20 Must-know Irregular Verbs in Spanish

There are lots of irregular verbs in Spanish, so it won’t take long until you run into them on your learning journey.

Some of the most common verbs that you’ll use everyday—like ir (to go), estar (to be), ser (to be) and more—don’t follow the regular -ar, -er and -ir conjugation patterns.

But the good news is Spanish irregular verbs aren’t as baffling as they first appear!

In this post, you’ll learn 20 of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish, how many there are in total, how to conjugate them and more.

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How Many Irregular Verbs Are There in Spanish?

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the standard “regular” verb conjugations.

Spanish has over 250 irregular verbs. While this may sound like a lot, don’t worry, there are lots of patterns that will help you memorize a majority of these irregular verbs.

These numbers should put things into perspective when thinking about how many Spanish verbs are irregular:

• Almost all -ar verbs are regular. Less than 5% are irregular.
• Almost all -er verbs are irregular. Over 72% are irregular. There are 18 verbs that end in –aer and they are all irregular. For example, caer (to fall) and traer (to bring).
• Less than half of all -ir verbs are irregular. Over 33% are irregular.

Please note that only ser, ir and ver are irregular in the past imperfect, so we haven’t included the past imperfect conjugation for the rest of the verbs.

Most Common Irregular Verbs in Spanish

1. Ser – To be

Ser is particularly irregular in all of the present, past and subjunctive tenses, as well as the imperative, but it does follow the rules for the future, conditional and past participle.

This form of to be is used when something or someone has a quality, possession, price or origin.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Imperfect	Future Simple
Yo	Soy	Fui	Era	Seré
Tú	Eres	Fuiste	Eras	Serás
Él/Ella/Usted	Es	Fue	Era	Será
Nosotros	Somos	Fuimos	Éramos	Seremos
Vosotros	Sois	Fuisteis	Erais	Seréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Son	Fueron	Eran	Serán

Examples:

¿De donde eres? (Where are you from?)

Fuimos los campeones. (We were the champions.)

2. Estar – To be

Estar also has its own unique conjugations, though it’s regular in more tenses than ser (to be).

It’s irregular in the present, preterite and future subjunctive.

As you can see, both ser and estar mean “to be,” but estar is used for feelings, locations and temporary states.

If you haven’t mastered differentiating these two verbs yet, I highly recommend bookmarking our in-depth guide on ser vs. estar here to check out next.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Estoy	Estuve	Estaré
Tú	Estás	Estuviste	Estarás
Él/Ella/Usted	Está	Estuvo	Estará
Nosotros	Estamos	Estuvimos	Estaremos
Vosotros	Estáis	Estuvisteis	Estaréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Están	Estuvieron	Estarán

Examples:

Los pingüinos están molestos. (The penguins are angry.)

¿Dónde está el baño? (Where’s the toilet?)

3. Haber – To be

Haber is used as an auxiliary verb in the same way that English uses have. For example, he comido (I’ve eaten).

Conjugations of haber you’ll use often include hay (there is/are) and hubo (there were). For a more in-depth rundown on how to use haber specifically, check out our complete guide here.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	He	Hube	Habré
Tú	Has	Hubiste	Habrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Ha, hay	Hubo	Habrá
Nosotros	Hemos	Hubimos	Habremos
Vosotros	Habéis	Hubisteis	Habréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Han	Hubieron	Habrán

Examples:

Hay un dragón en la colina. (There’s a dragon on the hill.)

Hubo un accidente en la autopista. (There was an accident on the road.)

4. Tener – To have

The present and subjective form of tener is completely irregular, but otherwise its irregularities often just involve an e-to-ie stem change, and tuv– for the past and subjunctive future.

Tener can be similar to haber in usage, so consider reading our post on tener vs. haber here if you don’t know the differences.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Tengo	Tuve	Tendré
Tú	Tienes	Tuviste	Tendrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Tiene	Tuvo	Tendrá
Nosotros	Tenemos	Tuvimos	Tendremos
Vosotros	Tenéis	Tuvisteis	Tendréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Tienen	Tuvieron	Tendrán

Examples:

Tengo que irme ya. (I have to go now.)

