Unit 2.1
Irregularities of the Present Tense of the Indicative in the 1st Person Singular
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Introduction
The present indicative tense [presente del indicativo] is a verb tense that expresses actions that occur at the moment of speaking, general things, habitual actions, and future actions.
There are vowel [vocalicas], consonant [consonanticas], proper (mixed) [propias (mixta)] and orthographic [ortograficas] irregularities in the 1st person singular of the present indicative.
Form
Verbs conjugated in the present indicative have vowel, consonant, proper (mixed) and orthographic irregularities in the 1st person singular:
Vowel irregularities
Vowel irregularities are characterised by the change, diphthongation, loss or addition of a vowel:
| Persona | Pedir | Entender |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | pido | entiendo |
| Tú | pides | entiendes |
| Él/Ella/Usted | pide | entiende |
| Nosotros/-as | pedimos | entendemos |
| Vosotros/-as | pedís | entendéis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | piden | entienden |
NOTE: In this case, the irregularity is maintained in all the other verb persons, except for the first and second plural.
Consonant irregularities
Consonant irregularities are characterised by the change or addition of a consonant.
The most common are the following:
- we replace -c- with –g-;
| Persona | Hacer | Salir | Decir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | hago | salgo | digo |
| Tú | haces | sales | dices |
| Él/Ella/Usted | hace | sale | dice |
| Nosotros/-as | hacemos | salimos | decimos |
| Vosotros/-as | hacéis | salís | decís |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hacen | salen | dicen |
- the -g- is added before the ending -o;
| Persona | Poner | Salir | Venir |
| Yo | pongo | salgo | vengo |
| Tú | pones | sales | vienes |
| Él/Ella/Usted | pone | sale | viene |
| Nosotros/-as | ponemos | salimos | venimos |
| Vosotros/-as | ponéis | salís | venís |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | ponen | salen | vienen |
- is added -z- before -c-;
| Persona | Conocer | Parecer |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conozco | parezco |
| Tú | conoces | pareces |
| Él/Ella/Usted | conoce | parece |
| Nosotros/-as | conocemos | parecemos |
| Vosotros/-as | conocéis | parecéis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | conocen | parecen |
Other verbs with this irregularity are: agradecer, conducir, ofrecer, reducir…
- we replace -ae- with –ig-.
| Persona | Traer | Caer |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | traigo | caigo |
| Tú | traes | caes |
| Él/Ella/Usted | trae | cae |
| Nosotros/-as | traemos | caemos |
| Vosotros/-as | traéis | caéis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | traen | caen |
Proper (mixed) irregularities
Proper (mixed) irregularities are characterised by a vowel change and a consonant change at the same time, which are not typical for other verbs:
| Persona | Saber | Dar |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sé | doy |
| Tú | sabes | das |
| Él/Ella/Usted | sabe | da |
| Nosotros/-as | sabemos | damos |
| Vosotros/-as | sabéis | dais |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | saben | dan |
Orthographic irregularities
Orthographic irregularities are characterised by a spelling change necessary for the 1st person to respect the pronunciation of the infinitive.
One of the frequent spelling irregularities is the substitution of -g- for -j-:
| Persona | Coger | Dirigir |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cojo | dirijo |
| Tú | coges | diriges |
| Él/Ella/Usted | coge | dirige |
| Nosotros/-as | cogemos | dirigimos |
| Vosotros/-as | cogéis | dirigís |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | cogen | dirigen |
Example
Vowel irregularities:
- Yo no entiendo por qué ha encogido mi sombrero;
- Nosotros no entendemos de bragas;
- Ellas no entienden de calzoncillos.
Consonant irregularities:
- -c- for -g-:
- Yo hago una bufanda para mi nieto;
- Nosotros hacemos una cazadora de invierno;
- Ellas hacen unas botas de cuero.
- -z- before -c-:
- Yo conozco a alguien que lleva gorra;
- Nosotros conocemos marcas de calcetines elegantes;
- Ellas conocen a los diseñadores de ropa famosos.
- -ae- for -ig-:
- Yo traigo el biquini que me pediste;
- Nosotros traemos bañadores para la piscina;
- Ellas traen pijamas para pasar la noche.
Proper (mixed) irregularities:
- Yo sé anudar una corbata;
- Nosotros sabemos tejer unos guantes;
- Ellas saben ponerse el sujetador.
Orthographic irregularities:
- -g- for -j-:
- Yo cojo un pañuelo y me lo echo alrededor del cuello;
- Nosotros cogemos unas medias y las doblamos;
- Ellas cogen un uniforme y lo cuelgan en el armario.
Use
{See Present of Indicative, A1 level}
Summary
The present indicative is used to talk about present, habitual and genderal actions. In addition to the regular forms, there are many irregularities in Spanish only in the 1st person singular, where some letters need to be added inside or at the end of the verb.
For example:
— «Hago la compra grande todos los sábados». = Irregularity c–g;
— «La traigo a casa en coche». = Irregularity –ig-;
— «Conozco mucha gente del pueblo». = Irregularity c–zc.
Check the contents of the {Form} section. Then move on to the {Example} section, which shows you the usage in context.
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