Learning Spanish can be both exciting and challenging. While the language is relatively easy to pick up, understanding all its nuances can be quite daunting. Even experienced speakers have trouble with some of the more irregular verbs and their conjugations. In this blog post we’ll explore some of the most common irregular Spanish verbs and look at handy charts for reference. We’ll also take a look at some tips for mastering verb conjugation, so you can confidently speak Spanish like a native!
Regular Spanish verbs and their conjugations
There are three main types of Spanish verbs – regular, irregular, and stem-changing. In this article, we will focus on regular verbs and their conjugations. Regular verbs in Spanish follow a simple pattern when conjugated in the present tense. To conjugate a regular verb in the present tense, simply remove the ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) from the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate ending for the subject pronoun you are using. For example, the regular verb hablar (to speak) would be conjugated as follows:
Pronombre
Pronoun
Verbo
Yo
I
habl o
Tú
You
habl as
Él / Ella / Usted
He / She / It
habl a
Nosotros / as
We
habla mos
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes
They
habl an
As you can see, there is only one irregularity in this conjugation pattern and that is with the nosotros form; instead of ending in –ar like the other forms, it ends in –amos. Other than that exception, conjugating regular verbs in Spanish is quite straightforward.
The most common irregular Spanish verbs
There are many irregular Spanish verbs, but some are more common than others. Here are four of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish, along with their conjugation charts:
To be
Ser
I am
Yo soy
You are
Tú eres
He / She / It is
Él / Ella es
We are
Nosotros somos
They are
Ellos son
To be (location)
Estar
I am
Yo estoy
You are
Tú estás
He / She / It
Él / Ella está
We are
Nosotros estamos
They are
Ellos están
To have
Tener
I have
Yo tengo
You have
Tú tienes
He / She has
Él / Ella tiene
We have
Nosotros tenemos
They have
Ellos tienen
To possess
poseer una cosa
I possess
Yo poseo
You possess
Tú posees
He / She It possesses
Él / Ella posee
We possess
Nosotros poseemos
They possess
Ellos poseen
To keep
Mantenerse en pie, conservar
I keep
Yo me mantengo
You keep
Tu te mantienes
He keeps
Él / Ella se mantiene
We keep
Nosotros nos mantenemos
They keep
Ellos se mantienen
To take care of
Cuidar de
I take care of
Yo cuido de
You take care of
Tú cuidas de
He / She / It takes care of
Él / Ella cuida de
We take care of
Nosotros cuidamos de
They take care of
Ellos cuidan de
To experience
Experimentar
I experience
Yo experimento
You experience
Tú experimentas
He / She / It experiences
Él / Ella experimentan
We experience
Nosotros experimentamos
They experience
Ellos experimentan
To go
Ir
I go
Yo voy
You go
Tú vas
He / She goes
Él / Ella va
We go
Nosotros vamos
They go
Ellos van
Irregular Spanish verbs & their conjugation charts
