Mastering the Indicative Tenses in AS Level Spanish
Welcome to your complete guide to the indicative tenses for AQA AS Level Spanish (7691). Whether you are narrating a past event in your Paper 3 speaking exam, translating a complex text in Paper 1, or writing your cultural essay for Paper 2 (where AO3 directly assesses your grammatical accuracy), verb conjugations form the backbone of your success. Don't worry if keeping all nine tenses straight feels overwhelming at first—by breaking them down into simple tenses and compound tenses, and learning the patterns behind them, you will quickly build confidence and fluency.
What is the Indicative Mood?
The indicative mood is used to state objective facts, describe real-world events, ask questions, and report actions that are certain or factual (past, present, or future).
Part 1: The 5 Simple Indicative Tenses
Simple tenses consist of a single conjugated verb form.
1. Present Indicative (El Presente de Indicativo)
When to use it: Current actions, habitual/routine actions, universal facts/truths, near-future actions (such as ir a + infinitive or present tense with a time expression), and the historical present.
Regular Endings:
• -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an (e.g., hablar: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan)
• -er verbs: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en (e.g., comer: como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen)
• -ir verbs: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en (e.g., vivir: vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven)
Radical (Stem-Changing) Patterns:
These changes occur inside the "boot" forms (yo, tú, él/ella, ellos/ellas), but never in nosotros or vosotros:
• \(e \rightarrow ie\): pensar \((\text{pienso})\), entender \((\text{entiendo})\)
• \(o \rightarrow ue\): recordar \((\text{recuerdo})\), poder \((\text{puedo})\)
• \(e \rightarrow i\): pedir \((\text{pido})\), servir \((\text{sirvo})\)
• \(u \rightarrow ue\): jugar \((\text{juego})\)
Irregular First Person (yo) Forms:
• -zco verbs: conocer \(\rightarrow\) conozco
• -go verbs: tener \(\rightarrow\) tengo, poner \(\rightarrow\) pongo, hacer \(\rightarrow\) hago
• -jo verbs: coger \(\rightarrow\) cojo
2. Preterite Indicative (El Pretérito Indefinido / Perfecto Simple)
When to use it: Completed past actions with a clear start and end point, sequential actions in a narrative, and events located within a completed time frame (e.g., ayer, el año pasado).
Regular Endings:
• -ar verbs: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron
• -er / -ir verbs: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
Spelling Shifts in the yo Form (-ar verbs only):
To keep the original sound of the verb:
• \(-car \rightarrow -qué\): buscar \(\rightarrow\) busqué
• \(-gar \rightarrow -gué\): llegar \(\rightarrow\) llegué
• \(-zar \rightarrow -cé\): empezar \(\rightarrow\) empecé, abrazar \(\rightarrow\) abracé
Third Person (él/ella, ellos/ellas) Shifts:
• Unstressed i between vowels becomes y: leer \(\rightarrow\) leyó, leyeron; oír \(\rightarrow\) oyó, oyeron; destruir \(\rightarrow\) destruyó, destruyeron.
• -ir stem-changers only undergo \(e \rightarrow i\) or \(o \rightarrow u\): pedir \(\rightarrow\) pidió, pidieron; dormir \(\rightarrow\) durmió, durmieron.
Irregular Stems (No accents on any endings: -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron / -eron):
• u-stem: estar (estuv-), andar (anduv-), tener (tuv-), haber (hub-), poder (pud-), poner (pus-), saber (sup-)
• i-stem: hacer (hic- / hizo), querer (quis-), venir (vin-)
• j-stem: (takes -eron instead of -ieron): decir (dij-), traer (traj-), conducir (conduj-)
• Special irregulars: ser / ir (fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron); dar (di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron)
3. Imperfect Indicative (El Pretérito Imperfecto)
When to use it: Ongoing past actions, habitual or repeated past actions ("used to" / "would do"), descriptions in the past (age, feelings, weather, time, appearance), and setting the background scene when interrupted by a preterite action.
Regular Endings:
• -ar verbs: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban (Accent only on the nosotros form: -ábamos)
• -er / -ir verbs: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían (Every single ending takes a written accent on the í)
The Only Three Irregulars in the Imperfect:
• ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran
• ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban
• ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían
4. Future Indicative (El Futuro Simple)
When to use it: Actions that will happen in the future, predictions, and expressing probability or speculation about the present (e.g., ¿Qué hora será? = "What time could it be? / I wonder what time it is").
Formation: Take the full infinitive (for -ar, -er, -ir) and add these endings:
-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án (All carry accents except nosotros (-emos))
Irregular Stems (12 core verbs):
• Drop -e/-i and add -d-: tener \(\rightarrow\) tendr-, poner \(\rightarrow\) pondr-, salir \(\rightarrow\) saldr-, venir \(\rightarrow\) vendr-, valer \(\rightarrow\) valdr-
• Drop -e-: haber \(\rightarrow\) habr-, poder \(\rightarrow\) podr-, saber \(\rightarrow\) sabr-, caber \(\rightarrow\) cabr-
• Contracted stems: decir \(\rightarrow\) dir-, hacer \(\rightarrow\) har-
5. Conditional Indicative (El Condicional Simple)
When to use it: Actions that would happen hypothetically, polite requests, future-in-the-past in reported speech, and speculation about past situations.
Formation: Take the full infinitive (or the exact same 12 irregular future stems above) and add the imperfect endings of -er/-ir verbs:
-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían (Every form carries an accent on the í)
Examples: hablaría, comería, tendría, haría, sabría.
Key Takeaway: Simple Tenses
Future and Conditional share the exact same irregular stems. Imperfect only has three irregular verbs in total (ser, ir, ver). Always double-check your accents on -ía and preterite endings!
