Key Idea: This topic covers the present tense, regular and irregular, and two tricky areas: ser or estar for «to be», and verbs like gustar.
Present regular
- Drop -ar, -er or -ir and add the ending for the person: {{hablo, hablas, habla|I speak, you speak, he/she speaks}}
- -er and -ir endings differ only in nosotros and vosotros.
- Use it for habits, facts, now and near-future plans: {{cada día estudio|every day I study}}
- Never leave the verb as an infinitive.
Present irregular
- Yo-go verbs: {{tengo, pongo, salgo, hago, digo|I have, I put, I go out, I do, I say}}
- Stem changers: {{quiero (e→ie), puedo (o→ue), pido (e→i)|I want, I can, I ask for}}
- Fully irregular, so learn them by heart: {{soy, eres, es|I am, you are, he/she is}} and {{voy, vas, va|I go, you go, he/she goes}}
- Don't make them regular: puedo, not «podo».
Ser: what it is: Identity: {{Soy estudiante.|I am a student.}}. Origin: {{Soy de España.|I am from Spain.}}. Profession and characteristics: {{El coche es rojo.|The car is red.}}. Time and date.
Estar: how or where it is: Location: {{Estoy en casa.|I am at home.}}. Feelings: {{Estoy cansado.|I am tired.}}. Result of a change: {{La taza está rota.|The cup is broken.}}. Ongoing actions.
Gustar-type verbs
- The thing you like is the subject. The person is a pronoun: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
- Gusta for one thing or an infinitive, gustan for plural things: {{me gusta el café, me gusta leer, me gustan los libros|I like coffee, I like to read, I like books}}
- Same pattern: {{me encanta la música, le interesa el arte, me duele la cabeza|I love music, art interests him/her, my head hurts}}
- Never «yo gusto». Keep the «a»: {{A mí me gusta…|I like…}}
Learn the irregular forms by heart: tengo, quiero, soy, voy. The regular endings then cover the rest.
«Es aburrido» or «está aburrido»? Both, with different meanings: «es aburrido» = boring, «está aburrido» = bored.
Ser or estar for where something is? Estar, always.
«Me gusta» or «me gustan» los perros? «Me gustan», because «los perros» is plural.
What is the yo form of «salir»? «Salgo».
Why is «podo» wrong? Poder changes o→ue in the yo form.