ER Verbs in Spanish: 30 Common Verbs and How To Use Them

ER verbs are very commonly used in Spanish.

Fair warning: 72% of Spanish ER verbs are irregular. Having to learn so many irregular verbs and their conjugations may feel overwhelming, but you can’t avoid them if you want to make progress in the language.

Once you know more about ER verbs and how they work, I bet you’ll feel better. So let’s take a look at them now.

Contents

Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)

How to Conjugate Regular ER Verbs in Spanish

First, let’s review the basics.

If you need a full review of Spanish verb categories or the indicative simple verb tenses, check out this helpful article. You’ll also need to be well versed in Spanish subject pronouns, since verbs must match their subjects in person, number and gender as well as tense.

Conjugating regular ER verbs in the indicative simple tenses is pretty straightforward:

For the present, preterite and imperfect tenses, follow these steps:

1. Remove the ER ending to get the verb’s stem.

2. Add the corresponding ending to the stem for each tense and person.

For the conditional and future tenses, simply add the appropriate ending onto the infinitive form.

Here are the endings for these five tenses:

Subject	Present	Preterite	Imperfect	Conditional	Future
Yo	-o	-í	-ía	-ía	-é
Tú	-es	-iste	-ías	-ías	-ás
Él/ella/Ud.	-e	-ió	-ía	-ía	-á
Nosotros	-emos	-imos	-íamos	-íamos	-emos
Vosotros	-éis	-isteis	-íais	-íais	-éis
Ellos/ellas/Uds.	-en	-ieron	-ían	-ían	-án

Once you remember these rules, you can conjugate any regular ER verb in the Spanish language!

Common Regular ER Verbs in Spanish

1. Comer  — To eat

Vamos a comer. (We are going to eat/to have lunch.)

Note that in Spain, comer means “to have lunch.” In Central and South America (and certain parts of Southern Spain), comer means “to eat” in a general sense.

2. Beber  — To drink

Puedes beber el refresco, yo beberé agua. (You can drink the soda, I’ll drink water.)

3. Aprender  — To learn

Como no aprendas a bailar, no podrás apuntarte para el concurso de baile. (If you don’t learn how to dance, you won’t be able to sign up for the dance contest.)

4. Vender  — To sell

Vendimos nuestra casa el año pasado. (We sold our house last year.)

5. Correr — To run

Irregular ER Verbs in Spanish

It’s extremely important that you learn irregular ER conjugations because almost all ER verbs are irregular.

Many irregular verbs still have a pattern. Below, I’ll introduce you to some conjugation patterns for certain ER verbs called stem-changing verbs.

For now, however, let’s take a look at some of the truly irregular ER verbs, meaning they’re irregular verbs that have their own irregularities (verbos de irregularidad propia).

When conjugating this type of irregular verb, there’s no formula to follow for the conjugations—you’ll just have to memorize them.

6. Ser  — To be

This version of “to be” in Spanish is used to talk about permanent qualities, such as:

• Time
• Date
• Nationality
• Occupation/profession
• Physical description of people
• Places
• Event locations

This is one of the most common Spanish verbs. Here’s how to conjugate it in simple indicative forms:

	Present	Preterite	Imperfect	Conditional	Future
Yo	Soy	Fui	Era	Sería	Seré
Tú	Eres	Fuiste	Eras	Serías	Serás
Él/ella/Ud.	Es	Fue	Era	Sería	Será
Nosotros	Somos	Fuimos	Éramos	Seríamos	Seremos
Vosotros	Sois	Fuisteis	Erais	Seríais	Seréis
Ellos/ellas/Uds.	Son	Fueron	Eran	Serían	Serán

The verb stem for ser is completely wacky in most tenses. Luckily, the conditional and future tenses retain the infinitive form.

Soy de Georgia. (I am from Georgia.)

Hoy es jueves. (Today is Thursday.)

