Spanish Verb Tenses

Spanish is a rich and detailed language, and much of that richness comes from its verb tenses, which are the way we indicate when an action occurs. Was it in the past? Is it happening now? Will it be in the future?

Understanding Spanish verb tenses and knowing how to use verbs correctly is essential for being able to talk about actions in different moments and situations. By the end of this article, you will learn what verb tenses are and how they work, so you can use Spanish verbs without problems.

Let’s get started!

What are Spanish verb tenses?

As we mentioned, verb tenses refer to the different forms that verbs take to express when an action occurs. These tenses can be:

• Past tense: Actions that have already occurred. For example: “Yo comí pizza ayer.” (I ate pizza yesterday.)
• Present tense: Actions that are occurring now. For example: “Tú lees este artículo.” (You read this article.)
• Future tense: Actions that will happen later. For example: “Mañana jugarán fútbol.” (They will play soccer tomorrow.)

In Spanish, tenses can also be simple (a single word) or compound (formed by an auxiliary verb and a participle). Example:

• Yo estudio todos los días. (simple) (I study every day.)
• Mi hermana ha ido a Colombia. (compound) (My sister has gone to Colombia.)
• Ricardo venderá sus libros. (simple) (Ricardo will sell his books.)
• Ellos hubieran venido si fuera domingo. (compound) (They would have come if it were Sunday.)

Verb tenses allow us not only to locate actions in time but also to provide more context about how, where, or why they occurred.

Table of Verb Tenses in Spanish

Spanish verb tenses in the indicative mood

The indicative mood has several verb tenses with which we can express various real actions at different moments in time. Here are the most common:

Present tense

It is used for actions that are happening now or that are habitual.

• Yo leo un libro. (I read a book.)
• Ella va a la escuela en bicicleta. (She goes to school by bicycle.)

Simple past tense

Indicates actions that occurred in the past and have already ended.

• Visité a mi tío en el hospital. (I visited my uncle in the hospital.)
• Mi cumpleaños fue hace un mes. (My birthday was a month ago.)

Simple future tense

It is used to express actions that will happen later.

• Mañana iremos al teatro. (Tomorrow we will go to the theater.)
• Me graduaré en dos años. (I will graduate in two years.)

Imperfect past tense

Ideal for describing past actions that were ongoing or habitual.

• Mi familia iba a la playa cada verano. (My family went to the beach every summer.)
• A Carlos le gustaba jugar con autos de juguete. (Carlos liked to play with toy cars.)

Simple conditional

It allows us to express hypothetical actions or wishes.

• A Paula le gustaría tener más tiempo para pintar. (Paula would like to have more time to paint.)
• Me encantaría ir a ese concierto. (I would love to go to that concert.)

Spanish verb tenses in the subjunctive mood

The subjunctive mood includes several tenses that express wishes, doubts, or hypothetical situations. Here are the main ones:

Present subjunctive mood

Useful for expressing wishes or possibilities in the present or future.

• Ojalá que no llueva mañana durante el pícnic. (I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow during the picnic.)
• Dudaba que Carmen supiera la respuesta. (I doubted that Carmen knew the answer.)

Imperfect subjunctive mood (pretérito imperfecto del subjuntivo)

Used to express wishes or hypotheses in the past.

• Quería que mis amigos vinieran a mi casa. (I wanted my friends to come to my house.)
• Es importante que ellos terminen su tarea. (It is important that they finish their homework.)

Future subjunctive mood

Used to indicate future actions in formal contexts. It is very rare to find it in modern conversations or texts, but you may see it in ancient literature, legal documents, or fixed expressions.

• Si tuviere tiempo, iré a visitarte. (If I am to have time, I will go to visit you.)
• Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres. (Wherever you go, do what you see.)

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Compound tenses in Spanish

Compound tenses are formed with the auxiliary verb "haber" plus the participle of the main verb. These tenses are used to talk about actions completed in relation to another moment.

Present perfect

It’s used to describe actions completed in a time close to the present.

• Los constructores han avanzado mucho esta semana. (The builders have made a lot of progress this week.)
• Ya has escuchado esa canción antes. (You have already heard that song before.)

Past perfect

Allows us to describe actions completed before another past action.

