Spanish Essential Verbs: 250 Verbs With Conjugation Notes

The infinitive is the easy half. This deck carries the pattern that goes with it.

250 cardsLast updated 2026-08-17

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Knowing that comer means to eat gets you nowhere in a conversation, because Spanish almost never uses the infinitive. What you need at the moment of speaking is the pattern: whether the stem changes, whether the yo form is irregular, whether the verb takes a preposition, whether it behaves like gustar and flips the subject. A vocabulary list that gives you only the meaning leaves exactly that half out, and it is the half that stalls you mid-sentence. This deck covers 250 verbs, and every card carries three things: the English meaning, the conjugation pattern in one line, and an original Spanish sentence with its translation. Cards are tagged by pattern — regular -ar, regular -er/-ir, stem-changing, irregular, reflexive — and by theme, so you can drill only stem-changing verbs, or only the ones you need for travel. Import it and the deck joins your spaced-repetition schedule: the verbs whose pattern you can produce stretch out and disappear, and what stays in front of you is the set you still have to think about.

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What's inside

Showing 100 representative cards from the full 250-card deck.

Front	Back
ser	to be (permanent qualities, identity, origin). Conjugation: Irregular: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son. Example: Ella es profesora de historia. — She is a history teacher.
haber	to have (auxiliary); there is/are. Conjugation: Irregular: he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han; hay for there is. Example: Hay dos ventanas en la sala. — There are two windows in the room.
hacer	to do, to make. Conjugation: Irregular: hago; past hice. Example: Hago la cena los domingos. — I make dinner on Sundays.
decir	to say, to tell. Conjugation: Irregular: digo; e→i stem change. Example: Siempre digo la verdad. — I always tell the truth.
querer	to want, to love. Conjugation: Stem change e→ie: quiero, quieres, quiere. Example: Quiero aprender español. — I want to learn Spanish.
conocer	to know (people, places). Conjugation: Irregular yo form: conozco. Example: Conozco bien esta ciudad. — I know this city well.
ver	to see. Conjugation: Irregular: veo, ves, ve. Example: Veo la montaña desde aquí. — I can see the mountain from here.
traer	to bring. Conjugation: Irregular: traigo; past traje. Example: Traigo el pan de la panadería. — I am bringing the bread from the bakery.
valer	to be worth, to cost. Conjugation: Irregular yo form: valgo. Example: Este cuadro vale mucho dinero. — This painting is worth a lot of money.
estudiar	to study. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Estudio matemáticas en la universidad. — I study mathematics at university.
tomar	to take, to drink. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Tomo un café por la mañana. — I have a coffee in the morning.
pasar	to pass, to spend time, to happen. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Paso las vacaciones con mi familia. — I spend the holidays with my family.
buscar	to look for. Conjugation: Regular -ar; c→qu before e in preterite. Example: Busco mis gafas por toda la casa. — I am looking for my glasses all over the house.
escuchar	to listen to. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Escucho música mientras cocino. — I listen to music while I cook.
ayudar	to help. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Ayudo a mi padre en el jardín. — I help my father in the garden.
contestar	to answer. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Contesté el correo esta mañana. — I answered the email this morning.
viajar	to travel. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Viajo a Sevilla en tren. — I travel to Seville by train.
nadar	to swim. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Nado en la piscina los sábados. — I swim in the pool on Saturdays.
cantar	to sing. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Canta muy bien en el coro. — He sings very well in the choir.
cocinar	to cook. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Cocino arroz con verduras. — I cook rice with vegetables.
lavar	to wash. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Lavo la ropa los lunes. — I wash the clothes on Mondays.
pagar	to pay. Conjugation: Regular -ar; g→gu before e. Example: Pagué la cuenta con tarjeta. — I paid the bill by card.
ahorrar	to save (money, time). Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Ahorro para un viaje largo. — I am saving for a long trip.
prestar	to lend. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Le presté mi bicicleta a Marta. — I lent my bicycle to Marta.
reservar	to book, to reserve. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Reservé una mesa para dos. — I booked a table for two.
invitar	to invite. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Te invito a cenar el viernes. — I am inviting you to dinner on Friday.
regalar	to give as a gift. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Le regalé un libro a mi hermana. — I gave my sister a book as a gift.
llorar	to cry. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: El niño lloró toda la noche. — The child cried all night.
explicar	to explain. Conjugation: Regular -ar; c→qu before e. Example: El profesor explicó la regla otra vez. — The teacher explained the rule again.
preparar	to prepare. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Preparo la maleta la noche antes. — I pack the suitcase the night before.