Maria tiene dolor de cabeza. (Maria has a headache.)

5. Poder – To be able

Poder follows the same model as many irregular verbs, changing o to ue or to u, though be aware that its future form gets a bit complex.

In all irregular verbs, when these changes to ue occur, nosotros is never affected.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Puedo	Pude	Podré
Tú	Puedes	Pudiste	Podrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Puede	Pudo	Podrá
Nosotros	Podemos	Pudimos	Podremos
Vosotros	Podéis	Pudisteis	Podréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Pueden	Pudieron	Podrán

Examples:

No puede nadar. (He can’t swim.)

¿Puedo ayudarle? (Can I help you?)

6. Hacer – To do, to make

Hacer breaks all the rules in all the tenses, except the present tense—apart from yo.

Other verbs that follow exactly the same pattern include:

• Deshacer (undo)
• Satisfacer (satisfy)

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Hago	Hice	Haré
Tú	Haces	Hiciste	Harás
Él/Ella/Usted	Hace	Hizo	Hará
Nosotros	Hacemos	Hicimos	Haremos
Vosotros	Hacéis	Hicisteis	Haréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hacen	Hicieron	Harán

Examples:

No hago deporte. (I don’t do sports.)

Me haces reir. (You make me laugh.)

7. Ir – To go

Ir is another verb that’s uniquely irregular in all of the tenses.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Imperfect	Future Simple
Yo	Voy	Fui	Iba	Iré
Tú	Vas	Fuiste	Ibas	Irás
Él/Ella/Usted	Va	Fue	Iba	Irá
Nosotros	Vamos	Fuimos	Íbamos	Iremos
Vosotros	Vais	Fuisteis	Ibais	Iréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Van	Fueron	Iban	Irán

Examples:

Voy a Francia. (I’m going to France.)

Ya se fue. (He already left.)

8. Poner – To place, to put

For poner, the stem changes to u in the past tense.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Pongo	Puse	Pondré
Tú	Pones	Pusiste	Pondrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Pone	Puso	Pondrá
Nosotros	Ponemos	Pusimos	Pondremos
Vosotros	Ponéis	Pusisteis	Pondréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Ponen	Pusieron	Pondrán

Examples:

Puse los libros en los estantes. (I put the books on the shelves.)

Ponte los zapatos. (Put on your shoes.)

The last example is conjugated in the imperative mood.

To get familiar with more tenses, it’s important to consume Spanish media so you can solidify your current knowledge and learn new grammar tenses in context. You can do this with a language learning program like FluentU.

9. Decir – To say

Decir is conjugated in the same way as:

• Bendecir (to bless)
• Maldecir (to curse or insult)

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Digo	Dije	Diré
Tú	Dices	Dijiste	Dirás
Él/Ella/Usted	Dice	Dijo	Dirá
Nosotros	Decimos	Dijimos	Diremos
Vosotros	Decís	Dijisteis	Diréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Dicen	Dijieron	Dirán

Examples:

Dice que el mundo está malo. (He says the world is bad.)

Se dice que es mejor comer un buen desayuno. (They say it’s better to eat a big breakfast.)

10. Ver – To see, to watch

Ver is another unique verb that doesn’t share the patterns of any other.

Note that veis, vi and vio aren’t technically “irregular” forms—the deviations from normal conjugation patterns are actually due to accentuation rules!

Subject	Present	Preterite	Imperfect	Future Simple
Yo	Veo	Vi	Veía	Veré
Tú	Ves	Viste	Veías	Verás
Él/Ella/Usted	Ve	Vio	Veía	Verá
Nosotros	Vemos	Vimos	Veíamos	Veremos
Vosotros	Veis	Visteis	Veíais	Veréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Ven	Vieron	Veían	Verán

Examples:

Te veo el lunes. (I’ll see you on Monday.)

Vio la película el lunes. (She saw the movie on Monday.)

11. Querer – To want, to care about

Querer’s stem changes to i in the past tense, and conjugates the same way as:

• Bienquerer (to be fond of)
• Malquerer (to dislike)

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Quiero	Quise	Querré
Tú	Quieres	Quisiste	Querrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Quiere	Quiso	Querrá
Nosotros	Queremos	Quisimos	Querremos
Vosotros	Queréis	Quisisteis	Querréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Quieren	Quisieron	Querrán

Examples:

Quiero irme ya. (I want to go now.)

