{"id":60,"date":"2026-09-30T14:54:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/spanish-irregular-verbs\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T14:54:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:54:28","slug":"spanish-irregular-verbs","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/spanish-irregular-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish irregular verbs: the essential list, patterns and a routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

The present tense: reference table<\/h2>\n\n

The six forms are, in order: yo<\/span>, t\u00fa<\/span>, \u00e9l \/ ella \/ usted<\/span>, nosotros<\/span>, vosotros<\/span>, ellos \/ ellas \/ ustedes<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

Verb<\/th>yo<\/th>t\u00fa<\/th>\u00e9l<\/th>nosotros<\/th>vosotros<\/th>ellos<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
ser (to be)<\/td>soy<\/td>eres<\/td>es<\/td>somos<\/td>sois<\/td>son<\/td><\/tr>
estar (to be)<\/td>estoy<\/td>est\u00e1s<\/td>est\u00e1<\/td>estamos<\/td>est\u00e1is<\/td>est\u00e1n<\/td><\/tr>
ir (to go)<\/td>voy<\/td>vas<\/td>va<\/td>vamos<\/td>vais<\/td>van<\/td><\/tr>
tener (to have)<\/td>tengo<\/td>tienes<\/td>tiene<\/td>tenemos<\/td>ten\u00e9is<\/td>tienen<\/td><\/tr>
hacer (to do, make)<\/td>hago<\/td>haces<\/td>hace<\/td>hacemos<\/td>hac\u00e9is<\/td>hacen<\/td><\/tr>
poder (can)<\/td>puedo<\/td>puedes<\/td>puede<\/td>podemos<\/td>pod\u00e9is<\/td>pueden<\/td><\/tr>
querer (to want)<\/td>quiero<\/td>quieres<\/td>quiere<\/td>queremos<\/td>quer\u00e9is<\/td>quieren<\/td><\/tr>
decir (to say)<\/td>digo<\/td>dices<\/td>dice<\/td>decimos<\/td>dec\u00eds<\/td>dicen<\/td><\/tr>
venir (to come)<\/td>vengo<\/td>vienes<\/td>viene<\/td>venimos<\/td>ven\u00eds<\/td>vienen<\/td><\/tr>
salir (to go out)<\/td>salgo<\/td>sales<\/td>sale<\/td>salimos<\/td>sal\u00eds<\/td>salen<\/td><\/tr>
poner (to put)<\/td>pongo<\/td>pones<\/td>pone<\/td>ponemos<\/td>pon\u00e9is<\/td>ponen<\/td><\/tr>
saber (to know)<\/td>s\u00e9<\/td>sabes<\/td>sabe<\/td>sabemos<\/td>sab\u00e9is<\/td>saben<\/td><\/tr>
dar (to give)<\/td>doy<\/td>das<\/td>da<\/td>damos<\/td>dais<\/td>dan<\/td><\/tr>
ver (to see)<\/td>veo<\/td>ves<\/td>ve<\/td>vemos<\/td>veis<\/td>ven<\/td><\/tr>
jugar (to play)<\/td>juego<\/td>juegas<\/td>juega<\/td>jugamos<\/td>jug\u00e1is<\/td>juegan<\/td><\/tr>
dormir (to sleep)<\/td>duermo<\/td>duermes<\/td>duerme<\/td>dormimos<\/td>dorm\u00eds<\/td>duermen<\/td><\/tr>
pedir (to ask for)<\/td>pido<\/td>pides<\/td>pide<\/td>pedimos<\/td>ped\u00eds<\/td>piden<\/td><\/tr>
conocer (to know)<\/td>conozco<\/td>conoces<\/td>conoce<\/td>conocemos<\/td>conoc\u00e9is<\/td>conocen<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Accents matter: s\u00e9<\/span> (I know) is not se<\/span> (a pronoun), and est\u00e1<\/span>, est\u00e1s<\/span>, est\u00e1n<\/span> carry an accent that changes the stress. Dais<\/span>, veis<\/span> and sois<\/span> have none.<\/p>\n\n

The hidden patterns<\/h2>\n\n

A list of irregular verbs looks endless. Grouped into families, it becomes a handful of rules.<\/p>\n\n

