53 Common Irregular Verbs in Spanish: A Beginner’s Guide

Top 10 most common irregular verbs in Spanish

Before diving into the different types of Spanish irregular verbs, let’s first look at the most important ones to learn. The following irregular verbs come up in basic conversations and are essential to know if you want to get by in Spanish. 

We’ve included 10 of the most useful irregular verbs you’ll want to know. Each chart of irregular verbs in Spanish shows their conjugations in the present and simple past (preterite) tenses.

1. Ser (to be)

This is a basic state-of-being verb and it’s irregular in most languages. The definition is more about the permanent qualities of what’s being described. Mastering the verb ser is essential to speaking Spanish!

• Soy profesor de México. = I am a teacher from Mexico.

2. Estar (to be)

The irregular verb estar refers to a state of being that’s temporary. It may be emotional or physical, so this is helpful to be able to describe how you or someone else is feeling.

• Estoy en casa y leo un libro. = I am at home and I am reading a book.

3. Tener (to have)

Tener is another essential Spanish irregular verb that shows you have possession of an object that you own or physically hold.

• Tenemos un coche. = We have a car.

4. Haber (to have)

Similar to tener, the verb haber also means you have possessions of something, but it’s more about expressing existence as an auxiliary verb. It can express a necessity or a suggestion, too. 

• Hay un libro en su mesa. = There is a book on his table.

5. Hacer (to do, to make)

It’s likely that you’ll use the verb hacer almost every day. This verb refers to making or doing an action.

• Tú haces ejercicio todos los días. = You exercise every day.

6. Ir (to go)

The irregular verb ir is the equivalent of “go” in English. It indicates a movement by a person or object. The example below shows how to use the irregular preterite verb in Spanish, while other examples have been in the present.

• Fui al parque ayer. = I went to the park yesterday.

7. Saber (to know)

Saber is another important verb to learn in Spanish. You’ll use it to show you have information or understand how to complete an action or task.

• Ellos saben la respuesta. = They know the answer.

8. Dar (to give)

Even if it’s not someone’s birthday, you’ll likely use the verb dar occasionally. This helpful verb indicates that you’ll give someone a present, give a party, or can give someone information.

• Ustedes dan buenos consejos. = You (all) give good advice.

9. Decir (to say, to tell)

When you need to share some information, use the irregular verb decir.

• Usted dice la verdad. = You (formal) tell the truth.

10. Poder (to be able to, to can)

Poder is another essential verb that helps you express your abilities, beliefs, etc. It can also be used to ask permission to do something, like “Can I sit here?”

• Yo puedo hablar español. = I can speak Spanish.

Types of Spanish irregular verbs

As you discover tips for learning Spanish, you’ll see that there are different types of irregular verbs in Spanish. Use the information below to understand some of the patterns you can learn to get the hang of these words.

What to know about stem-changing verbs

As we mentioned previously, even the most irregular verbs in Spanish have some regular patterns to them. To make them easier to learn, we’ve categorized the irregular verbs in Spanish into groups.

The first and most common group of Spanish irregular verbs are stem-changing verbs. A stem change refers to when the irregular changes occur in the stem of the verb (the prefer– in preferir) while the verb ending (the “-ir” in preferir) follows the regular conjugation pattern. 

Let’s look at preferir (to prefer) as an example. To conjugate a regular -IR verb in the yo form, you’d simply replace the -IR ending with “-o.” 

So if you didn’t know preferir was an irregular verb, you’d probably expect it to look like this: 

• Incorrect: Yo prefero el color rosado. 

But preferir is actually an irregular verb with an e → ie stem change like this: 

• Correct: Yo prefiero el color rosado. 

10 Spanish stem-changing verbs from e → ie

The first common stem change in irregular verbs is the “e” to “ie” stem change. This is a list of the most-used irregular verbs that follow this stem-change pattern.

1. cerrar: to close 
2. empezar: to begin
3. entender: to understand
4. mentir: to lie 
5. negar: to deny
6. pensar: to think 
7. perder: to lose
8. recomendar: to recommend 
9. sentir: to feel
10. sugerir: to suggest

Below you’ll find a chart of how to conjugate the verb cerrar for each pronoun. We’ve provided the conjugated present tense forms for the first verb in the list and bolded the stem change. The rest of the verbs follow the same pattern and should be easy to figure out. Note that stem changes do not occur in the nosotros (first-person plural) and vosotros/as (second-person plural) forms. 

If you want to double-check your conjugation, you can look up the verb in a reliable Spanish dictionary, such as Spanish Dictionary. 

This chart shows how you would conjugate the verb cerrar: 

10 Spanish stem-changing verbs from o → ue

Another type of stem change in irregular verbs is the “o” to “ue.” 

