Spanish -ir verbs are the verbs whose infinitive form ends in -ir. Also called third conjugation verbs, they account for a minority of all Spanish verbs.
50 common regular -ir verbs in Spanish
| abolir abolish | disuadir dissuade | partir leave |
| abrir open | dividir divide | percibir perceive |
| admitir admit | emitir emit | permitir allow |
| añadir add | escribir write | persistir persist |
| aplaudir applaud | exhibir exhibit | presumir boast |
| asistir attend | existir exist | recibir receive |
| coincidir coincide | expandir expand | repartir share out |
| combatir combat, fight | exprimir squeeze | residir reside |
| compartir share | fundir melt | resistir withstand |
| confundir confuse | impedir prevent | subir go up |
| consumir consume | imprimir | sufrir suffer |
| cubrir cover | inscribir register | sumir plunge |
| decidir decide | insistir insist | suprimir suppress, abolish |
| definir define | interrumpir interrupt | transcurrir go by |
| describir describe | invadir invade | transmitir transmit |
| descubrir discover | ocurrir occur, happen | unir join |
| discutir argue | omitir omit | vivir live |
Debemos partir ahora mismo.
We must leave right now.
¿Dónde vives?
Where do you live?
El pueblo recibe turistas todo el año.
The village receives tourists all year round.
Perdón por interrumpir.
Sorry to interrupt.
¿Me permite ingresar?
May I come in?
Conjugation of Spanish -ir verbs
All regular Spanish verbs ending in -ir follow the same conjugation pattern. To conjugate -ir verbs, the infinitive -ir ending is dropped and replaced with a verb ending depending on the subject pronoun and verb tense. The stem or “root” does not change with conjugation.
Spanish conjugation expresses information not only about time (when the action happens) but about the subject (who does the action). Unlike English, Spanish has one conjugation for each pronoun. This is why personal pronouns are usually omitted in Spanish, since each verb ending exactly indicates which subject performs the action.
How to conjugate -ir verbs in the present tense
To conjugate -ir verbs in the present tense, the -ir ending of the infinitive form is dropped and one of the verb endings below is added, depending on the pronoun:
| Subject pronoun | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -o | Yo vivo en Madrid. I live in Madrid. |
| tú (you) | -es | Tú vives en Madrid. You live in Madrid. |
|
él, ella (he, she) |
-e | Él vive en Madrid. He lives in Madrid. |
| nosotros/as (we) | -imos | Nosotros vivimos en Madrid. We live in Madrid. |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | -ís | Vosotros vivís en Madrid. You live in Madrid. |
|
ellos, ellas (they) |
-en | Ellos viven en Madrid. They live in Madrid. |
The present tense (presente) is used for present actions and facts, and is equivalent to the simple present in English.
How to conjugate -ir verbs in the past: preterite tense
To conjugate -ir verbs in the preterite tense (pretérito perfecto simple or pretérito indefinido), the -ir ending of the infinitive form is dropped and one of the verb endings below is added, depending on the pronoun:
| Subject pronoun | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -í | Yo viví en Madrid. I lived in Madrid. |
| tú (you) | -iste | Tú viviste en Madrid. You lived in Madrid. |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) |
-ió | Él vivió en Madrid. He lived in Madrid. |
| nosotros/as (we) | -imos | Nosotros vivimos en Madrid. We lived in Madrid. |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | -isteis | Vosotros vivisteis en Madrid. You lived in Madrid. |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) |
-ieron | Ellos vivieron en Madrid. They lived in Madrid. |
The preterite tense (pretérito perfecto simple or pretérito indefinido) is used for past finished actions, and is equivalent to the simple past in English.
Quick tip: The preterite tense endings are the same for -ir verbs and -er verbs.
