Spanish Verb Conjugation Forms
Infinitivo
Infinitive - Also known as the "dictionary form", the infinitive is the most basic of form of a verb. By itself, it says nothing about how many people are performing the verb's action or when.
Example - Cuando terminas de comer debes poner el cuchillo junto al tenedor. (When you finish eating, you should put your knife and fork together.)
Participio
Past Participle - Used an adjective participle, past participles are used to describe the nature or states of things.
Example - El policía ha arrestrado el ladron. (The polica had arrested the robber.)
Gerundio
Gerund (Present Participle) - The form of the verb as an adverb, used to indicate that one action caused or happened at the same time as another.
Example - Estoy intentando aprender portugués tambien. (I'm trying to learn Portugese as well.)
Presente
Present - This tense is used to express something that is happening currently, in the near future, or a general truth.
Example - Acabo de comer una hamburguesa con papas fritas. (I just ate a hamburger and french fries.)
Preterito Imperfecto
Imperfect Past (Past Continuous) - Used to describe events taking place in the past without regards to when the event began or ended, the imperfect tense describes actions that were happening, used to happen, or happened regularly in the past and on going.
Example - Estudia para abogado. (I was studying to be a lawyer.)
Pretérito
Preterite (Past Tense) - Expressing actions which took place in the past, the preterite indicates that an action taken once in the past was completed at some point in the past.
Example - El entrenador prometió que si ganaran el partido se dejaría el bigote. (The coach promised that if they won he would stop growing a mustache.)
Futuro
Future - This is the verb form that marks the event described by a verb as not having happened yet, but expected to in the future.
Example - Estarán aqui por diciembre. (They will be here for December.)
Subjunctivo
Subjunctive - The most difficult tense for Anglophones to learn, the subjective expresses wishes, commands (in subordinate clauses), emotion, possibility, judgement, necessity, and statements that are contrary to fact at present.
Example - No hay una mujer a la que no le gusten los zapatos. (There's not a woman who doesn't like shoes.)
Condicional
Conditional - The is the verb form used in conditional sentences to refer to a hypothetical state of affairs, or an uncertain event that is contingent on another set of circumstances.
Example - Si hubieras traído sacacorchos, ahora podríamos tomar vino. (If you had brought a corkscrew, we could drink wine right now.)
Imperativo
Imperative (Command) - This verb form is used when making commands.
Example - Cuentamelo. (Tell it to me.)
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