Lesson 16: Common Irregular Verbs - Part 1

¡Atención! (Attention!)

Welcome to Lesson 16! You've mastered all three types of regular verbs (-AR, -ER, -IR). Now it's time to learn about irregular verbs - verbs that don't follow the regular patterns you've learned.

The challenge? These verbs change in unpredictable ways. The good news? The most commonly used verbs in Spanish are irregular, so once you learn them, you'll use them CONSTANTLY! In this lesson, we'll focus on four essential irregular verbs: IR, TENER, HACER, and VENIR.

Part 1: What Makes a Verb Irregular?

Regular verbs follow predictable patterns:
- Remove -AR/-ER/-IR
- Add standard endings

Irregular verbs break the rules:
- Some forms change completely (yo voy from ir)
- Some have stem changes (yo tengo from tener)
- Some change in multiple ways

💡 Teacher's Tip: The most common verbs tend to be irregular - in Spanish AND English! Think: "I am" (not "I be"), "I go" (not "I goe")

Part 2: IR (to go) - Completely Irregular

IR is one of the most important verbs in Spanish, and it's COMPLETELY irregular!

Complete Conjugation of IR

Notice: NONE of these forms look like "ir"! This is completely irregular.

Part 3: Using IR - Essential Patterns

Pattern 1: IR + A + Place (to go TO somewhere)

• Yo voy a la escuela. (I go to school.)
• Tú vas al trabajo. (You go to work.)
• Nosotros vamos a casa. (We go home.)

Remember: a + el = al

Pattern 2: IR + A + Infinitive (GOING TO do something - Future)

This is like English "going to":
- Yo voy a estudiar. (I'm going to study.)
- Tú vas a comer. (You're going to eat.)
- Ella va a trabajar. (She's going to work.)

💡 Teacher's Tip: IR + A + INFINITIVE is the easiest way to talk about the future in Spanish!

Part 4: TENER (to have) - Irregular YO Form

TENER means "to have" (possession), and it has an irregular yo form plus stem changes.

Complete Conjugation of TENER

Notice the changes:
- yo: tengo (irregular -go ending)
- tú, él, ellos: ten → tien (e→ie stem change)
- nosotros: regular ending

Part 5: Using TENER - Essential Expressions

Pattern 1: TENER + Noun (Possession)

• Yo tengo un carro. (I have a car.)
• Tú tienes una casa. (You have a house.)
• Ellos tienen dos perros. (They have two dogs.)

Pattern 2: TENER + Age

• Yo tengo 25 años. (I am 25 years old.)
• ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)
• Mi hermana tiene 18 años. (My sister is 18 years old.)

Pattern 3: TENER Expressions (NOT literal!)

Spanish uses TENER where English uses "to be":

Examples:
- Yo tengo hambre. (I'm hungry.)
- Tú tienes sed. (You're thirsty.)
- Nosotros tenemos frío. (We're cold.)

💡 Teacher's Tip: Don't say "Soy hambre" (I am hunger)! Always use TENER for these expressions!

Part 6: HACER (to do/make) - Irregular YO Form

HACER means both "to do" and "to make," and has an irregular yo form.

Complete Conjugation of HACER

Notice the changes:
- yo: hago (irregular -go ending, c→g change)
- Others: regular -ER endings

Part 7: Using HACER - Essential Patterns

Pattern 1: HACER = To Do

• ¿Qué haces? (What do you do? / What are you doing?)
• Yo hago mi tarea. (I do my homework.)
• Nosotros hacemos ejercicio. (We do exercise.)

Pattern 2: HACER = To Make

• Yo hago la comida. (I make the food.)
• Tú haces el desayuno. (You make breakfast.)
• Ella hace un pastel. (She makes a cake.)

Pattern 3: HACER with Weather

HACER is used for weather expressions:
- Hace calor. (It's hot.)
- Hace frío. (It's cold.)
- Hace sol. (It's sunny.)
- Hace viento. (It's windy.)
- Hace buen tiempo. (The weather is good.)
- Hace mal tiempo. (The weather is bad.)

Notice: Use the él/ella form (hace) for weather!

Part 8: VENIR (to come) - Irregular YO Form + Stem Change

VENIR means "to come" and has both an irregular yo form AND stem changes.

Complete Conjugation of VENIR

Notice the changes:
- yo: vengo (irregular -go ending)
- tú, él, ellos: ven → vien (e→ie stem change)
- nosotros: regular -IR ending

Part 9: Using VENIR - Essential Patterns

Pattern 1: VENIR + A + Place (to come TO somewhere)

• Yo vengo a la escuela. (I come to school.)
• Tú vienes a mi casa. (You come to my house.)
• Ellos vienen al restaurante. (They come to the restaurant.)