How to conjugate -ir verbs in the past: imperfect tense
To conjugate -ir verbs in the imperfect tense, the -ir ending of the infinitive form is dropped and one of the verb endings below is added, depending on the pronoun:
| Subject pronoun | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -ía | Yo vivía en Madrid. I lived in Madrid. |
| tú (you) | -ías | Tú vivías en Madrid. You lived in Madrid. |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | -ía | Él vivía en Madrid. He lived in Madrid. |
| nosotros/as (we) | -íamos | Nosotros vivíamos en Madrid. We lived in Madrid. |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | -íais | Vosotros vivíais en Madrid. You lived in Madrid. |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) |
-ían | Ellos vivían en Madrid. They lived in Madrid. |
The imperfect tense (pretérito imperfecto) is used for repeated or progressive actions in the past, and is equivalent to the past simple for routines in the past.
Quick tip: The imperfect tense endings are the same for -ir verbs and -er verbs.
How to conjugate -ir verbs in future simple
To conjugate -ir verbs in the future simple, one of the verb endings below is added to the infinitive form, depending on the pronoun:
| Subject pronoun | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -iré | Yo viviré en Madrid. I’ll live in Madrid. |
| tú (you) | -irás | Tú vivirás en Madrid. You’ll live in Madrid. |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) |
-irá | Él vivirá en Madrid. He’ll live in Madrid. |
| nosotros/as (we) | -iremos | Nosotros viviremos en Madrid. We’ll live in Madrid. |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | -iréis | Vosotros viviréis en Madrid. You’ll live in Madrid. |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) |
-irán | Ellos vivirán en Madrid. They’ll live in Madrid. |
The future simple (futuro simple or futuro imperfecto) is used for future actions and facts, and is equivalent to the future simple in English.
Quick tip: The future simple tense endings are the same for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
Most common irregular -ir verbs in Spanish
A large number of the most common -ir verbs in Spanish are irregular. This means they do not follow the same conjugation pattern as regular -ir verbs. The most common irregular Spanish verbs ending in -ir are:
1. Ir (to go)
The conjugation of ir is irregular for all pronouns in the present, preterite and imperfect tenses.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | voy | fui | iba | iré |
| tú (you) | vas | fuiste | ibas | irás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | va | fue | iba | irá |
| nosotros/as (we) | vamos | fuimos | íbamos | iremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | vais | fuisteis | ibais | iréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | van | fueron | iban | irán |
Voy a clase todos los días.
I go to class every day.
¿Vienes con nosotros?
Are you coming with us?
2. Venir (to come)
The conjugation of venir is irregular in the present, preterite and future tenses.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | vengo | vine | venía | vendré |
| tú (you) | vienes | viniste | venías | vendrás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | viene | vino | venía | vendrá |
| nosotros/as (we) | venimos | vinimos | veníamos | vendremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | venís | vinisteis | veníais | vendréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | vienen | vinieron | venían | vendrán |
¿Vienes conmigo?
Are you coming with me?
Vine a buscar a los niños.
I came to pick up the kids.
Other -ir verbs with the same conjugation pattern include: intervenir (intervene), convenir (agree to), prevenir (prevent).
3. Decir (to say)
The conjugation of decir is irregular in the present, preterite and future tenses.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | digo | dije | decía | diré |
| tú (you) | dices | dijiste | decías | dirás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | dice | dijo | decía | dirá |
| nosotros/as (we) | decimos | dijimos | decíamos | diremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | decís | dijisteis | decíais | diréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | dicen | dijeron | decían | dirán |
¿Cómo se dice “maestro” en italiano?
How do you say “teacher” in Italian?
Dijeron que venían.
They said they were coming.
Other -ir verbs with the same conjugation pattern include: predecir (predict), contradecir (contradict), maldecir (curse).
4. Oír (to hear)
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | oigo | oí | oía | oiré |
| tú (you) | oyes | oíste | oías | oirás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | oye | oyó | oía | oirá |
| nosotros/as (we) | oímos | oímos | oíamos | oiremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | oís | oísteis | oíais | oiréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | oyen | oyeron | oían | oirán |
Oí que abrían la puerta de entrada.
