Lesson 10: Spanish Present Tense
VERBOS SER, ESTAR, TENER Y HABER – PRESENTE DE INDICATIVO (Verbs To Be, To Have, There Is — Spanish Present Tense — Indicative Mood)
TIEMPO PRESENTE — MODO INDICATIVO
(Spanish Present Tense – Indicative Mood)
The indicative mood expresses a fact or a factual condition
| SER | |
| Yo soy (I am) Tu eres (You are) El/ Ella/ usted* es (He/She is) Nosotros (as) somos (We are)
Vosotros (as) sois (You are) Ellos/ Ellas/ Ustedes* son (They are)
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Note: * Remember that usted is a pronoun with a formal register. Its plural is ustedes.
* Also remember that in Spanish it is not necessary to mention the personal pronouns.
The person is understood by the conjugation of the verb.
* In Latin American Spanish vosotros sois is replaced by ustedes son.
USE
- PERMANENT SITUATIONS
– To express his/one´s name: Soy Ignacio/ Gaston/ Maria. (I´m Ignacio/Gaston/ Maria)
– To express nationality: Ella es japonesa (She is Japanese)
– To express profession / occupation: El es medico/ cantante (He is a doctor/singer)
– To describe a person physically or psychologically: Es linda e inteligente (She is nice and intelligent).
– To express possession: La casa es de Silvana (The house belongs to Silvana)
– To identify people: Ella es mi madre / El es mi tio. (She is my mother/ He is my uncle)
· USED TO ASK AND SAY THE TIME
– For example: ?Que hora es? / Son las tres y media de la tarde/ Es la una del mediodia.
Lectura (Reading)
Monica y Ana son argentinas. Monica es doctora y Ana es cantante. Ana canta en bares a la noche. Monica trabaja en el hospital publico. Monica es muy inteligente. Ana es rubia y de ojos azules. Monica es alta, de cabello castano y de ojos marrones. Todos los viernes se reunen con sus amigas para cenar y charlar.
Monica and Ana are Argentines. Monica is a doctor and Anna is a singer. Ana sings in pubs at night. Monica works in a public hospital. Monica is very intelligent. Ana is blond and has blue eyes. Monica is tall, brunnette and has brown eyes. Every Friday they meet with their friends to dine and chat.
Exercises:
1) Answer the following questions:
a) ?De donde son Ana y Monica? (Where are Monica and Ana from?)
Son de Argentina
b) ?A que se dedica Monica? (What does Monica do?)
Monica es doctora
c) ?A que se dedica Ana? (What is Ana?)
Ana es cantante
d) ?Como es Ana? (How is Ana?)
Ana es rubia y de ojos azules
e) ?Como es Monica? (How is Monica?)
Monica es alta, de cabello castano y de ojos marrones.
2) Correct the following sentences:
a) Esos ninos es traviesos – son -(Those children are naughty)
b) Monica son cantante — es — (Monica is a singer) <![if !vml]><![endif]>
c) Yo somos de Bolivia – soy – (We are from Bolivia)
d) Yo eres abogado — soy — (I´m a lawyer)
e) Nosotros es doctores — somos — (We are doctors)
| ESTAR | |
| Yo estoy (I am) Tu estas (You are) El/ ella/ usted esta (He/She is) Nosotros (as) estamos (We are)
Vosotros (as) estais (You are) Ellos/ ellas/ ustedes estan (They are)
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Note: * Remember that usted is a pronoun with a formal register. Its plural is ustedes.
* Also remember that in Spanish it is not necessary to mention the personal pronouns.
The person is understood by the conjugation of the verb.
* In Latin American Spanish vosotros estais is replaced by ustedes estan.
USE
– To express where one is located: Estoy en el club/ en Madrid (I’m at the club/ I’m in Madrid)
– To express physical state: Ella esta cansada / enferma. (She is tired / She is sick)
– To express psychological state: Ella esta alegre / aburrida (She is happy / She is bored)
Exercise:
Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb ser or estar in the Spanish present tense
a) Manuela y Susana son de Venezuela. (Manuela and Susana are from Venezuela)
b) Nosotros somos de aqui.
c) Cecilia es linda y alta.
d) ?Esta usted aburrido?
e) La silla esta en la cocina. <![if !vml]><![endif]>
f) Mis tios son muy carinosos.
g) ?Son (ustedes) argentinos?
h) Ellas estan en el trabajo.
i) Nosotros estamos aqui.
k) ?Eres (tu) boliviano?
l) Mis primos estan en Bariloche.
| TENER | |
| Yo tengo (I have) Tu tienes (You have) El / Ella/ Usted tiene (He/She has) Nosotros (as) tenemos (We have)
Vosotros (as) teneis (You have) Ellos/ ellas/ ustedes tienen (They have)
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Note: * Remember that usted is a pronoun with a formal register. Its plural is ustedes.
