6.2.2
Irregular AR Verbs
Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
Verbs Ending in 'gar' in the Preterite Tense
Some AR verbs in the preterite change their stem in the 'yo' form. This is the only change and follow a regular pattern after this. Derivatives of these verbs follow the same pattern.

Verbs ending in 'gar'
- Spanish verbs ending in 'gar' in the preterite change their spelling in the first person.
- These verbs add a 'u' after 'g'.
- Jugar (to play) → jugué (I played).

Jugar - to play
- Jugué - I played.
- Jugaste - you played.
- Jugó - he/she played.
- Jugamos - we played.
- Jugasteis - you (plural) played.
- Jugaron - they played.

Negar - to deny
- Negué - I denied.
- Negaste - you denied.
- Negó - he/she denied.
- Negamos - we denied.
- Negasteis - you (plural) denied.
- Negaron - they denied.

Entregar - to hand in
- Entregué - I handed in.
- Entregaste - you handed in.
- Entregó -he/she handed in.
- Entregamos - we handed in.
- Entregasteis - you (plural) handed in.
- Entregaron - they handed in.

Llegar - to arrive
- Llegué - I arrived.
- Llegaste - you arrived.
- Llegó - he/she arrived.
- Llegamos - we arrived.
- Llegasteis - you (plural) arrived.
- Llegaron - they arrived.

Other verbs that follow this pattern
- Other verbs that follow this pattern include:
- Apagar - to turn off.
- Colgar - to hang.
- Castigar - to punish.
- Pagar - to pay.
- Cargar - to load, charge.
- Navegar - to surf (the internet).
Verbs Ending in 'car' in the Preterite Tense
Some AR verbs in the preterite change their stem in the 'yo' form. This is the only change and they follow a regular pattern after this.

Verbs ending in 'car'
- Spanish verbs ending in 'car' change their spelling in the first person preterite.
- The 'car' in the infinitive changes to 'qué' in the 'yo' form.
- Publicar (to publish) → publiqué (I published).

Tocar - to touch, play (an instrument)
- Toqué - I played.
- Tocaste - you played.
- Tocó - she played.
- Tocamos - we played.
- Tocasteis - you played.
- Tocaron - they played.

Buscar - to look for, to search
- Busqué - I looked for.
- Buscaste - you looked for.
- Buscó - she looked for.
- Buscamos - we looked for.
- Buscasteis - you looked for.
- Buscaron - they looked for.

Explicar - to explain
- Expliqué - I explained.
- Explicaste - you explained.
- Explicó - he explained.
- Explicamos - we explained.
- Explicasteis - you explained.
- Explicaron - they explained.

Similar verbs
- Other verbs that follow this pattern include:
- Pescar - to fish.
- Dedicar - to devote.
- Provocar - to provoke.
- Marcar - to score, to mark.
- Sacar - to get, to achieve
Verbs Ending in 'zar' in the Preterite Tense
AR verbs that end in 'zar' have an irregular 'yo' form in the preterite tense. The 'zar' in the infinitive changes to 'cé' in the 'yo' form, e.g. comenzar → comencé (to start → I started).

Empezar - to begin
- Empecé - I began.
- Empezaste - you began.
- Empezó - he/she began.
- Empezamos - we began.
- Empezasteis - you (plural) began.
- Empezaron - they began.

Comenzar - to start
- Comencé - I started.
- Comenzaste - you started.
- Comenzó - he/she started.
- Comenzamos - we started.
- Comenzasteis - you (plural) started.
- Comenzaron - they started.

Utilizar - to use
- Utilicé - I used.
- Utilizaste - you used.
- Utilizó - she used.
- Utilizamos - we used.
- Utilizasteis - you (plural) used.
- Utilizaron - they used.

