Spanish as English has irregular verbs. The Spanish regular verbs follow the pattern where the stem remains the same and only the endings change during conjugation. The irregular verbs on the other hand, can have changes on both the stem and the ending during conjugation. This case is also found in the English language where verbs in the past tense and past participle show an irregular pattern.
| infinitive verb |
simple past tense |
past participle |
| sell |
sold |
sold |
| give |
gave |
given |
| buy |
bought |
bought |
The verb “to be” is one of the most irregular verbs in English.
| I |
am |
we are |
| you |
are |
you are |
| he, she, it |
is |
they are |
In Spanish the verbs ser (to be) and ir (to go) are very irregular. Some of the other irregular verbs follow certain patterns.
The verb “to be” is widely used is Spanish, therefore memorizing it will be wise. Below find the conjugations of these two highly irregular verbs.
ser = to be
| yo soy = I am |
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| tu eres = you are |
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| el es = he is |
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| ella es = she is |
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| nosotros somos = we are (masculine) |
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| nosotras somos = we are (feminine) |
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| vosotros sois = you are (masculine) |
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| vosotras sois = you are (feminine) |
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| ellos son = they are (masculine) |
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| ellas son = they are (feminine) |
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ir = to go
| yo voy = I go |
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| tu vas = you go |
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| el va = he goes |
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| ella va = she goes |
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| nosotros vamos = we go (masculine) |
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| nosotras vamos = we go (feminine) |
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| vosotros vais = you go (masculine) |
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| vosotras vais = you go (feminine) |
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| ellos van = they go (masculine) |
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| ellas van = they go (feminine) |
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In Spanish the verb querer means “to want” and “to love”.
querer = to want
| yo quiero = I want |
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| tu quieres = you want |
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| el quiere = he wants |
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| ella quiere = she wants |
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| nosotros queremos = we want (masculine) |
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| nosotras queremos = we want (feminine) |
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| vosotros queréis = you want (masculine) |
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| vosotras queréis = you want (feminine) |
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| ellas quieron = they want (masculine) |
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| ellas quieren = they want (feminine) |
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A modal verb, such as Poder (to can), is often used with other verbs. This is one of the most important verbs in Spanish.
I can read = Yo puedo leer
The phrase above was formed with poder (to can) + the infinitive form of leer (to read)
poder = to can
| yo puedo = I can |
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| tu puedes = you can |
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| el puede = he can |
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| ella puede = she can |
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| nosotros podemos = we can (masculine) |
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| nosotras podemos = we can (feminine) |
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| vosotros podéis = you can (masculine) |
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| vosotras podéis = you can (feminine) |
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| ellos pueden = they can (masculine) |
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| ellas pueden = they can (feminine) |
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Another important verb is tener (to have). This verb is often used with the word que to express obligation (I have to).
Yo tengo que trabajar el domingo. (I have to work on Sunday)
Warning! In English the verb to have is used to create compound tenses. In Spanish, the verb haber is used for this purpose. Haber is used for compound tenses and tener is used to express possession.
| yo tengo (yo tengo que) = I have (I must, I have to) |
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| tú tienes (tú tienes que) = you have (you must, you have to) |
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| él tiene (él tiene que) = he has (he must, he has to) |
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| ella tiene (ella tiene que) = she has (she must, she has to) |
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| nosotros tenemos (nosotros tenemos que) = we have (we must, we have to) (masculine) |
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| nosotras tenemos (nosotras tenemos que) = we have (we must, we have to) (feminine) |
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| vosotros tenéis (vosotros tenéis que) = you have (you must, you have to) (masculine) |
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| vosotras tenéis (vosotras tenéis que) = you have (you must, you have to) (feminine) |
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| ellos tienen (ellos tienen que) = they have (they must, they have to) (masculine) |
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| ellas tienen (ellas tienen que) = they have (they must, they have to) (feminine) |
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Spanish has two verbs to express “to be” ser and estar. To be able to know when to use which is a little bit of a challenge and will require some practice. However, it will be helpful to remember that ser is used for a permanent condition and estar for a temporary condition. Here are some comparisons:
Example:
Maria es bonita.
= Maria is pretty. (Permanent condition)
Maria esta enferma.
= Maria is sick. (Temporary condition)
The verb estar is also used when it involves location or a non-permanent situation.
If the idea involves a permanent characteristic then the verb ser is used.
Example: Estar being located some place.
Guadalajara está en Mexico. (Guadlajara is in Mexico)
Rosa está en la cocina. (Rosa is in the kitchen)
Example: Estar a non-permanent state, ser permanent state.
Él está aburrido.
= (He is bored) A situation that can be changed.
Ella es enfermera.
= (She is a nurse) A rather permanent situation.
estar = to be
| Yo estoy (I am) |
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| Tú estás (you are) |
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| Él está = he is |
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| Ella está = she is |
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| Nosotros estamos = we are (masculine) |
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| Nosotras estamos = we are (feminine) |
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| Vosotros estáis = you are (masculine) |
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| Vosotras estáis = you are (feminine) |
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| Ellos están = they are (masculine) |
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| Ellas están = they are (feminine) |
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