Introduction to Present Tense Verbs
Now that you’re familiar with basic pronunciation and greetings, it’s time to learn how to express actions in Spanish. This chapter introduces present-tense verb conjugations for regular and irregular verbs, allowing you to form complete sentences about daily activities at Ritmo del Río.
2.1 Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
Spanish verbs are divided into three groups based on their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir.
Conjugation Patterns
-AR Verbs
Verb
Yo (I)
Tú (You informal)
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You formal)
Nosotros/as (We)
Vosotros/as (You plural, not used in latin America)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (They/You Plural)
Bailar (to dance)
Yo - bailo
Tu - bailas
Él/Ella/Usted - baila
Nosotros - bailamos
Vosotros - bailáis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - bailan
Hablar (to talk)
Yo - hablo
Tu - hablas
Él/Ella/Usted - habla
Nosotros - hablamos
Vosotros - habláis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - hablan
Trabajar (to work)
Yo - trabajo
Tu - trabajas
Él/Ella/Usted - trabaja
Nosotros - trabajamos
Vosotros - trabajáis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - trabajan
-ER Verbs
Verb
Yo (I)
Tú (You informal)
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You formal)
Nosotros/as (We)
Vosotros/as (You plural, not used in latin America)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (They/You Plural)
Comer (to eat)
Yo - como
Tu - comes
Él/Ella/Usted - come
Nosotros- comemos
Vosotros - coméis
Él/Ella/Usted - comen
Aprender (to learn)
Yo- aprendo
Tu - aprendes
Él/Ella/Usted - aprende
Nosotros- aprendemos
Vosotros - aprendéis
Él/Ella/Usted - aprenden
Beber (to drink)
Yo - bebo
Tu - bebes
Él/Ella/Usted - bebe
Nosotros - bebemos
Vosotros - bebéis
Él/Ella/Usted - beben
-IR Verbs
Verb
Yo (I)
Tú (You informal)
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You formal)
Nosotros/as (We)
Vosotros/as (You plural, not used in latin America)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (They/You Plural)
Vivir (to live)
Yo - vivo
Tu - vives
Él/Ella/Usted - vive
Nosotros - vivimos
Vosotros - vivís
Él/Ella/Usted - viven
Escribir (to write)
Yo - escribo
Tu - escribes
Él/Ella/Usted - escribe
Nosotros - escribimos
Vosotros - escribís
Él/Ella/Usted - escriben
Abrir (to open)
Yo - abro
Tu - abres
Él/Ella/Usted -abre
Nosotros - abrimos
Vosotros - abrís
Él/Ella/Usted - abren
Common Regular Verbs for Traveling and Daily Life at Ritmo del Río
-AR Verbs
-ER Verbs
-IR Verbs
hablar (to talk)
aprender (to learn)
escribir (to write)
trabajar (to work)
correr (to run)
abrir (to open)
caminar (to walk)
beber (to drink)
recibir (to receive)
mirar (to look at)
vender (to sell)
decidir (to decide)
enseñar (to teach)
leer (to read)
describir (to describe)
nadar (to swim)
comer (to eat)
vivir (to live)
visitar (to visit)
responder (to answer)
permitir (to allow)
escuchar (to listen)
entender (to understand)
salir (to leave)
descansar (to rest)
poseer (to own)
compartir (to share)
explorar (to explore)
ver (to see)
asistir (to attend)
cocinar (to cook)
sorprender (to surprise)
cubrir (to cover)
observar (to observe)
escoger (to choose)
insistir (to insist)
montar (to ride)
temer (to fear)
omitir (to omit)
saltar (to jump)
deber (to owe/must)
subir (to go up)
preparar (to prepare)
conocer (to know a person/place)
admitir (to admit)
Examples:
Johana baila salsa todos los días. (Johana dances salsa every day.)
Nosotros comemos pizza en La Pizzería de Ritmo del Río. (We eat pizza at La Pizzería de Ritmo del Río.)
Los turistas viven una experiencia única en la selva. (The tourists live a unique experience in the jungle.)
Activity: Conjugate five words that end in -AR, five words that end en -ER, and five words that end in -IR in the present tense:
2.2 Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense
Some verbs do not follow regular patterns and must be memorized. Here are the most common irregular verbs:
Irregular Verb: Ser (To Be - Permanent)
Yo
Tú
Él/Ella/Usted
Nosotros/as
Vosotros/as
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Yo - soy
Tu - eres
Él/Ella/Usted - es
Nosotros - somos
Vosotros - sois
Él/Ella/Usted - son
Irregular Verb: Estar (To Be - Temporary)
Yo - estoy
Tu - estás
Él/Ella/Usted - está
Nosotros - estamos
Vosotros - estáis
Él/Ella/Usted - están
Irregular Verb: Ir (To Go)
Yo - voy
Tu - vas
Él/Ella/Usted - va
Nosotros - vamos
Vosotros - vais
Él/Ella/Usted - van
Irregular Verb: Tener (To Have)
Yo - tengo
Tu - tienes
Él/Ella/Usted - tiene
Nosotros - tenemos
Vosotros - tenéis
Él/Ella/Usted - tienen
Irregular Verb: Hacer (To Do/Make)
Yo - hago
Tu - haces
Él/Ella/Usted - hace
Nosotros - hacemos
Vosotros - hacéis
Él/Ella/Usted - hacen
Activity: Fill in the blanks with the correct verb form:
Yo ___ (ser) turista en San Rafael.
Nosotros ___ (tener) una actividad de tubing en el río.
Tú ___ (ir) a la finca orgánica.
Examples:
Yo soy profesor de español en Ritmo del Río. (I am a Spanish teacher at Ritmo del Río.)
Tú tienes una reserva en la cabaña Abarco. (You have a reservation in the Abarco cabin.)
Nosotros estamos en la clase de yoga con Sara. (We are in the yoga class with Sara.)
2.3 The Use of Vosotros vs. Ustedes
In Spain, the form vosotros is used for informal plural "you," while ustedes is used for formal plural "you." However, in Latin America, including Colombia, ustedes is used for both formal and informal situations.
Examples:
Spain: Vosotros habláis español muy bien. (You all speak Spanish very well.)
Latin America: Ustedes hablan español muy bien. (You all speak Spanish very well.)
At Ritmo del Río, you will mainly use ustedes when addressing groups of people.
2.4 The Use of Vos in Antioquia
In Antioquia and other parts of Colombia, people use vos instead of tú for informal singular "you." This is known as voseo and has a slightly different conjugation.
Example: Tú vs. Vos
Verb
Tú Form
Vos Form
hablar (to talk)
tú hablas
vos hablás
comer (to eat)
tú comes
vos comés
vivir (to live)
tú vives
vos vivís
Examples in Context:
¿Vos querés ir a la cascada? (Do you want to go to the waterfall?)
Vos hablás español muy bien. (You speak Spanish very well.)
Though tú is understood and used in formal Spanish learning, you may hear vos when speaking with locals in San Rafael, Medellín, and other parts of Antioquia.
Chapter Summary
Spanish verbs are classified as -ar, -er, or -ir verbs.
Regular verbs follow predictable conjugation patterns.
Some verbs are irregular and must be memorized.
In Spain, vosotros is used for informal "you all," but in Latin America, ustedes is used for both formal and informal situations.
In Antioquia, vos replaces tú in informal speech, with slight verb changes.
Final Activity: Real-World Application
Challenge: Use five different present-tense verbs to describe your experience at Ritmo del Río so far. Try using vos if speaking with locals!
Now that you can conjugate verbs, we will focus on building full sentences using subject-verb-object order!
