Irregular verbs in Spanish

If you have already mastered the Spanish verb tenses, it is time for you to start getting into irregular verbs. These verbs are widely used in everyday Spanish, and it is essential that you know them and how to conjugate them to become a Spanish speaker. At don Quijote you will learn everything you need to know about irregular verbs in Spanish with practical examples.

Continue practicing to learn Spanish in Spain or switch languages and read this article in Spanish, French, Italian or Dutch.

What are irregular verbs in Spanish?

Irregular verbs in Spanish are those that do not follow the usual patterns of conjugation in one or more of their tenses and moods. Therefore, they must be learned separately since, when conjugating these verbs, their root changes its form.

How many irregular verbs are there in Spanish?

There are currently more than 100 irregular verbs in Spanish. Although among the most common ones, the list is reduced to about 50 and they constitute an essential part of the daily vocabulary. In fact, many of the most used verbs in Spanish (ser, estar, ir, tener, hacer) are irregular.

Spanish irregular verbs appear very frequently in everyday communication, so it is essential to know their conjugation. Their irregularity is a structural characteristic of the language and does not respond to a choice of the speaker, i.e. they must be memorized, since they do not follow a fixed rule.

Types of irregularities in verbs

Irregular verbs in Spanish can present different types of changes. These are the most common ones:

1.Change in the root by diphthongation or vowel change. They change the vowel in the root in some forms, generally in the present indicative and subjunctive:

• e → ie: pensar → pienso
• o → ue: poder → puedo
• e → i: pedir → pido

2. Change in the first-person singular. These verbs are irregular only in the first-person present indicative:

• poner → pongo
• salir → salgo

3. Irregular roots in the preterite indefinite:

• tener → tuve
• decir → dije

4. Completely irregular verbs. All these conjugated verbs are completely different from their root. For example:

• ser → soy → soy, fui, sea
• ir → voy, fui, vaya
• haber → he, hubo, haya

Most common irregular verbs in Spanish

Some of the most used verbs in Spanish are irregular. Here is a list of the most used irregular verbs in Spanish in two forms: present and preterite indicative.

1. Ser (to be): yo soy, tú eres, él/ella es, nosotros somos, vosotros sois, ellos son. Yo fui, tú fuiste, él/ella fue, nosotros fuimos, vosotros fuisteis, ellos fueron.
2. Estar (to be): yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella está, nosotros estamos, vosotros estáis, ellos están. Yo estuve, tú estuviste, él/ella estuvo, nosotros estuvimos, vosotros estuvisteis, ellos estuvieron.
3. Ir (to go): yo voy, tú vas, él/ella va, nosotros vamos, vosotros vais, ellos van. Yo fui, tú fuiste, él/ella fue, nosotros fuimos, vosotros fuisteis, ellos fueron.
4. Tener (to have): yo tengo, tú tienes, él/ella tiene, nosotros tenemos, vosotros tenéis, ellos tienen. Yo tuve, tú tuviste, él/ella tuvo, nosotros tuvimos, vosotros tuvisteis, ellos tuvieron.
5. Hacer (to do): yo hago, tú haces, él/ella hace, nosotros hacemos, vosotros hacéis, ellos hacen. Yo hice, tú hiciste, él/ella hizo, nosotros hicimos, vosotros hicisteis, ellos hicieron.
6. Haber (to have): yo he, tú has, él/ella ha, nosotros hemos, vosotros habéis, ellos han. Yo hube, tú hubiste, él/ella hubo, nosotros hubimos, vosotros hubisteis, ellos hubieron.
7. Decir (to say): yo digo, tú dices, él dice, nosotros decimos, vosotros decís, ellos dicen. Yo dije, tú dijiste, él/ella dijo, nosotros dijimos, vosotros dijisteis, ellos dijeron.
8. Poder (to be able to or to can): yo puedo, tú puedes, él/ella puede, nosotros podemos, vosotros podéis, ellos pueden. Yo pude, tú pudiste, él/ella pudo, nosotros pudimos, vosotros pudisteis, ellos pudieron.
9. Dar (to give): yo doy, tú das, él/ella da, nosotros damos, vosotros dais, ellos dan. Yo di, tú diste, él/ella dio, nosotros dimos, vosotros disteis, ellos dieron.
10. Saber (to know): yo sé, tú sabes, él/ella sabe, nosotros sabemos, vosotros sabéis, ellos saben. Yo supe, tú supiste, él/ella supo, nosotros supimos, vosotros supisteis, ellos supieron.

List of irregular verbs in Spanish

Here is a list of the 50 most used irregular verbs in Spanish:

• Acertar – To get it right
• Adquirir – To acquire
• Agradecer – To thank
• Andar – To walk
• Caber – To fit
• Caer – To fall
• Comenzar – To start
• Conducir – To drive
• Conocer – To meet
• Conseguir – To achieve/ to get
• Construir – To build
• Convertir – To convert
• Corregir – To correct
• Dar – To give
• Decir – To say/to tell
• Destruir – To destroy
• Dormir – To sleep
• Elegir – To choose
• Estar – To be
• Hacer – To do
• Haber - To have
• Hervir – To boil
• Incluir – To include
• Influir – To influence
• Ir – To go
• Jugar – To play

• Medir – To measure
• Mentir – To lie
• Morir – To die
• Nacer – To be born
• Obedecer – To obey
• Oír – To hear
• Pedir – To request
• Poder – To be able to
• Poner – To put
• Preferir – To prefer
• Querer – To want
• Reír – To laugh
• Saber – To know
• Salir – To exit
• Seguir – To follow
• Sentir - To feel
• Ser – To be
• Sonreír - To smile
• Tener – To have
• Traducir – To translate
• Traer – To bring
• Ver – To see
• Venir – To come
• Volver – To return

Examples of sentences with Spanish irregular verbs

Once you have understood how irregular verbs work in Spanish, we propose you a challenge: figure out the infinitive. Can you guess which is the root verb of these sentences? We leave you the answers below.

1. Ella es muy amable y generosa (She is very kind and generous)
2. Nosotros vamos al cine cada sábado (We go to the movies every Saturday)
3. Estoy cansado después del viaje (I'm tired after the trip)
4. Tengo una reunión importante mañana (I have an important meeting tomorrow)
5. ¿Hiciste la tarea ayer? (Did you do your homework yesterday?)
6. Él siempre dice la verdad (He always tells the truth)
7. Mis amigos vienen de Francia (My friends are coming from France)
8. ¿Puedes ayudarme con este problema? (Can you help me with this problem?)
9. Puse el libro sobre la mesa (I put the book on the table)
10. Salgo a correr todas las mañanas (I go jogging every morning)
11. Duermo ocho horas cada noche (I sleep eight hours a night)
12. Pido una pizza grande, por favor (I order a large pizza, please)
13. Queremos viajar en verano (We want to travel in the summer)
14. No sé la respuesta correcta (I don't know the right answer)
15. Conduje durante cinco horas seguidas (I drove for five hours straight)

Here are the answers to the irregular verbs in Spanish in each sentence: ser, ir, estar, tener, hacer, decir, venir, poder, poner, salir, dormir, pedir, querer, saber, conducir.

Spanish irregular verbs are fundamental to achieve fluency in the language, even though they are a challenge for learners. Mastering the most common irregular verbs in Spanish will allow you to improve your comprehension and expression in the language. At don Quijote we recommend the best way to learn them: through constant practice in our intensive Spanish course, where you can learn the language, put it into practice and, in addition, get to know wonderful cities such as Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia. Start your adventure in the language and come study with don Quijote!