive is used less frequently in Spanish than it is in English and is only used when talking about something going on in that very, present moment. To form the present progressive, you simply combine the present form of the verb estar with the present participle. The present participle is simply the -ing form of the verb which is: stem form + ando or iendo
| CANTAR (to sing) | |||||
| Yo | estoy cantando | I am eating | Nosotros/as | estamos cantando | we are eating |
| Tú | estás cantando | you are eating | Vosotros/as | estáis cantando | you are eating (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | está cantando | he/she is eating | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | están cantando | they/you are eating (plural) |
| ESCRIBIR (to write) | |||||
| Yo | estoy escribiendo | I am writing | Nosotros/as | estamos escribiendo | we are writing |
| Tú | estás escribiendo | you are writing | Vosotros/as | estáis escribiendo | you are writing (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | está escribiendo | he/she is writing | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | están escribiendo | they/you are writing (plural) |
| *-er verbs are conjugated the same in the present progressive tense | |||||
Future (el futuro)
The future tense is used to talk about things that may, might or will happen in the future. This tense is used less frequently and is often replaced with the construction, ir + a + base verb form, or going to + verb. (Note: There are 12 irregular verbs that change their stems in the future tense).
| LLAMAR (to call) | |||||
| Yo | llamaré | I will call | Nosotros/as | llamaremos | we will call |
| Tú | llamarás | you will call | Vosotros/as | llamaréis | you will call (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | llamarás | he/she will call | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | llamarán | they/you will call (plural) |
| *-ar, -er and -ir verbs are conjugated the same in the future tense | |||||
Present Perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto)
The present perfect is used to explain an action that was started in the past and has continued into the present. It is often used to talk about things that you have completed or done in your life. To form the present perfect, conjugate the verb haber (has/have) in the present tense and combine it with the past participle of the verb you're using. (Note: The past participle is formed by adding -ado, for -ar verbs, and -ido for -er/-ir verbs, to the stem form of the verb).
| VIAJAR (to travel) | |||||
| Yo | he viajado | I have traveled | Nosotros/as | hemos viajado | he/she has traveled |
| Tú | has viajado | you have traveled | Vosotros/as | habéis viajado | you have traveled (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | ha viajado | he/she has traveled | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | han viajado | they/you have traveled (plural) |
| PERDER (to lose) | |||||
| Yo | he perdido | I have lost | Nosotros/as | hemos perdido | we have lost |
| Tú | has perdido | you have lost | Vosotros/as | habéis perdido | you have lost (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | ha perdido | he/she has lost | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | han perdido | they/you have lost (plural) |
| *-ir verbs are conjugated the same in the present perfect tense | |||||
Preterite Tense (el pretérito)
The preterite tense is utilized frequently as it is used to describe actions that have been started and completed in the past. For some Spanish learners, the preterite tense can be one of the most difficult to learn because there are several irregular verbs that you have to memorize.
| BAILAR (to dance) | |||||
| Yo | bailé | I danced | Nosotros/as | bailamos | we danced |
| Tú | bailaste | you danced | Vosotros/as | bailasteis | you danced (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | bailó | he/she danced | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | bailaron | they/you danced (plural) |
| BEBER (to drink) | |||||
| Yo | bebí | I drank | Nosotros/as | bebimos | we drank |
| Tú | bebiste | you drank | Vosotros/as | bebisteis | you drank (plural, Spain) |
| El/Ella/Ud. | bebió | he/she drank | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | bebieron | they/ you drank (plural) |
| *-ir verbs are conjugated the same in the preterite tense | |||||
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By YourDictionary
Verb tenses are an integral part of speaking Spanish. Whereas nouns are at the center of the English language, verbs are at the heart of Spanish. Native speakers play with verbs in tense, conjugation and verb choice to ever so slightly change the meaning of sentences. Worked into verb conjugations are not only time markers but also grades of politeness and emotion toward a particular event. At first, these cultural nuances can be complicated to the Spanish learner, but once you’ve mastered some of the most common tenses, you’ll begin to see the beauty of the language intertwined into its verb usage.
