3: La Rutina: Present Tenses | Simpler

Verbos regulares (presente)

Express habitual actions, daily routines, and general facts

Stem‑changing verbs e → ? (present tense)

changes to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros

Stem‑changing verbs o → ? (present tense)

Verbs where the stem vowel o changes to ue in all forms except nosotros and vosotros

Stem‑changing verbs e → i (present tense)

Verbs where the stem vowel e changes to i in all forms except nosotros and vosotros

Irregularity may occur

Verb spelling changes to preserve pronunciation, stem changes, and in specific person forms only

Verbs ending in ‑ger/‑gir

Change g to j in the yo form to preserve pronunciation

‑go verbs

Verbs that add ‑go in the first‑person singular present tense, regular in other

Examples of ‑go verbs

caer, caber, decir, poner, salir, tener, valer, venir

El verbo ir (present tense)

Completely irregular verb meaning “to go”

Ir present tense forms

voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van

El presente progresivo

Expresses actions happening right now or around the present moment

Present progressive formation

Conjugated form of estar + present participle

Present participle (‑ar verbs)

Stem + ‑ando

Present participle (‑er/‑ir verbs)

Stem + ‑iendo

Present participle spelling change to ‑yendo

-iendo; Used to avoid vowel collision in certain verbs

Verbs that use ‑yendo

leer, caer, creer, traer, oír, ir

Present participle stem change (‑ir verbs)

e changes to i or o changes to u

Uses of the present progressive

1. Actions happening right now,

2. Actions occuring around now (with time markers)

3. Ongoing, repeated action

“Mismo” (time marker)

Means “right now”

En este momento

at this moment

Past participle formation (‑ar verbs)

Changes to ‑ado

Past participle formation (‑er/‑ir verbs)

Changes to ‑ido

Past participle strong‑vowel rule

Verbs ending in a, e, or o add an accent (‑ído)

Past participle with haber

Forms compound perfect tenses

Past participle with ser

Forms the passive voice

Past participle with estar

Describes a resulting condition or state

Past participle as adjective

Agrees in gender and number with the noun

Irregular past participles

Participles that do not follow ‑ado/‑ido patterns

Reflexive verbs

Verbs where the subject performs the action on itself

Singular reflexive pronouns

me, te, se

Plural reflexive pronouns

nos, os, se

Reflexive pronoun placement

Same placement rules as object pronouns

Plural reflexive meaning

Can mean “themselves” or “each other,” depending on context

Object pronoun placement logic

Determined by whether the verb is conjugated or non‑conjugated

Object pronoun with conjugated verb

Placed immediately before the verb

Object pronoun with infinitive

Attached to the end of the infinitive

Object pronoun with gerund

Attached to it with accent if needed

Object pronoun with affirmative command

Required to attach to the verb

Object pronoun with negative command

Placed before the verb

Order of two object pronouns

Indirect object precedes direct object

le / les before lo / la

Changes to se

Reflexive pronoun placement

Follow the same rules as object pronouns

Direct object pronoun concept

what or whom the verb acts on.

Indirect object pronoun concepts

to whom or for whom the action is done.

Direct object pronoun terms

• me – me

• te – you (informal)

• lo / la – him, her, it (masc / fem, singular)

• nos – us

• os – you all (Spain)

• los / las – them (masc / fem)

Indirect object pronouns

• me – to/for me

• te – to/for you (informal)

• le – to/for him, her, you (formal)

• nos – to/for us

• os – to/for you all (Spain)

• les – to/for them / you all