{"id":144129,"date":"2023-04-15T18:50:13","date_gmt":"2023-04-15T22:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/most-common-irregular-spanish-verbs\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T00:43:01","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T05:43:01","slug":"most-common-irregular-spanish-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/most-common-irregular-spanish-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Most Common Irregular Verbs in Spanish"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are lots of irregular verbs in Spanish, so it won’t take long until you run into them on your learning journey.\u00a0Some of the most common verbs that you’ll use everyday\u2014like\u00a0ir<\/em> (to go),\u00a0estar<\/em> (to be),\u00a0ser<\/em> (to be) and more\u2014don’t follow the regular -ar, -er<\/em> and -ir<\/em> conjugation patterns.<\/p>\n

But the good news is Spanish irregular verbs aren’t as baffling as they first appear.\u00a0In this post, you’ll learn 20 of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish, how many there are in total, how to conjugate them and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also watch this story-based lesson on our YouTube channel<\/a>:<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Most Common Irregular Verbs in Spanish<\/h2>\n

1. Ser\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 To be<\/h3>\n

Ser<\/em> is particularly irregular in all of the present, past and subjunctive tenses<\/a>, as well as the imperative, but it does follow the rules for the future, conditional and past participle.<\/p>\n

This form of to be<\/em> is used when something or someone has a quality, possession, price or origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Subject<\/th>Present<\/th>Preterite<\/th>Imperfect<\/strong><\/th>Future Simple<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yo<\/i><\/td> Soy<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Fui<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Er<\/span>a\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Ser\u00e9\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td> Er<\/span>es\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Fu<\/span>iste\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Er<\/span>as\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Ser\u00e1s\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l\/Ella\/Usted<\/i><\/td> Es<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Fue<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Er<\/span>a\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Ser\u00e1\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td> So<\/span>mos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Fu<\/span>imos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> \u00c9r<\/span>amos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Seremos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td> So<\/span>is\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Fu<\/span>isteis\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Er<\/span>ais\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Ser\u00e9is\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellos\/Ellas\/Ustedes<\/i><\/td> So<\/span>n\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Fu<\/span>eron\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Er<\/span>an\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Ser\u00e1n\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00bfDe donde eres?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(Where are you from?)<\/p>\n

Fuimos<\/strong> los campeones. <\/em>(We were the champions.)<\/p>\n

2. Estar<\/em> \u2013 To be<\/h3>\n

Estar<\/em> also has its own unique conjugations, though it’s regular in more tenses\u00a0than ser<\/em>\u00a0(to be).<\/p>\n

It’s irregular in the present, preterite and future subjunctive.<\/p>\n

As you can see, both\u00a0ser<\/em> and\u00a0estar<\/em> mean “to be,” but estar<\/em>\u00a0is used for feelings, locations and temporary states.<\/p>\n

If you haven’t mastered differentiating these two verbs yet, I highly recommend bookmarking our in-depth guide on\u00a0ser<\/em> vs.\u00a0estar<\/em> here<\/a> to check out next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Subject<\/th>Present<\/th>Preterite<\/th>Future Simple<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yo<\/i><\/td>Estoy<\/span> <\/i><\/td>Estuve<\/span> <\/i><\/td>Estar\u00e9\u00a0<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td>Est\u00e1<\/span>s <\/i><\/td>Estuvi<\/span>ste\u00a0<\/i><\/td>Estar\u00e1s\u00a0<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l\/Ella\/Usted<\/i><\/td>Est\u00e1<\/span> <\/i><\/td>Estuvo<\/span>\u00a0<\/i><\/td>Estar\u00e1\u00a0<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td>Estamos <\/i><\/td>Estuvi<\/span>mos\u00a0<\/i><\/td>Estaremos\u00a0<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td>Est\u00e1is <\/i><\/td>Estuvi<\/span>steis\u00a0<\/i><\/td>Estar\u00e9is\u00a0<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellos\/Ellas\/Ustedes<\/i><\/td>Est\u00e1<\/span>n <\/i><\/td>Estuvie<\/span>ron\u00a0<\/i><\/td>Estar\u00e1n\u00a0<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Los ping\u00fcinos est\u00e1n<\/strong> molestos.<\/em> (The penguins are angry.)<\/p>\n

\u00bfD\u00f3nde est\u00e1<\/strong> el ba\u00f1o?<\/em> (Where’s the toilet?)<\/p>\n

