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Spanish verbs: present, past and ser vs. estar

A compact reference for regular conjugations, core irregular verbs, past tense patterns and common usage.

72 entries

Present: regular -ar, -er, -ir

hablar (to speak): yo: yo → hablo
Simple present indicative. Form for yo; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
hablar (to speak): tú: tú → hablas
Simple present indicative. Form for tú; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
hablar (to speak): él / ella / usted: él / ella / usted → habla
Simple present indicative. Form for él / ella / usted; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
hablar (to speak): nosotros / nosotras: nosotros / nosotras → hablamos
Simple present indicative. Form for nosotros / nosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
hablar (to speak): vosotros / vosotras: vosotros / vosotras → habláis
Simple present indicative. Form for vosotros / vosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
hablar (to speak): ellos / ellas / ustedes: ellos / ellas / ustedes → hablan
Simple present indicative. Form for ellos / ellas / ustedes; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
comer (to eat): yo: yo → como
Simple present indicative. Form for yo; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
comer (to eat): tú: tú → comes
Simple present indicative. Form for tú; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
comer (to eat): él / ella / usted: él / ella / usted → come
Simple present indicative. Form for él / ella / usted; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
comer (to eat): nosotros / nosotras: nosotros / nosotras → comemos
Simple present indicative. Form for nosotros / nosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
comer (to eat): vosotros / vosotras: vosotros / vosotras → coméis
Simple present indicative. Form for vosotros / vosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
comer (to eat): ellos / ellas / ustedes: ellos / ellas / ustedes → comen
Simple present indicative. Form for ellos / ellas / ustedes; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
vivir (to live): yo: yo → vivo
Simple present indicative. Form for yo; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
vivir (to live): tú: tú → vives
Simple present indicative. Form for tú; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
vivir (to live): él / ella / usted: él / ella / usted → vive
Simple present indicative. Form for él / ella / usted; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
vivir (to live): nosotros / nosotras: nosotros / nosotras → vivimos
Simple present indicative. Form for nosotros / nosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
vivir (to live): vosotros / vosotras: vosotros / vosotras → vivís
Simple present indicative. Form for vosotros / vosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]
vivir (to live): ellos / ellas / ustedes: ellos / ellas / ustedes → viven
Simple present indicative. Form for ellos / ellas / ustedes; preserve written accent marks where present. [1]

Present: ser, estar, tener, ir

ser (identity / description): yo: yo → soy
Irregular present indicative. Form for yo; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ser (identity / description): tú: tú → eres
Irregular present indicative. Form for tú; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ser (identity / description): él / ella / usted: él / ella / usted → es
Irregular present indicative. Form for él / ella / usted; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ser (identity / description): nosotros / nosotras: nosotros / nosotras → somos
Irregular present indicative. Form for nosotros / nosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ser (identity / description): vosotros / vosotras: vosotros / vosotras → sois
Irregular present indicative. Form for vosotros / vosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ser (identity / description): ellos / ellas / ustedes: ellos / ellas / ustedes → son
Irregular present indicative. Form for ellos / ellas / ustedes; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
estar (state / location): yo: yo → estoy
Irregular present indicative. Form for yo; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
estar (state / location): tú: tú → estás
Irregular present indicative. Form for tú; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
estar (state / location): él / ella / usted: él / ella / usted → está
Irregular present indicative. Form for él / ella / usted; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
estar (state / location): nosotros / nosotras: nosotros / nosotras → estamos
Irregular present indicative. Form for nosotros / nosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
estar (state / location): vosotros / vosotras: vosotros / vosotras → estáis
Irregular present indicative. Form for vosotros / vosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
estar (state / location): ellos / ellas / ustedes: ellos / ellas / ustedes → están
Irregular present indicative. Form for ellos / ellas / ustedes; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
tener (to have): yo: yo → tengo
Irregular present indicative. Form for yo; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
tener (to have): tú: tú → tienes
Irregular present indicative. Form for tú; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
tener (to have): él / ella / usted: él / ella / usted → tiene
Irregular present indicative. Form for él / ella / usted; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
tener (to have): nosotros / nosotras: nosotros / nosotras → tenemos
Irregular present indicative. Form for nosotros / nosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
tener (to have): vosotros / vosotras: vosotros / vosotras → tenéis
Irregular present indicative. Form for vosotros / vosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
tener (to have): ellos / ellas / ustedes: ellos / ellas / ustedes → tienen
Irregular present indicative. Form for ellos / ellas / ustedes; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ir (to go): yo: yo → voy
Irregular present indicative. Form for yo; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ir (to go): tú: tú → vas
Irregular present indicative. Form for tú; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ir (to go): él / ella / usted: él / ella / usted → va
Irregular present indicative. Form for él / ella / usted; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ir (to go): nosotros / nosotras: nosotros / nosotras → vamos
Irregular present indicative. Form for nosotros / nosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ir (to go): vosotros / vosotras: vosotros / vosotras → vais
Irregular present indicative. Form for vosotros / vosotras; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]
ir (to go): ellos / ellas / ustedes: ellos / ellas / ustedes → van
Irregular present indicative. Form for ellos / ellas / ustedes; preserve written accent marks where present. [2][3]

