Mastering Spanish Verbs: Regular, Irregular, and Reflexive
Welcome to your CCEA GCSE Spanish grammar guide! Think of verbs as the engine of every Spanish sentence. Once you master how verbs work, you will be able to talk about your life, express opinions, tell stories, and ace your Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing exams.
Don't worry if verb conjugations feel overwhelming at first. We will break everything down into clear, manageable steps with simple patterns and memory tricks.
1. Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
In Spanish, every verb in its dictionary form is called an infinitive. Spanish infinitives end in one of three patterns:
1. -ar (e.g., hablar - to speak)
2. -er (e.g., comer - to eat)
3. -ir (e.g., vivir - to live)
How Conjugation Works (The 2-Step Recipe)
Step 1: Chop off the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) to find the stem.
For example: hablar \(\rightarrow\) habl- | comer \(\rightarrow\) com- | vivir \(\rightarrow\) viv-
Step 2: Add the new ending that matches the person doing the action (the subject).
The Subject Pronouns and Modes of Address
Before looking at the endings, let's review who is doing the action:
• yo = I
• tú = you (informal/singular - used for friends, family, classmates)
• él / ella = he / she
• usted = you (formal/singular - used for teachers, strangers, elders; takes the 3rd person singular verb form)
• nosotros / nosotras = we
• vosotros / vosotras = you all (informal/plural - used in Spain)
• ellos / ellas = they
• ustedes = you all (formal in Spain, standard plural you in Latin America; takes the 3rd person plural verb form)
Regular Present Tense Endings
-AR Verbs (Model: hablar - to speak)
• yo hablo (I speak)
• tú hablas (you speak)
• él / ella / usted habla (he/she speaks / you [formal] speak)
• nosotros / nosotras hablamos (we speak)
• vosotros / vosotras habláis (you all speak)
• ellos / ellas / ustedes hablan (they / you all speak)
-ER Verbs (Model: comer - to eat)
• yo como (I eat)
• tú comes (you eat)
• él / ella / usted come (he/she eats / you [formal] eat)
• nosotros / nosotras comemos (we eat)
• vosotros / vosotras coméis (you all eat)
• ellos / ellas / ustedes comen (they / you all eat)
-IR Verbs (Model: vivir - to live)
• yo vivo (I live)
• tú vives (you live)
• él / ella / usted vive (he/she lives / you [formal] live)
• nosotros / nosotras vivimos (we live)
• vosotros / vosotras vivís (you all live)
• ellos / ellas / ustedes viven (they / you all live)
Did you notice? Notice that -er and -ir verbs share almost identical endings in the present tense! The only differences are the nosotros form (-emos vs -imos) and the vosotros form (-éis vs -ís).
Key Takeaway for Regular Verbs: Every single regular verb follows these exact endings. Identify your subject, take off the last two letters of the infinitive, and attach the correct ending.
2. Irregular and Radical-Changing (Stem-Changing) Verbs
Some verbs do not follow the standard pattern. These are split into essential irregulars, "yo-go" verbs, and stem-changing verbs.
High-Frequency Irregular Verbs
These are the most common verbs in the Spanish language. Because they appear in nearly every CCEA exam paper, you should memorise them thoroughly:
ser (to be - permanent characteristics, identity, origin):
soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son
estar (to be - location, feelings, temporary states):
estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están
ir (to go):
voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van
tener (to have):
tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen
hacer (to do / make):
hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen
poder (to be able to / can):
puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden
"Yo-go" Verbs
These verbs are regular in all forms except the first-person singular (yo), which ends in -go:
• hacer \(\rightarrow\) yo hago (I do/make)
• tener \(\rightarrow\) yo tengo (I have)
• poner (to put) \(\rightarrow\) yo pongo (I put)
• salir (to go out/leave) \(\rightarrow\) yo salgo (I go out)
• venir (to come) \(\rightarrow\) yo vengo (I come)
Radical-Changing Verbs (The "Boot" Verbs)
Radical-changing verbs (stem-changing verbs) have a vowel inside their stem that changes whenever the verb is stressed.
The Golden Rule of Boot Verbs: The change happens in the yo, tú, él/ella/usted, and ellos/ellas/ustedes forms. The nosotros and vosotros forms NEVER stem-change (they stay outside the boot!).
1. \(e \rightarrow ie\) Stem Change
Examples: pensar (to think), empezar (to start), querer (to want), preferir (to prefer)
• pensar: pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan
• querer: quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren
2. \(o \rightarrow ue\) Stem Change
Examples: dormir (to sleep), volver (to return), poder (to be able to)
• dormir: duermo, duermes, duerme, dormimos, dormís, duermen
• poder: puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden
3. \(e \rightarrow i\) Stem Change
Examples: pedir (to ask for/order), servir (to serve)
• pedir: pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden
• servir: sirvo, sirves, sirve, servimos, servís, sirven
Key Takeaway for Irregular Verbs: Whenever you conjugate a stem-changing verb, protect nosotros and vosotros from changing! Always keep their original stem vowel intact.
