Beginning Spanish ¡Empecemos por aquí!

Module A: Personal timelines  • 377 Lengua 5.1:Verb review Verbs deserve plenty of special attention in Spanish study. They convey a great deal of information. Consider the word hablo . It tells us what happens (speaking), when it happens (present tense), and who does it (I do). It takes practice and a lot of exposure in order to learn how to pick up on all these details crammed into individual words. For this Lengua section, we will reviewwhat we have learned about verbs in Spanish. Infinitive This is the unconjugated, or base, form of a verb. In its infinitive form, it still has its -ar , -er , or -ir end- ing. An infinitive verb does not usually reflect a subject, although it can have a pronoun attached to it, in which a subject or object might be identified. Infinitives are used in many expressions, often next to a conjugated verb. They can also be used when treating an action as a noun: “Leer es importante” (Reading is important). Here are some more examples of infinitives: No me gusta hacer ejercicio en un gimnasio. ¡Estar en la naturaleza es mejor! Voy a comprarle un regalo a mi querida mamá. No debe saber; es un secreto. ¿Cómo piensas prepararte para el examen? Present indicative This is the simple present tense. Indicative expresses the fact that this verb is neither imperative (a com- mand form) nor subjunctive (which we will look at in chapter 6). The present tense is used for describing habitual or current actions. In some contexts, it can also describe a future action. There are many common verbs with irregular conjugation in the present indicative, such as ser , ir , haber , tener , decir and estar . There are also many common verbs whose present tense conjugation follows a stem-changing pattern, such as querer , pensar , poder and preferir . Here are some examples: Por la mañana Raúl se pone una camisa blanca y roja. ¡Jamás quiero pensar en ese día! Es mi peor recuerdo. Voy al parque este sábado porque hay un concierto al aire libre. Present progressive The present progressive expresses an action that is in progress. It is formed by combining the verb estar (conjugated appropriately for the subject) with a present participle (whose form is not influenced by the subject). There are a few verbs that have irregular present participles, such as leyendo and durmiendo . Here are some examples: No puedo hablar; estoy manejando al hospital para visitar a mi hermana. ¡Mira! ¡Los bebés están jugando con los juguetes del perro! No puedo usar el baño porque mi compañero está duchándose.