Understanding Irregular Verbs in Present Tense

When we talk about verbs, we sometimes change them to show who is doing something and when. Irregular verbs are different from regular ones. Let's take a closer look!

Regular Verbs

In Spanish, regular verbs have three main endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. Here’s a simple breakdown of each type:

1. -ar Verbs (like hablar, which means "to speak")

• yo hablo (I speak)
• tú hablas (you speak)
• él/ella/usted habla (he/she/you speak)
• nosotros/nosotras hablamos (we speak)
• vosotros/vosotras habláis (you all speak)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes hablan (they/you all speak)

2. -er Verbs (like comer, which means "to eat")

• yo como (I eat)
• tú comes (you eat)
• él/ella/usted come (he/she/you eat)
• nosotros/nosotras comemos (we eat)
• vosotros/vosotras coméis (you all eat)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes comen (they/you all eat)

3. -ir Verbs (like vivir, which means "to live")

• yo vivo (I live)
• tú vives (you live)
• él/ella/usted vive (he/she/you live)
• nosotros/nosotras vivimos (we live)
• vosotros/vosotras vivís (you all live)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes viven (they/you all live)

Irregular Verbs

Now let's look at two common irregular verbs: hacer (to do or make) and ir (to go).

Hacer (to do/make)

• yo hago (I do/make)
• tú haces (you do/make)
• él/ella/usted hace (he/she/you do/make)
• nosotros/nosotras hacemos (we do/make)
• vosotros/vosotras hacéis (you all do/make)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes hacen (they/you all do/make)

Ir (to go)

• yo voy (I go)
• tú vas (you go)
• él/ella/usted va (he/she/you go)
• nosotros/nosotras vamos (we go)
• vosotros/vosotras vais (you all go)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes van (they/you all go)

Ser vs. Estar

Both ser and estar mean "to be," but we use them in different ways:

• Ser is for things that are permanent, like where you're from or your job.

  • Example: Yo soy estudiante (I am a student).

• Estar is for temporary things, like how you feel or where you are.

  • Example: Yo estoy cansado (I am tired).

Making Negative Sentences and Questions

To make a sentence negative, just add "no" before the verb:

• Yo no voy a la escuela. (I do not go to school.)

To ask questions, change the order of the subject and the verb:

• ¿Vas tú al cine? (Are you going to the cinema?)

Adjectives and Noun Agreement

Adjectives need to match the nouns they describe. This means they should agree in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine):

• El libro azul (The blue book - masculine singular)
• Las casas azules (The blue houses - feminine plural)

By learning these rules about verbs and how to use them, you'll get much better at speaking Spanish!