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Spanish Tenses 101 Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

An explanation of Spanish tenses, conjugations of regular verbs, and when to use which tense.

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

Present Tense

The present tense is used to talk about what happens right now. It is used to tell actions, such as I eat (yo como) or they dance (ellos bailan). It can also be used for states­-of­-being such as I am (yo soy).
The present tense endings are as follows:
-AR verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -aís, and -an
-ER verbs: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eís, and -en
-IR verbs: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, and -en

Preterite Tense

The preterite tense is used to talk about actions that happened entirely in the past. If you want to say I ate or they danced, use this tense. However, the preterite tense only applies under specific circum­sta­nces, so be sure you know when exactly to use it.
The preterite tense endings are as follows:
-AR verbs: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteís, -aron
-ER/-IR verbs: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteís, -ieron (yes, these forms are the same!)