The Present Tense
The Spanish present tense reports actions or events that take place in present time. It can also be used to report activities in progressive and/or emphatic ways.
Yo trabajo --> I work/I am working/I do work
Three Forms of Verbs:
Spanish has three families of verbs. We recognize them by the three infinitive endings -ar, -er, and -ir. In this unit we will learn the pattern for regular -ar verbs only. To form the present tense, we first remobe the -ar infinitive ending and add the following pattern.
-AR Verb patterns
| Subject | -ar pattern ending |
|---|---|
| Yo | o |
| Tú | as |
| Usted, él, ella | a |
| Nosotros(as) | amos |
| Vosotros(as) | áis |
| Ustedes, ellos(as) | an |
| Trabajar | Hablar | Cantar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabajo | hablo | canto |
| Tú | trabajas | hablas | cantas |
| Usted, él, ella | trabaja | habla | canta |
| Nosotros(as) | trabajamos | hablamos | cantamos |
| Vosotros(as) | trabajáis | habláis | cantáis |
| Usteded, ellos(as) | trabajan | hablan | cantan |
Dropping Subject Nouns or Pronouns:
As you will see, it is not necessary to use subject nouns or pronouns to express actions in Spanish. They can be used to create emphasis and/or avoid lack of clarity.
The verb forms can tell us when the action is taking place (present, past, future) and who is performing the action. For example:
Nosotros trabajamos is translated as: We work. But the same action can be expressed simply as: trabajamous.
Verb Negation (No):
In order to form a negative statement, Spanish uses the word no in front of the verb:
- Nosotros no trabajamous.
- No trabajamous.
Verb Question Statements:
One way of formating questions in Spanish is by switching the position of the verb or by adding a trigger expression at the end of a statement.
-
El Profesor Saborido enseña español.
- Professor Saborido teaches Spanish.
-
¿Enseña español el Profesor Saborido?
-
El Profesor Saborido enseña español, ¿no?
-
El Profesor Saborido enseña español, ¿verdad?