3. Reflexive Verbs (Verbos Reflexivos)
A verb is reflexive when the person performing the action is also receiving the action (doing something to oneself). They are extremely common when discussing daily routine, feelings, and personal relationships.
In their infinitive form, reflexive verbs always end with the pronoun -se attached to the end (e.g., llamarse, lavarse, levantarse, ducharse).
Reflexive Pronouns
When conjugating, you must match the reflexive pronoun to the subject:
• yo \(\rightarrow\) me (myself)
• tú \(\rightarrow\) te (yourself)
• él / ella / usted \(\rightarrow\) se (himself / herself / yourself [formal])
• nosotros / nosotras \(\rightarrow\) nos (ourselves)
• vosotros / vosotras \(\rightarrow\) os (yourselves)
• ellos / ellas / ustedes \(\rightarrow\) se (themselves / yourselves [formal])
Conjugation Model: llamarse (to be called) & levantarse (to get up)
• yo me llamo / me levanto (I am called / I get up)
• tú te llamas / te levantas (you are called / you get up)
• él/ella/usted se llama / se levanta (he/she is called / gets up)
• nosotros nos llamamos / nos levantamos (we are called / we get up)
• vosotros os llamáis / os levantáis (you all are called / get up)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes se llaman / se levantan (they are called / get up)
Stem-Changing Reflexive Verbs
Some reflexive verbs are also stem-changing verbs. You must change both the pronoun and the stem:
• despertarse (\(e \rightarrow ie\) - to wake up):
me despierto, te despiertas, se despierta, nos despertamos, os despertáis, se despiertan
• acostarse (\(o \rightarrow ue\) - to go to bed):
me acuesto, te acuestas, se acuesta, nos acostamos, os acostáis, se acuestan
Where Does the Reflexive Pronoun Go?
Rule 1: Simple Conjugated Verb
In a standard single-verb sentence, place the pronoun immediately in front of the conjugated verb.
Example: Me levanto a las siete. (I get up at seven.)
Example: No se ducha por la noche. (He doesn't shower at night.)
Rule 2: Two-Verb (Infinitive) Structures
When you have a modal verb or near future structure (like voy a, tengo que, debo, quiero) followed by an infinitive, you have two valid choices:
Choice A: Place it in front of the conjugated verb \(\rightarrow\) Me voy a duchar. / Se debe lavar.
Choice B: Attach it directly to the end of the infinitive \(\rightarrow\) Voy a ducharme. / Debe lavarse.
Impersonal and Passive Reflexive Constructions
You will frequently encounter the pronoun se used impersonally to mean "one can", "people do", or "it is done":
• se puede = one can / you can (e.g., Se puede visitar el museo)
• se necesita = one needs / is needed (e.g., Se necesita experiencia)
• se habla = is spoken / one speaks (e.g., Se habla español aquí)
Key Takeaway for Reflexive Verbs: Always include the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se). Never leave it out when discussing daily routines!
4. Common Pitfalls & Top Examiner Tips
CCEA examiners regularly highlight the following common errors in their reports. Keep these in mind when checking your work:
1. Dropping the Reflexive Pronoun
• Incorrect: Levanto a las siete. (This means "I lift at seven o'clock"!)
• Correct: Me levanto a las siete. (I get up at seven o'clock.)
2. Stem-Changing in Nosotros or Vosotros
• Incorrect: Nosotros juegamos / juegamos al fútbol.
• Correct: Nosotros jugamos al fútbol. (Stem changes only happen in the boot forms: yo juego, but nosotros jugamos).
3. Confusing Ser and Estar
• Use ser for identity, personality, physical descriptions, and origin (e.g., Soy de Belfast; Mi hermano es alto).
• Use estar for temporary feelings, health, and location (e.g., Estoy cansado; Mi casa está en el centro).
4. Splitting Two-Verb Constructions
• Incorrect: Voy me a lavar. (Never put a pronoun in the middle of a verb phrase!).
• Correct: Me voy a lavar. OR Voy a lavarme.
5. Forgetting Written Accents
• A missing accent can change the meaning of a word completely. For example, está (he/she is) requires an accent to distinguish it from esta (this [feminine]).
• Remember your accents on vosotros verb endings: -áis (habláis), -éis (coméis), -ís (vivís).
Quick Review Checklist
Before handing in your writing exam or completing a translation, ask yourself:
✓ Have I removed the -ar / -er / -ir ending and added the correct ending for the subject?
✓ Did I check if the verb is irregular (like ser, estar, ir, tener, hacer, poder)?
✓ If it's a boot verb, did I avoid changing the stem in the nosotros and vosotros forms?
✓ Have I included the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) for daily routine verbs?
✓ Are all necessary written accents in place?