Below is a list of the most frequently used “o” to “ue” stem-changing verbs. In the following chart, we’ve only highlighted the stem change in the first verb, but the rest of the list follows the same pattern. 

1. contar: to count, to tell  
2. costar: to cost
3. doler: to hurt
4. dormir: to sleep
5. encontrar: to find
6. llover: to rain
7. morder: to bite
8. morir: to die
9. recordar: to remember
10. volver: to return from somewhere

See what the “o” to “ue” stem change looks like with contar:

10 Spanish stem-changing verbs from e → i

The third and last category of stem-changing verbs are verbs with the “e” to “i” stem change. These are 10 verbs that follow this stem change pattern, and the chart shows how you would conjugate the verb competir.

1. competir: to compete
2. conseguir: to get, to obtain
3. corregir: to correct
4. despedir: to dismiss, to say goodbye 
5. elegir: to choose
6. medir: to measure
7. repetir: to repeat
8. seguir: to follow, to continue
9. servir: to serve
10. pedir: to ask for, to order

See what the  “e” to “i” stem change looks like with competir: 

3 other irregular stem-changing verbs

This final group of stem-changing verbs consists of verbs that don’t quite fit into any of the above categories. While they may stand out as outliers, they’re still frequently used and good to know for everyday conversations. 

1. Jugar (to play)

The verb jugar has a simple stem change from “u” to “ue” and is used to refer to the action of playing. 

2. Oler (to smell) 

You’ll use oler to indicate that you can smell your grandma’s famous dessert cooking in the oven. To conjugate it, change the stem vowels from “o” to “hue.”

3. Inquirir (to inquire)

When you want to inquire about when a bus leaves or what you need to bring to a meeting, use the verb inquirir, which is a good example of a Spanish cognate. The stems vowel changes from “i” to “ie.”

10 Spanish irregular verbs that change in the yo (I) form

There’s one last type of irregular verb we need to cover to make sure you have all the information you need. Some verbs in Spanish also change irregularly when used with yo (first-person singular) forms. You won’t change this form with other subject pronouns as those forms are either regular or have a regular stem change. 

We’ve included charts of the most common irregular yo verbs and their present tense conjugations.

1. Conocer (to know)

Convey to friends and family what you know about your hobbies and interests with the verb conocer.

2. Poner (to put)

If the grocery bags are really heavy, you’ll be ready to put them down quickly. The verb poner describes the action of putting an object somewhere.

3. Salir (to leave)

The verb salir is helpful to use when it’s time to leave a boring party or leave on a vacation.

4. Traer (to bring)

It’s polite to traer (bring) a thoughtful gift to a dinner party, but you’ll also want to bring your books to class.

5. Ver (to see)

Ver is a little different from mirar in that it means “to see” or “to perceive something” like how you can understand something abstractly.

6. Venir (to come)

You can ask someone to come over to your house using the verb venir.

7. Oír (to hear)

To indicate that you can hear someone talking or music playing, use the verb oír. 

8. Caber (to fit)

There are two meanings for the verb caber: to fit and to be possible. So, you can use it to indicate whether an object will fit in a certain space or not.

9. Caer (to fall)

When you’re practicing on a balance beam or walking down the stairs, you want to avoid falling or falling over, and the verb caer is the best word for that.

10. Valer (to be worth, to cost)

The verb valer is helpful when you need to indicate the value, worth, or cost of something.

Why are there irregular verbs in Spanish? 

Some irregular verbs in Spanish can be traced back to Latin grammar. Scientists and linguists believe languages evolve with the speakers that use them, but earlier versions of the language—including their irregularities—often persist in commonly used words. The more a word is used by people, the less likely it is to change. 

Over time, irregularities in languages develop and persist for a variety of reasons: 

• Speed: Speakers often shorten the most commonly used words to make them quicker to pronounce. 
• Sound: In order to preserve a specific pronunciation in a very phonetic language like Spanish, the spelling may need to change. You might find that irregular verbs sound better and are easier to pronounce than they would be if they were conjugated regularly. 
• Frequency: Highly used irregular verbs are more likely to remain irregular, whereas less common irregular verbs slowly adopt regular patterns or fade away. 

Key takeaways about irregular verbs in Spanish

With more than 250 irregular verbs in the Spanish language, you’ll need time and practice to learn them all. Rosetta Stone’s immersion method is incredibly helpful for nailing down irregular verbs and so much more. In the meantime, here are a few key things to remember as you keep practicing irregular verbs.

• Spanish irregular verbs change the endings and the stem of the verb when conjugated. While there are a few patterns you can learn, some conjugations are completely irregular and need to be memorized.
• Two of the most common vowel changes in the stem of the verb are “e” to “ie” and “o” to “ue.”
• Over time, less commonly used irregular verbs could adopt more regular patterns as the language evolves.