¡Verbos irregulares esenciales!

The verbs ser and estar both translate to the English verb (to be,) but…
they are used in different contexts and convey different meanings.

ser
(to be)
presente

soy yo

(I am)

eres tú

(you are)

es él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is)

somos nosotros/as

(we are)

sois vosotros/as

(they are)

son ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they are)

ser
(to be)
pretérito

fui yo

(I was)

fuiste tú

(you were)

fue él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was)

fuimos nosotros/as

(we were)

fuisteis vosotros/as

(they were)

fueron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were)

ser
(to be)
imperfecto

era yo

(I was being)

eras tú

(you were being)

era él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is was being)

éramos nosotros/as

(we were being)

erais vosotros/as

(they were being)

eran ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were being)

estar
(to be)
presente

estoy yo

(I am)

estás tú

(you are)

está él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is)

estamos nosotros/as

(we are)

estáis vosotros/as

(they are)

están ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they are)

estar
(to be)
pretérito

estuve yo

(I am)

estuviste tú

(you are)

estuvo él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is)

estuvimos nosotros/as

(we are)

estuvisteis vosotros/as

(they are)

estuvieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they are)

estar
(to be)
imperfecto

estaba yo

(I am)

estabas tú

(you are)

estaba él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is)

estábamos nosotros/as

(we are)

estabais vosotros/as

(they are)

estaban ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they are)

Understanding when to use ser and estar is a key aspect of mastering Spanish.

ir
(to go)
presente

voy yo

(I go)

vas tú

(you go)

va él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it goes)

vamos nosotros/as

(we go)

vais vosotros/as

(they go)

van ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they go)

ir
(to go)
pretérito

fui yo

(I went)

fuiste tú

(you went)

fue él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it went)

fuimos nosotros/as

(we went)

fuisteis vosotros/as

(they went)

fueron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they went)

ir
(to go)
imperfecto

iba yo

(I was going)

ibas tú

(you were going)

iba él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was going)

íbamos nosotros/as

(we were going)

ibais vosotros/as

(they were going)

iban ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were going)

tener
(to have)
presente

tengo yo

(I have)

tienes tú

(you have)

tiene él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it has)

tenemos nosotros/as

(we have)

tenéis vosotros/as

(they have)

tienen ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they have)

tener
(to have)
pretérito

tuve yo

(I had)

tuviste tú

(you had)

tuvo él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it had)

tuvimos nosotros/as

(we had)

tuvisteis vosotros/as

(they had)

tuvieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they have)

tener
(to have)
imperfecto

tenía yo

(I was having)

tenías tú

(you were having)

tenía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was having)

teníamos nosotros/as

(we were having)

teníais vosotros/as

(you pl.fam were having))

tenían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(you pl. they were having)

querer
(to want, love)
presente

quiero yo

(I want)

quieres tú

(you want)

quiere él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it wants)

queremos nosotros/as

(we want)

queréis vosotros/as

(they want)

quieren ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they want)

querer
(to want, love)
pretérito

quise yo

(I wanted)

quisiste tú

(you wanted)

quiso él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it wanted)

quisimos nosotros/as

(we wanted)

quisisteis vosotros/as

(they wanted)

quisieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they wanted)

querer
(to want, love)
imperfecto

quería yo

(I was wanting)

querías tú

(you were wanting)

quería él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was wanting)

queríamos nosotros/as

(we were wanting)

queríais vosotros/as

(they were wanting)

querían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were wanting)

