Spanish irregular verbs: the most important ones at a glance
The most common Spanish verbs are the irregular ones. Ser, estar, ir, tener and hacer don't follow a fixed pattern. That is exactly why you need to know them well: you use them in almost every sentence.
Below are the key irregular verbs, conjugated in the present indicative. Verbs stick best when you type the forms yourself instead of reading a list. That is what Recallo trains.
Irregular verbs in the present tense
The most common irregular verbs in the present:
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| serto be (identity, traits) | soy | eres | es | somos | sois | son |
| estarto be (state, location) | estoy | estás | está | estamos | estáis | están |
| irto go | voy | vas | va | vamos | vais | van |
| tenerto have | tengo | tienes | tiene | tenemos | tenéis | tienen |
| hacerto do, to make | hago | haces | hace | hacemos | hacéis | hacen |
| podercan, to be able to | puedo | puedes | puede | podemos | podéis | pueden |
| quererto want, to love | quiero | quieres | quiere | queremos | queréis | quieren |
| decirto say, to tell | digo | dices | dice | decimos | decís | dicen |
| venirto come | vengo | vienes | viene | venimos | venís | vienen |
| saberto know (facts, skills) | sé | sabes | sabe | sabemos | sabéis | saben |
Many of these verbs are only irregular in the yo form, or they change their stem vowel (e→ie, o→ue). Recallo marks irregular verbs and drills them specifically.
Why the most common verbs are irregular
It's no coincidence. Words that people use all the time hold on to their old forms, while rarer words get “smoothed out” into the regular pattern over the history of a language. English shows the same thing: be, have and go are irregular too (am, is, was; has, had; went).
Once you have these ten down, you cover a large part of spoken Spanish. After that, most regular verbs follow one simple pattern for each ending.
150 irregular verbs
The most important first. Each verb links to its page with every tense, an example sentence and pronunciation.
- serto be
- tenerto have
- estarto be
- quererto want
- irto go
- hacerto make
- poderto be able to
- decirto say
- verto see
- venirto come
- saberto know
- entenderto understand
- salirto go out
- llegarto arrive
- pensarto think
- encontrarto find
- dormirto sleep
- buscarto look for
- pagarto pay
- tener queto have to
- ir ato be going to
- irseto leave
- darto give
- jugarto play
- conocerto know
- contarto count
- leerto read
- ponerseto become
- andarto walk
- despertarseto wake up
- vestirseto get dressed
- seguirto follow
- haberto have
- ponerto put
- volverto return
- empezarto start
- cerrarto close
- recordarto remember
- perderto lose
- traerto bring
- encenderto turn on
- apagarto turn off
- sentarseto sit down
- sonreírto smile
- conseguirto get
- creerto believe
- practicarto practice
- nacerto be born
- aparecerto appear
- morirto die
- repetirto repeat
- tener hambreto be hungry
- tener sedto be thirsty
- tener miedoto be afraid
- tener fríoto feel cold
- tener calorto feel hot
- tener sueñoto be sleepy
- tener razónto be right
- tener prisato be in a hurry
- caerto fall
- pedirto ask for
- sentirto feel
- protegerto protect
- parecerto seem
- despedirseto say goodbye
- elegirto choose
- soñarto dream
- almorzarto have lunch
- explicarto explain
- reírto laugh
- probarto try
- sacarto take out
- lloverto rain
- nevarto snow
- tocarto touch
- cogerto take
- sentirseto feel
- oírto hear
- comenzarto begin
- enviarto send
- cruzarto cross
- hacer faltato need
- crecerto grow
- construirto build
- lanzarto throw
- tener suerteto be lucky
- medirto measure
- llegar tardeto be late
- obtenerto get
- continuarto continue
- destruirto destroy
- mostrarto show
- dar igualto not matter
- tener cuidadoto be careful
- marcarto mark
- costarto cost
- servirto serve
- moverto move
- volver ato do again
- estar de acuerdoto agree
- moverseto move
- mentirto lie
- tener éxitoto succeed
- detenerto stop
- dolerto hurt
- escogerto choose
- entregarto hand in
- querer decirto mean
- agradecerto thank
- desaparecerto disappear
- volarto fly
- vestirto get dressed
- ponerse ato start
- avanzarto make progress
- conducirto drive
- secarseto dry off
- encontrarseto be located
- descargarto download
- calentarto heat
- irse a la camato go to bed
- guiarto guide
- hacer deporteto exercise
- hacer la comprato do the grocery shopping
- hacer dañoto hurt
- ir de comprasto go shopping
- fabricarto manufacture
- incluirto include
- darse prisato hurry
- pegarto stick
- permanecerto stay
- despertarto wake up
- dar un paseoto go for a walk
- solerto usually do
- mantenerto keep
- caer biento like
- caer malto dislike
- educarto raise
- valer la penato be worth it
- criarto raise
- soltarto let go
- pescarto fish
- aterrizarto land
- indicarto indicate
- sentarto seat
- hacer amigosto make friends
- hacer casoto pay attention to
- fregarto wash dishes
- amanecerto dawn
- rodarto roll
- reírseto laugh
Frequently asked questions
How many irregular verbs are there in Spanish?+
It depends on whether you count stem-changing verbs and compounds like mantener or proponer: anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred. Only about 10 to 20 of them come up all the time, though, and with those you get very far in everyday Spanish.
What is the difference between ser and estar?+
Both translate as “to be”. Ser is for identity and lasting traits, estar for states and location: Soy alto (I'm tall), but Estoy cansado (I'm tired). Our page on ser vs estar covers the details.
What is the best way to practice irregular verbs?+
Conjugate them actively instead of reading tables. In Recallo you type the forms yourself, and spaced repetition brings back the verbs you are still unsure about.
Practice irregular verbs actively
Type the forms yourself instead of staring at tables. Free in Recallo.
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