The Present Tense of leer is used to describe actions happening at the present moment or habitual actions. For example, Ella lee un libro ahora mismo. (She is reading a book right now.)

Leer is a regular -er verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -er in the present tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Leer (to read) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Leer generally means to read, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To read: This is the most common meaning. For example, Yo leo un libro. (I read a book.)

To understand or interpret: For example, Ella lee las señales de tráfico. (She reads the traffic signs.)

To study or analyze: For example, Nosotros leemos los datos. (We read the data.)

To read aloud: For example, Tú lees el poema en voz alta. (You read the poem aloud.)

To read between the lines (figurative): For example, Vosotros leéis entre líneas. (You read between the lines.)

To read someone’s mind (slang): For example, ¿Cómo lees mi mente? (How do you read my mind?)

Examples

Examples of Leer in the Present Tense

Yo leo el periódico todas las mañanas. (I read the newspaper every morning.)

¿Tú lees novelas o prefieres los libros de no ficción? (Do you read novels or do you prefer non-fiction books?)

Ella lee en voz alta para que los niños puedan seguir la historia. (She reads aloud so the children can follow the story.)

Nosotros leemos las noticias en línea para mantenernos informados. (We read the news online to stay informed.)

¿Leéis las instrucciones antes de armar algo? (Do you read the instructions before assembling something?)

Ellos leen los comentarios de los clientes para mejorar su servicio. (They read customer reviews to improve their service.)

Mi amiga lee blogs de viajes para inspirarse a viajar más. (My friend reads travel blogs to inspire herself to travel more.)

¿Qué lees en tus ratos libres? (What do you read in your free time?)

Los estudiantes leen los libros asignados para la clase de literatura. (The students read the assigned books for the literature class.)

Nosotros leemos las etiquetas de los productos para evitar alérgenos. (We read product labels to avoid allergens.)

¿Leéis las críticas de películas antes de ir al cine? (Do you read movie reviews before going to the cinema?)

Ellos leen los contratos con mucho cuidado antes de firmarlos. (They read contracts very carefully before signing them.)

Mi hermana lee revistas de moda para mantenerse al día con las tendencias. (My sister reads fashion magazines to keep up with trends.)

¿Tú lees los mensajes de texto en cuanto llegan? (Do you read text messages as soon as they arrive?)

Nosotros leemos las reseñas de restaurantes antes de probar uno nuevo. (We read restaurant reviews before trying a new one.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Leer (to read) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.