Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs do not follow the normal patterns of conjugation and must be learned individually. They often involve changes to the stem or completely different endings.
Irregular Verbs
This section highlights some of the most common irregular verbs that appear frequently in speech and writing.
ir / ser (to go / to be)
The verbs ir and ser share the same preterite forms. Use context to tell them apart.
| German Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|
| fui | I went / I was |
| fuiste | you went / you were |
| fue | he/she/it went / was |
| fuimos | we went / we were |
| fuisteis | you (pl.) went / were |
| fueron | they went / they were |
hacer (to do, to make)
Hacer is irregular in the preterite and its stem changes to hic- (with hizo for third person).
| German Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|
| hice | I did / I made |
| hiciste | you did / you made |
| hizo | he/she/it did / made |
| hicimos | we did / we made |
| hicisteis | you (pl.) did / made |
| hicieron | they did / they made |
tener (to have)
tener changes to tuv- in the preterite and takes irregular endings. It is common in narratives of past events.
| German Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|
| tuve | I had |
| tuviste | you had |
| tuvo | he/she/it had |
| tuvimos | we had |
| tuvisteis | you (pl.) had |
| tuvieron | they had |
Signal Words
Signal words often appear with the preterite and help place actions firmly in the past, such as ayer, anoche, and el año pasado.
Summary
Irregular verbs in the preterite must be memorized because they do not follow normal patterns; focus first on high-frequency verbs like ir/ser, hacer, and tener.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025