3. Haber<\/em> \u2013 To be<\/h3>\n

Haber<\/em> is used as an auxiliary verb in the same way that English uses have.<\/em> For example,\u00a0he comido<\/em> (I’ve eaten).<\/p>\n

Conjugations of haber<\/em> you’ll use often include\u00a0hay<\/em> (there is\/are) and\u00a0hubo<\/em> (there were). For a more in-depth rundown on how to use\u00a0haber<\/em> specifically, check out our complete guide here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Subject<\/th>Present<\/th>Preterite<\/th>Future Simple<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yo<\/i><\/td> He<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Hube<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Habr<\/span>\u00e9\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td> Has<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Hu<\/span>biste\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Habr<\/span>\u00e1s\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l\/Ella\/Usted<\/i><\/td> Ha, hay<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Hubo<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Habr<\/span>\u00e1\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td> He<\/span>mos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Hu<\/span>bimos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Habr<\/span>emos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td> Hab\u00e9is\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Hu<\/span>bisteis\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Habr<\/span>\u00e9is\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellos\/Ellas\/Ustedes<\/i><\/td> Han<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Hu<\/span>bieron\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Habr<\/span>\u00e1n\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hay<\/strong> un drag\u00f3n en la colina.<\/em> (There’s a dragon on the hill.)<\/p>\n

Hubo<\/strong> un accidente en la autopista.<\/em> (There was an accident on the road.)<\/p>\n

4. Tener\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 To have<\/h3>\n

The present and subjective form of tener<\/em> is completely irregular, but otherwise its irregularities often just involve an e<\/em>-to-ie<\/em> stem change, and tuv<\/em>– for the past and subjunctive future.<\/p>\n

Tener\u00a0<\/em>can be similar to haber<\/em> in usage, so consider reading our post on\u00a0tener\u00a0<\/em>vs.\u00a0haber<\/em><\/a> here if you don’t know the differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Subject<\/th>Present<\/th>Preterite<\/th>Future Simple<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yo<\/i><\/td> Teng<\/span>o\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tuve<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tendr<\/span>\u00e9\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td> Ti<\/span>enes\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tuv<\/span>iste\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tendr<\/span>\u00e1s\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l\/Ella\/Usted<\/i><\/td> Ti<\/span>ene\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tuvo<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tendr<\/span>\u00e1\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td> Tenemos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tuv<\/span>imos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tendr<\/span>emos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td> Ten\u00e9is\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tuv<\/span>isteis\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tendr<\/span>\u00e9is\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellos\/Ellas\/Ustedes<\/i><\/td> Ti<\/span>enen\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tuv<\/span>ieron\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Tendr<\/span>\u00e1n\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tengo<\/strong> que irme ya.<\/em> (I have to go now.)<\/p>\n

Maria tiene<\/strong> dolor de cabeza.<\/em> (Maria has a headache.)<\/p>\n

5. Poder<\/em> \u2013 To be able<\/h3>\n

Poder <\/em>follows the same model as many irregular verbs, changing o<\/em> to ue<\/em> or to u<\/em>, though be aware that its future form gets a bit complex.<\/p>\n

In all irregular verbs, when these changes to ue<\/em> occur, nosotros<\/em> is never affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Subject<\/th>Present<\/th>Preterite<\/th>Future Simple<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yo<\/i><\/td> Pue<\/span>do\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Pude<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Podr<\/span>\u00e9\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td> Pue<\/span>des\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Pu<\/span>diste\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Podr<\/span>\u00e1s\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l\/Ella\/Usted<\/i><\/td> Pue<\/span>de\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Pudo<\/span>\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Podr<\/span>\u00e1\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td> Podemos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Pu<\/span>dimos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Podr<\/span>emos\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td> Pod\u00e9is\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Pu<\/span>disteis\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Podr<\/span>\u00e9is\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellos\/Ellas\/Ustedes<\/i><\/td> Pue<\/span>den\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Pu<\/span>dieron\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td> Podr<\/span>\u00e1n\u00a0 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

No puede<\/strong> nadar.<\/em> (He can’t swim.)<\/p>\n

\u00bfPuedo<\/strong> ayudarle?<\/em> (Can I help you?)<\/p>\n

6. Hacer<\/em> \u2013 To do, to make<\/h3>\n

Hacer<\/em> breaks all the rules in all the tenses, except the present tense\u2014apart from yo<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Other verbs that follow exactly the same pattern include:<\/p>\n