• Cuando llegué a casa, mi esposo ya había lavado los platos. (When I got home, my husband had already washed the dishes.)
• Ya había visto esa película antes de que se estrenara en el cine. (I had already seen that movie before it premiered in the theater.)

Future perfect (futuro perfecto)

Describes actions that will be completed in the future.

• Habrán terminado de remodelar el edificio el año que viene. (They will have finished remodeling the building next year.)
• Para mañana habré completado todas mis lecciones de español. (By tomorrow, I will have completed all my Spanish lessons.)

Table of Spanish verb tenses

Tips for Learning Spanish Verb Tenses

Learning the verb tenses may seem complicated, but with a few practical tips, you can master each of them.

• Create a list of common verbs and start with their conjugation in each verb tense. For example:

Conjugate ser (to be) in the present tense.(soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son).

Conjugate tener (to have) in the past tense. (tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron). 

Conjugate hacer (to do) in the future tense. (haré, harás, hará, haremos, haréis, harán). 

• Use flashcards to memorize verb forms in different tenses. For example:

On one card, write cantar (sing) in the present tense. (canto, cantas, canta...)

On another card, write vivir (to live) in the past tense. (viví, viviste, vivió...)

Create a card to write ir (to go) in the future tense. (iré, irás, irá...)

• Practice with listening and writing exercises to familiarize yourself with verb tenses. For example:

Listen to a podcast in Spanish and write down all the verb forms you hear.

Listen to a song in Spanish and write down the past tense verbs you identify.

Write a short story using only the future tense.

• Watch series or read books in Spanish to observe how verbs are used in different situations. For example:

Watch a TV show in Spanish and identify the present tense verbs used by the characters.

Read a news story in Spanish and underline the verbs in the preterite tense.

Notice how characters speak in the present, past, and future tenses when you read a book or comic in Spanish.

• Practice aloud or with friends to reinforce learning the verb tenses

Review past tense verbs aloud, saying phrases such as “Ayer comí, dormí, leí...” (Yesterday I ate, I slept, I read...)

Practice using future tense verbs while talking to a friend, making real or fictitious plans: “Mañana iré, haré, veré…”(Tomorrow I will go, I will do, I will see...)

Make a list of daily actions in the present tense and say each verb aloud: “me levanto, como, trabajo...” (“I get up, I eat, I work...”.)

Common mistakes when using verb tenses

Learning to master the use of verb tenses correctly can take some time, but to help you accelerate it by sharing a few of some of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Confusion between the past perfect simple and imperfect tenses

The past perfect simple describes completed actions, while the imperfect is used for habits or descriptions in the past.

• Incorrect: Cuando era niño, jugué con mis amigos. (When I was a child, I played with my friends.)
• Correct: Cuando era niño, jugaba con mis amigos. (When I was a child, I used to play with my friends.)

Forgetting irregular forms

Some verbs change instead of following the regular pattern, so it’s crucial to learn and memorize the proper way to conjugate them.

• Incorrect: Yo saberé la respuesta. (I wille know the answer.)
• Correct: Yo sabré la respuesta. (I will know the answer.)

Incorrect use of the future simple and the conditional

The future is used to talk about actions that will happen, while the conditional helps us to express possibilities or conditions for something to happen.

• Incorrect: Yo iría mañana. (I would go tomorrow (without condition).)
• Correct: Yo iré mañana (I will go tomorrow)

Not using the right tense in context

Each verb tense has a context in which it is most appropriate.

• Incorrect: Mañana estuve ocupado. (I was busy tomorrow.)
• Correct: Mañana estaré ocupado. (Tomorrow I will be busy.)

Errors in compound tenses

Confusion when using compound tenses, such as the past perfect perfect.

• Incorrect: Hemos visto ayer esa película. (We saw that movie yesterday.)
• Correct: Vimos esa película ayer. (We saw that movie yesterday.)

Summary

Verb tenses and conjugation are indispensable tools on your journey to mastering Spanish, as they allow us to talk about past, present, and future actions clearly.

We know that learning to conjugate verbs can be overwhelming at first, but you will see that with patience and some practice through the Promova app, you will master it faster than you think.

Keep going and don’t be afraid to make mistakes! You can do it.