Instruction: Irregular Spanish Present Tense Overview
In Spanish, many verbs do not follow regular conjugation patterns in the present tense. These irregular verbs have unique changes that must be memorized. This section provides an overview of different types of irregular verbs in the present tense, each with their own specific rules and patterns.
Stem-Changing Verbs
There are 3 types of Stem-changing verbs:
1. e → ie
2. o → ue
3. e → i
Stem-changing verbs, also known as boot verbs, undergo a vowel change in their stem when conjugated in the present tense. Notice that the changes are covered by the parts of a boot (see below):
1. e → ie: Pensar
(Notice how the “e” in Pensar changes to “ie” under the “boot”)
Learn more about e → ie stem changing verbs and practice them here…
2. o → ue: Poder
(Notice how the “o” in Poder changes to “ue” under the “boot”)
Learn more about o → ue stem changing verbs and practice them here…
2. e → i: Decir
(Notice how the “e” in Decir changes to “i” under the “boot”)
Learn more about e → i stem changing verbs and practice them here…
Irregular Yo
Some verbs in Spanish are irregular only in the first person singular (yo) form. These verbs follow regular patterns in all other forms but have unique changes in the yo form. For example, hacer (to do/make) becomes hago, poner (to put) becomes pongo, and salir (to leave/go out) becomes salgo in the yo form.
|
Yo |
hago pongo salgo |
Nosotros |
hacemos ponemos salemos |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
haces pones sales |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
hacéis ponéis saléis |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
hace pone sale |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
hacen ponen salen |
Learn more about irregular yo verbs and practice them here…
Verbs with Irregularities in All Forms
Certain verbs have irregularities in all forms of the present tense conjugation. These verbs do not follow a specific pattern and must be learned individually. Examples include ir (to go) and ser (to be) – see below.
Ir – Common Irregular:
|
Yo |
voy I go |
Nosotros |
vamos we go |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
vas you go |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
vais you all go |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
va he/she/you go |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
van they/you all go |
Ser – Common Irregular:
|
Yo |
soy I am |
Nosotros |
somos we are |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
eres you are |
Vosotros (informal
Spain) |
sois you all are |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra. García) |
es he, she, you are |
Ellos, Ellas, Uds. |
son they, you all are |
Learn more about verbs that are irregular in all forms and practice them here…
Irregular Verbs with Spelling Changes
Some verbs undergo spelling changes to maintain pronunciation consistency when conjugated. These changes usually occur in specific forms to preserve the original sound of the verb. For example, verbs ending in -ger or -gir change the g to j before an a or o (e.g., recoger (to pick up) becomes recojo in the yo form, and elegir becomes elijo in the yo form).
Spelling Changes in the Yo Form: Recoger
|
Yo |
recojo I pick up |
Nosotros |
recogemos we pick up |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
recoges you pick up |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
recogéis you all pick up |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
recoge he/she/you pick upp |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
recogen they/you all pick up |
Spelling Changes in the Yo Form: Elegir
|
Yo |
elijo I choose |
Nosotros |
elegimos we choose |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
eliges you choose |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
elegís you all choose |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
elige he/she/you choose |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
eligen they/you all choose |
Learn more about the irregular verbs with spelling changes and practice them here…
Most Common Irregular Verbs
There are several commonly used irregular verbs in the present tense that you will encounter frequently. These include verbs like tener (to have), venir (to come), decir (to say), and oír (to hear). Each of these verbs has its own unique set of irregularities that you will need to memorize.
Tener
|
Yo |
tengo I have |
Nosotros |
tenemos we have |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
tienes you have |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
tenéis you all have |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
tiene he/she/you have |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
tienen they/you all have |
Venir
|
Yo |
vengo I come |
Nosotros |
venimos we come |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
vienes you come |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
venís you all come |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
viene he/she/you come |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
vienen they/you all come |
Decir
|
Yo |
digo I say |
Nosotros |
decimos we say |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
dices you say |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
decís you all say |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
dice he/she/you say |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
dicen they/you all say |
Oír
|
Yo |
oigo I hear |
Nosotros |
oímos we hear |
|
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
oyes you hear |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
oís you all hear |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
oye he/she/you hear |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
oyen they/you all hear |
Learn more about the most common irregular verbs and practice them here…
Conclusion
By understanding and practicing these different types of irregular verbs, you will improve your fluency and accuracy in Spanish. Each category of irregular verbs has its own rules and patterns, making it easier to learn them systematically. Keep practicing and refer to detailed conjugation charts for each type of irregular verb to master their forms.