THE SIMPLE PAST: SPECIAL IRREGULAR VERBS IN A SNAP!

Did you know that in Spanish, there are numerous verbs that are irregular in the simple past? But wait, there’s more! Many of these verbs can be grouped together, making it easier to learn them all at once. Once you master these verb groups, you’ll be able to communicate in the simple past with ease and confidence. Get ready to take your Spanish skills to the next level!

1. ANDAR, ESTAR ,TENER

The verbs andar (to go, to walk, to ride, to function), estar (to be) and tener (to have), and all verbs ending in tener, have uv in the simple past root, and share the same irregular endings. Let’s take the verb tener as a model. Listen to my buddy Gael from Spain:

PersonConjugation
yo tuv + e
tuv + iste
usted tuv + o
él
ella
tuv + o
nosotros
nosotras
tuv + imos
ustedes tuv + ieron
ellos
ellas
tuv + ieron
vostuv + iste
vosotros
vosotras
tuv + isteis

Simple Past Roots:

InfinitivePast Root
andaranduv
estarestuv
tenertuv

Now, let’s play this game. Just click start!

2. CABER, PODER, PONER, SABER

The verbs caber (to fit), poder (to be able), poner (to put) and saber (to know) all have the letter u in the simple past root, and share the same irregular endings. Let’s take the verb poner as a model. Listen to my friend Carina, also from Spain:

PersonConjugation
yo pus + e
pus + iste
usted pus + o
él
ella
pus + o
nosotros
nosotras
pus + imos
ustedes pus + ieron
ellos
ellas
pus + ieron
vospus + iste
vosotros
vosotras
pus + isteis

Simple Past Roots:

InfinitivePast Root
cabercup
poderpud
ponerpus
sabersup

Now, let’s play this game!

3. HACER, QUERER, VENIR

The verbs hacer (to do, to make), querer (to want) and venir (to come) all have an i in the simple past, and share the same irregular endings. Let’s take the verb querer as a model. Listen to Martina, from Argentina:

PersonConjugation
yo quis + e
quis + iste
usted quis + o
él
ella
quis + o
nosotros
nosotras
quis + imos
ustedes quis + ieron
ellos
ellas
quis + ieron
vosquis + iste
vosotros
vosotras
quis + isteis

Simple Past Roots:

InfinitivePast Root
hacerhic
quererquis
venirvin

And now, let’s play and have fun!

4. DECIR, TRAER, “DUCIR”

The verbs decir (to say, to tell) , traer (to bring), and all verbs ending in decir, ducir and traer have a j in the simple past, and share the same irregular endings. Note that the ending for ustedes, ellos and ellas is eron. Let’s take the verb decir as a model. Listen to Diego, from Mexico:

PersonConjugation
yo dij + e
dij + iste
usted dij + o
él
ella
dij + o
nosotros
nosotras
dij + imos
ustedes dij + eron
ellos
ellas
dij + eron
vosdij + iste
vosotros
vosotras
dij + isteis

Simple Past Roots:

InfinitivePast Root
decirdij
traertraj
ducir
(example: traducir)
duj

Now, let’s learn this!

5. IR, SER

The verbs ir (to go) and ser (to be) are the same in the simple past. And they are very irregular! Meaning is made clear by the context of the sentence. Listen to Lara, from Bolivia:

PersonConjugation
yo fu + i
fu + iste
usted fu + e
él
ella
fu + e
nosotros
nosotras
fu + imos
ustedes fu + eron
ellos
ellas
fu + eron
vosfu + iste
vosotros
vosotras
fu + isteis

Let’s learn this in a snap!

DÓNDE: WHERE

Check Interrogatives in a Snap!

PRIMERA: FIRST (SINGULAR FEMININE)

Check Ordinal Numbers in a Snap!

 

VIVIR: TO LIVE

Check My First IR Verbs in a Snap!

HACER: TO DO, TO MAKE

Check My First ER Verbs in a Snap!

HABLAR: TO SPEAK, TO TALK

Check My First AR Verbs in a Snap!

NEGRO: BLACK

Check Spanish Colors in a Snap!

CONTRA: AGAINST

POR: (IN THIS CASE) BECAUSE OF

DESEMPEÑO: PERFORMANCE

CANCHA: SPORTS FIELD OR COURT

mejorar: to improve, to get better

prescripción/receta: prescription

 

nariz tapada: stuffy nose

¿has notado?: have you noticed?

hace: ago

estornudar: to sneeze

blanco: white

Check Spanish Colors in a Snap!

iré: I will go

Check The Simple Future in a Snap!

ya: already

Check Adverbs of Time in a Snap!

tabla de madera: wooden board

Check Construction: Know all your materials in a snap!

gripe: flu

¿cómo te llamas?: what’s your name? (lit. “how do you call yourself?”)

