Spanish II: The Really Irregular Verbs

The Really Irregular Verbs

Some verbs are so irregular that the infinitive of the verb looks nothing like its conjugated forms. One of the most irregular verbs in Spanish— ir, which means “to go” (see Table 1 )—is also the most common, so you see the conjugated forms of this verb often. Notice that the entire verb looks like the - ir infinitive ending. However, it is conjugated nothing at all like a normal - ir verb. Be aware that each conjugation in the chart below is the entire form of the verb that should be used with each pronoun.

TABLE 1

Present Tense Conjugation Chart for the Verb Ir (to Go)

Subject	Verb	Subject	Verb
yo	voy	nosotros/nosotras	vamos
tú	vas	vosotros/vosotras	vais
él	va	ellos	van
ella	va	ellas	van
usted	va	ustedes	van

Once you get used to thinking that voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, and van all mean “go” or “goes,” it is hard to remember that the infinitive is ir.

The verb ser means “to be.” Remember that although Table 2 is full of little words, they are not endings; rather, they are the entire conjugated verb form.

TABLE 2

Present Tense Conjugation Chart for the Verb Ser (to Be)

Subject	Verb	Subject	Verb
yo	soy	nosotros/nosotras	somos
tú	eres	vosotros/vosotras	sois
él	es	ellos	son
ella	es	ellas	son
usted	es	ustedes	son