Preterite and imperfect

Completed event (hablar): yo hablé; ella habló
Preterite presents completed speaking events, not their ongoing background. [4][5]
Completed event (comer): yo comí; ellos comieron
Preterite reports completed actions; note accents and -ieron ending. [4][5]
Completed event (vivir): tú viviste; nosotros vivimos
The nosotros preterite equals present for regular -ir verbs; context disambiguates. [4][5]
Ser or ir: first singular preterite: yo fui
The two verbs share the same preterite form; context distinguishes was from went. [4][5]
Ser or ir: second singular preterite: tú fuiste
The preterite tú form is identical for ser and ir. [4][5]
Ser or ir: third singular preterite: él fue
The preterite third-person singular is fue without a written accent. [4][5]
Ser or ir: first plural preterite: nosotros fuimos
This conjugation is shared by ser and ir in the preterite. [4][5]
Ser or ir: third plural preterite: ellos fueron
The preterite plural form is shared by both irregular verbs. [4][5]
Estar: first singular preterite: yo estuve
The preterite uses the irregular estuv- stem. [4][5]
Estar: third singular preterite: ella estuvo
Third-person singular preterite of estar, not estaba. [4][5]
Tener: first singular preterite: yo tuve
The preterite uses the irregular tuv- stem. [4][5]
Tener: third plural preterite: ellos tuvieron
The irregular stem carries through plural past forms. [4][5]
Habitual past with hablar: yo hablaba
Imperfect describes repeated or background past actions. [4][5]
Habitual past with comer: tú comías
Imperfect can express repeated eating in a past period. [4][5]
Habitual past with vivir: nosotros vivíamos
Imperfect emphasizes a continuing or habitual prior situation. [4][5]
Ser: imperfect first singular: yo era
Imperfect often describes a past characteristic or ongoing condition. [4][5]
Ir: imperfect first plural: nosotros íbamos
Imperfect forms of ir are irregular and retain their written accents. [4][5]
Past interrupted background: Yo leía cuando sonó el teléfono.
Imperfect leía provides context; preterite sonó reports a bounded event. [4][5]

Choose a verb in context

Ser for origin: Somos de México.
Origin and identity ordinarily take ser, not estar. [6][1][3]
Ser for occupation: Ella es médica.
Occupations generally use ser without an indefinite article. [6][1][3]
Estar for location: La biblioteca está en el centro.
Location uses estar for most non-event subjects. [6][1][3]
Estar for current state: Estoy cansado.
Use estar for a current state; agreement changes with speaker. [6][1][3]
Ser for clock time: Son las ocho.
Telling the time in standard Spanish uses ser. [6][1][3]
Tener for age: Tengo treinta años.
Age is expressed with tener rather than English-style to be. [6][1][3]
Tener for hunger: Tenemos hambre.
Hunger is often expressed with tener plus a noun. [6][1][3]
Ir + a + infinitive: Voy a estudiar mañana.
Conjugate ir and add a plus infinitive for planned future action. [6][1][3]
Negative present: No quiero salir.
No typically precedes the conjugated verb in this common pattern. [6][1][3]
Pronoun often omitted: Hablamos español.
Subject can be omitted because verb ending indicates person. [6][1][3]
Ustedes in Latin America: Ustedes hablan.
Ustedes usually replaces vosotros for plural you across Latin America. [6][1][3]
Vosotros in Spain: Vosotros habláis.
Vosotros is a common informal plural subject in much of Spain. [6][1][3]

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Updated 2026-10-20Spanish grammar · indicative / common regional forms

Sources

cheatsheetatlas.com/sheets/spanish-verbs/ · Updated 2026-10-20 · Spanish grammar · indicative / common regional forms

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