El presente del indicativo en español

If you’re learning Spanish, the present tense (presente del indicativo) will soon become your daily companion.
You use it to talk about your life, your habits, your thoughts, and the things that are true for you right now — even if they’re not happening this exact second.

Think about it: every time you introduce yourself, describe your routine, or share what you like, you’re already using the present tense.

Let’s explore how it works ✨

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💬 When to use the present tense

In Spanish, we use the presente del indicativo for everyday life — not just for actions happening right now.

Use	Example
🕗 Talking about habits or routines	Mi mamá cocina muy bien.
🌎 Talking about general truths	Los perros ladran.
💭 Expressing thoughts, feelings, or present actions	¿Qué piensas? / Quiero descansar.

💡 Note:
Many English speakers confuse the Spanish present tense with the “present continuous.”
In Spanish:

• Trabajo en casa → I work from home (general fact).
• Estoy trabajando en casa → I’m working from home (action happening now).

So, don’t worry — you’ll use the simple present much more often than in English.

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✍️ Regular verbs: the foundation

Spanish verbs are grouped by their endings: -ar, -er, and -ir.
Once you learn the pattern, you can conjugate dozens of verbs easily.

Type	Ending	Verb	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros/as	Ellos/as/Ustedes
1️⃣ First group	-ar	hablar	hablo	hablas	habla	hablamos	hablan
2️⃣ Second group	-er	comer	como	comes	come	comemos	comen
3️⃣ Third group	-ir	vivir	vivo	vives	vive	vivimos	viven

Examples:
Hablo español todos los días.
Comes muy saludable.
Vivimos en una ciudad pequeña.

💡 Tip:
Learning these endings is like having a master key — once you know them, you can unlock hundreds of verbs.

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🚿 Reflexive verbs: talking about yourself

Reflexive verbs describe actions you do to yourself — like me levanto (I get up) or me visto (I get dressed).

They use reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, se) before the verb.

Verb	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella	Nosotros/as	Ellos/as
lavarse	me lavo	te lavas	se lava	nos lavamos	se lavan

🧴 Common reflexive verbs:
ducharse, vestirse, levantarse, acostarse, peinarse, afeitarse, prepararse.

Examples:
Me levanto temprano todos los días.
Nos acostamos tarde los fines de semana.

💡 Tip:
In English, you don’t always say “myself,” but in Spanish, it’s essential. Think of me levanto as “I lift myself up.”

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🌸 Stem-changing verbs (irregular in the root)

Some verbs change their internal vowel in certain forms — these are called stem-changing verbs. They change in all forms except “nosotros/as”.

Type of change	Verb	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros/as	Ellos/as/Ustedes
o → ue	volver	vuelvo	vuelves	vuelve	volvemos	vuelven
e → ie	querer	quiero	quieres	quiere	queremos	quieren
e → i	pedir	pido	pides	pide	pedimos	piden
u → ue	jugar	juego	juegas	juega	jugamos	juegan

Examples:
Yo vuelvo a casa temprano.
Tú quieres aprender español.
Ellos piden ayuda en clase.
Nosotros jugamos los domingos.

💡 Tip:
You can remember it easily — the stem vowel changes only when it’s stressed.

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⚡ Totally irregular verbs

Some verbs don’t follow any pattern — but don’t panic!
You’ll hear and use them often, so you’ll remember them naturally.

Verb	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella	Nosotros/as	Ellos/as
ir	voy	vas	va	vamos	van
oír	oigo	oyes	oye	oímos	oyen
oler	huelo	hueles	huele	olemos	huelen
huir	huyo	huyes	huye	huimos	huyen

Examples:
Voy al gimnasio todos los días.
Oigo música cuando estudio.
Huelo las flores del jardín.

💡 Tip:
These verbs appear everywhere — in songs, conversations, and movies. Pay attention and you’ll start recognizing them easily.

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💬 SER and ESTAR — the two “to be” verbs

In Spanish, we have two verbs that mean “to be”: ser and estar.
They’re small words with a big personality — and knowing when to use each will make your Spanish sound much more natural.

Verb	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella	Nosotros/as	Ellos/as
ser	soy	eres	es	somos	son
estar	estoy	estás	está	estamos	están

Ser is for who you are — your identity, profession, or permanent traits:
👉 Soy profesora.
👉 Somos amigos desde la infancia.

Estar is for how you feel or where you are right now:
👉 Estoy cansada.
👉 Estamos en casa.

💡 Remember:
Ser = what you are.
Estar = how you are.

📚 Want to master them?
Check out my full article 👉 SER vs ESTAR: cómo usarlos sin confundirte. It includes simple rules, examples, and a free practice sheet to help you finally feel confident with both verbs.

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📝 Your turn!

Now it’s time to practice.
Write five sentences about yourself using the presente del indicativo:

1️⃣ A daily habit
2️⃣ A general truth
3️⃣ A thought or desire
4️⃣ A reflexive verb
5️⃣ An irregular verb

Example:
Me levanto temprano, tomo café y trabajo desde casa. ☕

💡 Tip:
Writing about your real life is one of the best ways to remember new verbs — because every word means something to you.

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✨ In short

The present tense is everywhere — in your routines, your thoughts, and your daily conversations. It’s your key to expressing yourself in Spanish naturally and confidently.

Remember: Poco a poco, tu español mejora.

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📚 Free download

👉 Download your free Presente del indicativo study sheet with examples and conjugations:
Presente del indicativo – PDF gratuito