Mastering Spanish irregular verbs and their conjugation rules

It won’t be long until you encounter irregular verbs during your Spanish language learning journey because there are many of them.  Many regular verbs, such as ir (to go), estar (to be), ser (to be), and others, don’t conjugate according to the standard patterns of -ar, -er, and -ir.

In this post, you’ll learn 10 of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish. So, let’s get started!

Exploring 5 most common Spanish irregular verbs

Verbs that deviate from the accepted conjugations of “regular” verbs are called irregular verbs. There are around 250 irregular verbs in Spanish. Though it might seem overwhelming, numerous patterns will assist you in learning most of these irregular verbs by heart.

Ser – To be

Ser follows the norms for the future, conditional, and past participle, but it is especially irregular in the imperative, present, past, and subjunctive tenses. This form of ‘ to be ‘ is utilized when something or someone has a quality, possession, price, or origin.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Imperfect	Future Simple
Yo	Soy	Fui	Era	Seré
Tú	Eres	Fuiste	Eras	Serás
Él/Ella/Usted	Es	Fue	Era	Será
Nosotros	Somos	Fuimos	Éramos	Seremos
Vosotros	Sois	Fuisteis	Erais	Seréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Son	Fueron	Eran	Serán

For example:

• ¿De donde eres? (Where are you from?)
• Fuimos los campeones. (We were the champions.)

Estar – To be

Similar to ser (to be), espar has its own special conjugations, but it is regular in more tenses. In the present, preterite, and future subjunctive, it is irregular.
Evidently, both ser and estar signify “to be,” but estar is more commonly associated with emotions, places, and transitory conditions.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Estoy	Estuve	Estaré
Tú	Estás	Estuviste	Estarás
Él/Ella/Usted	Está	Estuvo	Estará
Nosotros	Estamos	Estuvimos	Estaremos
Vosotros	Estáis	Estuvisteis	Estaréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Están	Estuvieron	Estarán

For example:

•  Los pingüinos están molestos. (The penguins are angry.)
• ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where’s the toilet?)

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Haber – To be

The same as with English, haber is employed as an auxiliary verb. For example, He comido means “I’ve eaten.” You will frequently employ the conjunctions hay (there is/are) and hubo (there were) as conjugations of haber.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	He	Hube	Habré
Tú	Has	Hubiste	Habrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Ha, hay	Hubo	Habrá
Nosotros	Hemos	Hubimos	Habremos
Vosotros	Habéis	Hubisteis	Habréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Han	Hubieron	Habrán

For example:

• Hay un dragón en la colina. (There’s a dragon on the hill.)
• Hubo un accidente en la autopista. (There was an accident on the road.)

Tener – To have

The only other irregularity in tener is usually an e-to-ie stem change in the present and subjective forms, and tuv- in the past and subjunctive future.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Tengo	Tuve	Tendré
Tú	Tienes	Tuviste	Tendrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Tiene	Tuvo	Tendrá
Nosotros	Tenemos	Tuvimos	Tendremos
Vosotros	Tenéis	Tuvisteis	Tendréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Tienen	Tuvieron	Tendrán

For example:

• Tengo que irme ya. (I have to go now.)
•  Maria tiene dolor de cabeza. (Maria has a headache.)

Hacer – To do, to make

Hacer breaks all the rules in all the tenses, except the present tense—apart from yo. Other verbs that follow exactly the same pattern include: Deshacer (undo) and Satisfacer (satisfy).

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Hago	Hice	Haré
Tú	Haces	Hiciste	Harás
Él/Ella/Usted	Hace	Hizo	Hará
Nosotros	Hacemos	Hicimos	Haremos
Vosotros	Hacéis	Hicisteis	Haréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hacen	Hicieron	Harán

For example:

• No hago deporte. (I don’t do sports.)
• Me haces reir. (You make me laugh.)

What are Spanish stem-changing verbs?

Like irregular verbs, stem-changing verbs undergo a slight conjugation, but in addition to the ending changing, the verb’s stem (or initial component) also changes!

Furthermore, although stem-changing and irregular verbs are not the same, many are irregular. Stem-changing verbs fall into three primary categories. These are the following:

•  i → e verbs
• o  → ue verbs
•  e → i verbs

There are also u → ue and i → ie verbs, however only three verbs fall into these categories: jugar (to play), inquirir (to inquire) and adquirir (to acquire).

Let’s look at a common stem-changing verb, dormir (to sleep), which falls under the o → ue category. You’ll notice that when it’s conjugated, the stem changes slightly for several of the subjects:

• Yo duermo (I sleep)
• Tú duermes (You sleep)
•   Él/Ella/Usted duerme (He/she/you sleep)
• Nosotros dormimos (We sleep)
•  Vosotros dormís (You, plural sleep)
•  Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes duermen (They/you, plural sleep)

Other common Spanish stem-changing verbs include poder (to be able to), pensar (to think), costar (to cost) and more. You must explore the best way to learn Spanish for yourself. Finding the learning strategy that suits you can speed up the learning process, bringing the desired outcome.

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Frequently asked questions

What are irregular verbs in Spanish?

Irregular verbs in Spanish are verbs that do not follow the regular conjugation patterns. They often have unique conjugations in certain tenses or with certain pronouns.

How many types of irregular verbs are there in Spanish?

There are several irregular verbs in Spanish, including stem-changing, spelling-change, and completely irregular verbs.

What are stem-changing verbs in Spanish?

Stem-changing verbs in Spanish are where the stem (the part of the verb before the ending) changes in certain conjugations. For example, the verb “querer” (to want) changes to “quiero” in the yo (I) form.

Conclusion

Irregular verbs are an essential aspect of learning Spanish, adding depth and nuance to the language. While they can be challenging to master, you can become proficient in using them correctly with practice and exposure.

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