  1. Boot verbs (stem changes).<\/strong> The stressed vowel of the stem changes in four forms, yo<\/span>, t\u00fa<\/span>, \u00e9l<\/span>, ellos<\/span>, but not in nosotros<\/span> and vosotros<\/span>. Drawn on a conjugation grid, the changed forms make the shape of a boot. Three types: e to ie (querer<\/span>, pensar<\/span>, empezar<\/span>, preferir<\/span>, entender<\/span>), o to ue (poder<\/span>, dormir<\/span>, volver<\/span>, encontrar<\/span>; and jugar<\/span>, the only u to ue), e to i (pedir<\/span>, repetir<\/span>, servir<\/span>, seguir<\/span>).<\/li>
  2. -go verbs.<\/strong> The yo form ends in -go: tengo<\/span>, vengo<\/span>, hago<\/span>, pongo<\/span>, salgo<\/span>, digo<\/span>, traigo<\/span>, caigo<\/span>, oigo<\/span>. Tener<\/span>, venir<\/span> and decir<\/span> are also boot verbs in the other forms.<\/li>
  3. -zco verbs.<\/strong> Most verbs ending in a vowel + -cer or -cir take -zco in the yo form: conozco<\/span>, parezco<\/span>, conduzco<\/span>, traduzco<\/span>. The rest is regular.<\/li>
  4. The truly irregular.<\/strong> Only ser<\/span> and ir<\/span> are unpredictable throughout; estar<\/span>, dar<\/span>, ver<\/span> and saber<\/span> are irregular mainly in the yo form.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    In Latin America, vosotros<\/span> is not used: ustedes<\/span> covers every plural “you”. In Argentina, Uruguay and much of Central America, vos<\/span> replaces t\u00fa<\/span>, with its own forms and no stem change: vos ten\u00e9s<\/span>, vos pod\u00e9s<\/span>, vos sos<\/span>. Teach the Spain model, and mention vos<\/span> so pupils recognise it.<\/p>\n\n

    The preterite: irregular stems<\/h2>\n\n

    The preterite (pret\u00e9rito indefinido<\/span>) is where GCSE pupils lose most marks. Here are the key irregular verbs in full.<\/p>\n\n

    Verb<\/th>yo<\/th>t\u00fa<\/th>\u00e9l<\/th>nosotros<\/th>vosotros<\/th>ellos<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    ser \/ ir<\/td>fui<\/td>fuiste<\/td>fue<\/td>fuimos<\/td>fuisteis<\/td>fueron<\/td><\/tr>
    estar<\/td>estuve<\/td>estuviste<\/td>estuvo<\/td>estuvimos<\/td>estuvisteis<\/td>estuvieron<\/td><\/tr>
    tener<\/td>tuve<\/td>tuviste<\/td>tuvo<\/td>tuvimos<\/td>tuvisteis<\/td>tuvieron<\/td><\/tr>
    hacer<\/td>hice<\/td>hiciste<\/td>hizo<\/td>hicimos<\/td>hicisteis<\/td>hicieron<\/td><\/tr>
    poder<\/td>pude<\/td>pudiste<\/td>pudo<\/td>pudimos<\/td>pudisteis<\/td>pudieron<\/td><\/tr>
    poner<\/td>puse<\/td>pusiste<\/td>puso<\/td>pusimos<\/td>pusisteis<\/td>pusieron<\/td><\/tr>
    querer<\/td>quise<\/td>quisiste<\/td>quiso<\/td>quisimos<\/td>quisisteis<\/td>quisieron<\/td><\/tr>
    saber<\/td>supe<\/td>supiste<\/td>supo<\/td>supimos<\/td>supisteis<\/td>supieron<\/td><\/tr>
    venir<\/td>vine<\/td>viniste<\/td>vino<\/td>vinimos<\/td>vinisteis<\/td>vinieron<\/td><\/tr>
    decir<\/td>dije<\/td>dijiste<\/td>dijo<\/td>dijimos<\/td>dijisteis<\/td>dijeron<\/td><\/tr>
    traer<\/td>traje<\/td>trajiste<\/td>trajo<\/td>trajimos<\/td>trajisteis<\/td>trajeron<\/td><\/tr>
    dar<\/td>di<\/td>diste<\/td>dio<\/td>dimos<\/td>disteis<\/td>dieron<\/td><\/tr>
    ver<\/td>vi<\/td>viste<\/td>vio<\/td>vimos<\/td>visteis<\/td>vieron<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
    1. One set of endings for the special stems.<\/strong> Verbs like tener<\/span>, hacer<\/span> or decir<\/span> share the endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron, with no accents<\/strong>: tuve<\/span>, hizo<\/span>, never “tuv\u00e9” or “hiz\u00f3”.<\/li>
    2. After j, -eron.<\/strong> dijeron<\/span>, trajeron<\/span>, condujeron<\/span>, not “dijieron”.<\/li>
    3. Ser and ir are identical.<\/strong> Fui<\/span> means both “I was” and “I went”; the context decides. Fui al cine<\/span> (I went), Fue incre\u00edble<\/span> (it was).<\/li>
    4. No accent on one-syllable forms.<\/strong> fui<\/span>, fue<\/span>, dio<\/span>, vio<\/span>. “Fu\u00e9” and “di\u00f3” are old spellings, now wrong.<\/li>
    5. -ir stem changers change in the third person.<\/strong> pidi\u00f3<\/span>, pidieron<\/span>; durmi\u00f3<\/span>, durmieron<\/span>. The present-tense boot does not carry over to -ar and -er verbs: jugu\u00e9<\/span>, jug\u00f3<\/span>.<\/li>
    6. Spelling changes in the yo form.<\/strong> Verbs in -car, -gar and -zar change to keep the sound: busqu\u00e9<\/span>, jugu\u00e9<\/span>, empec\u00e9<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

