Verbos irregulares/ irregular verbs

Stem-changing verbs: e to ie

Spanish verbs are composed of a stem and a root (-ar, -er and -ir). Some irregular verbs change their stem in the present tense, indicative mode. When a verb is conjugated, and e is the last stem vowel, and it's stressed, e changes to ie. However, in the third (nosotros) and second-person (vosotros) plural forms, there is NO stem change because the stress does not fall on the stem that contains e. For a fully conjugated list, click on an underlined Spanish verb.

NOTE their endings are regular in all forms.

Pronoun	Pens ar / to think	Quer er / to want	Prefer ir / to prefer
yo/ I	pienso	quiero	prefiero
tú/ you	piensas	quieres	prefieres
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	piensa	quiere	prefiere
nosotros/ we	pensamos	queremos	preferimos
vosotros/ you	pensáis	queréis	preferís
ellos/ they	piensan	quieren	prefieren

 

Other verbs in the same category:
For a full conjugation, click on a verb	Cerrar/ to close, comenzar/ to start, empezar/ to begin, entender/ to understand, mentir/ to lie, negar/ to deny, perder/ to lose.

Stem-changing verbs: o to ue

Certain verbs change their stem in the present tense. When the last stem vowel is a stressed o, it changes to ue. Also note that stem vowel is NOT stressed in nosotros and vosotros; therefore, the o does NOT change to ue. Their endings are regular in all forms. For a fully conjugated list, click on an underlined Spanish verb.

Pronoun	Almorz ar / to have lunch	Pod er / to be able	Dorm ir / to sleep
yo/ I	almuerzo	puedo	duermo
tú/ you	almuerzas	puedes	duermes
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	almuerza	puede	duerme
nosotros/ we	almorzamos	podemos	dormimos
vosotros/ you	almorzáis	podéis	dormís
ellos/ they	almuerzan	pueden	duermen

 

Other verbs in the same category:
For a full conjugation, click on a verb	contar/ to count, costar/ to cost (It's conjugated only in 3rd persons) devolver/ to return something, morir/ to die, mostrar/ to show, recordar/ to remember, soñar/ to dream about, sonar/ to ring, sound, volar/ to fly.

Stem-changing verbs: e to i

Verbs of the third conjugation group, -ir, change the stem vowel from e to i in the present tense, indicative mode. For these verbs, when e is stressed, and it's the last stem vowel, it changes to i. However, in nosotros and vosotros there is NO change. For a fully conjugated list, click on an underlined Spanish verb.

Pronoun	Compet ir / to compete	Segu ir / to continue, follow
yo/ I	compito	sigo
tú/ you	compites	sigues
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	compite	sigue
nosotros/ we	competimos	seguimos
vosotros/ you	competís	seguís
ellos/ they	compiten	siguen

 

Other verbs in the same category:
For a full conjugation, click on a verb	conseguir/ to obtain, corregir/ to correct, decir/ to say, tell, elegir/ to elect, choose, impedir/ to prevent, pedir/ to ask for, repetir/ to repeat, servir/ to serve

Irregular 1st person forms

The following verbs are irregular only in the first person singular of the present tense, indicative mode. The other conjugations (persons) are regular. For a fully conjugated list, click on an underlined Spanish verb.

Full conjugation	Present, Indicative Mode
Conducir/ to drive	conduzco, conduces, conduce, conducimos, conducís, conducen
Conocer/ to know	conozco, conoces, conoce, conocemos, conocéis, conocen
Traducir/ to translate	traduzco, traduces, traduce, traducimos, traducís, traducen
Hacer/ to do, make	hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen
Poner/ to put, place	pongo, pones, pone, ponemos, ponéis, ponen
Salir/ to go out	salgo, sales, sale, salimos, salís, salen
Traer/ to bring	traigo, traes, trae, traemos, traéis, traen
Oír/ to hear	oigo, oyes, oye, oímos, oís, oyen
Ver/ to see	veo, ves, ve, vemos, veis, ven
Saber/ to know	sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabéis, saben

 

SUBJUNTIVO/ SUBJUNCTIVE

The subjunctive mode is used to express conjecture, emotion, uncertainty, subjectivity, influence, doubt, probability, or hypothesis that is yet unknown. Like Spanish, English has a subjunctive mode too. However, many speakers do NOT notice it because most of its forms are identical to the infinitive. There is a difference between the subjunctive and the indicative only in the singular she/he forms.