Te quiero mucho. (I care about you a lot.)

12. Saber – To know, to taste

Like many irregular verbs, saber is irregular in the first person present tense and its stem in the preterite tense consistently changes to u.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Sé	Supe	Sabré
Tú	Sabes	Supiste	Sabrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Sabe	Supo	Sabrá
Nosotros	Sabemos	Supimos	Sabremos
Vosotros	Sabéis	Supisteis	Sabréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Saben	Supieron	Sabrán

Examples:

Él sabe todas las respuestas. (He knows all the answers.)

Sabe muy bien. (It tastes very good.)

13. Llegar – To arrive

The main way llegar is irregular is that its e changes to ue in the present subjunctive. Otherwise, it’s mostly regular.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Llego	Llegué	Llegaré
Tú	Llegas	Llegaste	Llegarás
Él/Ella/Usted	Llega	Llegó	Llegará
Nosotros	Llegamos	Lllegamos	Llegaremos
Vosotros	Llegáis	Llegasteis	Llegaréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Llegan	Llegaron	Llegarán

Examples:

Llego a Caracas el jueves. (I arrive in Caracas on Thursday.)

Nunca llegó. (He never arrived.)

14. Creer – To think, to believe

Creer shares its conjugation pattern with a number of verbs, including:

• Desposeer (to dispossess)
• Desproveer (to deprive)
• Poseer (to own)
• Proveer (to provide)
• Sobreseer (to discontinue)

Its present tense is regular.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Creo	Creí	Creeré
Tú	Crees	Creíste	Creerás
Él/Ella/Usted	Cree	Creyó	Creerá
Nosotros	Creemos	Creímos	Creeremos
Vosotros	Creéis	Creísteis	Creeréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Creen	Creyeron	Creerán

Examples:

No te creo. (I don’t believe you.)

No todo el mundo cree en Dios. (Not everyone believes in God.)

15. Encontrar – To find, to meet

Encontrar is another o → ue verb.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Encuentro	Encontré	Encontraré
Tú	Encuentras	Encontraste	Encontrarás
Él/Ella/Usted	Encuentra	Encontró	Encontrará
Nosotros	Encontramos	Encontramos	Encontraremos
Vosotros	Encontráis	Encontrasteis	Encontraréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Encuentran	Encontraron	Encontrarán

Examples:

Encontraron el cuerpo en el pecio. (They found the body in the wreckage of the ship.)

Me encontré a tu amigo en la calle. (I bumped into your friend in the street.)

16. Venir – To come

Venir conjugates in a similar way as tener (to have), with the first person present tense changing to a g, vengo.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Vengo	Vine	Vendré
Tú	Vienes	Viniste	Vendrás
Él/Ella/Usted	Viene	Vino	Vendrá
Nosotros	Venimos	Vinimos	Vendremos
Vosotros	Venís	Vinisteis	Vendréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Vienen	Vinieron	Vendrán

Examples:

La profe vino tarde. (The teacher came late.)

Vengo de lejos. (I come from far away.)

17. Pensar – To think

Pensar has an e → ie verb change in the present simple and present subjunctive.

A lot of verbs follow this pattern, such as:

• Alentar (to encourage)
• Apretar (to squeeze)
• Calentar (to heat)
• Cerrar (to close)
• Confesar (to confess)

Notice they’re all -ar verbs with an e in the second to last syllable.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Pienso	Pensé	Pensaré
Tú	Piensas	Pensaste	Pensarás
Él/Ella/Usted	Piensa	Pensó	Pensará
Nosotros	Pensamos	Pensamos	Pensaremos
Vosotros	Pensáis	Pensasteis	Pensaréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Piensan	Pensaron	Pensarán

Examples:

Pienso mucho en la noche. (I think a lot at night.)

No piensa salir con ella. (He doesn’t plan to go out with her.)