empezar	to begin. Conjugation: Stem change e→ie; z→c before e. Example: La película empieza a las nueve. — The film starts at nine.
pensar	to think. Conjugation: Stem change e→ie: pienso, piensas. Example: Pienso mucho en aquel verano. — I think a lot about that summer.
perder	to lose, to miss. Conjugation: Stem change e→ie: pierdo. Example: Perdí el tren de las siete. — I missed the seven o'clock train.
preferir	to prefer. Conjugation: Stem change e→ie: prefiero. Example: Prefiero el té al café. — I prefer tea to coffee.
sentar	to seat, to suit. Conjugation: Stem change e→ie: siento. Example: Ese color te sienta muy bien. — That colour suits you very well.
recomendar	to recommend. Conjugation: Stem change e→ie: recomiendo. Example: Te recomiendo este restaurante. — I recommend this restaurant to you.
dormir	to sleep. Conjugation: Stem change o→ue and o→u: duermo, durmió. Example: Duermo ocho horas cada noche. — I sleep eight hours every night.
volver	to return, to come back. Conjugation: Stem change o→ue: vuelvo. Example: Vuelvo a casa a las seis. — I get back home at six.
encontrar	to find, to meet. Conjugation: Stem change o→ue: encuentro. Example: Encontré las llaves debajo del sofá. — I found the keys under the sofa.
mostrar	to show. Conjugation: Stem change o→ue: muestro. Example: Le muestro las fotos a mi abuela. — I show the photos to my grandmother.
almorzar	to have lunch. Conjugation: Stem change o→ue; z→c before e. Example: Almuerzo a las dos de la tarde. — I have lunch at two in the afternoon.
pedir	to ask for, to order. Conjugation: Stem change e→i: pido, pidió. Example: Pido la cuenta al camarero. — I ask the waiter for the bill.
repetir	to repeat. Conjugation: Stem change e→i: repito. Example: ¿Puede repetir la pregunta? — Could you repeat the question?
conseguir	to get, to manage to. Conjugation: Stem change e→i; gu→g before o and a. Example: Conseguí entradas para el concierto. — I got tickets for the concert.
corregir	to correct. Conjugation: Stem change e→i; g→j before o and a. Example: La profesora corrige los exámenes. — The teacher corrects the exams.
medir	to measure. Conjugation: Stem change e→i: mido. Example: Mido la mesa antes de comprarla. — I measure the table before buying it.
reír	to laugh. Conjugation: Stem change e→i; accent on the i. Example: Reímos mucho con esa película. — We laughed a lot at that film.
beber	to drink. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Bebo agua durante la comida. — I drink water with my meal.
leer	to read. Conjugation: Regular -er; i→y in third person preterite. Example: Leí el periódico en el tren. — I read the newspaper on the train.
correr	to run. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Corro en el parque por la mañana. — I run in the park in the morning.
responder	to answer, to respond. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Respondió con mucha calma. — He answered very calmly.
prometer	to promise. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Prometo llegar a tiempo. — I promise to arrive on time.
temer	to fear. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Teme perder el trabajo. — He fears losing his job.
escribir	to write. Conjugation: Regular -ir; irregular past participle escrito. Example: Escribo una carta a mi amigo. — I am writing a letter to my friend.
recibir	to receive. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: Recibí tu mensaje anoche. — I received your message last night.
decidir	to decide. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: Decidimos quedarnos un día más. — We decided to stay one more day.
compartir	to share. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: Compartimos el piso con dos amigos. — We share the flat with two friends.
insistir	to insist. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb; takes en. Example: Insiste en pagar la cena. — He insists on paying for dinner.
sufrir	to suffer. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: Sufrió mucho durante la mudanza. — He suffered a lot during the move.
existir	to exist. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: Existen muchas versiones de la historia. — Many versions of the story exist.
imprimir	to print. Conjugation: Regular -ir; alternative participle impreso. Example: Imprimí el billete en casa. — I printed the ticket at home.
llamarse	to be called. Conjugation: Reflexive; regular -ar. Example: Me llamo Andrés. — My name is Andrés.
vestirse	to get dressed. Conjugation: Reflexive; stem change e→i. Example: Me visto muy rápido por la mañana. — I get dressed very quickly in the morning.
acostarse	to go to bed. Conjugation: Reflexive; stem change o→ue. Example: Me acuesto sobre las once. — I go to bed around eleven.
irse	to leave, to go away. Conjugation: Reflexive form of ir. Example: Me voy, ya es muy tarde. — I am leaving, it is very late.
ponerse	to put on, to become. Conjugation: Reflexive form of poner. Example: Ponte el abrigo, hace frío. — Put your coat on, it is cold.
preocuparse	to worry. Conjugation: Reflexive; takes por. Example: No te preocupes por el examen. — Do not worry about the exam.
enfadarse	to get angry. Conjugation: Reflexive; takes con. Example: Se enfadó con su hermano. — He got angry with his brother.
casarse	to get married. Conjugation: Reflexive; takes con. Example: Se casó con una compañera de trabajo. — He married a colleague.
olvidarse	to forget. Conjugation: Reflexive; takes de. Example: Me olvidé de cerrar la puerta. — I forgot to lock the door.
quejarse	to complain. Conjugation: Reflexive; takes de. Example: Se queja del ruido de la calle. — He complains about the street noise.
