Gramática · Nivel A1
El presente
The present tense. The tense you will use most. Talk about your routine, describe your world and even make plans for tomorrow.
Paso 1
Aprende · Learn
By the end of this lesson…
- I can describe my daily routine.
- I can talk about people, places and things I like.
- I can ask and answer simple questions about the present.
When to use it
- Routines and habitsTrabajo de lunes a viernes.I work Monday to Friday.
- Facts and descriptionsBogotá está en los Andes.Bogotá is in the Andes.
- What is happening now¿Qué haces? —Cocino arepas.What are you doing? —I’m making arepas.
- Near-future plansMañana viajo a Lima.Tomorrow I’m traveling to Lima.
How to form it
| Person | -ar · hablar | -er · comer | -ir · vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | como | vivo |
| tú | hablas | comes | vives |
| él/ella/usted | habla | come | vive |
| nosotros/as | hablamos | comemos | vivimos |
| vosotros/as | habláis | coméis | vivís |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablan | comen | viven |
Keys to remember
- Drop the -ar, -er or -ir and add the ending for each person.
- Stem-changing (“boot”) verbs change the stem vowel in every form except nosotros and vosotros: e→ie (pienso), o→ue (puedo), e→i (pido), u→ue (juego).
- Irregular yo forms: hago, pongo, salgo, traigo, conozco, sé, veo, doy.
- Very irregular (learn these first): ser, estar, ir, tener, venir, decir. You will use them every day.
Key verbs (tap to open)
ser · to be
| yo | soy |
|---|---|
| tú | eres |
| él/ella/usted | es |
| nosotros/as | somos |
| vosotros/as | sois |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | son |
estar · to be
| yo | estoy |
|---|---|
| tú | estás |
| él/ella/usted | está |
| nosotros/as | estamos |
| vosotros/as | estáis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están |
ir · to go
| yo | voy |
|---|---|
| tú | vas |
| él/ella/usted | va |
| nosotros/as | vamos |
| vosotros/as | vais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van |
tener · to have
| yo | tengo |
|---|---|
| tú | tienes |
| él/ella/usted | tiene |
| nosotros/as | tenemos |
| vosotros/as | tenéis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | tienen |
hacer · to do, to make
| yo | hago |
|---|---|
| tú | haces |
| él/ella/usted | hace |
| nosotros/as | hacemos |
| vosotros/as | hacéis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hacen |
querer · to want
| yo | quiero |
|---|---|
| tú | quieres |
| él/ella/usted | quiere |
| nosotros/as | queremos |
| vosotros/as | queréis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | quieren |
poder · to be able to
| yo | puedo |
|---|---|
| tú | puedes |
| él/ella/usted | puede |
| nosotros/as | podemos |
| vosotros/as | podéis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pueden |
pedir · to ask for, to order
| yo | pido |
|---|---|
| tú | pides |
| él/ella/usted | pide |
| nosotros/as | pedimos |
| vosotros/as | pedís |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | piden |
Paso 2
Practica · Conjugation drill
10 quick questions. Type the form, press Enter, and get instant feedback. You get two tries per question.
Review these:
Paso 3
En contexto · Real-world practice
Type the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Accent buttons are under each sentence. After each answer, you’ll see why it’s correct. Sentences come from everyday life across the Spanish-speaking world.
Paso 4 · Apply it
Habla y escribe: Mi rutina
Speak or write · 6–8 sentences
Describe a typical weekday from morning to night. Record yourself or write it down.
Steps
- Start with when you wake up: Me levanto a las…
- Add 3–4 activities with times.
- Connect your ideas with primero, luego, después, por la noche.
- Finish with your favorite part of the day and why.
0 words
Self-check
See a model answer
Me levanto a las seis y media. Primero, tomo un café y leo las noticias. Luego, salgo de casa a las ocho y trabajo hasta las cinco. Por la tarde, voy al gimnasio o juego al fútbol con mis amigos. Después, cocino algo sencillo y ceno con mi familia. Por la noche, veo una serie en español. Mi parte favorita del día es la cena, porque hablamos y nos reímos mucho.
I get up at six thirty. First, I have a coffee and read the news. Then I leave home at eight and work until five. In the afternoon, I go to the gym or play soccer with my friends. Afterwards, I cook something simple and have dinner with my family. At night, I watch a series in Spanish. My favorite part of the day is dinner, because we talk and laugh a lot.
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