Action Words - Irregular Verb Conjuagation

This section will talk about irregular verbs. Irregular verbs change their form to match the subject in ways that aren't consistent with other verbs -- at least not in every case. While regular verbs use the same set of forms from verb to verb, irregular verbs are generally unique and have to be learned on an individual basis.

Irregular verbs take more effort to learn than regular verbs. Where regular verbs simply add a standard ending to a verb stub, these irregulars often look completely different in their different forms. This will become clear as you look at and listen to the examples below.

Whenever you see this speaker symbol next to an underlined word, you can click on the speaker or the underlined word to hear the word spoken by a native Spanish speaker.

The Spanish Verbs ser and estar

Ser and estar are two Spanish verbs that both have a definition of to be in English. But ser and estar are used in different ways and have more definitions, as you'll see below.

Conjugating the Spanish Verb Ser (To Be)
Spanish	English
yo soy	I am
tu eres	you are
el es	he is
nosotros somos	we are
vosotros sois	you (pl) are
ellos son	they are
Ustedes son	you(formal) are

You use the verb ser to say someone's nationality, or where someone is originally from. You also use ser to state some inherent thing about a person. Listen to these examples.

Yo soy de Mexico.
I am from Mexico

El es alto.
He is tall.

Conjugating the Spanish Verb Estar (To Be)
Spanish	English
yo estoy	I am
tu estas	you are
el esta	he is
nosotros estamos	we are
vosotros estáis	you (pl) are
ellos estan	they are
Ustedes estan	you(formal) are

You use the verb estar to talk about a temporary condition of something. About things that can change.

La puerta esta abierta.
The door is open.

Estan cansados.
They're tired.

El carro esta limpio.
The car is clean.

The Spanish Verb Ir (To Go)

The verb ir means to go. After the table you'll find examples of using the verb ir.

Conjugating the Spanish Verb Ir (To Go)
Spanish	English
yo voy	I go
tu vas	you go
el va	he goes
nosotros vamos	we go
vosotros vais	you (pl) go
ellos van	they go
Ustedes van	you(formal) go

Vamos a la tienda
We are going to the store

Ellos van a ir contigo.
They are going with you.
The word 'vamos' by itself can translate into the English phrase "Let's go!"

The Spanish Verb Tener (To Have)

The verb tener means to have but that's just the beginning because tener is also used to convey many other meanings in Spanish. After looking at the conjugation table for tener, see and hear the example phrases below.

Conjugating the Spanish Verb Tener (To Have)
Spanish	English
yo tengo	I have
tu tienes	you have
el tiene	he has
nosotros tenemos	we have
vosotros tenéis	you (pl) have
ellos tienen	they have
Ustedes tienen	you(formal) have

Here are some examples. Click the links to listen to the Spanish audio.

Tengo tres libros en Español.
I have three Spanish books.

tener ganas
to want to do something.

Tengo ganas de ir a la tienda.
I'd like to go to the store.

Often the verb tener can be translated into the English word to be

tener cuidado
to be careful

tiene frio
he's cold

tener exito
to be successful

tener prisa
to be in a hurry

tengo suerte
I'm lucky

Get Help With Irregular Verbs From the Dictionary

When you learn a new irregular verb and you need to know how to conjugate it you don't have to look any farther than your dictionary. The irregular verbs in the dictionary all have a number next to them that corresponds to a table in the front that explains how to conjugate the irregular verb. As you'll see, some irregular verbs have a pattern of sorts that apply to more than one verb. So, their not all different.

For More Information

Verb Introduction