---Part 2: The 4 Compound Indicative Tenses
All compound tenses follow a straightforward two-part formula:
Conjugated form of haber + Past Participle (participio pasado)
The Past Participle
• Regular -ar verbs: replace ending with -ado (hablar \(\rightarrow\) hablado)
• Regular -er / -ir verbs: replace ending with -ido (comer \(\rightarrow\) comido, vivir \(\rightarrow\) vivido)
• Non-negotiable Rule 1: In compound tenses with haber, the past participle is invariable. It never changes for gender or number (e.g., Ellas han hablado, NEVER habladas).
• Non-negotiable Rule 2: Never place any word (including pronouns) between haber and the participle (e.g., Lo hemos visto, NEVER Hemos lo visto).
Key Irregular Participles to Memorise:
• abrir \(\rightarrow\) abierto
• cubrir \(\rightarrow\) cubierto
• decir \(\rightarrow\) dicho
• escribir \(\rightarrow\) escrito
• hacer \(\rightarrow\) hecho
• morir \(\rightarrow\) muerto
• poner \(\rightarrow\) puesto
• romper \(\rightarrow\) roto
• ver \(\rightarrow\) visto
• volver \(\rightarrow\) vuelto
1. Perfect Indicative (El Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto)
Formula: Present tense of haber + Past Participle
(he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han + participio)
Usage: Completed actions situated within an unfinished time frame (e.g., hoy, esta semana, este año, últimamente) or past actions that directly connect to the present.
Example: Hoy he hablado con mi profesor. (Today I have spoken with my teacher.)
2. Pluperfect Indicative (El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto)
Formula: Imperfect tense of haber + Past Participle
(había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían + participio)
Usage: An action that occurred and was completed prior to another past event or reference point (the "past before the past").
Example: Cuando llegué a la estación, el tren ya había salido. (When I arrived at the station, the train had already left.)
3. Future Perfect Indicative (El Futuro Compuesto / Perfecto)
Formula: Future tense of haber + Past Participle
(habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán + participio)
Usage: An action that will have been completed by a specific deadline in the future, or probability/conjecture about a recently completed past event.
Example 1: Para el lunes, habré terminado el ensayo. (By Monday, I will have finished the essay.)
Example 2: Habrá salido ya. (He has probably left already / I imagine he has left.)
4. Conditional Perfect Indicative (El Condicional Compuesto / Perfecto)
Formula: Conditional tense of haber + Past Participle
(habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían + participio)
Usage: An action that would have taken place in the past under different circumstances (often used in the result clause of past hypothetical conditional sentences), or probability about an action prior to another past moment.
Example: Si hubiera tenido dinero, habría viajado a España. (If I had had money, I would have travelled to Spain.)
Key Takeaway: Compound Tenses
Learn the 4 tenses of haber (Present, Imperfect, Future, Conditional). Once you know those and the irregular participles, all compound tenses use the exact same formula.
---Part 3: Top Examiner Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
1. Preterite vs. Imperfect & Verbs that Change Meaning
Students often mix up the continuous/descriptive past (Imperfect) with single completed events (Preterite). Be particularly careful with these four verbs:
• Conocer:
Preterite: Conocí a María ayer. (I met María yesterday for the first time.)
Imperfect: Conocía a María desde hacía años. (I knew / was acquainted with María for years.)
• Saber:
Preterite: Supe la verdad anoche. (I found out / learned the truth last night.)
Imperfect: Sabía la verdad. (I knew the truth.)
• Querer:
Preterite: Quise ayudarla. (I tried / set out to help her.)
Imperfect: Quería ayudarla. (I wanted to help her.)
• No querer:
Preterite: No quise comerlo. (I refused to eat it.)
Imperfect: No quería comerlo. (I did not want to eat it.)
2. Pronoun Placement in Compound Tenses
Never separate haber and its participle with object or reflexive pronouns.
\( \times \) Incorrect: He lo visto. / Ha se ido.
\( \checkmark \) Correct: Lo he visto. / Se ha ido.
3. The Power of Written Accents (Tildes)
Omitting or misplacing an accent changes the tense or meaning entirely:
• Hablo (Present: I speak) vs. Habló (Preterite: He/she spoke)
• Estábamos / Hablábamos: The nosotros form in the imperfect -ar always requires a written accent on the first a.
• All forms of the conditional and the -er / -ir imperfect must retain their accent on the í (e.g., vivía, viviría).
4. Overgeneralising Stem Changes
• Do not apply present stem changes to nosotros and vosotros: jugamos (\( \checkmark \)), NOT juegamos (\( \times \)).
• In the preterite, -ar and -er verbs never change stem: recordó (\( \checkmark \)), NOT recuerdó (\( \times \)). Only -ir verbs undergo stem shifts in the preterite 3rd person (durmió, pidió).
5. False Future and Conditional Stems
Remember that regular future and conditional verbs attach endings to the whole infinitive, not a modified root:
\( \checkmark \) hablaré, NOT \( \times \) hableré.
For irregulars, remember the unique stems:
\( \checkmark \) haré / haría (from hacer), NOT \( \times \) haceré / hacería;
\( \checkmark \) pondré / pondría (from poner), NOT \( \times \) ponería.
Summary Checklist for Exam Day
• Check if the time frame is finished (Preterite) or unfinished (Perfect).
• Check whether past actions are ongoing/descriptive (Imperfect) or completed interruptions (Preterite).
• Confirm your participle is invariable in compound tenses (ends in -o).
• Scan for missing accents on -ía endings and 1st/3rd person preterite endings.