Present indicative: regular verbs

What is this grammar about?

• Regular verbs in the present tense (presente de indicativo).
• Everyday, factual actions: what you usually do now or in general.
• Focus verbs: contactar (-ar), deber (-er), cumplir (-ir).

If you understand these three, you can conjugate almost all regular verbs in the present.

Step 1 – Recognise the verb endings: -ar, -er, -ir

In Spanish, the infinitive (the dictionary form) always ends in:

• -ar: contactar, estudiar, trabajar
• -er: deber, comer, leer
• -ir: cumplir, vivir, escribir

To conjugate, you always do two steps:

1. Remove -ar / -er / -ir → this is the stem.
2. Add the personal ending for yo, tú, él/ella/usted, etc.

Step 2 – The endings at a glance

These endings are the same for (almost) all regular verbs.

*In most of Latin America, people normally use ustedes instead of vosotros.

Step 3 – How to build the forms (mechanic)

Follow this procedure for any regular verb.

1. Identify the infinitive: e.g. contactar.
2. Remove the ending: contactar → contact-.
3. Add the person ending according to the table:
   • yo: contacto
   • tú: contactas
   • él/ella/usted: contacta
   • nosotros/as: contactamos
   • vosotros/as: contactáis
   • ellos/ellas/ustedes: contactan

Repeat with deber (deb-) and cumplir (cumpl-).

Step 4 – Meaning and use in real life

• contactar = to contact
  • Yo contacto con Recursos Humanos por correo electrónico.
• deber = must / to have to (obligation)
  • Usted debe rellenar este formulario hoy.
• cumplir = to comply with / to fulfil
  • Nosotros cumplimos las normas de seguridad.

All three verbs are regular: the stem does not change.

Step 5 – Pronoun or no pronoun?

In Spanish, the ending usually shows who does the action.

• Contacto = I contact (ending -o → yo).
• Contactas = you contact (ending -as → tú).

Because of this, Spanish often omits the pronoun:

• Correct: Yo contacto con el ayuntamiento.
• Also correct and more natural: Contacto con el ayuntamiento.

We keep the pronoun when we want to:

• emphasise the subject: Yo debo (I, not you, must).
• contrast people: Yo contacto, ellos no contactan.

Step 6 – Common confusions and how to avoid them

• Mixing -ar and -er endings
  • tú contactes → correct: tú contactas
  • tú debas → correct: tú debes
• Forgetting the plural -mos / -n
  • nosotros cumple → nosotros cumplimos
  • ellos contacta → ellos contactan
• Using English word order or words
  • yo contacto HR → yo contacto con Recursos Humanos
  • With contactar we normally say contactar con + persona / institución.

Step 7 – Zero conditional with the present

You also see structures with si + presente + presente.

This expresses general facts and routine consequences, like in English “If you do X, Y happens”.

• Si escribes la arroba, el email es válido.
  • = If you write the @, the email is valid.
• Si contactas por teléfono, recibes información rápida.
• Si cumples la norma, trabajas tranquilo.

Watch:

• Both verbs are in the present.
• No future form with will here in Spanish.

Mini checklist – Can you do this?

• Can you write the six present forms of one regular -ar, -er and -ir verb without looking?
• Can you say the forms of contactar, deber, cumplir aloud while pointing to different people (yo, tú, él, nosotros…)?
• Can you transform these into Spanish?
  • I contact the town hall by email.
  • You (informal) must complete this form today.
  • We fulfil all the conditions.
  • If you write your email incorrectly, you do not receive the confirmation.

If you hesitate, go back to the table and practise the pattern again.

What to pay special attention to

• Endings, not just the stem: they carry the information about the subject.
• Type of verb (-ar, -er, -ir) → choose the correct set of endings.
• Pronouns are often optional, but helpful for emphasis or at beginner level.
• With contactar: usually contactar con + alguien / institución.
• In si-sentences for general facts: use present + present, no future.

Once this pattern is automatic, you can focus your energy on vocabulary and real communication in class.