I heard the front door open.
¿Me puedes oír?
Can you hear me?
5. Dormir (to sleep)
The conjugation of dormir is irregular in the present and preterite tenses.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | duermo | dormí | dormía | dormiré |
| tú (you) | duermes | dormiste | dormías | dormirás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | duerme | durmió | dormía | dormirá |
| nosotros/as (we) | dormimos | dormimos | dormíamos | dormiremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | dormís | dormisteis | dormíais | dormiréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | duermen | durmieron | dormían | dormirán |
No dormí nada esta noche.
I didn’t get any sleep last night.
El bebé se duerme con facilidad.
The baby falls asleep easily.
Other -ir verbs with a similar conjugation pattern include: morir (die).
6. Sentir (to feel)
The conjugation of sentir is irregular in the present and preterite tenses.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | siento | sentí | sentía | sentiré |
| tú (you) | sientes | sentiste | sentías | sentirás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | siente | sintió | sentía | sentirá |
| nosotros/as (we) | sentimos | sentimos | sentíamos | sentiremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | sentís | sentisteis | sentíais | sentiréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | sienten | sintieron | sentían | sentirán |
No me siento bien esta mañana.
I don’t feel well this morning.
Pedro se siente solo en Tokio.
Pedro feels lonely in Tokyo.
Other -ir verbs with a similar conjugation pattern include: mentir (lie), sugerir (suggest) hervir (boil).
7. Pedir (ask for)
The conjugation of pedir changes the e to i for all pronouns except nosotros and vosotros in the present tense.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | pido | pedí | pedía | pediré |
| tú (you) | pides | pediste | pedías | pedirás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | pide | pidió | pedía | pedirá |
| nosotros/as (we) | pedimos | pedimos | pedíamos | pediremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | pedís | pedisteis | pedíais | pediréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | piden | pidieron | pedían | pedirán |
¿Te puedo pedir un favor?
Can I ask you a favor?
La profesora nos pidió que hagamos silencio.
The teacher asked us to be quiet.
Other -ir verbs with a similar conjugation pattern include: reír (laugh), vestir (dress), competir (compete), repetir (repeat), servir (serve), impedir (prevent).
8. Seguir (to follow)
The conjugation of seguir is irregular, changing the e to i for all pronouns except nosotros and vosotros in the present tense.
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense | Imperfect tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | sigo | seguí | seguía | seguiré |
| tú (you) | sigues | seguiste | seguías | seguirás |
| él, ella (he, she) usted (formal you) | sigue | siguió | seguía | seguirá |
| nosotros/as (we) | seguimos | seguimos | seguíamos | seguiremos |
| vosotros/as (plural you) | seguís | seguisteis | seguíais | seguiréis |
| ellos, ellas (they) ustedes (plural you) | siguen | siguieron | seguían | seguirán |
Debes seguir el camino que tú elijas.
You must follow the path you choose.
Me siguieron cuando volvía a mi casa.
I was followed on my way home.
Other -ir verbs with a similar conjugation pattern include: conseguir (get), perseguir (pursue), proseguir (proceed).
Sentences with -ir verbs in Spanish
Fuimos al supermercado. (ir)
We went to the supermarket.
¿Qué restaurante prefieres? (preferir)
Which restaurant do you prefer?
Me siento mareado. (sentir)
I feel dizzy.
¿Qué sugieres? (sugerir)
What do you suggest?
Oímos un fuerte ruido en la calle. (oír)
We heard a loud bang in the street.
Nos divertiremos mucho en la fiesta. (divertir)
We’ll have a great time at the party.
¿Puedes abrir la ventana, por favor? (abrir)
Can you open the window, please?
La compañía produce software. (producir)
The company produces software.
¿Cuándo ocurrió el accidente? (ocurrir)
When did the accident happen?
Se confundió de camino. (confundir)
He took a wrong turn.
¿Para qué sirve este aparato? (servir)
What is this device for?
