CH. 1 The Present Tense
Native Speakers Common Error
-ir stem changing verbs DO stem change, but only to one letter: dormir is a o:ue stem change in the present tense, but in the present participle do not include the e. Durmiendo.
Verb endings for -ar verbs
-o, -as, -a, amos, -áis, -an
Verb endings for -ir verbs
-o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en
Verb endings fro -er verbs
-o, -es, -e, emos, -éis, -en
Irregular Yo Forms
Many -er and -ir verbs have irregular yo forms in the present tense. Verbs ending in -cer or -cir change to -zco in the yo form (-cer/-cir:-zco); those ending in -ger or -gir change to -jo (-ger/-gir: -jo). Several verbs have irregular -go endings, and a few have individual irregularities. Ex: caer- yo caigo, conducir- yo conduzco, dirigir- yo dirijo, caber- to quepo. Verbs with prefixes follow the same patterns. Ex: aparecer-yo aparezco, rehacer- yo rehago, componer- yo compongo.
Irregular Verbs
Other commonly used verbs in Spanish are irregular in the present tense or combine a stem change with an irregular yo form or other spelling change.
Stem-Changing Verbs
Some verbs have stem changes in the present tense. In many -ar and -er verbs, e changes to ie (e:ie), and o changes to ue (o:ue). In some -ir verbs, e changes to i (e:i). The nosotros/as and vosotros/as forms never have a stem change in the present tense.
The Present Progressive
The present progressive narrates an action in progress. It is formed with the present tense of estar and the participle of the main verb. Ex: Éric está cantando. Aguayo está bebiendo café. Fabiola está escribiendo. The present participle id regular -ar, -er, -ir verbs is formed as follows: Infinitive Stem Ending Present Participle bailar bail- -ando bailando comer com- -iendo comiendo aplaudir aplaud- -iendo aplaudiendo Stem changing verbs that end in -ir also change their stem vowel when they form the present participle. Ir, poder, reír, and sonreir have irregular present participles (yendo, pudiendo, riendo, sonriendo). Ir and poder are seldom used in the present progressive. Ex: Marisa siempre está sonriendo. Maribel no está yendo a clase últimamente. When the stem of an -er or -ir verb ends in a vowel, the -i- of the present participle ending changes to -y-. Ex: construir- construyendo.
Regular -ar, -er, -ir verbs
The present tense of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and adding personal endings. The present tense is used to express actions or situations that are going on at the present time and to express general truths. The present tense is also used to express habitual actions that will take place in the near future.
