Irregular "-er" Verbs in Spanish
While most "-er" verbs follow a predictable conjugation pattern, some verbs are irregular, meaning they don’t follow standard endings in certain forms. Here are some of the most common irregular "-er" verbs and how they behave in the present tense.
1. Verbs with Stem Changes
Some "-er" verbs undergo vowel changes in their root (stem), but they still take regular "-er" endings.
Example: "Querer" (to want)
In querer, the e changes to ie in certain forms.
Conjugation
Yo quiero.............I want
Tú quieres...........You want (informal)
Usted quiere.......You want (formal)
Él/Ella/ quiere......He/She wants
Nosotros/Nosotras queremos..We want
Vosotros/Vosotras queréis...You all want (Spain)
Ustedes quieren...................you all want ( most used in Latin America)
Ellos/Ellas quieren................They want
Example Sentences:
Yo quiero aprender español. (I want to learn Spanish.)
Ellos quieren viajar a México. (They want to travel to Mexico.)
Other stem-changing "-er" verbs:
Perder (to lose) →...............Yo pierdo (I lose)
Entender (to understand) →Tú entiendes (You understand)
2. Verbs with Irregular "Yo" Forms
Some verbs only have an irregular first-person (yo) form, while the rest follow regular "-er" conjugation rules.
Example: "Hacer" (to do, to make)
Conjugation
Yo hago I do / I make
Tú haces............ You do / make
Usted hace.......... You do/ make (formal)
Él/Ella hace...........He/ She does/ makes
Nosotros/Nosotras hacemos...we do/we make
Vosotros/Vosotras hacéis..You all do/make (Spain)
Ustedes hacen...................You all do/make (most used in Latin America)
Ellos/Ellas/ hacen...............They do / make
Example Sentences:
Yo hago mi tarea todos los días. (I do my homework every day.)
Yo hago ejercicio en la mañana. (I exercise in the morning.)
Other irregular "yo" "-er" verbs:
Saber (to know) →... .Yo sé (I know)
Poner (to put) →....... Yo pongo (I put)
Tener (to have) →......Yo tengo (I have)
3. Completely Irregular Verbs
A completely irregular verb is a verb that does not follow standard conjugation patterns in a given language. In Spanish, these verbs undergo significant changes in their stems and endings, often making them harder to predict. They don’t fit neatly into the regular "-ar," "-er," or "-ir" verb categories.
One example of a completely irregular verb is "ser" (to be), which has highly unpredictable conjugations:
Conjugation of "Ser" in the Present Tense
Conjugation
Yo soy........................I am
Tú eres...................... You are (informal)
Usted es.....................You are (formal)
Él/Ella es.................... He/She is
Nosotros/Nosotras somos........ We are
Vosotros/Vosotras sois............. You all are (Spain)
Ustedes son.......You all are( most used in Latin América)
Ellos/Ellas son.... They are
Unlike regular verbs, "ser" does not follow a consistent pattern, which makes it completely irregular.
Conclusion
While most "-er" verbs follow a standard pattern, irregular verbs require extra attention. Some undergo stem changes, some have irregular "yo" forms, and a few don’t follow any standard rules at all! The key to mastering irregular verbs is practice and repetition.