NOTE that the present indicative of the verb study is studies, but the present subjunctive is study, the form does NOT change spelling.

EXAMPLE

Present Indicative: Did you know that Juan studies every day?/ Sabías que Juan estudia todos los días?

Present Subjunctive: It is necessary that Juan study every day./ Es necesario que Juan estudie todos los días.

HOW TO FORM THE SUBJUNCTIVE MODE:

Regular verbs

To form the present subjunctive, remove the final -o from the first person singular (yo) of the present (indicative mode) and add the following endings:

Pronoun	CComprar/ to buy	Vender/ to sell	Recibir / to receive
yo/ I	compr e	vend a	recib a
tú/ you	compr es	vend as	recib as
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	compr e	vend a	recib a
nosotros/ we	compr emos	vend amos	recib amos
vosotros/ you	compr éis	vend áis	recib áis
ellos/ they	compr en	vend an	reciban

IRREGULAR VERBS

a. NOTE that the irregular form in the first person singular (present tense, Subjunctive mode) is maintained throughout the entire conjugation as follows; that is the reason why the present tense is used instead of the infinitive form.

Infinitive	Conjugated
Conducir/ to drive	conduzca, conduzcas, conduzca, conduzcamos, conduzcáis, conduzcan
Conocer/ to know	conozca, conozcas, conozca, conozcamos, conozcáis, conozcan
Traducir/ to translate	traduzca, traduzcas, traduzca, traduzcamos, traduzcáis, traduzcan
Hacer/ to do, make	haga, hagas, haga, hagamos, hagáis, hagan
Poner/ to put, place	ponga, pongas, ponga, pongamos, pongáis, pongan
Salir/ to go out	salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgáis, salgan
Traer/ to bring	traiga, traigas, traiga, traigamos, traigáis, traigan
Oír/ to hear	oiga, oigas, oiga, oigamos, oigáis, oigan
Ver/ to see	vea, veas, vea, veamos, veáis, vean

b. Stem-changing verbs that end in -ir and have a diphthong (e:ie, o:ue) have an additional change (e:i, o:u) in nosotros and vosotros forms (NOTE that in the present of the indicative mode, they do NOT change)

Pronoun	Sentir/ to feel	Dorm ir / to sleep
yo/ I	sienta	duerma
tú/ you	sientas	duermes
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	sienta	duerma
nosotros/ we	sintamos	durmamos
vosotros/ you	sintáis	durmáis
ellos/ they	sientan	duerman

c. The following are irregular verbs in the present subjunctive:

Infinitive	Conjugated
Saber/ to know	sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan
Ser/ to be	sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean
Ir/ to go	vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan
Haber/ to have (auxiliary)	haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan
Dar/ to give	dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den
Estar/ to be	esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén

d. Verbs that end in -car, -gar, and -zar have spelling change in the subjunctive to maintain the original sound of the consonant as follows:

Pronoun	Cbus car / to look for (c:qu)	lle gar / to arrive (g:gu)	cru zar / to cross (z:c)
yo/ I	busque	llegue	cruce
tú/ you	busques	llegues	cruces
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	busque	llegue	cruce
nosotros/ we	busquemos	lleguemos	crucemos
vosotros/ you	busquéis	lleguéis	crucéis
ellos/ they	busquen	lleguen	crucen

e. Stem-changing verbs that end in -ar and -er have the same changes in the subjunctive mode as in the present indicative. NOTE that stems do NOT change in nosotros and vosotros.