These irregular verbs are essential for building a strong foundation in Spanish

poder
(to be able, can)
presente

puedo yo

(I am able)

puedes tú

(you are able)

puede él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is able)

podemos nosotros/as

(we are able)

podéis vosotros/as

(they are able)

pueden ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they are able)

poder
(to be able, can)
pretérito

pude yo

(I was able)

pudiste tú

(you were able)

pudo él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was able)

pudimos nosotros/as

(we were able)

pudisteis vosotros/as

(they were able)

pudieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were able)

poder
(to be able, can)
imperfecto

podía yo

(I was being able)

podías tú

(you were being able)

podía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is was being able)

podíamos nosotros/as

(we were being able)

podíais vosotros/as

(they were being able)

podían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were being able)

decir
(to say)
presente

digo yo

(I say)

dices tú

(you say)

dice él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is says)

decimos nosotros/as

(we say)

decís vosotros/as

(they say)

dicen ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they say)

decir
(to say)
pretérito

dije yo

(I said)

dijiste tú

(you said)

dijo él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it said)

dijimos nosotros/as

(we said)

dijisteis vosotros/as

(they said)

dijeron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they said)

hacer
(to do, make)
imperfecto

decía yo

(I was saying)

decías tú

(you were saying)

decía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is was saying)

deccíamos nosotros/as

(we were saying)

decíais vosotros/as

(they were saying)

decían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were saying)

saber
(to know)
presente

sé yo

(I know)

sabes tú

(you know)

sabe él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is knows)

sabemos nosotros/as

(we know)

sabéis vosotros/as

(they know)

saben ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they know)

saber
(to know)
pretérito

supe yo

(I knew)

supiste tú

(you knew)

supo él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it knew)

supimos nosotros/as

(we knew)

supisteis vosotros/as

(they knew)

supieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they knew)

saber
(to know)
imperfecto

sabía yo

(I was knowing)

sabías tú

(you were knowing)

sabía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is was knowing)

sabíamos nosotros/as

(we were knowing)

sabíais vosotros/as

(they were knowing)

sabían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were knowing)

The verbs hacer and haber are two distinct verbs in Spanish with different meanings and uses.
It’s important to note that haber is also used in certain idiomatic expressions, like hay (there is/there are) and había (there was/there were).

hacer
(to do, make)
presente

hago yo

(I do, make)

haces tú

(you do, make)

hace él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is does, makes)

hacemos nosotros/as

(we do, make)

hacéis vosotros/as

(they do, make)

hacen ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they do, make)

hacer
(to do, make)
pretérito

hice yo

(I did, made)

hiciste tú

(you did, made)

hizo él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it did, made)

hicimos nosotros/as

(we did, made)

hicisteis vosotros/as

(they did, made)

hicieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they did, made)

hacer
(to do, make)
imperfecto

hacía yo

(I was doing, making)

hacías tú

(you were doing, making)

hacía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is was doing, making)

hacíamos nosotros/as

(we were doing, making)

hacíais vosotros/as

(they were doing, making)

hacían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were doing, making)

haber
(to have-auxiliar verb)
presente

he yo

(I have)

has tú

(you have)

ha él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is has)

hemos nosotros/as

(we have)

habéis vosotros/as

(they have)

han ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they have)

haber
(to have-auxiliar verb)
pretérito

hube yo

(I had)

hubiste tú

(you had)

hubo él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it had)

hubimos nosotros/as

(we had)

hubísteis vosotros/as

(they had)

hubieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they had)

haber
(to have-auxiliar verb)
imperfecto

había yo

(I was having)

habías tú

(you were having)

había él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is was having)

habíamos nosotros/as

(we were having)

habíais vosotros/as

(they were having)

habían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were having)

Hacer is used to express actions or activities, while haber is used as an auxiliary verb to indicate existence, presence, or to form compound tenses. Más información

venir
(to come)
presente

vengo yo

(I come)

vienes tú

(you come)

viene él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it comes)

venimos nosotros/as

(we come)

venís vosotros/as

(they come)

vienen ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they come)

venir
(to come)
pretérito

vine yo

(I came)

viniste tú

(you came)

vino él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it came)

vinimos nosotros/as

(we came)

vinisteis vosotros/as

(they came)

vinieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they came)

venir
(to come)
imperfecto

venía yo

(I was coming)

venías tú

(you were coming)

venía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it is was coming)

