Present — Uses of the Present

Present — Uses of the Present

(a) The present expresses, as in English, an action which is going on at the present time. Note that the Spanish present may be rendered in three ways in English.

Juan come.
John eats.
He does eat.
He is eating.

Ella baila.
She dances.
She does dance.
She is dancing.

(b) The present is frequently used to express an action which is to take place in the near future.

Mañana voy al campo.
Tomorrow I am going to the country.

Viene al instante.
He is coming immediately.

(c) The present is used to express an action or condition that began in the past and is continuing at the present. This construction is generally expressed as follows: hace + length of time + que + verb in present tense.

Hace diez minutos que estoy aquí.
I have been here for ten minutes.

Hace años que es profesor.
He has been a teacher for years.

Hace mucho tiempo que vivimos aquí.
We have been living here for a long time.

NOTE: The preposition for in the above examples is not expressed in Spanish.