Present Irregular Yo 3

In this lesson, the focus is on two common types of irregular yo forms in the present tense:

• verbs that add g before the -o ending
• verbs ending in -guir that drop the u in the yo form

These verbs are irregular only in the yo form. The other forms usually stay regular, unless the verb has another separate irregularity.

Type 1: Adding g in the yo form

Some very common verbs form the present tense yo by adding g before the final -o.

Examples:

• poner → pongo
• salir → salgo
• valer → valgo
• hacer → hago
• venir → vengo

This change appears only in yo.

Special case: stems ending in a vowel

When the stem ends in a vowel, Spanish often adds ig before the -o in the yo form.

Examples:

• oír → oigo
• caer → caigo
• traer → traigo

So instead of a simple added g, these verbs use ig + o.

Verb families

Some verbs are built from other verbs and keep the same yo pattern:

• poner → pongo → suponer → supongo
• venir → vengo

If you know the base verb, you can often predict related verbs.

Type 2: Verbs ending in -guir

In verbs ending in -guir, the yo form drops the u and the spelling adjusts:

• distinguir → distingo

Note: seguir → sigo and conseguir → consigo also follow this pattern, but they were already covered in Level 7 (e → i stem changes).

Important distinction

Not all verbs with g in the infinitive use the same yo pattern. Compare:

• add g: poner → pongo, salir → salgo
• g → j (Level 9): escoger → escojo, proteger → protejo
• -guir: distinguir → distingo

Irregular Yo Forms: Adding g and -guir

This lesson covers the third group of yo-form irregularities in the present tense.

Group 1: Adding g

Full Conjugation: poner (to put)

Full Conjugation: salir (to leave)

Full Conjugation: venir (to come)

Group 2: Adding ig (vowel stem)

Full Conjugation: oír (to hear)

Full Conjugation: traer (to bring)

Group 3: -guir verbs

Full Conjugation: distinguir (to distinguish)

Common verbs in this lesson

Verb Families

• poner family: poner → pongo, suponer → supongo
• vowel stem + ig: oír → oigo, caer → caigo, traer → traigo

Compare All Yo-Form Patterns (Levels 8-10)

Quick Pattern Check