Irregular Verbs in Present Tense (Part 1)

In this topic we will we will learn and practice using Irregular Spanish Verbs in Present Tense.

The majority of Spanish verbs in Present Tense are Regular Verbs. ‘Regular’ signifies that such verbs follow the same pattern and are conjugated (endings changed) in the same way. We learned the conjugation rules for Regular Verbs earlier in the course. This is great, but unfortunately there are also Irregular Spanish Verbs in Present Tense.

Irregular verbs do not follow the same one-size-fits-all, easy-to-learn patterns as the Regular verbs. With Irregular verbs you have to remember each specific conjugation. There are Irregular verbs in every tense (present, past, future, etc). In this topic we will look specifically at Irregular Spanish Verbs in Present Tense.

We have already seen some Irregular verbs earlier in the course and hopefully you are already familiar with them. The most fundamental Spanish verbs, Ser (To be) and Estar (To be), are both irregular, as are Querer (To Want) and Tener (To Have). In this topic we will take a look at some other commonly used Irregular Spanish Verbs in Present Tense and give you some tips to help remember their conjugations.

With Irregular Verbs it is helpful to group them into five categories. Each category is a collection of similarly Irregular Verbs that follow the same conjugation pattern. In this topic we will analyse the first of these categories.

Irregular Spanish verbs in the present tense that change E to IE

All of these verbs follow the same pattern of switching E to IE for all persons except Nosotros/as and Vosotros/as when conjugated in Present Tense.

Entender: To understand
Querer: To want
Comenzar/Empezar: To start
Perder: To lose
Pensar: To think

Let’s look more closely at one of these verbs…

Entender (To understand)

(Yo) entiendo: I understand
(Tú) entiendes: You understand (informal)
(Usted) entiende: You understand (formal)
(Él/ella) entiende: He/She understands
(Nosotros/as) entendemos: We understand
(Vosotros/as) entendéis: You understand (group/informal)
(Ustedes) entienden: You understand (group/formal)
(Ellos/as) entienden: They understand

Here are some example sentences using this type of irregular Spanish verbs:

No entiendo nada: I don’t understand anything
¿Quieres un café o un té?: Do you want a coffee or a tea?
La película comienza en diez minutos: The movie starts in ten minutes.
María siempre pierde sus llaves: Maria always loses her keys.
¿Pensáis que es posible vivir en España sin hablar español?: Do you think it is possible to live in Spain without speaking Spanish?
Entendemos tu preocupación: We understand your concern.
No quiero pan, gracias: I don’t want bread, thank you.
¿Cuando comienzas las clases de ingles?: When do you start English classes?
Cuando pierdo algo estoy nervioso: When I lose something I am nervous.
¿Piensas ir a la playa?: Are you thinking of going to the beach?

Coming across Irregular Verbs for the first time can be a frustrating experience. You have just learned the clear and consistent patterns for conjugating regular verbs and then you learn that there are many other rogue verbs knocking about.

Don’t worry, give yourself time. Don’t expect to remember the Irregular Verbs right away. Little by little you will become more familiar with them as you see and hear them more as will have happened with Ser, Estar, Tener, and Querer.