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
- conocerto know
- contarto count
- ponerseto become
- andarto walk
- leerto read
- haberto have
- ponerto put
- volverto return
- sentarseto sit down
- sonreírto smile
- aparecerto appear
- morirto die
- repetirto repeat
- despertarseto wake up
- vestirseto get dressed
- caerto fall
- sentirto feel
- protegerto protect
- elegirto choose
- 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
- reírto laugh
- probarto try
- tocarto touch
- cogerto take
- oírto hear
- comenzarto begin
- enviarto send
- crecerto grow
- construirto build
- lanzarto throw
- medirto measure
- obtenerto get
- continuarto continue
- destruirto destroy
- mostrarto show
- marcarto mark
- servirto serve
- moverto move
- moverseto move
- mentirto lie
- lloverto rain
- nevarto snow
- detenerto stop
- escogerto choose
- entregarto hand in
- hacer faltato need
- agradecerto thank
- desaparecerto disappear
- volarto fly
- tener suerteto be lucky
- vestirto get dressed
- cruzarto cross
- seguirto follow
- llegar tardeto be late
- conseguirto get
- avanzarto make progress
- secarseto dry off
- encontrarseto be located
- dar igualto not matter
- creerto believe
- practicarto practice
- descargarto download
- sentirseto feel
- tener cuidadoto be careful
- calentarto heat
- almorzarto have lunch
- guiarto guide
- pedirto ask for
- nacerto be born
- tener éxitoto succeed
- querer decirto mean
- fabricarto manufacture
- incluirto include
- pegarto stick
- costarto cost
- ponerse ato start
- permanecerto stay
- despertarto wake up
- solerto usually do
- irse a la camato go to bed
- mantenerto keep
- hacer deporteto exercise
- hacer la comprato do the grocery shopping
- hacer dañoto hurt
- ir de comprasto go shopping
- darse prisato hurry
- educarto raise
- volver ato do again
- estar de acuerdoto agree
- criarto raise
- empezarto start
- cerrarto close
- recordarto remember
- perderto lose
- traerto bring
- encenderto turn on
- apagarto turn off
- dar un paseoto go for a walk
- caer biento like
- soltarto let go
- caer malto dislike
- pescarto fish
- valer la penato be worth it
- jugarto play
- aterrizarto land
- indicarto indicate
- conducirto drive
- parecerto seem
- sentarto seat
- despedirseto say goodbye
- hacer amigosto make friends
- hacer casoto pay attention to
- fregarto wash dishes
- soñarto dream
- dolerto hurt
- tener lugarto take place
- amanecerto dawn
- rodarto roll
- reírseto laugh
- explicarto explain
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.
Start for free →Related