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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| merecer | to deserve | irregular yo | to deserve | ||
| morir | to die | stem change o > ue in present | La planta murió por falta de agua. | The plant died from lack of water. | |
| nosotros | stem + imos | irregular | tuvimos (we had) | tuvimos (we had) | |
| o → ue | “o” turns into “ue” | irregular | ¿Puedes ayudarme? (Can you help me?) | ¿Puedes ayudarme? (Can you help me?) | |
| obedecer | to obey | irregular yo | to obey | ||
| ofrecer | to offer | irregular | ¿Ofreces algo? | Ofrecemos café. | |
| oír | to hear | spelling change in yo form | Oigo música. | I hear music. | |
| oír | to hear | irregular | Oigo música. | I hear music. | |
| parecer | to seem | irregular | Pareces feliz. | Parecemos listos. | |
| pedir | to ask for | e > i | Pido agua, por favor. | I ask for water, please. | |
| pedir | to ask for | e -> pido | Pido agua, por favor. | I ask for water, please. | |
| pensar | to think | e > ie | Pienso en mi familia. | I think about my family. | |
| pensar | to think | e -> pienso | Pienso en mi familia. | I think about my family. | |
| perder | to lose | Stem change e > ie in present tense | Pierdo las llaves a veces. | I lose my keys sometimes. | |
| poder | can, to be able to | o to ue stem change | No puedo salir hoy. | I can't go out today. | |
| poder | to be able to; can | o -> ue in some forms | No puedo salir hoy. | I cannot go out today. | |
| poder (pude) | to be able to | irregular | ¿Pudiste llamar? | Pudieron pagar. | |
| poner | to put, to place | irregular yo form | Pongo el libro en la mesa. | I put the book on the table. | |
| poner | to put; to place | irregular yo form | Pongo el libro aquí. | I put the book here. | |
| poner (puse) | to put | irregular | ¿Pusiste la alarma? | Pusieron música. | |
| preferir | to prefer | Stem change e > ie; spelling change in yo form | Prefiero té por la mañana. | I prefer tea in the morning. | |
| producir | to produce | irregular yo | to produce | ||
| querer | to want, to love | e to ie stem change | Quiero un café. | I want a coffee. | |
| querer | to want; to love | e -> ie in some forms | Quiero un café. | I want a coffee. | |
| querer (quise) | to want / try | irregular | ¿Quisiste venir? | Quisieron salir. |
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.
