Irregular Verbs in the Present Indicative Mode in Spanish

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Spanish – Beginner, Tenses in Spanish, Verbs in Spanish

Mastering Irregular Verbs in the Present Indicative mode in Spanish

Learning Spanish can be an exciting adventure, but the irregular verbs in the present indicative mode can often make it feel like a tricky puzzle. Don’t worry! In this blog post, we’ll break down the categories of irregular verbs and provide clear examples to help you navigate through them. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to solidify your skills, this guide is for you.

What is the Present Indicative Mode?

The present indicative mode is used to describe actions happening right now, habitual actions, or general truths. While most verbs follow a regular conjugation pattern, some verbs have irregularities. These irregular verbs fall into distinct categories that can be easily learned with practice.

1. Stem-Changing Verbs (Boot Verbs)

Stem-changing verbs undergo a vowel change in the stem in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. The three main changes are:

e → ie
o → ue
e → i

e → ie Verbs

These verbs replace the vowel e with ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Infinitive	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Pensar	Pienso	Piensas	Piensa	Pensamos	Pensáis	Piensan
Querer	Quiero	Quieres	Quiere	Queremos	Queréis	Quieren

Other e → ie Verbs:
Preferir, cerrar, comenzar, entender.

o → ue Verbs

These verbs replace the vowel o with ue in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Infinitive	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Dormir	Duermo	Duermes	Duerme	Dormimos	Dormís	Duermen
Volver	Vuelvo	Vuelves	Vuelve	Volvemos	Volvéis	Vuelven

Other o → ue Verbs:
Morir, almorzar, costar, encontrar.

e → i Verbs

These verbs replace the vowel e with i in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Infinitive	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Pedir	Pido	Pides	Pide	Pedimos	Pedís	Piden
Servir	Sirvo	Sirves	Sirve	Servimos	Servís	Sirven

Other e → i Verbs:
Repetir, elegir, vestir.

2. Yo Irregulars

In these verbs, the irregularity occurs only in the yo form, with specific spelling changes:

Verbs ending in -cer or -cir change to -zco in the yo form.
Verbs ending in -ger or -gir change to -jo in the yo form.

-cer / -cir → -zco

Infinitive	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Conocer	Conozco	Conoces	Conoce	Conocemos	Conocéis	Conocen
Traducir	Traduzco	Traduces	Traduce	Traducimos	Traducís	Traducen

Other -cer/-cir Verbs:
Ofrecer, producir, parecer.

-ger / -gir → -jo

Infinitive	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Escoger	Escojo	Escoges	Escoge	Escogemos	Escogéis	Escogen
Dirigir	Dirijo	Diriges	Dirige	Dirigimos	Dirigís	Dirigen

Other -ger/-gir Verbs:
Exigir, proteger.

3. Totally Irregular Verbs

These verbs do not follow any predictable patterns and must be memorized individually.

Ser (to be)

Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Soy	Eres	Es	Somos	Sois	Son

Ir (to go)

Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Voy	Vas	Va	Vamos	Vais	Van

Other Totally Irregular Verbs:
Haber, estar.

4. Spelling Changes for Phonetic Reasons

Verbs ending in -uir (except -guir) add a y in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Infinitive	Yo	Tú	Él/Ella/Usted	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Construir	Construyo	Construyes	Construye	Construimos	Construís	Construyen

Other Verbs with Spelling Changes:
Incluir, destruir, huir.

Wrapping Up

By categorizing irregular verbs and practicing with these tables, you can systematically conquer their complexities. The key is consistency and practice. Bookmark this guide and refer back to it as you progress on your Spanish journey.

¿Cuáles son tus verbos irregulares favoritos? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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