THE ORAL EXAM - THE PRESENT TENSE - ESSENTIAL NUMBER 1

ESSENTIAL 1 - THE PRESENT TENSE

In the oral exam there are a number of themes and areas that you can get tested on, but there are three that must be asked. The first of these is the present tense.

The Present tense (El Presente de Indicativo) is not used to talk about what is happening now, but rather what happens regularly, often, never, usually. It is about habitual actions.

For this reason we use it with words like 
siempre - always, 
nunca - never, 
a veces - sometimes, 
normalmente - usually.

Two of the main ways you can be asked about the Present tense is by asking about...
(i) pasatiempos (pastimes) or 
(ii) rutina diaria (daily routine).

In the oral, the most important form of the verb is the "Yo" form, the first person, as you are typically talking about yourself. The ending for the first person is, of course, "o" - 
como, 
me llamo, 
trabajo, 
juego al fútbol etc...

For a breakdown of possible verbs to use for talking about pasatiempos, click here.

For a guide on how to talk about your daily routine, click here. 

It is important to note that there are many reflexive verbs involved in talking about a typical day, including  - 
me levanto - I get up, 
me visto - I get dressed, 
me ducho - I have a shower,
me acuesto - I go to bed.

We will have a guide to reflexive verbs coming soon.