Spelling: -car, -gar, -zar

Verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar deserve special attention even though they are completely regular in the present indicative. The reason: they change spelling in certain other tenses, and understanding why helps you recognize the pattern when it appears.

In the present indicative: no change

In the present indicative, nothing unusual happens. A verb like buscar conjugates exactly like any other regular -ar verb.

SubjectConjugation
yobusco
túbuscas
él / ella / ustedbusca
nosotros / nosotrasbuscamos
ellos / ellas / ustedesbuscan

Yo busco mis llaves todas las mañanas.

I look for my keys every morning.

Ella llega tarde a clase.

She arrives late to class.

Nosotros empezamos a las ocho.

We begin at eight.

Why we mention them here

If every ending in the present indicative has a vowel that matches the natural sound of -c-, -g-, or -z-, no adjustment is needed. It's only when you reach tenses with different vowels — the preterite and the subjunctive — that Spanish spelling needs to step in and protect the original sound.

💡
The core principle: Spanish spelling preserves the sound of the stem, even when endings change. If an ending would turn a hard c into a soft c (or vice versa), the spelling adjusts to prevent that.

A preview of the changes

You don't need to memorize these rules yet, but it helps to know they're coming:

EndingChange before e/éExample
-carc → qubuscar → busqué (pret. yo)
-garg → gullegar → llegué (pret. yo)
-zarz → cempezar → empecé (pret. yo)

The reason: c is hard before a/o/u but soft before e/i. G is hard before a/o/u but soft before e/i. Z does not normally appear before e/i in Spanish spelling at all, so it switches to c. These adjustments only happen in the preterite yo form and throughout the present subjunctive.

Common -car, -gar, -zar verbs

InfinitiveMeaningGroup
buscarto look for-car
tocarto touch, to play an instrument-car
sacarto take out-car
llegarto arrive-gar
pagarto pay-gar
jugarto play (stem-changing)-gar
empezarto begin (stem-changing)-zar
almorzarto have lunch (stem-changing)-zar

Yo toco la guitarra los fines de semana.

I play guitar on weekends.

Ellos pagan la cuenta en efectivo.

They pay the bill in cash.

💡
In the present indicative, you don't need to do anything special with these verbs. Just conjugate them like any regular -ar verb. The spelling changes belong to other tenses, and we'll meet them when we get there.

Common mistakes

❌ Yo busquo mis llaves.

Wrong: applying the preterite spelling change (c → qu) to the present tense.

✅ Yo busco mis llaves.

Correct: in the present tense, -car verbs are fully regular.

❌ Yo lleguo tarde.

Wrong: adding the -gu- spelling change in the present tense.

✅ Yo llego tarde.

Correct: -gar verbs are regular in the present; the gu change is for the preterite.

❌ Yo empeco a las ocho.

Wrong: applying the z → c change in the present tense.

✅ Yo empiezo a las ocho.

Correct: empezar has a stem change (e → ie) in the present, but the z stays.

❌ Yo saqué una foto ayer. / Yo saco una foto ayer.

Wrong: mixing present and preterite. Use the right tense for the time.

✅ Yo saco fotos todos los días. / Yo saqué una foto ayer.

Correct: saco for present, saqué (c → qu) for preterite.

Related Topics