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EL PRESENTE DE INDICATIVO THE PRESENT TENSE |
In Spanish there are 3 groups of verbs according o the ending of the infinitive:
| Primera conjugación (1st conjugation) | -AR |
| Segunda conjugación (2nd conjugation) | -ER |
| Tercera conjugación (3rd conjugation) | -IR |
Each group has slightly different endings which tell who is doing the action. They change as the subject or "doer" changes, therefore subject pronouns are often unnecessary. Below is a table of the endings for each conjugation:
|
conjugaciones |
-AR (hablar) |
-ER (comer) |
-IR (vivir) |
|
Yo |
hablo |
como |
vivo |
|
Tú |
hablas |
comes |
vives |
|
El, Ella, Usted |
habla |
come |
vive |
|
Nosotros/as |
hablamos |
comemos |
vivimos |
|
Vosotros/as |
habláis |
coméis |
vivís |
|
Ellos/as, Ustedes |
hablan |
comen |
viven |
USOS DEL PRESENTE
The present tense is used for the following purposes:
1.- To talk about general truths, definitions or information:
| Ex. | Dos y dos son cuatro |
| Yo vivo en Hong Kong |
2.- To talk about things that we do on a regular basis:
| Ex. | Voy a la Universidad todos los días |
| Desayuno en casa |
3.- To give instructions:
| Ex. | Para hablar por teléfono, primero levantas el auricular, luego marcas el número de teléfono,.. |
4.- To talk about the future:
| Ex. | Termino el curso en junio. |
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