Irregular verbs don't follow the regular patterns, and they include the most common verbs in the language: ser, estar, ter, ir, fazer. The good news is that most of their irregular forms come in a few families:
- Completely irregular: ser, ir, estar, ter, fazer, dizer, ver, vir. Learn these by heart; you'll use them every day.
- Only the "eu" form changes: pedir → peço, ouvir → ouço, dormir → durmo, perder → perco. The rest of the present is regular, and the present subjunctive follows the "eu" form: peça, ouça, durma, perca.
- A vowel changes: subir → sobe, fugir → foge, construir → constrói.
- Verb families: verbs built on another verb follow it. Manter and obter work like ter, propor like pôr, and prever like ver.
The 50 verbs
They're in order of how often you'll use them, so start at the top.
- 1 · -erserto be
- 2 · -arestarto be
- 3 · -erterto have
- 4 · -irirto go
- 5 · -erfazerto do
- 6 · -erpodercan
- 7 · -erdizerto say
- 8 · -ardarto give
- 9 · -erverto see
- 10 · -ersaberto know
- 11 · -erquererto want
- 12 · -irvirto come
- 13pôrto put
- 14 · -ertrazerto bring
- 15 · -irsairto go out
- 16 · -erlerto read
- 17 · -irouvirto hear
- 18 · -irpedirto ask for
- 19 · -irdormirto sleep
- 20 · -irsentirto feel
- 21 · -erperderto lose
- 22 · -irseguirto follow
- 23 · -irconseguirto manage to
- 24 · -irpreferirto prefer
- 25 · -irservirto serve
- 26 · -irvestirto wear
- 27 · -irsubirto go up
- 28 · -ircairto fall
- 29 · -irrirto laugh
- 30 · -irsorrirto smile
- 31 · -ervalerto be worth
- 32 · -ercaberto fit
- 33 · -irmedirto measure
- 34 · -irrepetirto repeat
- 35 · -irmentirto lie
- 36 · -irfugirto run away
- 37 · -ircobrirto cover
- 38 · -irdescobrirto discover
- 39 · -irconstruirto build
- 40 · -irdestruirto destroy
- 41 · -irincluirto include
- 42 · -ermanterto keep
- 43 · -erobterto get
- 44proporto propose
- 45 · -erpreverto predict
- 46 · -arpassearto go for a walk or a ride
- 47 · -arodiarto hate
- 48 · -irdivertir-seto have fun
- 49 · -irdespedir-seto say goodbye
- 50 · -irsumirto disappear