Similar verbs
- Other verbs that follow this pattern include:
- Almorzar - to have lunch.
- Amenazar - to threaten.
- Cruzar - to cross.
- Organizar - to organise.
- Alcanzar - to reach.
1The Basics
1.1Pronouns
2Current & Future Study & Employment
2.1School & Subjects
2.2School & Subjects - Translations (Foundation)
2.3School & Subjects - Translations (Higher)
2.4Education Post - 16
2.5Education Post - 16 - Translations (Foundation)
2.6Education Post - 16 - Translations (Higher)
3Identity & Culture
3.1Me, My Family & Friends
3.2Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Foundation)
3.3Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Higher)
3.4Technology in Everyday Life
3.5Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Foundation)
3.6Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Higher)
3.7Free Time Activities
3.8Free Time Activities - Translations (Foundation)
3.9Free Time Activities - Translations (Higher)
3.10Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries
3.11Customs & Festivals - Translations (Foundation)
3.12Customs & Festivals - Translations (Higher)
4Areas of Interest
4.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region
4.2Home & Region - Translations (Foundation)
4.3Home & Region - Translations (Higher)
4.4Social Issues
4.5Social Issues - Translations (Foundation)
4.6Social Issues - Translations (Higher)
4.7Global Issues
4.8Global Issues - Translations
4.9Travel & Tourism
4.10Travel & Tourism - Translations
5Listening Practice
5.1Time Expressions - Listening
5.2Me, My Family & Friends - Listening
5.3Technology in Everyday Life - Listening
5.4Free-Time - Listening
5.5Customs & Festivals - Listening
5.6Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region - Listening
5.7Social Issues - Listening
5.8Travel & Tourism - Listening
5.9Education - Listening
5.10Food & Drink - Listening
5.11In the Home - Listening
5.12Colours - Listening
5.13Clothes & Accesories - Listening
5.14Measurements - Listening
5.15Materials - Listening
6Common Tenses
6.1Present Tense
6.2Preterite Tense
6.3Imperfect Tense
6.4Preterite vs Imperfect Tenses
6.5Future Tense
7Important Verbs
7.1To Be - 'Ser' & 'Estar'
7.2To Like - 'Gustar'
7.3To Have - 'Tener'
8Advanced Tenses
8.1The Simple Future
8.2Conditional Tense
8.3Continuous Tenses
8.5Present Subjunctive
8.6Imperfect Subjunctive
9Extra Grammar
9.1Articles
9.2Negatives
9.3Nouns
9.4Asking Questions
9.5Adjectives
9.8Pronouns
9.9By, With, From, Of
9.10Verbs
Jump to other topics
1The Basics
1.1Pronouns
2Current & Future Study & Employment
2.1School & Subjects
2.2School & Subjects - Translations (Foundation)
2.3School & Subjects - Translations (Higher)
2.4Education Post - 16
2.5Education Post - 16 - Translations (Foundation)
2.6Education Post - 16 - Translations (Higher)
3Identity & Culture
3.1Me, My Family & Friends
3.2Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Foundation)
3.3Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Higher)
3.4Technology in Everyday Life
3.5Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Foundation)
3.6Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Higher)
3.7Free Time Activities
3.8Free Time Activities - Translations (Foundation)
3.9Free Time Activities - Translations (Higher)
3.10Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries
3.11Customs & Festivals - Translations (Foundation)
3.12Customs & Festivals - Translations (Higher)
4Areas of Interest
4.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region
4.2Home & Region - Translations (Foundation)
4.3Home & Region - Translations (Higher)
4.4Social Issues
4.5Social Issues - Translations (Foundation)
4.6Social Issues - Translations (Higher)
4.7Global Issues
4.8Global Issues - Translations
4.9Travel & Tourism
4.10Travel & Tourism - Translations
5Listening Practice
5.1Time Expressions - Listening
5.2Me, My Family & Friends - Listening
5.3Technology in Everyday Life - Listening
5.4Free-Time - Listening
5.5Customs & Festivals - Listening
5.6Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region - Listening
5.7Social Issues - Listening
5.8Travel & Tourism - Listening
5.9Education - Listening
5.10Food & Drink - Listening
5.11In the Home - Listening
5.12Colours - Listening
5.13Clothes & Accesories - Listening
5.14Measurements - Listening
5.15Materials - Listening
6Common Tenses
6.1Present Tense
6.2Preterite Tense
6.3Imperfect Tense
6.4Preterite vs Imperfect Tenses
6.5Future Tense
7Important Verbs
7.1To Be - 'Ser' & 'Estar'
7.2To Like - 'Gustar'
7.3To Have - 'Tener'
8Advanced Tenses
8.1The Simple Future
8.2Conditional Tense
8.3Continuous Tenses
8.5Present Subjunctive
8.6Imperfect Subjunctive
9Extra Grammar
9.1Articles
9.2Negatives
9.3Nouns
9.4Asking Questions
9.5Adjectives
9.8Pronouns
9.9By, With, From, Of
9.10Verbs
Practice questions on Irregular AR Verbs
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1How do you say 'they handed in' in Spanish?Multiple choice
- 2How do you say 'Ross denied' in Spanish?Multiple choice
- 3How do you say 'I looked for' in Spanish?Multiple choice
- 4¿Qué significa 'marqué' en inglés?Multiple choice
- 5How do you say 'I had lunch' in Spanish?Multiple choice
Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium
Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions
Mini-mock exams based on your study history
Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books