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Picture this: you've been practicing your Spanish verb conjugations. You learned the rules for -ar verbs, -er, and -ir verbs. You're feeling confident. You want to say, "I have a dog," so you think... the verb is tener, it's an -er verb, so for 'yo' it should be... teno?
But then you hear a native speaker say, "Tengo un perro."
Wait, where did that 'g' come from?
¡Felicidades! You've just stumbled upon one of the most common, and honestly, one of the coolest, groups of irregular verbs in Spanish: the "yo-go" verbs. Don't worry, they're not as random as they seem. This guide will turn them from a point of confusion into a tool of confidence.
What Exactly Are "Yo-Go" Verbs?
"Yo-go" verbs are a group of verbs that follow a simple rule:
They are mostly regular in the present tense, but their yo (I) form is irregular and ends in -go.
That's it! The rest of the conjugations (tú, él, nosotros, etc.) usually behave just as you'd expect them to.
Let's look at our first example, tener (tenerto have), to see this in action.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tengo | I have |
| Tú | tienes | You have |
| Él/Ella/Usted | tiene | He/She/You (formal) have |
| Nosotros/as | tenemos | We have |
| Vosotros/as | tenéis | You all (Spain) have |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | tienen | They/You all have |
See? Only the yo form has that surprise -go. The rest of the verb is a standard e->ie stem-changer, but the irregularity we're focusing on is that first-person tengo.
The Golden Rule
Remember, the "-go" only applies to "yo." Don't be tempted to add it to other forms!
Drag the handle to compare
Meet the "Yo-Go" Crew: The Verbs You Need to Know
Let's meet the most common "yo-go" verbs. You'll use these in everyday conversation all the time, so they're worth getting to know.
The Core Group
These are your bread-and-butter "yo-go" verbs.
- Hacer (to do/make) ➞ hago
Yo hagoI do mi tarea por la tarde. (I do my homework in the afternoon.)
- Poner (to put/place) ➞ pongo
Siempre pongoI put las llaves en la mesa. (I always put the keys on the table.)
- Salir (to leave/go out) ➞ salgo
Yo salgoI leave del trabajo a las cinco. (I leave work at five.)
- Traer (to bring) ➞ traigo
¿Necesitas algo? Yo traigoI bring las bebidas. (Do you need anything? I'll bring the drinks.)
- Caer (to fall) ➞ caigo
A veces me caigoI fall cuando corro muy rápido. (Sometimes I fall when I run too fast.)
- Valer (to be worth) ➞ valgo
Yo valgoI am worth mucho más de lo que piensas. (I am worth much more than you think.)
Time for a quick check-in! Let's see if you've got it.
How would you say 'I make the bed every morning'?
The "Add-a-G" Group
These verbs already have a vowel before the -er or -ir ending, so a -g- is inserted for phonetic reasons.
- Oír (to hear) ➞ oigo
No oigoI hear nada. ¿Puedes repetir? (I don't hear anything. Can you repeat?)
- Decir (to say/tell) ➞ digo
Yo siempre digoI say la verdad. (I always tell the truth.)
Watch Out for 'Decir'!
Be careful with decir! It's a double-whammy irregular. It's a "yo-go" verb AND an e to i stem-changing verb (e.g., tú dices, él dice). Just another reason Spanish keeps us on our toes!
Time to Practice!
Reading is one thing, but using the language is how you'll truly learn. Let's practice with a fun little challenge. Unscramble the sentence below!
Arrange the words to form a correct sentence:
But... Why the "-go"? A Quick History Lesson
Ever wonder why this happens? It's not just to make life difficult for learners, I promise!
Lingo-Nerd Corner
Most of these irregularities trace back to how Latin evolved into Spanish. In Latin, the verb for "to do" was facere. The first person was facio. That hard "c" sound (like a "k") was at risk of softening or disappearing before the "o." Over hundreds of years of linguistic change, Spanish speakers inserted a "g" sound to preserve that hard consonant, which eventually evolved into the modern hago. You can see a similar pattern for digo (from Latin dico). It's a fossil of the language's history!
You've Got This!
The "yo-go" verbs might seem strange at first, but they are a small and finite group. By mastering them, you're taking a huge step toward sounding more natural and fluent.
Your key takeaways:
- "Yo-go" verbs are only irregular in the
yoform. - The irregularity is a
-goending. - The main verbs to memorize are tener, hacer, poner, salir, traer, decir, oír, caer, and valer.
Keep practicing, listen for them in conversations, and soon you won't even have to think about them. ¡Tú puedes! (You can do it!)