 

Check Interrogatives in a Snap!

ciudadano: citizen

Check: My First 50 Nouns About People!

 

en resumen: in short

convertirse en: to become

responsabilidad: responsibility

Check: Nouns Ending in “Dad” in a Snap!

ley: law (pl. leyes)

Check Feminine Nouns Ending in Consonants!

proponer: to propose

Check Verbs Created From “Poner” in a Snap!

población: 1. population / 2. town, settlement

Check Nouns Ending in “Ción” in a Snap!

 

representante: representative

Check Nouns Ending in “Nte” in a Snap!

 

Cámara de Representantes: House of Representatives

subir y bajar: to get on and off (a vehicle)

máquina expendedora: vending machine

vez: time (frequency)

disculpa (tú), disculpe (usted), disculpen (ustedes): excuse me

encontrarse: to meet, to get together

plazo fijo: fixed-term deposit

 

deuda: debt

a largo plazo: in the long term

hipoteca: mortgage

siempre: always

Check: Adverbs of Frequency in a Snap!

ahorros: savings

financiero: financial

guardar: to save, to put away

la bolsa: the stock market

invertir: to invest

he tenido: I have had

Check: The Compound Past in a Snap!

¿has estado viendo…?: have you been seeing?

Check: The Progressive Compound Past in a Snap!

inversión: investment

medir: to measure

así como: as well as

mientras tanto: meanwhile, in the meantime

un rato: a little while, a bit

también: also, too

depósito: warehouse, stockroom

patrón: boss, chief

conocer: to know, to meet, to visit for the first time

Check: My First ER Verbs in a Snap!

tarjeta de crédito: credit card

pagar: to pay

Check: My First AR Verbs in a Snap!

hijo: son / hija: daughter

Check: My First 50 Nouns about People!

 

necesitar: to need

Check My First AR Verbs in a Snap!

salir: to go out, to leave

Check: My First IR Verbs in a Snap!

viajar: to travel

Check: My First Ar Verbs in a Snap!

me gustaría: I’d like

sin: without

Check “Sin” in a Snap!

manteca, mantequilla: butter

desayunar: to have breakfast

estar listo: to be ready

esperar: to expect, to hope, to wait for

recién exprimido: freshly squeezed

medialuna: croissant, crescent roll

 

huevos revueltos: scrambled eggs

endulzante: sweetener

Check: Masculine Nouns Ending in “E” in a Snap!

té de hierbas: herbal tea

llevaré: I will take

Check: The Simple Future in a Snap!

¿quieres que envuelva…?: do you want me to wrap?

Check: Subjunctive Triggers in a Snp: Verbs!

 

¿cuántos? ¿cuántas?: how many?

Check: Interrogatives in a Snap!

adorno: ornament

Check: 100 Basic Masculine Nouns in a Snap!

hemos llegado: we have arrived

Check: The Compound Past in a Snap!

vuelo: flight

alquilar, rentar: to rent

conductor: driver

estadía, estancia: stay

volver a hacer algo: to do something again

disponible: available

respecto a, con respecto a: regarding

estadounidense: American

Check What Is “América” in Spanish?

el más cercano: the nearest

El supermercado más cercano. (The nearest supermarket).

cada vez más: increasingly, more and more

 

transeúnte: passerby, pedestrian

de nuevo, nuevamente, otra vez: again

variedad: variety

Check: Nouns Ending in “Dad” in a Snap”

ubicar: to locate

bastante: quite, rather, pretty

Check Adverbs of Degree in a Snap!

esquina: corner (street)

cuadra: block (street)

de primera: top-notch, first-rate, premium

rico: rich/tasty

acabar de hacer algo: to have just done something

¡claro que sí!: of course!, certainly!

maduro: ripe

semanal: weekly

emocionado: excited

amable: kind, polite

recibo: receipt

recoger: to pick, to pick up, to fetch

Check: My Fisrt Er Verbs in a Snap!

en la pantalla: on the screen

introduzca su tarjeta: insert your card

Check: The Imperative Mood in a Snap!

No, thank you. I do not want.
100% secure your website.

lector: reader

one-way ticket: boleto de ida

boleto de ida y vuelta: return ticket, two-way ticket

quedarse: to stay

para mí: for me

verificar: to verify

disponibilidad: availability

fecha: date

boleto: ticket (subway, train, bus)

compra: purchase

ojalá: I hope, I wish

Check: How the Heck Do We Use “Ojalá”?

gracias por: thanks for, thank you for

When learning Spanish, many people mistakenly say “gracias para”.

bolsa: shopping bag

bolso: travelling bag

bolsita: small bag, little bag

Check: Making Things Smaller and Bigger in Spanish!

funcionar: to work (indicating that something is operational and fulfilling its intended purpose)

Check: The Simple Future in a Snap!

hasta tres píldoras por día: up to three pills per day

doler: to ache

grave: severe, serious

receta médica: prescription, medical prescription

dolor de cabeza: headache

analgésico: painkiller

buscar: to look for, to search, to seek

Check My First AR Verbs in a Snap!

barrio: neighborhood

Check: 100 Basic Masculine Nouns in a Snap!

segundo: second

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estoy a tu entera disposición: “I am at your complete disposal”, “I am entirely at your service”.