* Also remember that in Spanish it is not necessary to mention the personal pronouns.
The person is understood by the conjugation of the verb.
* In Latin American Spanish vosotros teneis is replaced by ustedes tienen.
USE
– To express willingness: Tengo ganas de tomar un helado. (I feel like having an ice-cream)
– To express specific personal needs: Ella tiene que trabajar. (She has to work)
– To express possession: Mi padre tiene un coche lujoso. (My father has a luxurious car)
– To express physical sensations: Los ninos tienen hambre. (The children are hungry)
– To express characteristics in general: El tiene ojos celestes (He has blue eyes)
Exercise:
Choose the correct alternative
a) Ariel y Claudia tienen una casa muy lujosa. (Ariel y Claudia have a luxurious house)
1- tienen
2- tengo
b) Yo tengo un jardin lleno de flores. (I have a garden full of flowers.)
1- tenemos
2- tengo
c) Mis hermanos tienen ojos verdes. (My brothers have green eyes.)
1- tienen
2- tiene
d) Ella tiene ganas de tomar un te. (She feels like having a tea.)
1- tiene
2- tenemos
e) El tiene que estudiar porque tiene un examen. (He has to study because he has an exam.)
1- tienes
2- tiene
3- tenemos
4- tiene
| HABER | |
| Yo he (I have) Tu has (You have) El/ Ella/ Usted ha (He/She has) Nosotros (as) hemos (We have)
Vosotros (as) han (You have) Ellos/ Ellas/ Ustedes han (They have) |
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Note: * Remember that usted is a pronoun with a formal register. Its plural is ustedes.
* Also remember that in Spanish it is not necessary to mention the personal pronouns.
The person is understood by the conjugation of the verb.
* In Latin American Spanish vosotros han is replaced by ustedes han.
USE
– To express general obligations: Hay que trabajar. (We have to work).
– To show existence: Hay dos pajaros en el balcon. (There are two birds on the balcony).
Exercise:
1) Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb tener or haber in the Spanish present tense – indicative mood:
a) Nosotros tenemos ganas de tomar un cafe. (We feel like having a coffee).
b) El tiene sed. (He is thirsty).
c) Hay una manzana sobre el escritorio. (There is an apple on the desk). <![if !vml]><![endif]>
d) Yo tengo una casa en el centro de la ciudad. (I have a house downtown.)
e) Hay tres personas en la sala. (There are three persons in the room.)
f) Los ninos tienen hambre. (The kids are hungy.)
Revision
“Ser, estar, tener o haber”
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of ser, estar, tener, or haber, depending on the question
1) Ya podemos salir porque ellos estanlistos. (We can go now because they are ready)
2) Me aburro en clase porque la materia es muy facil. (I get bored in class because the subject is very easy.)
3) Estos libros son de la profesora. (These books belong to the profesor.) <![if !vml]><![endif]> <![if !vml]><![endif]>
4) Mis amigas estanen la clase de Ingles ahora. (My friends are in the English class now.)
5) Mi abuelo es italiano. (My grandfather is Italian)
6) El dia esta gris; creo que va a llover. (The day is grey; I think it´s going to rain)
7) Mi tio es doctor. (My uncle is a doctor) <![if !vml]><![endif]>
8) Ella tiene que estar alli a las siete en punto. (She has to be there at seven o´clock.)
9) Las papas estanen la canasta. (The potatoes are in the basket)
10) No hay mas tomates. (There aren´t any more tomatoes) <![if !vml]><![endif]>
11) La clase de literatura espanola es a las tres y media. (The Spanish Literature class is at half past three.)
12) Hoy la profesora estade mal humor. (The professor is in a bad mood today) <![if !vml]><![endif]>
13) Mi hermana estaen Brasil ahora. (My sister is in Brazil now.)
14) Por ahora no hay nadie alli. (There is nobody there so far.)