Spanish Lesson 13 (Present Tense & Survival)
Duration: 30 mins
This 13th lesson deals with the present tense in Spanish. In addition I included a vocabulary list about survival and emergencies. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Spanish Classes.
Present
The present is one of the 3 tenses (present, past, and future) we will be discussing in the next 3 lessons. So it is recommended not to skip any of them because they are all related.
Grammar Rule
Just like in English, the present tense in Spanish is used to:
- Describe events happening at this moment: yo entiendo (I understand)
- To refer to habits: yo leo un libro cada día (I read a book every day)
- To describe something happening in the near future: viajo mañana (I travel tomorrow)
To be able to conjugate a verb properly in Spanish, you need to know 2 things:
- Is the verb ending in (-ar, -er or -ir)? Example: hablar, comer, vivir
- Is the verb regular or irregular? Examples: conocer, dar, empezar
Here are examples about both:
Present (regular verbs)
- Pensar (to think): yo penso, tu hablas, el/ella habla, nosotros hablamos, ellos/ellas/Uds hablan
- Comer (to eat): yo como, tu comes, el/ella come, nosotros comemos, ellos/ellas/Uds comen
- Vivir (to live): yo vivo, tu vives, el/ella vive, nosotros vivimos, ellos/ellas/Uds viven
Present (irregular verbs)
- yo conozco, tu conoces, el/ella/Usted conoce, nosotros conocemos, ellos/ellas/Uds conocen
- yo doy, tu das, el/ella da, nosotros damos, ellos/ellas/Uds dan
- yo empiezo, tu empiezas, el/ella empieza, nosotros empezamos, ellos/ellas/Uds empiezan
Overview
- If a verb is regular and ending in (~ar) use the following: verb stem + o,as,a,amos,an
- If a verb is regular and ending in (~er, ~ir) use the following: verb stem + o,es,e,emos (imos),en
- For irregular verbs, there is no simple formula, but generally: irregular verb stem + o,as,a,amos(emos,imos),an
Below is a list of 15 sentences conjugated into the present tense. I focused on the examples you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, Spanish, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.
Present Tense in Spanish
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please Spanish contact form on the header above.
Survival Expressions
Below is a list of 28 words related to survival expressions such as emergencies, and calling for help. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to communicate better when in distress or when providing help to someone else who is in need.
Survival Expressions in Spanish
Daily Conversation in Spanish
Finally, here are some common sentences to strengthen your conversation skills. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Spanish Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Spanish
Fun Facts
Language Quote: ❝To have another language is to possess a second soul.❞ ‒Charlemagne
Congratulations! You finished your 13th lesson in Spanish about the present tense, and survival expressions. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Spanish Lesson 14. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Spanish homepage.