Pronoun	Cpensar/ to think	volver/ to come back
yo/ I	piense	vuelva
tú/ you	pienses	vuelvas
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	peinse	vuelva
nosotros/ we	pensemos	volvamos
vosotros/ you	penséis	volváis
ellos/ they	piensen	vuelvan

f. Stem-changing verbs that end in -ir and have e:i change in the entire conjugation as follows:

Infinitive	Conjugated
Pedir/ to ask	pida, pidas, pida, pidamos, pidáis, pidan

USES OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE

1. Except for its use in the main clauses to express commands, the Spanish subjunctive is used in a sentence that has at least 2 clauses, a main and a subordinate or dependent clause. The verb in the main clause determines the use of subjunctive or indicative mode in the subordinate clause. The most common conjunction used to join the two clauses is que (that).

EXAMPLES

· Espero que cambiemos el proveedor./ I hope (that) we switch supplier.

· El gerente duda que podamos cambiarlo./ The manager doubts (that) we can switch him.

2. Generally the subjects of the main clause and the dependant clauses are different. However, if the subject of both clauses is the same, the infinitive is used instead of the subjunctive.

EXAMPLES

· El presidente espera que nosotros vayamos. / The president hopes that we go.

· El presidente espera ir. / The president hopes to go.

VOZ PASIVA/ PASSIVE VOICE

SUBJECT + SER + PAST PARTICIPLE + POR (DE**) + AGENT

The active voice is the most commonly used in ordinary conversation, and it indicates that the subject performs the action as in the following examples:

· El contador preparó el formulario./ The accountant prepared the form.

· Le pagamos al corredor su comisión./ We paid the broker his commission.

The passive voice is not frequently used in ordinary conversation, but it is used in writing, such as news broadcasting, newspapers, and formal speeches. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action as in the following examples:

· El formulario fue preparado por el contador./ The form was prepared by the accountant.

· La comisión fue pagada por nosotros./ The commission was paid by us.

HOW TO FORM THE PASSIVE VOICE

To form the passive voice, the verb ser/to be is used. The past participle functions as an adjective; therefore, it agrees with the gender and number of the subject it modifies.

SUBJECT + SER + PAST PARTICIPLE + POR (DE**) + AGENT

· La comid a + fue + preparad a + por + el cocinero./ The food was prepared by the cook.

· Las comid as + fueron + preparad as + por + el cocinero./ The food s were prepared by the cook.

· El oleoduct o + será + construid o + por + Shell./ The pipeline will be constructed by Shell.

· Los oleoduct os + serán + construid os + por + Shell./ The pipeline s will be constructed by Shell.

**NOTE: When the superlative is used, the preposition de is used instead of por.

EXAMPLE

· Madre Teresa fue la más amada de todos./ Mother Teresa was the most loved by everyone.

USING THE VERB ESTAR

To describe an action, the verb ser is used in the passive; however, to express the result of an action, the verb estar is used instead.

EXAMPLES

· El contrato fue escrito en inglés./ The contract was written in English (by someone).

· El libro está escrito en inglés./ The book is written in English (published in English).

SE CONSTRUCTION FOR PASSIVE VOICE

Se + verb conjugated in the 3rd person singular or plural construction for passive voice is much more frequently used in conversations. This construction is equivalent to the English construction to be + past participle. Usually the verb precedes the subject.

EXAMPLES

· Se recaudará el impuesto al tabaco en todos los estados./ Tobacco tax will be collected in all states.

· Se ha aprobado el aumento al impuesto al alcohol./ The increase to the alcohol tax has been approved.

In Spanish, some sentences conjugated in the third person plural are equivalent to the passive se construction. Even though the following sentence is in active voice, ellos/ they implies passive voice. They is used in a general sense.

EXAMPLE

· Dicen que lloverá./ They say that it will rain.

