Irregular Verbs: Ser, Estar, Ir, Tener, Hacer

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Regular verbs follow predictable patterns. Irregular verbs do not -- and the five most-used verbs in Spanish are all irregular. The bad news: you cannot apply the -AR/-ER/-IR formulas here. The good news: because these verbs appear in almost every conversation, you will hear them so often that they will burn into your memory naturally. This lesson gives you the full conjugation tables and drills to accelerate that process.

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What You Will Learn

Language Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Conjugate ser (to be -- permanent/identity) for all persons
Conjugate estar (to be -- temporary/location) for all persons
Conjugate ir (to go), tener (to have), and hacer (to do/make) for all persons
Distinguish ser vs. estar -- the most critical grammar distinction in Spanish
Use these five verbs in Colombian daily life sentences

Part 1: Ser -- To Be (Identity, Origin, Characteristics)

Ser expresses permanent or inherent qualities: who you are, where you are from, what something is.

Pronoun	Form	Example
yo	soy	Soy estudiante
tu	eres	¿Tu eres colombiano?
el / ella / usted	es	Ella es profesora
nosotros	somos	Somos amigos
ellos / ellas / ustedes	son	Ustedes son muy amables

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When do you use SER?

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Use ser for: identity (Soy Maria), origin (Soy de Bogota), profession (Es doctora), characteristics (Es alto), material (Es de madera), time (Son las tres), relationships (Somos amigos). Think: permanent, inherent, defining qualities.

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Knowledge Check

'Nosotros ___ de Colombia.' (ser)

Knowledge Check

'Usted ___ muy amable.' (ser)

Knowledge Check

'Yo ___ profesor de espanol.' (ser)

Part 2: Estar -- To Be (Location, Temporary States, Feelings)

Estar expresses location, temporary conditions, and emotional states.

Pronoun	Form	Example
yo	estoy	Estoy en Bogota
tu	estas	¿Tu estas cansado?
el / ella / usted	esta	Ella esta contenta
nosotros	estamos	Estamos en la oficina
ellos / ellas / ustedes	estan	Estan ocupados

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When do you use ESTAR?

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Use estar for: location (Estoy en casa), temporary states (Esta cansada), emotions (Estamos contentos), weather feel (Esta frio), progressive tense (Estoy hablando). Think: temporary, changeable, right now.

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The ser vs. estar trap that catches every English speaker

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'El es aburrido' = He is a boring person (ser = inherent trait). 'El esta aburrido' = He is bored right now (estar = temporary state). Same adjective, different verb, completely different meaning. This is the most important distinction in Spanish grammar.

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Knowledge Check

'Yo ___ en Medellin esta semana.' (estar)

Knowledge Check

'Ellos ___ cansados despues del viaje.' (estar)

Quick Check-in

Part 3: Ir -- To Go

Ir is completely irregular -- none of its forms resemble the infinitive.

Pronoun	Form	Example
yo	voy	Voy al trabajo
tu	vas	¿Tu vas al parque?
el / ella / usted	va	Usted va a la tienda
nosotros	vamos	Vamos a bailar
ellos / ellas / ustedes	van	Ellos van a Cartagena

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The 'ir a + infinitive' future trick

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'Ir a' + any infinitive = near future. 'Voy a comer' = I am going to eat. 'Vamos a estudiar' = We are going to study. This construction lets you talk about future plans using only present tense ir. Colombians use this constantly.

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Knowledge Check

'Nosotros ___ a comer arepas.' (ir)

Knowledge Check

'¿Usted ___ al centro hoy?' (ir)

Part 4: Tener -- To Have & Hacer -- To Do/Make

Tener (to have)

Pronoun	Form	Example
yo	tengo	Tengo hambre
tu	tienes	¿Tienes tiempo?
el / ella / usted	tiene	Ella tiene dos hijos
nosotros	tenemos	Tenemos una reserva
ellos / ellas / ustedes	tienen	Tienen razon

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Tener expressions that do NOT use 'have' in English

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Spanish uses 'tener' where English uses 'to be': tengo hambre (I am hungry), tengo sed (I am thirsty), tengo frio (I am cold), tengo calor (I am hot), tengo sueno (I am sleepy), tengo miedo (I am scared), tengo razon (I am right). These are critical Colombian daily expressions.

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Hacer (to do / to make)

Pronoun	Form	Example
yo	hago	Hago ejercicio
tu	haces	¿Que haces?
el / ella / usted	hace	Usted hace un buen trabajo
nosotros	hacemos	Hacemos la tarea
ellos / ellas / ustedes	hacen	Hacen mucho ruido

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Why is the yo form of hacer 'hago' and not 'haco'?

