Everyday sentences
Things you do every day
Present tense
Talk about habits, current states, and general facts.
Endings refresher
Present
Remove -ar, -er or -ir, then add the ending for the person.
| Person | -ar ending | -er ending | -ir ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | -o | -o |
| tú | -as | -es | -es |
| él / ella / usted | -a | -e | -e |
| nosotros / nosotras | -amos | -emos | -imos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -áis | -éis | -ís |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -an | -en | -en |
hablar → habl- + -o → yo hablo
- These are regular endings. Some verbs change their stem or have a special yo form, such as hago or tengo.
- These charts use tú. Vosotros / vosotras is mainly used in Spain; ustedes uses the final row. Vos forms vary by region.
The pattern
- Forms below follow: yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ustedes. Vosotros is mainly used in Spain; ustedes uses the final form.
- Drop -ar: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
- Drop -er: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Drop -ir: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en.
Leo antes de dormir.
I read before going to sleep.
Why it works: Leo is the yo form of leer. Antes de introduces dormir in the infinitive: the reading happens before going to sleep.
Notice the difference
Leemos antes de dormir.
We read before going to sleep.
Why it works: For nosotros, leer takes -emos. Dormir stays an infinitive after antes de.
One thing to watch for
Common verbs can change their stem or have irregular forms: tengo, hago, quiero.