How To Conjugate Irregular Verbs In Spanish: Ultimate Guide + Examples
Learning how to conjugate and use Spanish verbs can be tricky for English-speaking students because the verb conjugation is more complex.
Of the several thousand verbs that Spanish possesses, over 250 are irregular. They don’t follow the regular conjugation pattern: some have stem changes and some completely change their pronunciation!
But don’t worry! You don’t need to learn them all by heart! 🙂
You can also check out this video from Spring Spanish YouTube Channel to learn these conjugations without a conjugation table and with the help of lexical chunks!
Just follow the teacher’s guide to boost your fluency and other language skills!
Today, we’ll learn the most common irregular verbs in Spanish, the types of irregularity that they present, and how to conjugate them.
1. Spanish Verbs 101: How The Regular Verb Conjugation Works In Spanish Grammar
To understand the difference between regular and irregular verbs, we need to know what pattern the regular verbs follow.
Spanish verbs are conjugated in all tenses according to their infinitive verb endings.
Spanish presents three different infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir, added to a stem of the verb:
- -ar
- am-ar (to love)
- -er
- tem-er (to be afraid of)
- -ir
- part-ir (to leave)
To conjugate them in the different past, present, and future tenses of all moods, we just drop the infinitive form, and add a new ending depending on the person and the tense we want to use.
2. The Most Common Spanish Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs in Spanish can be of different types, but don’t freak out!
Even they tend to follow the same pattern in some cases.
We’ll shortly dive in to learn more about them but first, let’s check out the most common verbs that are essential to know.
Let’s take a look and try to memorize them!
The Most Common Irregular Verbs in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ser | to be |
| haber | to have |
| estar | to be |
| tener | to have |
| hacer | to do, make |
| poder | to be able, can |
| decir | to say, tell |
| ir | to go |
| ver | to see |
| dar | to give |
| saber | to know (information) |
| querer | to want, love |
| llegar | to arrive, come, reach |
| poner | to put, place, set |
| parecer | to seem, appear |
| creer | to believe |
| seguir | to follow, continue |
| encontrar | to find, encounter |
| venir | to come |
| pensar | to think |
| salir | to leave, go out |
| volver | to return, go back |
| conocer | to know |
| sentir | to feel, regret |
| contar | to count, relate, tell |
| dormir | to sleep |
| traer | to bring |
| pedir | to ask for, request |
| leer | to read |
| jugar | to play (games or sports) |
| oír | to hear |
| caer | to fall, drop |
| conocer | to know (people or places) |
| construir | to build, construct |
| conducir | to drive |
| correr | to run |
| deber | to owe; should; must; ought to |
If you want to communicate effectively in Spanish, it’s important to find the best way to learn Spanish irregular verbs. You can use Brainscape flashcards for faster learning: no matter how weird an irregular verb is, it’ll be easier to learn it with a flashcard.
It’s not as scary as it sounds!
3. Spanish Irregular Verbs By Category: Stem-changing Verbs
You’ll notice that irregular verbs don’t follow the same changes as regular verbs.
Conjugation rules are different for irregular verbs and although it might seem confusing at first, they are extremely common in everyday situations. Thus, you just have to take a look at the most important verb changes!
Here are some verbs that change the stem from:
-e to -ie (pensar)
| Present Indicative | Present Subjunctive | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| YO pienso | piense | |
| TÚ piensas | pienses | piensa |
| ÉL/ELLA/USTED piensa | piense | |
| NOSOTROS/NOSOTRAS pensamos | pensemos | pensemos |
| VOSOTROS/VOSOTRAS pensáis | penséis | pensad |
| USTEDES piensan | piensen | piensen |
| ELLOS/ELLAS piensan | piensen |
Other examples: mentir, empezar, comenzar, convertir, hervir, fregar, convenir, sentirse, despertarse.
-o to -ue (dormir)
| Present Indicative | Present Subjunctive | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| YO duermo | duerma | |
| TÚ duermes | duermas | duerme |
| ÉL/ELLA/USTED duerme | duerma | |
| NOSOTROS/NOSOTRAS dormimos | durmamos | durmamos |
| VOSOTROS/VOSOTRAS dormís | durmáis | dormid |
| USTEDES duermen | duerman | duerman |
| ELLOS/ELLAS duermen | duerman |
Other examples: volar, almorzar, acordarse, doler, encontrar, acostarse, volver, mover, recordar, poder, morir.
-u to -ue (jugar)
| Present Indicative | Present Subjunctive | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| YO juego | juegue | |
| TÚ juegas | juegues | juega |
| ÉL/ELLA/USTED juega | juegue | |
| NOSOTROS/NOSOTRAS jugamos | juguemos | juguemos |
| VOSOTROS/VOSOTRAS jugáis | juguéis | jugad |
| USTEDES juegan | jueguen | jueguen |
| ELLOS/ELLAS juegan | jueguen |
Jugar is the only verb that is conjugated in this way, and the irregularity applies to the present indicative mood, present subjunctive and imperative mood.
The exception is the third-person singular form and “vosotros”.
-e to -i (decir)
| Present Indicative | Present Subjunctive | Imperative | Past Simple |
|---|---|---|---|
| YO digo | diga | dije | |
| TÚ dices | digas | di | dijiste |
| ÉL/ELLA/USTED dice | diga | dijo | |
| NOSOTROS/NOSOTRAS decimos | digamos | digamos | dijimos |
| VOSOTROS/VOSOTRAS decís | digáis | decid | dijisteis |
| USTEDES dicen | digan | digan | dijeron |
| ELLOS/ELLAS dicen | digan | dijeron |
Other examples: reír, repetir, corregir, freír, elegir, servir, vestirse, sonreír, pedir.
-i to -ie (adquirir)
| Present Indicative | Present Subjunctive | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| YO adquiero | adquiera | |
| TÚ adquieres | adquieras | adquiere |
| ÉL/ELLA/USTED adquiere | adquiera | |
| NOSOTROS/NOSOTRAS adquirimos | digamos | adquiramos |
| VOSOTROS/VOSOTRAS adquirís | adquiráis | adquirid |
| USTEDES adquieren | adquieran | adquieran |
| ELLOS/ELLAS adquieren | adquieran |
Only two verbs fall into this category: adquirir and inquirir.
4. Practice Section – Complete The Following Sentences With The Correct Form Of The Irregular Verbs In Spanish!
Let’s practice irregular verbs in Spanish!
I. Please, conjugate the verb appropriately:
Now, this exercise might not be enough and you need to practice more Spanish grammar. Luckily, we have a whole section of Full Practice Worksheets available just for you if you click the button below!
After signing up, you’ll get access to the Full Practice Worksheet not just for irregular verbs but also for exercising indirect object pronouns in Spanish, Spanish conditionals, adjectives in Spanish and a lot more.
Don’t miss your chance!
5. Learn More About Common Irregular Spanish Verbs With Conversation Based Chunking
You’ve learned a lot about irregular verbs in Spanish.
But to master them, you need to practice them in real conversations!
That’s why we recommend Conversation Based Chunking, a method that helps you learn Spanish faster and easier.
Click down below to get access to the CBC Starter Pack and discover how to speak Spanish with confidence and fun.
