Irregular AR Verbs

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Stem Changing AR Verbs (E → IE)

When conjugating some AR verbs in the present tense, the 'e' in the infinitive becomes 'ie'. This does NOT happen in the 'vosotros' and 'nosotros' forms.

Cerrar - to close

Cierro - I close.
Cierras - you close.
Cierra - he/she closes.
Cerramos - we close.
Cerráis - you close.
Cierran - they close.

Comenzar - to start

Comienzo - I start.
Comienzas - you start.
Comienza - he/she starts.
Comenzamos - we start.
Comenzáis - you start.
Comienzan - they start.

Empezar - to begin

Empiezo - I begin.
Empiezas - you begin.
Empieza - he/she begins.
Empezamos - we begin.
Empezáis - you begin.
Empiezan - they begin.

Pensar - to think

Pienso - I think.
Piensas - you think.
Piensa - he/she thinks.
Pensamos - we think.
Pensáis - you think.
Piensan - they think.

Nevar - to snow, Helar - to freeze

Nieva - It snows.
- This verb is only used in the 3rd person singular form.
Hiela - It freezes.
- This verb is only used in the 3rd person singular form.

Other verbs that follow this pattern

Merendar - to have a snack, to have a picnic.
Recomendar - to recommend.
Sentarse - to sit.
Negar - to deny.

Stem Changing AR Verbs (O → UE)

In Spanish in the present tense some AR verbs change when conjugated. The 'o' in the infinitive becomes 'ue'. This does NOT happen in the 'vosotros' and 'nosotros' forms. Derivatives of these verbs follow the same pattern.

Stem changes O → UE

'Soñar' (to dream) becomes 'sueño' (I dream).
'Encontrar' (to find) becomes 'encuentro' (I find).

Soñar - to dream

Sueño - I dream.
Sueñas - you dream.
Sueña - He/she dreams.
Soñamos - we dream.
Soñáis - you dream.
Sueñan - they dream.

Aprobar - to approve

Apruebo - I approve.
Apruebas - you approve.
Aprueba - he/she approves.
Aprobamos - we approve.
Aprobáis - you approve.
Aprueban - they approve.

Costar - to be difficult, cost

Cuesto - I am difficult.
Cuestas - you are difficult.
Cuesta - he/she is difficult.
Costamos - we are difficult.
Costáis - you are difficult.
Cuestan - they are difficult.

Mostrar - to show

Muestro - I show.
Muestras - you show.
Muestra - he/she shows.
Mostramos - we show.
Mostráis - you show.
Muestran - they show.

Verbs that follow this pattern:

Volar - to fly.
Recordar - to remember.
Colgar - to put (photos on social media)
Almorzar - to have lunch.
Encontrar - to find.
Probar - to try/taste.
Acordar - to agree on.
Contar - to count/tell.

Exceptions

Some verbs don't follow the same patterns as other regular or irregular verbs.

Jugar - to play

Although it doesn't have an O, 'jugar' follows the same pattern as verbs that change from O → UE.
- E.g. Jugar → juego (I play).

Dar - to give

'Dar' only changes in the first person.
- Dar → doy (I give).
After that, it works like a regular AR verb.

Esquiar - to ski

Esquío - I ski.
Esquías - you ski.
Esquía - he/she skis.
Esquiamos - we ski.
Esquiáis - you ski.
Esquían - they ski.
Esquiar behaves like a regular verb but the i becomes an í for some conjugations.

Confiar - to trust

Confío - I trust.
Confías - you trust.
Confía - he/she trusts.
Confiamos - we trust.
Confiáis - you trust.
Confían - they trust.
Confiar behaves like a regular verb but the i becomes an í for some conjugations.

Continuar - to continue

Continúo - I continue.
Continúas - you continue.
Continúa - he/she continue.
Continuamos - we continue.
Continuáis - you continue.
Continúan - they continue.
Continuar behaves like a regular verb but the u becomes a ú for some conjugations.