Verbos irregulares: lista completa

Spanish has a regular conjugation system layered over a small but extremely frequent core of irregular verbs. The bad news is that almost every verb you use in the first month of learning is irregular. The good news is that the irregularities are not random — they fall into a handful of patterns, and once you can name the pattern, you can predict the rest of the paradigm. This page is a lookup reference: every major irregular verb, grouped by the type of irregularity, with a one-line note about what it does. Use it to spot patterns when you encounter a new verb, and to confirm that the form you are about to produce is correct.

Family 1 — Stem-changing verbs (cambio vocálico)

These verbs change their stem vowel in stressed syllables — the present indicative yo, tú, él, ellos and the corresponding subjunctive forms, plus the tú affirmative imperative. Nosotros and vosotros keep the original vowel (the e→i class is the exception — see below).

e → ie

o → ue

e → i (only -ir verbs)

These verbs also change e → i in the third-person preterite (pidió, pidieron) and throughout the imperfect subjunctive (pidiera, pidiese).

Family 2 — Yo-go verbs

A cluster of high-frequency verbs add a -g- in the first-person singular of the present indicative. Many of them combine yo-go with another irregularity.

Family 3 — First-person spelling-change verbs

These are technically regular but the yo form changes spelling to preserve the consonant's sound. Once you see the pattern, you can predict them.

The c → zc family is huge: conocer, parecer, agradecer, ofrecer, pertenecer, traducir, conducir, producir, reducir, introducir, deducir. All of them have yo conozco, yo parezco, yo traduzco.

Family 4 — J-stem preterite (pretérito fuerte)

A closed set of verbs have a stress-shifting, irregular preterite stem ending in -j- or -uv- / -ic- / -up- and a unique set of endings (-e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron; -eron without i for -j- stems).

Family 5 — Future and conditional stem-changers

These verbs share a single irregular stem in both the future and the conditional. Memorize the stem once, and you get twelve forms.

Family 6 — Irregular past participles

Most verbs form their participle in -ado or -ido. A short list breaks the rule.

Derivatives inherit the form: describir → descrito, descubrir → descubierto, devolver → devuelto, deshacer → deshecho, suponer → supuesto, proponer → propuesto.

Family 7 — Fully irregular verbs

A small group resists classification — they are irregular in ways that affect multiple paradigms. You simply have to learn each one as a unit.

Less-common irregulars worth knowing

These are not in the top 30, but you will meet them often enough that they deserve a place on your shelf.

How to use this page

When you meet a new verb, identify its family first. Ask: does it stem-change? Does it have a yo-go? Does it look like conocer or coger? Does it have a j-stem preterite? An irregular participle? Most verbs sit in one family; some sit in two or three (e.g. tener is yo-go, e → ie, j-stem preterite, future stem-changer). Once you can name the families involved, you can predict every form without looking it up.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Spanish irregularity is rule-governed: most irregular verbs belong to one of six identifiable families.
• The same verb often participates in several families at once — tener is yo-go, e → ie, j-stem preterite, future-stem changer all at once.
• Yo-go verbs (tengo, vengo, pongo, salgo, hago, digo, oigo, traigo, caigo, valgo) are the most frequent class and the most useful to learn first.
• The c → zc family (conozco, parezco, traduzco) is huge — one rule covers dozens of verbs.
• The fully irregular core (ser, ir, haber, estar, tener, hacer, decir, poder, querer, venir, ver, dar, saber) makes up about 20% of all spoken Spanish — front-loading these pays off enormously.