Common Irregular Past Partici

These irregular words are team players. They usually hang out with the helper verb haber. To use them, you take a form of haber (like he, has, or ha) and then drop in the irregular participle. The best part of this grammar? The participle stays exactly the same in the perfect tenses. It does not care if you are talking about a man, a woman, or a group of people. If you have "seen" something, it is always visto. It is like a fixed LEGO brick that you snap onto the right version of haber. Think of haber as the engine and the irregular participle as the car. The engine changes depending on who is driving, but the car stays the same shape. This makes your life easier once you memorize the specific forms. You don't have to worry about matching endings to subjects here. Just pick the right rebel word and you are good to go!

1. 1To build a sentence with these irregulars, follow these simple steps:
2. 2Start with your subject (the person doing the action).
3. 3Conjugate the verb haber in the present tense: he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, or han.
4. 4Add the specific irregular past participle. Do not try to add -ado or -ido!
5. 5Add any objects or details to finish the thought.
6. 6Here are the most common rebels you need to memorize:
7. 7Abrir (to open) becomes abierto.
8. 8Decir (to say) becomes dicho.
9. 9Escribir (to write) becomes escrito.
10. 10Hacer (to do/make) becomes hecho.
11. 11Poner (to put) becomes puesto.
12. 12Ver (to see) becomes visto.
13. 13Volver (to return) becomes vuelto.
14. 14Romper (to break) becomes roto.

Use these irregulars whenever you want to talk about completed actions that still matter now. Imagine you are at a job interview. You want to say, "I have written many reports." You would say, He escrito muchos informes. Or imagine you are asking for directions. You might say, "The map has said to turn left." That would be El mapa ha dicho.... In real-world scenarios, these are everywhere. If you are ordering food and the waiter asks if you are finished, you might say He hecho mi elección (I have made my choice). If you are traveling and return to your hotel, you tell the clerk He vuelto. Even when things go wrong, like a cracked phone screen, you’ll need them: He roto mi teléfono. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes, but getting it right makes you sound like a pro. Think of it like a grammar traffic light; these irregulars are the yellow light that tells you to slow down and think before you speak.

Don't use these irregular participles for general habits or things you do every day. For that, just use the simple present tense. For example, don't say He escrito if you mean "I write every day." Just say Escribo. Also, never use the participle by itself as the main action. Saying Yo escrito is like saying "I written." It sounds like Tarzan Spanish! You always need that helper verb haber to carry the weight. Another time to be careful is when using these words as adjectives. While abierto can mean "open" (the door is open), the rules change slightly because adjectives must match the noun. But when you are using the Perfect Tense (I have opened), keep it fixed. Don't overcomplicate it!

The most famous mistake is "over-regularizing." This is when your brain tries to force the -ado or -ido ending onto a rebel verb. You might find yourself saying escribido instead of escrito. It sounds a bit like a toddler saying "I goed" instead of "I went." It’s cute, but you want to avoid it! Another common trip-up is forgetting the silent h in he, has, or ha. Even though you don't hear it, the h is vital for writing. Some learners also mix up ver (to see) and mirar (to watch). Remember, ver becomes visto, but mirar is a regular verb and becomes mirado. Don't let the two get their wires crossed in your head!

Most Spanish verbs are "good citizens." They follow the rules perfectly. Comer (to eat) becomes comido. Hablar (to talk) becomes hablado. These are predictable and safe. Our irregulars are the exceptions that prove the rule. Think of regular verbs as a straight, paved highway. Irregular verbs are the scenic, winding mountain path. They take a little more effort to navigate, but they are much more interesting. If you see a verb that ends in -bir or -vir, wait a second! Check if it’s a rebel like escribir or abrir. Most -er verbs are regular, but hacer and ver are the big exceptions you'll use every single day.