veníamos nosotros/as

(we were coming)

veníais vosotros/as

(they were coming)

venían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were coming)

poner
(to put/place oneself)
presente

pongo yo

(I place)

pones tú

(you place)

pone él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it places)

ponemos nosotros/as

(we place)

ponéis vosotros/as

(they place)

ponen ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they place)

poner
(to put/place oneself)
pretérito

puse yo

(I placed)

pusiste tú

(you placed)

puso él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it placed)

pusimos nosotros/as

(we placed)

pusisteis vosotros/as

(they placed)

pusieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they placed)

poner
(to put/place oneself)
imperfecto

ponía yo

(I was placing)

ponías tú

(you were placing)

ponía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was placing)

poníamos nosotros/as

(we were placing)

poníais vosotros/as

(they were placing)

ponían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were placing)

pensar
(to think)
presente

pienso yo

(I think)

piensas tú

(you think)

piensa él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it thinks)

pensamos nosotros/as

(we think)

pensáis vosotros/as

(they think)

piensan ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they think)

pensar
(to think)
pretérito

pensé yo

(I thought)

pensaste tú

(you thought)

pensó él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it thought)

pensamos nosotros/as

(we thought)

pensasteis vosotros/as

(they thought)

pensaron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they thought)

pensar
(to think)
imperfecto

pensaba yo

(I was thinking)

pensabas tú

(you were thinking)

pensaba él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was thinking)

pensábamos nosotros/as

(we were thinking)

pensabais vosotros/as

(they were thinking)

pensaban ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were thinking)

Remember, practice is key to mastering irregular verb conjugations.

encontrar
(to find, encounter)
presente

encuentro yo

(I find)

encuentras tú

(you find)

encuentra él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it finds)

encontramos nosotros/as

(we find)

encontráis vosotros/as

(they find)

encuentran ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they find)

encontrar
(to find, encounter)
pretérito

encontré yo

(I found)

encontraste tú

(you found)

encontró él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it found)

encontramos nosotros/as

(we found)

encontrasteis vosotros/as

(they found)

encontraron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they found)

encontrar
(to find, encounter)
imperfecto

encontraba yo

(I was finding)

encontrabas tú

(you were finding)

encontraba él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was finding)

encontrábamos nosotros/as

(we were finding)

encontrabais vosotros/as

(they were finding)

encontraban ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were finding)

conocer
(to know – people, places)
presente

conozco yo

(I know)

conoces tú

(you know)

conce él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it knows)

conocemos nosotros/as

(we know)

conocéis vosotros/as

(they know)

conocen ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they know)

conocer
(to know – people, places)
pretérito

conocí yo

(I knew)

conociste tú

(you knew)

conoció él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it knew)

conocimos nosotros/as

(we knew)

conocisteis vosotros/as

(they knew)

conocieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they knew)

conocer
(to know – people, places)
imperfecto

conocía yo

(I was knowing)

conocías tú

(you were knowing)

conocía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was knowing)

conocíamos nosotros/as

(we were knowing)

conocíais vosotros/as

(they were knowing)

conocían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were knowing)

volver
(to return, do again)
presente

vuelvo yo

(I return)

vuelves tú

(you return)

vuelve él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it returns)

volvemos nosotros/as

(we return)

volvéis vosotros/as

(they return)

vuelven ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they return)

volver
(to return, do again)
pretérito

volví yo

(I returned)

volviste tú

(you returned)

volvió él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it returned)

volvimos nosotros/as

(we returned)

volvisteis vosotros/as

(they returned)

volvieron ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they returned)

volver
(to return, do again)
imperfecto

volvía yo

(I was returning)

volvías tú

(you were returning)

volvía él/ ella/ Ud.

(he/ she/ it was returning)

volvíamos nosotros/as

(we were returning)

volvíais vosotros/as

(they were returning)

volvían ellos/ ellas/ Uds.

(he/ she/ they were returning)

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