Irregular verbs in the present tense
Irregular yo-forms, stem-changing verbs (e>ie, o>ue, e>i), and the fully irregular ser, ir and estar.
Irregular only in the yo-form
Some verbs are completely regular, except in the yo-form. The rest of the conjugation (tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos) follows the normal pattern.
| infinitivo | yo |
|---|---|
| hacer (doen/maken) | hago |
| poner (zetten/leggen) | pongo |
| salir (uitgaan/vertrekken) | salgo |
| tener (hebben) | tengo |
| venir (komen) | vengo |
| decir (zeggen) | digo |
| saber (weten) | sé |
| conocer (kennen) | conozco |
Examples
Stem-changing e > ie
In these verbs, the stem's last e changes to ie, except in the nosotros and vosotros forms (where the stress doesn't fall on the stem). Querer (to want/love) and pensar (to think) follow this pattern.
Note: tener and venir also follow this pattern (tienes, tiene…), on top of their irregular yo-form (tengo, vengo) from the previous section.
| querer | |
|---|---|
| yo | quiero |
| tú | quieres |
| él/ella/usted | quiere |
| nosotros/as | queremos |
| vosotros/as | queréis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | quieren |
Examples
Stem-changing o > ue
Here, the stem's o changes to ue, again except for nosotros and vosotros. Poder (to be able to) and dormir (to sleep) are the best-known examples.
| poder | dormir | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | puedo | duermo |
| tú | puedes | duermes |
| él/ella/usted | puede | duerme |
| nosotros/as | podemos | dormimos |
| vosotros/as | podéis | dormís |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pueden | duermen |
Examples
Stem-changing e > i
This group only contains -ir verbs. The stem's e becomes i, except for nosotros and vosotros. Pedir (to ask for, to order) is the typical example.
| pedir | |
|---|---|
| yo | pido |
| tú | pides |
| él/ella/usted | pide |
| nosotros/as | pedimos |
| vosotros/as | pedís |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | piden |
Examples
Fully irregular: ser, ir, estar
Ser, ir and estar follow no pattern and must be memorized separately. Ser and estar both mean 'to be', but ser is for permanent characteristics (identity, character) and estar for temporary states or location.
| ser | ir | estar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | soy | voy | estoy |
| tú | eres | vas | estás |
| él/ella/usted | es | va | está |
| nosotros/as | somos | vamos | estamos |
| vosotros/as | sois | vais | estáis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | son | van | están |
Examples
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