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Spanish Tense Guide
Spanish Tense Guide
Regular
Formed by replacing the infinitive ending (ar er ir) with present tense endings
AR ER IR
Yo o o o
Tú as es es
Example
I listen to music
Yo escucho música
Irregular
Some verbs are irregular in the yo form but regular in other forms
Jugar → Juego Despertarse → Me Despierto Repetir → Repito
Costar → Cuesta Empezar → Empiezo Servir → Sirvo
Acostarse → Me Acuesto Entender → Entiendo Vestirse → Me Eisto
Dormir → Duermo Nevar → Nieva
Pensar → Pienso
Encontrar → Encuentro
Perder → Pierfo
Llover → Llueve
Preferir → Prefiero
Volver → Vuelvo Recomendar → Recomiendo
Reflexive
Reflexive Verbs describe an action you do to yourself. They are formed in the same way as
regular present tense verbs, but include a reflexive pronoun
- In the infinitive the pronoun se is placed on the end of the verb, ex: ducharse
- In the conjugated form the pronoun is placed before the verb and depends on the
person, ex: me ducho, te duchas
Yo Me
Tú Te
Vosotros Vosotras Os
Regular
Formed by taking the infinitive of a verb, removing the ending (ar er ir) and adding the preterite
endings. In the preterite ER and IR verbs take the same ending
Yo é í
Tú aste iste
Irregular
The most common irregular verbs are: (ser and ir follow the same conjugation)
SER/ IR VER HACER TENER
Some verbs have irregular spellings in the the third person (singular and plural)
Caer → Cayó / Cayeron Leer → Leyó / Leyeron
Spanish Tense Guide
Imperfect Tense
Another way of talking about events that happened in the past
- Repeated actions in the past, habits
- Background details regarding a past situation
- What people used to do or things used to be like, when you were younger
The preterite is used for single events in the past and the imperfect for repeated or continuous
events
Regular
Formed by taking the infinitive of a verb, removing endings (ar er ir) and adding the imperfect
endings, ER and IR verbs take the same ending
Yo aba ía
Tú abas ías
Irregular
There are three verbs which are irregular in the imperfect
IR SER VER
To form use IR (in the present tense ) + a + infinitive of a verb
Yo Voy
Tú Vas
Future Tense
Used to describe what ‘will happen’ in the future
Regular
Formed by taking the infinitive and adding the future endings
Endings in the future are the same for the AR ER and IR verbs
Yo é
Tú ás
Irregular
Some verbs have irregular stems with regular endings
Decir → Dir Saber → Sabr
Hacer → Har Salir → Saldr
Poder → Podr Tener → Tendr
Poner → Pondr Venir → Vendr
Querer → Querr Haber → Habr
Conditional Tense
Used to describe what you would do in the future
Spanish Tense Guide
Regular
Formed by taking the infinitive of the verb and adding the following endings
Verb endings are the same in AR ER IR verbs
Yo ìa
Tú ías
Irregular
Verbs with irregular stems in the future also have irregular stems in the conditional
Decir → Dir Saber → Sabr
Hacer → Har Salir → Saldr
Poder → Podr Tener → Tendr
Poner → Pondr Venir → Vendr
Querer → Querr Haber → Habr
The conditional of poder + infinitive is used to express the notion of something that you could do
- Podríamos ir al cine
The conditional of deber + an infinitive is used to express the notion of something that you
ought to do
- Deberíamos reciclar los productos plásticos
Present Perfect
Similar to the english version of the perfect tense. The auxiliary in the present tense and the
verb in the past participle. Used for:
➔ Finished actions in a time NOT finished
◆ This morning I had breakfast at 8:30
➔ Finished actions that have been recently completed
◆ I have just finished my homework
➔ Actions that have happened sometimes, without accuracy of the time and are still true
◆ We have lived in Sydney for 3 years ( still live there )
Regular
Formed by haber in the present tense + a verb in the past participle (ed form). Remove the verb
ending and add perfect endings
Spanish Tense Guide
Haber AR ER IR
Present
Yo he
Tú has
Irregular
Some verbs have an irregular past participle.
Abrir → Abierto Hacer → Hecho
Cubrir → Cubierto Morir → Muerto
Decir → Dicho Poner → Puesto
Describir → Descrito Romper → Roto
Descubrir → Descubierto Ver → Visto
Devolver → Devuelto Volver → Vuelto
Escribir → Escrito
** These are conjugated so there’s no need to add ado/ido
Ex. I have written a letter = He escrito una carta
A: Está caminando en el parque. He is walking in a park
A: Están leyendo un libro. They are reading a book
A: Estoy trabajando en la oficina. I am working in a office