Irregular verbs in Spanish can be tricky, but they're super important. Verbs like ser, estar, ir, and hacer are used all the time in everyday conversations. Knowing how to use them correctly will make your Spanish sound way more natural and fluent.
These irregular verbs don't follow the usual patterns, so you'll need to memorize their unique conjugations. But don't worry! With practice, you'll start using them without even thinking about it. They're key to expressing basic ideas like identity, location, and actions.
Irregular verb conjugations
Common irregular verbs
- The verb "ser" (to be) is irregular in the present tense, with the following conjugations: yo soy, tú eres, él/ella/usted es, nosotros somos, vosotros sois, ellos/ellas/ustedes son
- The verb "estar" (to be) is irregular in the present tense, with the following conjugations: yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella/usted está, nosotros estamos, vosotros estáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes están
- The verb "ir" (to go) is irregular in the present tense, with the following conjugations: yo voy, tú vas, él/ella/usted va, nosotros vamos, vosotros vais, ellos/ellas/ustedes van
- The verb "hacer" (to make/do) is irregular in the present tense, with the following conjugations: yo hago, tú haces, él/ella/usted hace, nosotros hacemos, vosotros hacéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes hacen
- Other common irregular verbs in the present tense include: tener (to have), decir (to say), venir (to come), poner (to put), salir (to leave), and ver (to see)
- Tener: yo tengo, tú tienes, él/ella/usted tiene, nosotros tenemos, vosotros tenéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen
- Decir: yo digo, tú dices, él/ella/usted dice, nosotros decimos, vosotros decís, ellos/ellas/ustedes dicen
Ser vs Estar
Permanent vs temporary characteristics
- "Ser" describes permanent or inherent characteristics, such as nationality (Soy estadounidense), profession (Ella es doctora), physical appearance (Él es alto), or personality traits (Eres amable)
- "Estar" describes temporary states, locations, or conditions, such as emotions (Estoy feliz), health (Estamos enfermos), or current state of being (Están ocupados)
- "Ser" expresses time (Son las tres de la tarde), date (Hoy es lunes), and origin (Soy de México), while "estar" expresses location (Estoy en casa)
Adjective meanings with ser and estar
- In some cases, the same adjective can have different meanings depending on whether it is used with "ser" or "estar"
- "Ser aburrido" means to be a boring person, while "estar aburrido" means to be bored
- "Ser listo" means to be intelligent, while "estar listo" means to be ready
- The choice between "ser" and "estar" can also depend on the context and the speaker's intention
- "Ella es guapa" (She is pretty) implies a permanent characteristic, while "Ella está guapa" (She looks pretty) suggests a temporary state or opinion
Applying irregular verbs
Expressing actions and intentions
- Use the verb "ir" to express movement or intention to go somewhere, such as "Voy al parque" (I am going to the park) or "Vamos a la playa" (We are going to the beach)
- Use the verb "hacer" to express actions or activities, such as "Hago mi tarea" (I am doing my homework) or "Ellos hacen deporte" (They are doing sports)
- Use the verb "tener" to express possession or states, such as "Tengo hambre" (I am hungry) or "Ella tiene frío" (She is cold)
- Use the verb "decir" to express speech or communication, such as "Digo la verdad" (I am telling the truth) or "Ellos dicen mentiras" (They are telling lies)
Creating complex sentences
- Combine irregular verbs with other vocabulary and structures to create more complex sentences and express a wider range of ideas
- "Voy a hacer la compra después de ir al gimnasio" (I am going to do the shopping after going to the gym)
- "Tengo que decirte algo importante antes de que te vayas" (I have to tell you something important before you leave)
- Incorporate adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases to provide more detail and context
- "Estoy muy cansado porque hice mucho ejercicio ayer" (I am very tired because I did a lot of exercise yesterday)
- "Ella siempre dice la verdad, incluso cuando es difícil" (She always tells the truth, even when it is difficult)
Irregular verb patterns
Stem changes
- Identify the stem changes in irregular verbs, such as "e" to "ie" in "tener" (tengo, tienes, tiene) or "o" to "ue" in "poder" (puedo, puedes, puede)
- Other verbs with "e" to "ie" stem change: querer (quiero), preferir (prefiero), entender (entiendo)
- Other verbs with "o" to "ue" stem change: dormir (duermo), morir (muero), encontrar (encuentro)
- Recognize the unique conjugations of the verb "ir," which has a completely different set of endings compared to regular -ir verbs (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van)
Irregular first-person and second-person forms
- Note the irregular first-person singular form of some verbs, such as "hacer" (hago), "poner" (pongo), and "salir" (salgo)
- Other verbs with irregular yo forms: traer (traigo), caer (caigo), oír (oigo)
- Pay attention to the irregular second-person singular (tú) form of some verbs, such as "ser" (eres), "ir" (vas), and "hacer" (haces)
- Other verbs with irregular tú forms: saber (sabes), dar (das), ver (ves)
- Understand that some irregular verbs, such as "ver" and "dar," have regular conjugations except for the first-person singular form (veo, doy)