 

buena onda: good vibe, positive energy

deber: (in this case) to owe

Check My First ER Verbs in a Snap!

esperar que: to hope that

 

agregar/añadir: to add

Check My First IR Verbs in a Snap!

genial: great, awesome

probar: to taste, to try

riquísimo: very tasty, incredibly tasty

¡se me hace agua la boca! (idiom): 

“It looks incredible”, “I can practically taste it”.

“It’s so tempting”, “I want a bite right now”.

“It’s mouthwatering”, “I’m really craving it”.

“It’s irresistible”, “I need to try it immediately”.

“It looks so delicious”, “I’m drooling over it”.

untar: to spread (a soft or liquid substance onto something, such as butter or jam on bread).

brindar: (in this case) to provide, to offer, to supply, to serve

¿qué le gustaría (a usted)?: what would you like?

We can use the verb “gustar” in the conditional mood to show respect and politeness.

Check: The Simple Conditional in a Snap!

espinaca: spinach

¿podrías (tú)? ¿podría (usted)?: could you?

The verb “poder” (can) in the conditional mood can be used to show respect or politeness.
Check The Simple Conditional in a Snap!

cenar: to have dinner

NACER: TO BE BORN

Check My First Er Verbs in a Snap!

panera: bread basket

gaseosa: soda

queso rallado: grated cheese

casero: homemade

cumplir: to turn (age)

Example: “He turned 60” / “Cumplió 60 años”.

salir primero: to finish first, to come first

varios, varias: several

hacer un gol: to score a goal

comenzar a hacer algo/empezar a hacer algo: to start to do something

deportista: sportsman, sportswoman

jugador de fútbol: soccer player

erguido: standing tall

recuerdos: memories

doblarse: (in this context) to bend

perder todas las partidas: to lose every single game

el diablo pasa la factura: the devil comes to demand payment

los sueños se me rompen en pedazos: my dreams shatter into pieces

poner a alguien contra la pared: to back someone into a corner

mantenerse en pie: to stay on one’s feet

junco: reed

cuando se me cierren las salidas: (lit.) when my exits are closed

It means “”when my options run out”.

dejar en paz: to leave alone, to let someone be

cuando en mi moneda salga cruz: when my coin shows tails

In this case, it means “in difficult times”.

amenazar: to threaten

apuñalar: to stab

rendirse: to give up, to call it quits

endurecer: to harden

hierro: iron

Check: Spanish Metals in a Snap!

resistiré: I will resist

Check: The Simple Future in a Snap!

cuando: when

 

desigual: (in this case) unfair, uneven, bad

Dios: God

carnaval: carnival

Check: Nouns Ending in “Al” in a Snap!

nadie: nobody, no one

Check: Spanish Negatives in a Snap!

contagiar: to infect

maltratar: to mistreat

pecar: to sin

tan sólo: just, only

solo: alone

quejarse: to complain

gozar: to enjoy, to rejoice

se van: they go away

penas: sorrows, woes, hardships

hay que: we have to/one has to

Check: What Is “Hay Que”?

todo aquel: whoever

Check: How Do We Say “Whoever” in Spanish?

seguir: to follow / to continue

Check The Many Meaning of “Seguir” in a Snap!

 

creer: to believe

varios: several

América: The Americas

Check What Is “América” in Spanish?

para que: so, so that

Check: “Para Que” in a Snap! 

 

proveer: to provide with

cuidar: to take care

cuidar a alguien: to take care of someone

pertenecer: to belong

latinoamericana: Latin American (singular feminine)

Check: Uppercase in English, Lowercase in Spanish!

vida nocturna: nightlife

acuerdo: agreement

cada cuatro años: every four years

sur: south

norte: north

cordillera: mountain range

Check: Basic Spanish Geography in a Snap!

afrontar algo: to face something

tratar de: to try to

negar: to deny

lidiar con: to deal with

incluso si: even if

¡sonríe!: smile!

Check: The Imperative Mood in a Snap!

mantener la buena onda: to keep a good mood

codazo amistoso: friendly nudge

“Al mal tiempo, buena cara”: “In bad times, good face”

dicho: saying

diversión: amusement

estrecho: narrow

este: east

bulliciosa: bustling

paisajes: landscapes

portuaria: port (feminine adjective)

Check Adjectives we don’t have in English!

mariscos: seafood

Naciones Unidas: United Nations

oeste: west

Check: The Four Directions and More!

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