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Many irregular verbs have a special yo form that differs from the pattern. Hacer → hago, tener → tengo, salir → salgo, venir → vengo. The other forms follow a more predictable pattern. This 'yo-go' irregularity is one of the most common patterns in Spanish.

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Knowledge Check

'Yo ___ tres hermanos.' (tener)

Knowledge Check

'¿Que ___ usted los fines de semana?' (hacer)

Knowledge Check

'Nosotros ___ ejercicio en el parque.' (hacer)

Knowledge Check

'Ellos ___ mucho dinero.' (tener)

Part 5: Putting It All Together

A Typical Colombian Introduction

You: Hola, buenos dias. Soy estudiante de espanol. Estoy en Bogota por tres meses. Tengo muchas ganas de aprender. Colombian: ¡Que bien! ¿De donde es usted? You: Soy de Estados Unidos. Voy a estudiar en una universidad aqui. Colombian: ¡Excelente! Bogota es una ciudad increible. ¿Usted ya hace ejercicio aqui?

Six different irregular verbs in one natural conversation. This is why these five verbs matter -- they appear everywhere.

Planning Weekend Activities

Andrea: ¿Que vamos a hacer este fin de semana? Carlos: Yo tengo que trabajar el sabado, pero el domingo estoy libre. Andrea: Perfecto. Mi hermana va a venir tambien. Ella es super divertida. Carlos: ¡Vamos a pasarla bien!

Notice ir a + infinitive for future plans, and the ser vs. estar distinction (es = personality trait, estoy = temporary state).

At a Restaurant in Bogota

Waiter: Buenas tardes. ¿Ustedes ya tienen su pedido? You: Si. Yo voy a pedir la bandeja paisa. ¿Usted tiene jugo de lulo? Waiter: Claro. El jugo de lulo aqui es el mejor de Chapinero. Lo hacemos fresco todos los dias.

Tener, ir, ser, and hacer all in a restaurant conversation. This is real Colombian Spanish.

Reflection

Key Takeaways

Ser (soy, eres, es, somos, son) = identity, origin, profession, characteristics
Estar (estoy, estas, esta, estamos, estan) = location, temporary states, emotions
Ir (voy, vas, va, vamos, van) = movement; ir a + infinitive = near future
Tener (tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen) = possession; also hunger, thirst, age, etc.
Hacer (hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacen) = do/make
Ser vs. estar is the most important grammar distinction in Spanish

Summary Checklist

Before moving on, make sure you can:

Conjugate all five irregular verbs from memory
Choose correctly between ser and estar in at least 5 different situations
Use "ir a + infinitive" to talk about future plans
Use at least 3 tener expressions (hambre, sed, frio, etc.)

This Week's Practice

Daily Practice Tasks

Day 1-2: Write out all five conjugation tables from memory. Check against this lesson. Repeat until perfect.
Day 3-4: Write 10 sentences about yourself using all five verbs: "Soy de..., Estoy en..., Voy a..., Tengo..., Hago..."
Day 5-7: Practice the ser vs. estar distinction: write 5 pairs of sentences showing the difference (e.g., "Es aburrido" vs. "Esta aburrido").

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Irregular Verbs: Ser, Estar, Ir, Tener, Hacer

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What You Will Learn

Part 1: Ser -- To Be (Identity, Origin, Characteristics)

Part 2: Estar -- To Be (Location, Temporary States, Feelings)

Part 3: Ir -- To Go

Part 4: Tener -- To Have & Hacer -- To Do/Make

Tener (to have)

Hacer (to do / to make)

Part 5: Putting It All Together

Key Takeaways

Summary Checklist

This Week's Practice

•••Home

•••Your Learning Path

•••Your Support

•••Bogotá

•••Resources

Spanish Assistant

Irregular Verbs: Ser, Estar, Ir, Tener, Hacer

Loading Quiz...

Lesson discussion

Leave a comment

What You Will Learn

Part 1: Ser -- To Be (Identity, Origin, Characteristics)

Part 2: Estar -- To Be (Location, Temporary States, Feelings)

Part 3: Ir -- To Go

Part 4: Tener -- To Have & Hacer -- To Do/Make

Tener (to have)

Hacer (to do / to make)

Part 5: Putting It All Together

Key Takeaways

Summary Checklist

This Week's Practice

Home

Your Learning Path

Your Support

Bogotá

Resources