      Past participles and the subjunctive<\/h3>\n\n

      For the perfect tense (he hecho<\/span>, has visto<\/span>), learn the irregular participles: hecho<\/span> (done), dicho<\/span> (said), visto<\/span> (seen), puesto<\/span> (put), escrito<\/span> (written), vuelto<\/span> (returned), abierto<\/span> (opened), roto<\/span> (broken), muerto<\/span> (died).<\/p>\n\n

      At B2, the present subjunctive is built on the yo form of the present, which is why the -go and -zco verbs matter so much: tengo<\/span> gives tenga<\/span>, conozco<\/span> gives conozca<\/span>. Only six verbs escape the rule: ser<\/span> (sea<\/span>), ir<\/span> (vaya<\/span>), estar<\/span> (est\u00e9<\/span>), dar<\/span> (d\u00e9<\/span>), saber<\/span> (sepa<\/span>), haber<\/span> (haya<\/span>).<\/p>\n\n

      Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
      • Regularising:<\/strong> “yo teno”, “yo sabo”, “yo hacio”. The yo form is where most irregularity hides.<\/li>
      • Boots in the wrong place:<\/strong> “nosotros podemos” is right; “nosotros puedemos” is not.<\/li>
      • Accents on irregular preterites:<\/strong> “tuv\u00f3”, “hiz\u00f3”, “di\u00f3”.<\/li>
      • Mixed stems:<\/strong> “haci\u00f3” for hizo<\/span>, “dijieron” for dijeron<\/span>.<\/li>
      • Ser and ir confused in the preterite:<\/strong> pupils hesitate over fue<\/span>. Show them the same form in two sentences.<\/li>
      • Ser and estar:<\/strong> both mean “to be”, and both are irregular: soy<\/span> and estoy<\/span> need learning side by side.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

        Strategies that make verbs stick<\/h2>\n\n
        • Learn by family, not by list.<\/strong> One boot drawing, one -go group, one set of preterite endings.<\/li>
        • Start with the yo form.<\/strong> It is the most irregular, the most useful for GCSE speaking, and the key to the subjunctive.<\/li>
        • Chant and change.<\/strong> Say the six forms aloud, then only the odd ones out.<\/li>
        • Little and often.<\/strong> Five minutes a day beats a one-hour test once a term.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

