Irregular and Stem-Changing Verbs in the Present

Kurz erklärt

Some common Spanish verbs do not follow the usual present-tense pattern. A verb may have an irregular first-person singular form, such as tengo or hago, or it may change its stem vowel, such as pensar to pienso and dormir to duermo. A few essential verbs, including ser, estar, and ir, have several irregular forms and are best learned as complete sets.

Bildung

Conjugate for the subject and learn the changed form: tener -> tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen; pensar (e -> ie) -> pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, piensan; dormir (o -> ue) -> duermo, duermes, duerme, dormimos, duermen. Stem changes normally do not occur in nosotros. Ustedes uses the third-person plural form, such as piensan or duermen.

Verwendung

• Use the conjugated verb to describe present actions, routines, states, and facts.
• Learn high-frequency irregular verbs such as ser, estar, ir, tener, hacer, decir, poner, and salir.
• Match every form to its subject; in Latin American Spanish, ustedes takes the third-person plural form.

Beispiele

• Tengo hambre. — I am hungry.
• Ella piensa en su familia. — She thinks about her family.
• Dormimos ocho horas. — We sleep for eight hours.
• ¿Ustedes van al trabajo en autobús? — Do you go to work by bus?

Typischer Fehler

❌ Teno tiempo.

✅ Tengo tiempo.

Do not apply a regular pattern to an irregular verb. Learn the irregular yo form tengo as a whole.

Merke

The stem often changes in yo, tú, él/ella/usted, and ellos/ellas/ustedes, but not in nosotros. Some verbs must be memorized because their pattern is unique.