7. Tener  — To have

While most of its simple present conjugations follow the E-IE stem change rules that you’ll learn below, tener also has some totally unique forms. Notice how different it is from ser, also.

Here’s tener in the simple indicative tenses:

	Present	Preterite	Imperfect	Conditional	Future
Yo	Tengo	Tuve	Tenía	Tendría	Tendré
Tú	Tienes	Tuviste	Tenías	Tendrías	Tendrás
Él/ella/Ud.	Tiene	Tuvo	Tenía	Tendría	Tendrá
Nosostros	Tenemos	Tuvimos	Teníamos	Tendríamos	Tendremos
Vosotros	Tenéis	Tuvisteis	Teníais	Tendríais	Tendréis
Ellos/ellas/Uds.	Tienen	Tuvieron	Tenían	Tendrían	Tendrán

And here are some examples of how to use it:

Tengo 21 años. (I am 21 years old.)

Él tiene que hacer algunos recados. (He has to run some errands.)

You can also use tener to express states of being, like being hot or cold. Notice that the literal translation in the example below is “I had heat,” which we translate into English as “I was hot.”

Tuve calor y por eso decidí dormir sin manta. (I was hot and that’s why I decided to sleep without a blanket.)

8. Haber  — To have, to be, there is/are

This irregular verb is used in two ways: to express the existence of something, or as a helping verb that precedes a past participle of the perfect tense, just like “have” in English.

Haber is used differently than most verbs, but it’s very common and therefore very important to learn.

Hay mucha gente aquí. (There are a lot of people here.)

No ha descansado y por eso tiene sueño ahora. (He hasn’t rested and that’s why he’s sleepy now.)

9. Saber  — To know

This irregular verb refers to knowing “head knowledge,” such as facts, dates, etc.

Sé hablar español. (I know how to speak Spanish.)

No sabe cuánto lo quiero. (He doesn’t know how much I love him.)

However, in the preterite tense, saber becomes more like “discovered” or “found out.”

Supimos que iba a llover y cancelamos la barbacoa. (We found out it was going to rain and canceled the barbecue.)

It’s also important to note that when the verb is followed by a, it means “to taste of/like.”

El pollo sabe a perejil. (The chicken tastes like parsley/has a parsley taste to it.)

10. Conocer  — To know

Like saber, the verb conocer also means “to know.” This one, however, deals more with “heart knowledge,” like relationships with other people. Conocer can also be used with places, songs, etc.

La conozco bastante bien y puedo decir que es muy buena persona. (I know her pretty well and can say she’s a very good person.)

¿Conoces la ciudad? (Do you know/Have you personally visited the city?)

11. Hacer  — To do, to make

In Spanish, there’s no distinction between things we do and things we make—either way, you’ll use hacer.

It’s usually used to talk about making food or doing an activity, but it’s also used for the English phrase “to play sports” (hacer deportes).

Siempre hago los deberes. (I always do my homework.)

Hace buen tiempo. (The weather is nice.) [Literally: It makes good weather.]

This irregular verb can also be reflexive (hacerse), which can have a variety of meanings depending on the context.

12. Leer  — To read

Él todavía lee el periódico todas las mañanas. (He still reads the newspaper every morning.)

La semana pasada leí un libro sobre finanzas personales. (Last week I read a book about personal finance.)

13. Ver  — To see, to watch

Ver is usually used for “watching a movie,” but it can also be used to speak of physically seeing people. When this is the case, the verb is followed with a.

Hoy vemos una película de terror. (Today we’ll watch a horror movie.)

Hoy he visto a Carmen andando por la calle. (Today I saw Carmen walking down the street.)

This irregular verb also has a reflexive version. Verse means “to see oneself.”

No quiero verme en el espejo ahora mismo. (I don’t want to see myself in the mirror right now.)

The reflexive verse can also be used to describe how someone or something looks.

Te ves muy linda esta noche. (You look very pretty tonight.)

14. Poner  — To put

Tenía frío, así que me puse un suéter. (I was cold, so I put on a sweater.)