18. Conocer – To know

Conocer shares its conjugation pattern with:

• Abastecer (to supply)
• Atardecer (to get dark)
• Apetecer (to feel like)
• Aparecer (to appear)
• Desobedecer (to disobey)
• Parecer (to seem like)
• Reconocer (to recognize)

It’s almost entirely regular in the present and past tense, becoming irregular in the present subjunctive.

Also note that there’s a difference between when you use conocer and saber, even though they both mean “to know.” After finishing this post, checkout our post on conocer vs. saber if you aren’t confident in distinguishing them yet.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Conozco	Conocí	Conoceré
Tú	Conoces	Conociste	Conocerás
Él/Ella/Usted	Conoce	Conoció	Conocerá
Nosotros	Conocemos	Conocimos	Conoceremos
Vosotros	Conocéis	Conocisteis	Conoceréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Conocen	Conocieron	Conocerán

Examples:

Conozco a Pablo desde hace tiempo. (I’ve known Pablo for a while.)

El plomero conoce bien su oficio. (The plumber knows his job well.)

19. Sentir – To feel, to feel sorry

Sentir shares its conjugation with a lot of ir verbs with an e in the second to last syllable, such as:

• Advertir (to warn)
• Invertir (to invest)
• Mentir (to lie)
• Preferir (to prefer)
• Hervir (to boil)
• Herir (to injure)

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Siento	Sentí	Sentiré
Tú	Sientes	Sentiste	Sentirás
Él/Ella/Usted	Siente	Sintió	Sentirá
Nosotros	Sentimos	Sentimos	Sentiremos
Vosotros	Sentís	Sentisteis	Sentiréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Sienten	Sintieron	Sentirán

Examples:

Siento mucho la muerte de tu abuela. (I’m really sorry about your grandmother’s death.)

Siente calor. (He feels the heat.)

20. Volver – To return, to do again

Volver is an o → ue verb that shares its conjugation pattern with a range of similar verbs such as:

• Llover (to rain)
• Morder (to bite)
• Resolver (to resolve)
• Absolver (to absolve/to pardon)
• Disolver (to dissolve)

Subject	Present	Preterite	Future Simple
Yo	Vuelvo	Volví	Volveré
Tú	Vuelves	Volviste	Volverás
Él/Ella/Usted	Vuelve	Volvió	Volverá
Nosotros	Volvemos	Volvimos	Volveremos
Vosotros	Volvéis	Volvisteis	Volveréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Vuelven	Volvieron	Volverán

Examples:

Vuelvo a casa después del trabajo. (I come home after work.)

Volvieron a hacerlo porque hubo errores. (They did it again because there were mistakes.)

What Are Spanish Stem-changing Verbs?

Stem-changing verbs are similar to irregular verbs because they change slightly when conjugated—however it’s not just the ending which changes, the stem (the first part of the verb) changes too!

And while stem-changing verbs aren’t the same as irregular verbs, many do also happen to be irregular.

There are three main types of stem-changing verbs, which you’ve seen in the verbs above. These are:

• i → e verbs
• o → ue verbs
• e → i verbs

There are also u → ue and i → ie verbs, however only three verbs fall into these categories: jugar (to play), inquirir (to inquire) and adquirir (to acquire).

Let’s take a look at a common stem-changing verb, dormir (to sleep), which falls under the o → ue category. You’ll notice that when it’s conjugated, the stem changes slightly for several of the subjects:

Yo duermo (I sleep)

Tú duermes (You sleep)

Él/Ella/Usted duerme (He/she/you sleep)

Nosotros dormimos (We sleep)

Vosotros dormís (You, plural sleep)

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes duermen (They/you, plural sleep)

Other common Spanish stem-changing verbs include poder (to be able to), pensar (to think), costar (to cost) and more. 

To top off this study of irregular verbSo while stem-changing verbs aren’t the same as irregular verbs, many are both.teners, I highly recommend diving into stem-changing verbs with the post below!

 

There you have it—20 of the most essential irregular verbs in Spanish!

Now, you can conjugate some of the most common Spanish verbs—such as ser and estar—in the present tense, preterite tense and future simple tense.

And don’t forget you can download this guide as a PDF, so you can always come back to practice with it!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)