Thematic Vocabulary
Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense
When you learn Spanish, there are a few instances where they have two specific verbs that are translated to the same English verb and are not interchangeable. It is important to learn the situations where each verb is appropriate because in some cases the meaning of the sentence is altered if you use the wrong verb.
Ser or estar
Both the verb ser and the verb estar mean “to be” but each indicates a specific type of “being.” Ser is used to describe more permanent states of being and estar is generally used for more temporary states, but there are some exceptions. Acronyms are memory devices where each letter represents a rule. To help you learn the situations in which each of the two verbs is appropriate, use the acronyms explained below.
You learn in Table
1 how to conjugate the verb
ser in the present tense. Use Table
2 to help you remember the reasons for using the verb
ser. The first letters of each reason spell out the acronym “c-note.” Read each example and look for the form of
ser in each sentence to see how it is used.
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Think of the E as representing E vent location because this is an exception to the rule that estar is used for locations.
Generally the verb
estar indicates a temporary state of being, but when you see the specific reasons for using
estar, you will notice that the location of a building or geographical feature is indicated with
estar, and this is not exactly temporary. Table
3 presents all the conjugated forms of
estar. Consider the examples in Table
4 to see how the verb is used in sentences.
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Saber or conocer
Conocer and saber are two verbs that can be translated to the English verb “to know.” Conocer is the verb to use when you could just as correctly say “to be acquainted with.” It is most often used with people, but can also refer to familiarity with a place. Use the verb conocer any time you want to say you know a person, or know your way around a place. Whenever conocer is followed by a person or a word that refers to a person, the verb will be followed by the preposition “a.”
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Yo conozco a Manuel.
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I know (am acquainted with) Manuel.
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Conoces bien la ciudad de Guatemala.
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You are well acquainted with Guatemala City.
Saber is used to indicate knowledge of a fact or knowledge of how to do something. It will often be followed by an infinitive. When used with an infinitive, it should be thought of as “to know how” because the word “how” is not used in these situations in Spanish. When saber is used in the preterit tense, it means “found out” because it refers to the first moment something was known.
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Sabes construir una casa muy bien.
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You know how to build a house very well.
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Yo sé la dirección.
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I know the address.
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No vamos a la piscina porque no sabemos nadar.
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We don't go to the pool because we don't know how to swim.
Sacar, tomar, llevar
Llevar, tomar, and sacar all can be translated as “to take,” but each verb has a specific purpose and you must know when each one is appropriate.
The Spanish differentiate verbs according to what is being taken. Llevar means to transport something or someone from one place to another. It is not used to refer to taking a means of transportation, but rather the action of taking an object somewhere that it is not currently located. If a person is being taken somewhere, llevar is followed by the preposition “a.”
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Marla lleva a su sobrina a la playa.
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Marla takes her niece to the beach.
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Juan y Andrés llevan el radio a la fiesta.
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John and Andrew take the radio to the party.
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Llevas a un amigo a la fiesta.
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You are taking a friend to the party.
Tomar is used when taking a means of transportation, or when taking something by mouth, such as medicine or a bite of food or a drink.
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El nunca toma un taxi.
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He never takes a taxi.
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Es importante tomar vitaminas.
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It's important to take vitamins.
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Toman muchas bebidas frías durante el verano
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They take “in” many cold drinks during the summer.
Sacar is most often translated as “to take out,” so you use it to say things like “take out the garbage” or “take out your homework.” Remember that there is no need to use the preposition “out” after sacar, even though in most of the cases where this verb is used in English it is followed by “out.” Sacar is also used when “taking a photograph,” even though the English expression does not include the preposition “out.”
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Yo saco muchas fotos durante mis vacaciones.
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I take many photographs during my vacations.
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Ustedes necesitan sacar la tarea.
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You all need to take out the homework.
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Los niños sacan la basura el viernes.
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The children take out the garbage on Friday.
The English verb “to take” is often followed by a preposition that completely changes the overall meaning. The same expressions in Spanish usually do not require a preposition, but rather a completely different verb. A good way to test the quality of your Spanish/English dictionary is to look up the verb “to take” on the English side and see if the entry specifies the different Spanish verbs that mean: to take on, to take over, to take off, to take up, etc.