HACER/ TO DO, MAKE

 

Generally hacer means t o do or to make. It is conjugated as a regular -er verb, except for yo, which ends in -go.

Pronoun	Present	Past	Future	Conditional
yo/ I	hago	hice	har é	har ía
tú/ you	haces	hiciste	har ás	har ías
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	hace	hizo	har á	har ía
nosotros/ we	hacemos	hicimos	har emos	har íamos
vosotros/you	hacéis	hicisteis	har éis	har íais
ellos, Uds./ they, you	hacen	hicieron	har án	har ían

EXAMPLES

· ¿Qué hacen después de trabajar?/ What do you do after work?

· Los niños hacen la tarea./ The children are doing their homework.

· Estoy haciendo la comida./ I am making food.

· Ellos hacen la torta./ They are making the cake.

TO HAVE

Tener is equivalent to the verb to have or to possess. It follows the pattern of e:ie stem-changing verbs, with the exception of yo/ I, which ends in - go.

Pronoun	Present	Past	Future	Conditional
yo/ I	tengo	tuve	tendr é	tendr ía
tú/ you	tienes	tuviste	tendr ás	tendr ías
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	tiene	tuvo	tendr á	tendr ía
nos./ we	tenemos	tuvimos	tendr emos	tendr íamos
vos./you	teneis	tuvisteis	tendr éis	tendr íais
ellos, Uds./ they, you	tienen	tuvieron	tendr án	tendr ían

1. Tener + que

This expression is equivalent to the English expression to have to (do something).

EXAMPLES

· Tengo que repetir cada ejemplo./ I have to repeat each example.

· Tuvimos que convencer a los inversionistas./ We had to convince the investors.

NOTE: Tener que is followed by an infinitive.

2. The simplest way of expressing possession is by using tener/ to have.

EXAMPLES

· Mi jefe tiene mucha experiencia./ My boss has a lot of experience.

· Tuvimos muchos fondos para invertir./ We had a lot of funds to invest.

3. In Spanish, tener is used for indicating age. On the other hand, in English the verb to be is used for telling age.

EXAMPLES

· Tengo 23 años./ I am 23 years old.

· Mi abuela tenía 88 años cuando falleció./ My grand-mother was 88 years old when she passed away.

4. Tener + noun

This expression is used for describing states, but in English to be is commonly used.

a. Tener calor/ to be hot

· Tengo mucho calor./ I am very hot.

b. Tener éxito/ to be successful

· Los productos importados tuvieron mucho éxito./ Imported goods were successful.

c. Tener frío/ to be cold

· Tuvimos mucho frío en las montañas./ We were very cold in the mountains.

d. Tener celos/ to be jealous

· Mi novio tiene celos de mi./ My boyfriend is jealous of me.

e. Tener cuidado/ to be careful

· Ten cuidado por las noches./ Be careful at night.

f. Tener hambre/ to be hungry

· Tengo tanta hambre que me comería un caballo./ I am so hungry that I could eat a horse.

g. Tener la culpa/ to be at fault

· Yo tengo la culpa./ I am at fault.

h. Tener miedo/ to be afraid, scared

· Tengo miedo de ir al dentista./ I am scared of going to the dentist.

i. Tener paciencia/ to be patient

· Mi hermano tiene mucha paciencia./ My brother is very patient.

j. Tener presente/ to keep in mind

Ten presente el consejo de mamá./ Keep in mind mother's advice.

k. Tener prisa/ to be in a hurry

· Apúrense que tengo mucha prisa./ Hurry up, I am in a big hurry.

l. Tener razón/ to be right, correct

· Tiene razón./ You're right.

m. Tener sed/ to be thirsty

· Tengo mucha sed./ I am very thristy.

n. Tener sueño/ to be sleepy

· El bebé tiene sueño./ The baby is sleepy.

o. Tener suerte/ to be lucky

· Tienes mucha suerte./ You are very lucky.

p. Tener vergüenza/ to be ashamed

· Tengo vergüenza de pedir cosas prestadas./ I am ashamed of borrowing things.