Admito que me equivoqué. (admitir)
I admit I made a mistake.
La niña se cubrió con una manta para dormir. (cubrir - dormir)
The girl covered herself with a blanket to sleep.
Omitiste mencionar eso. (omitir)
You omitted to mention that.
Vinimos aquí para ayudar. (venir)
We came here to help.
¿Puedes repetir? (repetir)
Can you repeat that?
Prometo no volver a interrumpir. (interrumpir)
I promise I won’t interrupt again.
¿Quién escribió “Les Misérables”? (escribir)
Who wrote “Les Misérables”?
Insisto en pagar. (insistir)
I insist it’s on me.
¿Te sientes un poco mejor? (sentir)
Do you feel any better?
Ana compartió el pastel con sus amigos. (compartir)
Ana shared the cake with her friends.
¿Quién asistió a clase ayer? (asistir)
Who attended class yesterday?
Aún no decidí qué hacer. (decidir)
I haven’t decided yet what to do.
“El Principito” se tradujo a más de 300 idiomas. (traducir)
“The Little Prince” has been translated to over 300 languages.
Me encanta descubrir nuevos destinos para viajar. (descubrir)
I love discovering new destinations to travel to.
¿Cuándo se extinguieron los dinosaurios? (extinguir)
When did dinosaurs become extinct?
Los manifestantes obstruyeron el camino. (obstruir)
The demonstrators blocked the road.
El niño dijo su nombre en voz baja. (decir)
The boy said his name in a low voice.
¿Te quieres unir a nuestro equipo? (unir)
Do you want to join our team?
Construyeron un nuevo rascacielos en la ciudad. (construir)
A new skyscraper has been built in town.
Me inscribí en un concurso de baile. (inscribir)
I entered a dance contest.
La expedición logró subir al Monte Everest. (subir)
The expedition succeeded in climbing Mount Everest.
El abuelo sonríe mucho. (sonreír)
Grandpa smiles a lot.
El corazón le latía fuerte de alegría. (latir)
His heart pounded with joy.
¿Servimos el almuerzo? (servir)
Should we serve lunch?
Hay que diluir la pintura en agua. (diluir)
The paint must be diluted with water.
¿Cuándo murió William Shakespeare? (morir)
When did William Shakespeare die?
Oprimiré el botón para entrar. (oprimir)
I’ll push the bottom to enter.
No destruiremos nuestros logros. (destruir)
We will not destroy our accomplishments.
Los ladrones huyeron por la puerta trasera. (huir)
The thieves escaped through the back door.
Ingiere el medicamento con agua. (ingerir)
Take the medicine with water.
Mi hermano siempre consigue sus objetivos. (conseguir)
My brother always achieves his goals.
Exhibirán la obra en el museo local. (exhibir)
The painting will be exhibited at the local museum.
Nos reunimos el último fin de semana. (reunir)
We got together last weekend.
Se salió con la suya. (salir)
He got away with it.
Derretiremos la manteca antes de añadirla a la mezcla. (derretir - añadir)
We will melt the butter before adding it to the mixture.
¿A qué te refieres con eso? (referir)
What do you mean by that?
A mis amigos les prohibieron el ingreso. (prohibir)
My friends were banned from entering.
El Imperio romano expandió su poder durante siglos. (expandir)
The Roman Empire expanded its power for centuries.
No te contradije. (contradecir)
I didn’t contradict you.
Explore more:
Practice: Spanish -ir verbs
References
- Real Academia Española, Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, s.v. “Modelos de conjugación verbal,” accessed July 3, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Real Academia Española, Nueva gramática de la lengua española, s.v. “La conjugación regular,” accessed July 3, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Real Academia Española, Nueva gramática de la lengua española, s.v. “Verbos irregulares,” accessed July 4, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press, accessed June 28, 2024.
- Wordreference.com, s.v. “Spanish verb conjugation,” accessed July 4, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
- Wordreference.com, accessed July 3, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
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