Section 1: Introduction (Optional)
Section 2: Basics of Spanish Verbs
Section 3: Spanish Present Tense
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Instruction: All Spanish Verb Tenses

In Spanish, there are several tenses and moods. Each of them has regular and irregular verb conjugation patterns. You don’t need to learn them all this month! It usually takes a year or two to master all of the Spanish verb tenses. Here’s an idea of what the main tenses are like:

Present Tense:

  • I cook (cocino)
  • She runs (corre)
  • We live (vivimos)

Present Progressive Tense:

  • I am cooking right now (estoy cocinando)
  • She is running right now (está corriendo)
  • We are living right now (estamos viviendo)

Present Perfect Tense:

  • I have cooked (he cocinado)
  • She has run (ha corrido)
  • We have lived (hemos vivido)

Preterite (Simple Past) Tense:

  • I cooked (cociné)
  • She ran (corrió)
  • We lived (vivimos)

Imperfect Tense:

  • I was cooking / I used to cook (cocinaba)
  • She was running / She used to run (corría)
  • We were living / We used to live (vivíamos)

Future Tense:

  • I will cook (cocinaré)
  • She will run (correrá)
  • We will live (viviremos)

Conditional Tense:

  • I would cook (cocinaría)
  • She would run (correría)
  • We would live (viviríamos)

Imperative Mood (Commands):

  • Cook! (¡Cocina!)
  • Run! (¡Corre!)
  • Live! (¡Vive!)

Present Subjunctive:

  • It’s important that I cook (es importante que yo cocine)
  • It’s important that she run (es importante que ella corra)
  • It’s important that we live (es importante que vivamos)

Imperfect Subjunctive:

  • If I cooked (si yo cocinara)
  • If she ran (si ella corriera)
  • If we lived (si viviéramos)

Present Perfect Subjunctive:

  • I hope that they have cooked (espero que hayan cocinado)
  • I hope that she has run (espero que haya corrido)
  • I hope that we have lived (espero que hayamos vivido)

Past Perfect (Pluperfect) Tense:

  • I had cooked (había cocinado)
  • She had run (había corrido)
  • We had lived (habíamos vivido)

Future Perfect Tense:

  • I will have cooked (habré cocinado)
  • She will have run (habrá corrido)
  • We will have lived (habremos vivido)

Conditional Perfect Tense:

  • I would have cooked (habría cocinado)
  • She would have run (habría corrido)
  • We would have lived (habríamos vivido)

Past (Preterite) Perfect Tense

  • I had cooked at a specific moment in the past (hube cocinado)
  • I had run at a specific moment in the past (hube corrido)
  • I had lived at a specific moment in the past (hube vivido)

Past Progressive Tense:

  • I was cooking (at a specific moment in the past) (estaba cocinando)
  • She was running (at a specific moment in the past) (estaba corriendo)
  • We were living (at a specific moment in the past) (estábamos viviendo)

Conclusion

Don’t get overwhelmed. There are many conjugations here and it takes years to learn and master them. They are only presented here to give you an idea of how Spanish verbs work and give you a picture of the richness and intracacies of the Spanish language. As you begin your journey of Spanish verb conjugation, remember, the human brain is a pattern-seeking device. Use that to your advantage as you begin to develop or improve your Spanish abilities. Enjoy the journey!