As you continue learning Spanish, it’s important to strengthen your understanding of key concepts like the present tense, the present progressive, and reflexive verbs. These concepts are essential for describing current actions and daily routines. This quick review will help you prepare for interleaved practice that combines these three concepts.
The present tense in Spanish is used to describe actions that are happening now, habitual actions, or general truths.
Conjugation Patterns for Regular Verbs:
Yo | hablo I speak | Nosotros | hablamos we speak |
Tú (Juana, Juan) | hablas you speak | Vosotros (informal Spain) | habláis you all speak |
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) | habla he/she/you speak | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | hablan they/you all speak |
Yo | como I eat | Nosotros | comemos we eat |
Tú (Juana, Juan) | comes you eat | Vosotros (informal Spain) | coméis you all eat |
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) | come he/she/you eat | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | comen they/you all eat |
Yo | vivo I live | Nosotros | vivimos we live |
Tú (Juana, Juan) | vives you live | Vosotros (informal Spain) | vivís you all live |
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) | vive he/she/you live | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | viven they/you all live |
The present progressive tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now. It is formed using the present tense of the verb “estar” followed by the gerund (-ando, -iendo) of the main verb.
Structure:
Examples:
Key Difference Between Present Tense and Present Progressive:
Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject of the verb is also the receiver of the action. Reflexive verbs are used with reflexive pronouns that correspond to the subject of the sentence.
Examples:
When using reflexive verbs in the present progressive, the reflexive pronoun can either go before the conjugated form of “estar” or be attached to the end of the gerund.
Examples:
Understanding the Spanish present tense, present progressive, and reflexive verbs is essential for describing actions and routines. These concepts often interact, so being able to distinguish and use them correctly is crucial for effective communication. As you prepare for interleaved practice, keep these points in mind to reinforce your skills. Keep practicing, and enjoy your journey of learning Spanish!