⚠️ Irregular Verbs - Verbos irregulares
Beginner Spanish · Irregular verbs
Irregular Verbs in Spanish
Some of the most useful Spanish verbs do not follow the most predictable conjugation patterns. Instead of trying to memorize every irregular form at once, start by recognizing a few common patterns and the forms you will use constantly.
Your next small win: use common forms such as soy, estoy, tengo, voy, hago, quiero, and entiendo in everyday Spanish.
Start with the highest-frequency verbs
Essential Irregular Verbs
These verbs appear constantly in beginner Spanish, and several have forms that must simply become familiar through repeated use.
To be
To be
To have
To go
To do / make
To say / tell
I am a student.
We are at home.
I am hungry.
I am going to work.
Ser and estar: both mean “to be,” but they have different jobs. A useful beginner contrast is ser for identity and estar for location. Do not treat the difference as simply permanent versus temporary.
Use four essential forms
Say “I am a student,” “I am hungry,” and “I am going to work.”
Soy estudiante.
Tengo hambre.
Voy al trabajo.
Watch the vowel inside the verb
Common Stem-Changing Verbs
Some verbs keep their normal endings but change a vowel inside the stem in certain forms.
To think → I think
To want → I want
To sleep → I sleep
To come → you come
To understand → I understand
To play → I play
I want to learn Spanish.
I do not understand.
What do you want to eat?
Are you coming with me?
Do not memorize the arrows as complete conjugations. They are examples of the change. The useful goal here is to recognize forms such as quiero, entiendo, duermo, and juego.
Use two stem-changing verbs
Say that you want to learn Spanish, then say that you do not understand.
Quiero aprender español.
No entiendo.
Learn the useful first-person forms
Irregular Yo Forms
Some verbs have especially irregular forms with yo. These are worth learning as complete chunks.
To have → I have
To do / make → I do / make
To come → I come
To say → I say
I am hungry.
I exercise every day.
Learn chunks, not isolated rules: phrases such as tengo hambre and hago ejercicio are easier to remember and immediately useful.
Practice two irregular yo forms
Say “I am hungry” and “I exercise every day.”
Tengo hambre.
Hago ejercicio todos los días.
Put the forms into conversation
Everyday Irregular Verb Phrases
How are you?
Where are you going?
What do you want to eat?
Are you coming with me?
Making plans
What are you doing today?
I am going to work.
Are you coming afterward?
Yes, but first I have to study.
More useful examples
She tells the truth.
We play soccer on Saturdays.
Make a simple plan
Say that you are going to work, then say that you have to study first.
Voy a trabajar.
Primero tengo que estudiar.
Your turn · 8 quick questions
Practice: Irregular Verbs
Choose the answer that best fits each situation. Focus on useful irregular forms, stem changes, and common first-person forms.
Practice complete
You can use common irregular verb forms in Spanish.
A few irregular forms to revisit
One last step: use four irregular verbs without choices.
Say who you are, say that you are hungry, say where you are going, and say one thing you want to do.
Soy estudiante.
Tengo hambre.
Voy al trabajo.
Quiero aprender español.
You introduce yourself as a student. Which sentence fits?
- Soy estudiante.
- Estoy estudiante.
- Tengo estudiante.
- Voy estudiante.
Ser is used here for identity, and soy is the first-person singular form.
Soy estudiante.
You are hungry. Which sentence fits?
- Tengo hambre.
- Soy hambre.
- Estoy hambre.
- Hago hambre.
Spanish uses tener for hunger, so Tengo hambre means “I am hungry.”
Tengo hambre.
You are going to work. Which sentence fits?
- Voy al trabajo.
- Tengo al trabajo.
- Hago al trabajo.
- Soy al trabajo.
Voy is the first-person singular form of ir.
Voy al trabajo.
You want to learn Spanish. Which sentence fits?
- Quiero aprender español.
- Pienso aprender español.
- Entiendo aprender español.
- Vengo aprender español.
Querer means “to want,” and quiero is the first-person singular form used here.
Quiero aprender español.
You exercise every day. Which sentence fits?
- Hago ejercicio todos los días.
- Tengo ejercicio todos los días.
- Voy ejercicio todos los días.
- Digo ejercicio todos los días.
Hacer has the irregular first-person form hago.
Hago ejercicio todos los días.
You do not understand. What do you say?
- No entiendo.
- No quiero.
- No pienso.
- No vengo.
Entender is stem-changing, and entiendo means “I understand.”
No entiendo.
You and another person are at home. Which sentence fits?
- Estamos en casa.
- Somos en casa.
- Tenemos en casa.
- Vamos en casa.
Estar is used for location here, so Estamos en casa means “We are at home.”
Estamos en casa.
You want to ask whether someone is coming with you. What do you ask?
- ¿Vienes conmigo?
- ¿Quieres conmigo?
- ¿Entiendes conmigo?
- ¿Haces conmigo?
Venir means “to come,” and vienes is the tú form used in this question.
¿Vienes conmigo?