despedirse	to say goodbye. Conjugation: Reflexive; stem change e→i; takes de. Example: Me despedí de todos en la puerta. — I said goodbye to everyone at the door.
merecer	to deserve. Conjugation: Irregular yo form: merezco. Example: Mereces un descanso. — You deserve a rest.
ofrecer	to offer. Conjugation: Irregular yo form: ofrezco. Example: Me ofrecieron un puesto nuevo. — They offered me a new position.
conducir	to drive. Conjugation: Irregular: conduzco; past conduje. Example: Conduzco con mucho cuidado. — I drive very carefully.
destruir	to destroy. Conjugation: Irregular: destruyo. Example: La tormenta destruyó el tejado. — The storm destroyed the roof.
caber	to fit. Conjugation: Irregular: quepo; past cupe. Example: No cabe nada más en la maleta. — Nothing else fits in the suitcase.
desear	to wish, to desire. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Deseo que tengas un buen viaje. — I wish you a good trip.
olvidar	to forget. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb; often used reflexively. Example: Olvidé el paraguas en la oficina. — I forgot the umbrella at the office.
considerar	to consider. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Considero cambiar de trabajo. — I am considering changing jobs.
rechazar	to reject. Conjugation: Regular -ar; z→c before e. Example: Rechazó la oferta con educación. — He turned down the offer politely.
mejorar	to improve. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Mi pronunciación ha mejorado mucho. — My pronunciation has improved a lot.
parar	to stop. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: El autobús para en la esquina. — The bus stops on the corner.
vaciar	to empty. Conjugation: Regular -ar; accent on the i in some forms. Example: Vacío la papelera cada noche. — I empty the bin every night.
entregar	to hand in, to deliver. Conjugation: Regular -ar; g→gu before e. Example: Entregué el trabajo el viernes. — I handed in the assignment on Friday.
apagar	to turn off. Conjugation: Regular -ar; g→gu before e. Example: Apaga la televisión antes de dormir. — Turn off the television before sleeping.
descansar	to rest. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Descanso media hora después de comer. — I rest for half an hour after lunch.
durar	to last. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: La reunión duró tres horas. — The meeting lasted three hours.
desaparecer	to disappear. Conjugation: Irregular yo form: desaparezco. Example: El dolor desapareció por la noche. — The pain disappeared during the night.
obtener	to obtain. Conjugation: Conjugated like tener: obtengo. Example: Obtuve el permiso la semana pasada. — I obtained the permit last week.
proponer	to propose. Conjugation: Conjugated like poner: propongo. Example: Propuso una solución sencilla. — He proposed a simple solution.
llover	to rain. Conjugation: Stem change o→ue; third person only. Example: Llueve desde el amanecer. — It has been raining since dawn.
probar	to try, to taste. Conjugation: Stem change o→ue: pruebo. Example: Prueba la sopa antes de servirla. — Taste the soup before serving it.
proteger	to protect. Conjugation: Regular -er; g→j before o and a. Example: Este seguro protege tu equipaje. — This insurance protects your luggage.
gustar	to be pleasing to. Conjugation: Used with indirect object pronouns. Example: Me gusta el pescado a la plancha. — I like grilled fish.
doler	to hurt. Conjugation: Stem change o→ue; used with indirect object pronouns. Example: Me duele la cabeza. — I have a headache.
apetecer	to feel like. Conjugation: Irregular yo form; used with indirect object pronouns. Example: ¿Te apetece un café? — Do you fancy a coffee?
actuar	to act. Conjugation: Accent on the u: actúo, actúas. Example: Actuó con mucha rapidez. — He acted very quickly.
evitar	to avoid. Conjugation: Regular -ar verb. Example: Evito el centro a esta hora. — I avoid the centre at this time.
nacer	to be born. Conjugation: Irregular yo form: nazco. Example: Nací en un pueblo de la costa. — I was born in a village on the coast.

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Yes. Imported cards are yours: you can edit both sides, delete cards you do not need, change tags, and move cards to another deck.

What is in the deck?

94 regular -ar verbs, 40 regular -er and -ir verbs, 43 stem-changing verbs, 45 irregular verbs and 28 reflexive verbs, 250 in total. One verb per card, so no verb appears twice.

Are full conjugation tables included?

No, and that is deliberate. A full table of six forms across fourteen tenses is a reference you look things up in, not something a flashcard can drill. Each card gives the pattern instead — which vowel changes, which yo form breaks, which preposition follows — because that is the part you have to recall while speaking. Keep a conjugator open for the tables.

Which Spanish does it use?

Peninsular Spanish, including the vosotros form where a conjugation line shows it. The verbs themselves are common across the Spanish-speaking world, and where a Latin American preference is strong the note says so.

Is this enough on its own?

It covers the verb layer, which is the part most learners are missing when they stall. Import it and open it daily, and the only verbs that come up are the ones whose pattern you cannot yet produce. Spend the time that frees up on speaking practice and on reading real Spanish.

Editorial method and sources

Memly's editors use the primary sources below to check scope and terminology, then independently write and review the cards.

Instituto Cervantes: Spanish grammar A1-A2