Spanish grammar: verbos irregulares frecuentes en presente de indicativo

What this grammar point covers

In Spanish, some verbs do not follow the regular rules when you use them in the present tense (presente de indicativo). These are called irregular verbs. Their forms change in different ways, so you need to memorize them.

When to use it

Use these irregular verbs in daily conversations to talk about actions, situations, or states in the present. They are very common and appear in many basic phrases.

Key forms

• tener: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen
• ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van
• hacer: hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen
• ser: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son
• estar: estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están

Examples

Tips

• Pay special attention to the first person singular (yo), as it often changes the most.
• Do not add regular endings to these verbs; memorize their unique forms.
• Practice using these verbs in short sentences to remember them better.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some verbs are irregular only in certain persons (for example, 'hacer' is irregular only in 'yo' form: 'hago').
• There are other irregular verbs not listed here, so check if a verb is irregular before using it.