15. Nacer  — To be born

You’ll almost always use this in the preterite or future tense.

Nací en un día frío en febrero. (I was born on a cold day in February.)

 

¡El bebé nacerá en cualquier momento! (The baby will be born any day now!)

16. Oler  — To smell

As in English, this can mean either “to detect by scent” or “to emit odor,” and can be used figuratively.

Me desperté cuando olí el café. (I woke up when I smelled the coffee.)

Es gracioso que el café nunca sabe tan bueno como huele. (It’s funny how coffee never tastes as good as it smells.)

E-IE Stem-changing Verbs

Stem-changing verbs are another tricky category of irregular verbs. As I mentioned above, they don’t follow the conjugation rules of regular verbs, but here you’ll at least find a similar pattern in each set.

As you can probably guess from their name, these verbs undergo a stem change in the conjugation process.

In many cases (but not all), only the simple present tense is affected by the stem change for ER verbs.

Importantly, the stem does NOT change in the simple present nosotros and vosotros forms.

For a list of the most common stem-changing verbs in Spanish, check out this article. Here, we’ll continue to focus on ER verbs only.

With verbs in this category, the E becomes an IE in the relevant conjugated forms.

Let’s check out some examples. Here’s entender (to understand), querer (to want) and perder (to lose) in their simple present conjugations:

Subject	Entender	Querer	Perder
Yo	Entiendo	Quiero	Pierdo
Tú	Entiendes	Quieres	Pierdes
Él/ella/Ud.	Entiende	Quiere	Pierde
Nosotros	Entendemos	Queremos	Perdemos
Vosotros	Entendéis	Queréis	Perdéis
Ellos/ellas/Uds.	Entienden	Quieren	Pierden

Notice how the E becomes IE for each, except in the nosotros and vosotros forms. For every other pronoun, simply follow the formula.

17. Entender  — To understand

No entiendo cómo has logrado escapar. (I don’t understand how you’ve managed to escape.)

Entiende muy bien cómo funciona la empresa y por eso se ha convertido en director. (He understands very well how the company operates and for this reason he’s become the CEO.)

18. Querer  — To want

Querer is one of those versatile verbs with various shades of meaning depending upon when and how you use it. It’s usually used to express wanting something. For example:

Ellas quieren ir a Italia el próximo año. (They want to go to Italy next year.)

¿Quieres hacer el pastel de cumpleaños de papá conmigo? (Do you want to make dad’s birthday cake with me?)

Querer is also used frequently as a less profound version of amar (to love). In this sense, it’s more like “to prefer” or “to care for” in English.

Quiere mucho a su hermanito. (She really loves her little brother.)

19. Perder  — To lose

Ella perdió las llaves de su auto en el parque. (She lost her car keys at the park.)

Si no apruebo este examen, perdería toda motivación para esta clase. (If I fail this exam, I’ll lose all motivation for this class.)

20. Defender  — To defend

Él defiende bien sus argumentos. (He defends his arguments well.)

Muchos creen que los soldados defienden los valores de su país. (Many believe that soldiers defend the values of their country.)

21. Encender — To ignite, to switch on

Ricardo encendió la fogata. (Ricardo lit the campfire.)

El gran botón rojo enciende la máquina. (The big red button turns on the machine.)

22. Ascender — To ascend, go up

In addition to its literal meaning, ascender can have the figurative meaning of “to rise in the ranks” or get promoted.

Ascenderemos como el fénix. (We will rise like the phoenix.)

Trabajó muy duro y ascendió rápido en la empresa. (She worked very hard and quickly rose in the firm.)

23. Verter — To pour

Verter can mean both “to pour” on purpose and “to spill” by accident.

Algunas personas vierten una libación para honrar a los muertos. (Some people pour a libation to honor the dead.)

Vertí el té sobre mi computadora. (I spilled tea on my computer.)

O-UE Stem-changing Verbs

For O to UE verbs, the O becomes UE in the applicable forms.

