A2 · The present tense
Irregular yo forms: hago, pongo
One form steps out of line, five are regular.
At a glance
- Remember
- Learn one form, derive five.
- When
- Before the past
- The past
- Past linked to the present
- The present
- The future
- Completed in the future
The present — What holds at the moment, what is under way, or what is always the case.
- Form
- (yo) hagohacer: I do
- Signal words
- hago
- pongo
- salgo
- conozco
- traigo
- Trap
- Wrong:Tú hagos la compra los sábados.Right:Tú haces la compra los sábados.
Your turn
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Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Spanish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) person ending
| hacer: I do | (yo) hago |
| you do | (tú) haces |
| he, she does; you (formal) do | (él, ella, usted) hace |
| we do | (nosotros) hacemos |
| you (plural) do | (vosotros) hacéis |
| they do; you (formal) do | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) hacen |
| poner: I put | (yo) pongo |
| you put | (tú) pones |
| he, she puts; you (formal) put | (él, ella, usted) pone |
| we put | (nosotros) ponemos |
| you (plural) put | (vosotros) ponéis |
| they put; you (formal) put | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) ponen |
| salir: I go out | (yo) salgo |
| you go out | (tú) sales |
| he, she goes out; you (formal) go out | (él, ella, usted) sale |
| we go out | (nosotros) salimos |
| you (plural) go out | (vosotros) salís |
| they go out; you (formal) go out | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) salen |
| conocer: I know | (yo) conozco |
| you know | (tú) conoces |
| he, she knows; you (formal) know | (él, ella, usted) conoce |
| we know | (nosotros) conocemos |
| you (plural) know | (vosotros) conocéis |
| they know; you (formal) know | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) conocen |
| coger: I take | (yo) cojo |
| you take | (tú) coges |
| he, she takes; you (formal) take | (él, ella, usted) coge |
| we take | (nosotros) cogemos |
| you (plural) take | (vosotros) cogéis |
| they take; you (formal) take | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) cogen |
| dar: I give | (yo) doy |
| you give | (tú) das |
| he, she gives; you (formal) give | (él, ella, usted) da |
| we give | (nosotros) damos |
| you (plural) give | (vosotros) dais |
| they give; you (formal) give | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) dan |
| ver: I see | (yo) veo |
| you see | (tú) ves |
| he, she sees; you (formal) see | (él, ella, usted) ve |
| we see | (nosotros) vemos |
| you (plural) see | (vosotros) veis |
| they see; you (formal) see | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) ven |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Only the first person is irregular; the other five follow the rule.
Yo salgo a las ocho, tú sales a las nueve.I leave at eight, you leave at nine.
Verbs in -cer and -cir after a vowel slip in a z.
Conozco esta calle.I know this street.
Verbs in -ger and -gir swap g for j.
Cojo el metro cada día.I take the underground every day.
The -go form also covers tener, venir and decir — there on top of the stem change.
Tengo prisa.I am in a hurry.
Example sentences
Hago la compra los sábados.I do the shopping on Saturdays.
Pongo la mesa y tú cocinas.I lay the table and you cook.
No veo bien de lejos.I cannot see well at a distance.
Traigo algo de comer.I am bringing something to eat.
6 more example sentences
Salgo del trabajo a las seis.I finish work at six.
Conduzco poco en la ciudad.I do not drive much in town.
Elijo siempre lo mismo.I always choose the same thing.
Doy clases de alemán.I teach German.
No sé qué decir.I do not know what to say.
Te traigo el libro mañana.I will bring you the book tomorrow.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The irregular first person gets carried across to all the others: tú hagos, or él pone turning into él pongo. Only the I-form breaks rank; everything else stays regular: haces, pone.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
A large group of Spanish verbs is irregular in the first person of the present and nowhere else; the other five forms follow the rule. Hacer → hago, poner → pongo, salir → salgo, traer → traigo, saber → sé, ver → veo, dar → doy, conocer → conozco.
That is good news: learn hago and you automatically have haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen. Only one form costs memory.
Two sub-groups are regular enough to count as a rule: verbs in -cer and -cir after a vowel slip in a z (conozco, traduzco), and several in -ger and -gir swap g for j (cojo, elijo).
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The verbs on this page, in every form: salir · tener · ver · poner · comer · conocer · traer · coger