Lesson 12: Other Irregular Present Tense Forms

12.1

-ZCO Verbs

A number of other verbs are irregular in some form or another. One subgroup, those that work like conocer (to know people or places; to meet) makes a pretty neat little package and only change in the yo form.

All these verbs end in ‑CER or ‑CIR and the ending for the yo form becomes ‑ZCO (pronounced -sko in Latin America). See two examples below:

12.2

Let’s take a look at our last group of irregular present tense verbs. These are all very high frequency verbs, so you’ll get lots of practice with them, in VerbMaster and out in the real world:

12.3

Haber

Finally, here is one more irregular verb that you won’t need until later. This verb is haber (to have). But it doesn’t mean have as in I have a new car or I have a game later today, that would be tener. Haber mostly works as a helping verb in sentences like, ‘He comido en este restaurante antes’, ‘I have eaten in this restaurant before’, or ‘¿Hemos visto ya esta película?’, ‘Have we seen this movie yet?'. It also helps us to form hay (there is or there are). Here it is, so you have it when you need it. We’ll learn more about how to use it in Lesson 29.