Pattern 2: VENIR + DE + Place (to come FROM somewhere)

• Yo vengo de California. (I come from California.)
• ¿De dónde vienes? (Where do you come from?)
• Nosotros venimos del trabajo. (We come from work.)

Note: DE + EL = DEL

Part 10: Comparing IR vs VENIR

These verbs are opposites:

Think about direction:
- IR = movement AWAY from you
- VENIR = movement TOWARD you

Part 11: The -GO Verbs Pattern

Notice that three of today's verbs have -GO in the yo form:

Other common verbs with this pattern (future lessons):
- poner → pongo (to put)
- salir → salgo (to leave)
- traer → traigo (to bring)

💡 Teacher's Tip: Memorize these -GO verbs as a group! They all follow this pattern.

Part 12: Complete Conversations

Conversation 1: Making Plans

A: ¿Adónde vas? (Where are you going?)
B: Voy al parque. ¿Vienes conmigo? (I'm going to the park. Do you come with me?)
A: Sí, voy contigo. (Yes, I'm going with you.)

Conversation 2: Describing Yourself

A: ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)
B: Tengo 22 años. (I'm 22 years old.)
A: ¿Qué haces? (What do you do?)
B: Hago mi tarea todos los días. (I do my homework every day.)

Conversation 3: Daily Routine

A: ¿De dónde vienes? (Where are you coming from?)
B: Vengo del trabajo. Tengo hambre. (I come from work. I'm hungry.)
A: ¿Vas a comer ahora? (Are you going to eat now?)
B: Sí, voy a hacer la comida. (Yes, I'm going to make food.)

Part 13: Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake #1: Using Regular Endings on Irregular Verbs

• ❌ WRONG: Yo vao (trying to make IR regular)
• ✅ CORRECT: Yo voy

❌ Mistake #2: Confusing TENER vs SER for Age

• ❌ WRONG: Yo soy 25 años.
• ✅ CORRECT: Yo tengo 25 años.

❌ Mistake #3: Using SER for TENER Expressions

• ❌ WRONG: Yo soy hambre. (I am hunger)
• ✅ CORRECT: Yo tengo hambre. (I'm hungry)

❌ Mistake #4: Forgetting Stem Changes

• ❌ WRONG: Tú tenes un carro. (missing stem change)
• ✅ CORRECT: Tú tienes un carro.

❌ Mistake #5: Wrong Weather Expression

• ❌ WRONG: Está calor. (using ESTAR)
• ✅ CORRECT: Hace calor. (using HACER)

Vocabulary Summary: Four Key Irregular Verbs

IR (to go) - Completely Irregular

TENER (to have) - YO: -go, Others: e→ie

HACER (to do/make) - YO: -go

VENIR (to come) - YO: -go, Others: e→ie

Key Takeaways

✅ Irregular verbs don't follow regular patterns
✅ IR is completely irregular: voy, vas, va, vamos, van
✅ TENER, HACER, VENIR have -GO in yo form: tengo, hago, vengo
✅ TENER and VENIR have e→ie stem changes: tienes, viene
✅ IR + A + infinitive = going to (future)
✅ TENER + años = age (NOT ser!)
✅ TENER expressions: hambre, sed, frío, calor, sueño, miedo
✅ HACER + weather: hace calor, hace frío, hace sol
✅ Direction matters: IR (away) vs VENIR (toward)

Practice Tips for Success

1. Memorize the -GO verbs: tengo, hago, vengo
2. Practice IR + A + infinitive: Voy a estudiar, Vas a comer
3. Use TENER expressions: Tengo hambre, Tengo sed, Tengo frío
4. Ask about age: ¿Cuántos años tienes?
5. Practice weather: Hace calor, Hace frío, Hace sol
6. Drill IR conjugation: voy, vas, va, vamos, van
7. Distinguish IR vs VENIR: Where are you going? / Where are you coming from?

Ready to Practice!

You've just learned four of the most essential irregular verbs in Spanish! These verbs are used constantly in everyday conversation. Master these, and you'll sound much more natural and fluent.

The 50 exercises ahead will help you master:
- Conjugating IR, TENER, HACER, VENIR correctly
- Using IR + A + infinitive for future
- TENER expressions (hambre, sed, frío, calor)
- Age with TENER
- Weather with HACER
- Direction with IR vs VENIR
- The -GO verb pattern

¡Fantástico! (Fantastic!) Irregular verbs are challenging, but you're doing great! 💪