          In class: a daily verb wheel<\/h2>\n\n

          A quick conjugation routine at the start of each lesson gives dozens of retrievals of the same verbs across a term.<\/p>\n\n

          1. Spin a wheel of verbs, or draw a card: today it is tener<\/span>.<\/li>
          2. The class conjugates it aloud, person by person: tengo, tienes, tiene\u2026<\/span><\/li>
          3. Reveal each form after the class has said it. Pupils mark the forms they got wrong.<\/li>
          4. Ask one pupil for a sentence with the hardest form: Tenemos clase de m\u00fasica.<\/span><\/li>
          5. Revisit yesterday’s verb in a different person, to space the practice.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

            This is exactly what a daily routine does: one verb a day, conjugated in full, corrected on the spot.<\/p>\n\n

            Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n
            • A1<\/b>Present of ser<\/span>, tener<\/span>, ir<\/span>, hacer<\/span>, singular persons first.<\/li>
            • A2<\/b>All persons of the present, with boot verbs and -go verbs.<\/li>
            • B1<\/b>The preterite: fui<\/span>, tuve<\/span>, hice<\/span>, dije<\/span>.<\/li>
            • B2<\/b>The present subjunctive: que tenga<\/span>, que vaya<\/span>, que sepa<\/span>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

              At KS2, a few chunks such as tengo<\/span>, me llamo<\/span> and voy<\/span> are enough. At KS3, build the present tense families. At GCSE, the preterite of the top ten verbs is non-negotiable.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Ser, ir, tener, hacer and the rest: full present and preterite tables, stem changes, -go verbs, and how to make them stick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":5,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Spanish Irregular Verbs: List and Patterns | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"The most useful Spanish irregular verbs in full tables, present and preterite, the hidden patterns behind them, typical errors and a daily verb routine.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"verbes","_vd_target":"es","_vd_module":"rueda","_vd_level":"A1\u2013B2","_vd_minutes":"8","_vd_card_word":"tener\u2026","_vd_answer":"The most useful Spanish irregular verbs are ser<\/span>, estar<\/span>, ir<\/span>, tener<\/span>, hacer<\/span>, poder<\/span>, querer<\/span>, decir<\/span>, venir<\/span>, salir<\/span>, poner<\/span>, saber<\/span>, dar<\/span> and ver<\/span>. Most of their irregularities follow patterns: stem changes (quiero<\/span>, puedo<\/span>, pido<\/span>), an irregular yo form (tengo<\/span>, hago<\/span>, conozco<\/span>) and special preterite stems (tuve<\/span>, hice<\/span>, dije<\/span>).","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What are the most common irregular verbs in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"Ser<\\\/span>, estar<\\\/span>, ir<\\\/span>, tener<\\\/span>, hacer<\\\/span>, poder<\\\/span>, querer<\\\/span>, decir<\\\/span>, venir<\\\/span>, salir<\\\/span>, poner<\\\/span>, saber<\\\/span>, dar<\\\/span> and ver<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"What are boot verbs in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"Stem-changing verbs: the stem vowel changes in every present-tense form except nosotros<\\\/span> and vosotros<\\\/span>, e.g. puedo<\\\/span>, puedes<\\\/span>, puede<\\\/span>, podemos<\\\/span>, pod\u00e9is<\\\/span>, pueden<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"Why are fui and fue the same for ser and ir?\",\"a\":\"In the preterite, ser<\\\/span> and ir<\\\/span> share all their forms. Fui al parque<\\\/span> means \\\"I went\\\"; Fue divertido<\\\/span> means \\\"it was\\\".\"},{\"q\":\"Do irregular preterites have accents?\",\"a\":\"No. Tuve<\\\/span>, hizo<\\\/span>, dijo<\\\/span>, fue<\\\/span>, dio<\\\/span> and vio<\\\/span> have no written accent.\"},{\"q\":\"What is the irregular yo form of hacer, poner and salir?\",\"a\":\"Hago<\\\/span>, pongo<\\\/span>, salgo<\\\/span>: they belong to the -go family, with tengo<\\\/span>, vengo<\\\/span> and digo<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"verbes-es","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-60","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/60","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/60\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}