Spanish: An Essential Grammar

In state sentences

The present tense describes a state or condition which exists at the present

moment:

Luis quiere a Andrea. Luis loves Andrea.

With reference to future time

The present tense is also commonly used to refer to imminent events or

pre-arranged future intentions:

Venga, cenamos aquí. OK, we’ll have dinner here.

Le pago mañana. I’ll pay you tomorrow.

It is frequently used in conditional sentences that confirm an agreed

arrangement, or in questions asking for advice or approval for some immi-

nent action:

¿Qué hago si no está? What shall I do if he isn’t there?

¿Compro pan? Shall I buy some bread?

With reference to past time

The present tense can also be used to refer to the past to make past events

more vivid:

Luego llega el conserje y me dice que qué demonios hago allí.

Then the porter arrives and says what on earth am I doing there.

In place of the English perfect

Spanish uses the simple present in sentences that say ‘this is the first time

that.. .’:

Esta es la primera vez que viajo en barco.

This is the first time I have travelled by boat.

The preterite tense

The Spanish tense corresponds to the simple past in English: ‘I ran’ etc.

The preterite talks about events that took place in the past and are now

complete, or states of affairs that existed in the past but have now ended.

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Simple tenses

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