More expressions:

1. Tener que ver con/ to have to do with

· No tengo nada que ver con tus problemas./ I have nothing to do with your problems.

2. Tener catarro, resfrío/ to have a cold

· Tengo un resfrío terrible./ I have a terrible cold.

3. Tener derecho/ to have the right

· Tiene derecho a un abogado./ You have the right to an attorney.

4. Tener en cuenta/ to take into account

· Voy a tener en cuenta lo que me dijiste./ I will take into account what you told me.

5. Tener lugar/ to take place, to have space

· El concierto va a tener lugar en La Paz./ The concert is going to take place in La Paz.

· Tengo lugar para ti en mi auto./ I have space for you in my car.

6. Tener ganas de (+ infinitive)/ to feel like

· Tengo ganas de comer helado./ I feel like eating ice-cream.

GUSTAR / TO LIKE

The verb gustar is used to express likes and dislikes. Its literal translation is to be pleasing. The most common conjugation for gustar and other verbs in the same category (listed below) is the third person singular or plural. Usually, these types of verbs require the indirect object pronoun (IOP) at the beginning.

Singular	IOP	Plural	IOP
yo/ I	me	nosotros (mas.), nosotras (fem.)/ we	nos
tú / you (informal)	te	vosotros (mas.) ,vosotras (fem.), ustedes/ you	les
él/ he, ella/ she, usted (formal)/ you	le	ellos, ellas/ they	les

EXAMPLES

· Me gusta la música./ I like music.

· Te gustan las almendras./ You like almonds.

· A ella le gustan los mariscos./ She likes seafood.

· Nos gustan los bebés./ We like babies.

· Les gusta bromear./ They like to joke around.

· Tú me gustas mucho./ I like you very much.

NOTE: It is common to place the direct object or infinitive after the verb gustar, which agrees with the person or thing being liked. Furthermore, the person who does the liking is the indirect object.

1. A + pronoun or noun

This expression is used to clarify the meaning of a sentence when le is used, or to emphasize the indirect objects when there is duplication of indirect objects.

EXAMPLES

· A mamá le gusta cocinar./ Mom likes to cook. (Le is used for she, he, and Ud.; therefore, to clarify the meaning of the sentence A+ mamá is used.)

· A mi prima y a mí nos gusta dormir./ My cousin and I like sleeping.

2. Gustar + reflexive verb

If gustar / to like is followed by a reflexive verb, the corresponding reflexive pronoun is added to the infinitive. (Click here for more info. about reflexive verbs.)

EXAMPLES

· Nos gusta levantar nos tarde./ We like to get up late.

· Me gusta sepillar me el pelo./ I like to brush my hair.

3. Gustar + INFINITIVES

When gustar / to like is followed by one or more infinitives (verbs not conjugated), the third person singular conjugation is used for gustar.

EXAMPLES

· A mi perro le gusta correr, nadar y saltar./ My dog likes to run, swim and jump.

· A mi s perro s les gusta comer, domir y ladrar./ My dogs like to eat, sleep and bark.

4. Other verbs in the same category are following:

1. Aburrir/ to bore

2. Asustar/ to scare

3. Disgustar/ to upset

4. Divertir/ to have fun

5. Doler/ to hurt

6. Encantar/ to delight, love

7. Enojar/ to get mad

8. Emocionar/ to be moved, touched

9. Faltar/ to lack, be missing

10. Fascinar/ to fascinate

11. Hacer falta/ to be necessary, to be in need of

12. Importar/ to matter

13. Interesar/ to interest

14. Molestar/ to bother, annoy

15. Parecer/ to seem

16. Preocupar/ to worry

17. Quedar/ to remain, stay

18. Sobrar/ to have extra

19. Sorprender/ to surprise

20. Tocar/ to be one's turn, to touch