Take a look at poder (to be able to), volver (to return) and soler (to have the tendency to) as conjugated in the simple present:

Subject	Poder	Volver	Soler
Yo	Puedo	Vuelvo	Suelo
Tú	Puedes	Vuelves	Sueles
Él/ella/Ud.	Puede	Vuelve	Suele
Nosotros	Podemos	Volvemos	Solemos
Vosotros	Podéis	Volvéis	Soléis
Ellos/ellas/Uds.	Pueden	Vuelven	Suelen

Once again, the nosotros and vosotros forms don’t undergo a stem change. Everywhere else, the O becomes UE, so you can simply follow the formula!

24. Poder  — To be able to

This verb expresses the ability to perform an action or activity.

Puedes acompañarnos si quieres. (You can come along with us if you’d like.)

Puede ser. (It’s possible.)

25. Volver  — To return

Volver is often followed by a to specify returning to a particular location.

Ellos vuelven a sus asientos. (They return to their seats.)

Volví a la casa de mi amigo anoche. (I went back to my friend’s house last night.)

26. Soler  — To have the tendency to

This O-UE verb is used to talk about habits and things that are done consistently. Soler is often used where English says “usually,” “generally” or “normally.”

Because of its meaning, you will probably only ever see soler in the simple present or imperfect tenses.

Ellas suelen hacer su tarea en ese café. (They usually do their homework in that coffee shop.)

Cuando era niño, solía ir a un campamento de verano en los Estados Unidos. (As a kid, I used to go to summer camp in the US.)

27. Resolver — To solve, to resolve

El gran detective resuelve el caso de nuevo. (The great detective solves the case again.)

Resolvimos pasar la noche allí. (We decided to spend the night there.)

28. Llover — To rain

Llueve todos los días aquí en el verano. (It rains every day here in the summer.)

Siempre me llueven regalos en mi cumpleaños. (I always get showered with presents on my birthday.)

29. Morder  — To bite

El perrito no muerde nunca. (The puppy never bites.)

 

Me mordí la lengua para no hablar. (I bit my tongue to keep from speaking.)

30. Mover  — To move

¡No se mueva! (Don’t move!)

¡Los niños se mueven muy gracioso cuando intentan bailar! (The kids move so funny when they try to dance!)

Practice Resources for Spanish ER Verbs

Now that you know some of the most common ER verbs, it’s time to practice!

• This catchy YouTube video will help you memorize common irregular verbs in Spanish. Or, if you’d like different options, try searching for “Spanish irregular verb songs.”

• Watching videos on FluentU can show you Spanish ER verbs in use. The language learning program uses authentic language videos (like news reports, inspiring talks and music videos) to teach Spanish, with interactive subtitles that you can click on for a full breakdown of each word.
• Try your hand at the verb conjugation exercises on Conjuguemos. No need for Spanish books or workbooks here—just think quickly and practice beating your own record.
• Find your perfect language exchange partner and start chatting in Spanish! The most efficient way to remember all of these tricky ER verbs is to use them in conversation whenever you can.

ER Verb Conjugation Quiz

Now let’s have a go at conjugating these common ER verbs! 

1. Comer in first person present (I eat)

2. Aprender in first person preterite (I learned)

3. Ser in second person past imperfect (you used to be)

4. Tener in second person conditional (you would have)

5. Saber in third person singular simple future (he will know)

6. Hacer in third person singular present (she does/makes)

7. Ver in third person plural preterite (they saw)

8. Entender in third person plural past imperfect (they used to understand)

9. Poder in first person plural conditional (we would be able to)

10. Querer in first person plural simple future (we will want)

 

Answers:

1. Como
2. Aprendí
3. Eras
4. Tendrías
5. Sabrá
6. Hace
7. Vieron
8. Entendían
9. Podríamos
10. Querremos

 

Remember, when it comes to Spanish verbs—be they of the AR, ER or IR persuasion—practice really does make perfect!

Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)