Unit 4: More present tense verbs and personal a
4.2 Present Tense of Other Irregular Verbs: Part 1
The following verbs are very high-frequency and all are irregular in the first-person singular, while ir is irregular throughout.
| Decir (To say, tell) | Hacer (to do, make) | Ir (to go) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | digo | hago | voy |
| Tú | dices | haces | vas |
| él, ella, Ud. | dice | hace | va |
| Nosotros | decimos | hacemos | vamos |
| Vosotros | decís | hacéis | vais |
| ellos, ellas, Uds. | dicen | hacen | van |
The verb ir often combines with the preposition a + infinitive to render future meaning (esp. near future), as in English.
- Voy a trabajar esta noche.
- I’m going to work tonight.
- Nidia va a cocinar mañana.
- Nidia is going to cook tomorrow.
- Mis padres van a viajar esta semana.
- My parents are going to travel this week.
- ¿Uds. no van a ir con nosotros?
- You aren’t going to go with us?
The verb hacer is used to express various weather phenomena:
Spanish |
English |
| Hace calor. | It’s warm/hot. |
| Hace mucho frío. | It’s very cold. |
| Hace sol. | It’s sunny. |
| Hace viento. | It’s windy. |
| ¿Qué tiempo hace? | What’s the weather like? |
| Hace buen tiempo. | The weather is good. |
| Hace mal tiempo. | The weather is bad. |
Note in the second example about that, like idioms with tener, those used with hacer also take nouns. Therefore, you will see a form of mucho, not muy modifying them.
Do not confuse Hace frío with Tengo frío or Hace calor with Tiene calor. The expressions with tener can only take a person (or animal) as subject:
- Hace mucho frío en enero.
- It’s very cold in January.
- Con frecuencia tengo frío.
- I’m frequently cold.
Also do not confuse hace with “have” o “has” when translating. Although they look similar, their meaning never is the same.
