Spanish irregular verbs don’t play by the tidy -ar, -er, -ir rules you learned on day one. They twist and turn, change stems, and sometimes reshape themselves completely. If you’ve ever frozen mid‑sentence searching for the right form of tener or hacer, this list is your lifeline.
We’ve rounded up around 117 of the most common irregulars you’ll actually hear and use – the ones that show up in everyday chats, not the obscure relics from a grammar appendix. Every verb comes with a straightforward meaning and a natural example sentence, so you can see exactly how it behaves in real Spanish, not just a lifeless translation.
Ready to wrangle those sneaky verb changes with a smile? Scroll to the bottom of this article to grab the free printable Spanish irregular verbs vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable Spanish irregular verbs flashcards.
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| Infinitive | Meaning | Stem Change | Example | Translation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abrir | to open | Irregular past participle: abierto | Abro la ventana por la mañana. | I open the window in the morning. | |
| abrir | to open | -ir verb; irregular in some forms | Abro la ventana por la mañana. | I open the window in the morning. | |
| andar | to walk, to go around | Irregular in the preterite: anduve, anduviste, anduvo | Anduve por el parque ayer. | I walked around the park yesterday. | |
| andar | to walk, to go around | irregular in preterite: anduve | Yo ando al parque todos los días. | I walk to the park every day. | |
| caber | to fit | Irregular in the present: quepo; irregular preterite: cupe | No caben más libros en la caja. | No more books fit in the box. | |
| caber | to fit | irregular in present: quepo | No caben más libros en la caja. | No more books fit in the box. | |
| caer | to fall | -go in yo form | Caigo en la calle. | I fall in the street. | |
| caer | to fall | irregular | La taza cae al suelo. | The cup falls to the floor. | |
| cerrar | to close | Stem change e > ie in present tense | Cierro la puerta con cuidado. | I close the door carefully. | |
| cerrar | to close | -ar verb; stem changes in some forms | Cierro la puerta antes de salir. | I close the door before leaving. | |
| conducir | to drive | -zco in yo form | Conduzco por la ciudad. | I drive in the city. | |
| conducir | to drive | -zco in yo form | Conduzco despacio. | I drive slowly. | |
| conocer | to know, to be familiar with | Irregular yo form: conozco | Conozco a tu hermana. | I know your sister. | |
| conocer | to know, to meet | irregular yo form: conozco | Conozco a tu hermana. | I know your sister. | |
| conseguir | to achieve | e→i | to achieve | ||
| costar | to cost | Stem change o > ue in present tense | Este libro cuesta diez euros. | This book costs ten euros. | |
| costar | to cost | o > ue stem change | Este libro cuesta diez euros. | This book costs ten euros. | |
| crecer | to grow | irregular yo | to grow | ||
| dar | to give | irregular yo form | Te doy mi número. | I give you my number. | |
| dar | to give | irregular yo form | Te doy mi número. | I give you my number. | |
| darme cuenta | to realize | reflexive phrase; irregular yo form in dar: doy | Me doy cuenta de que es tarde. | I realize that it is late. | |
| decir | to say, to tell | e to i stem change | Le digo la verdad. | I tell him the truth. | |
| decir | to say; to tell | e -> i in some forms | Le digo la verdad. | I tell him the truth. | |
| decir (dije) | to say / tell | irregular | ¿Dijiste eso? | Dijeron la verdad. | |
| despertar | to wake up | stem change e > ie | Me despierto a las siete. | I wake up at seven. |
Free Spanish Irregular Verbs Vocabulary List and Flashcard PDFs to Download
Use the purple vocab-list button to download the Spanish irregular verbs vocabulary list, and the teal flashcards button to get the Spanish irregular verbs flashcards. Both downloads are 100% free and require no signup.
