Spanish yo-go verbs: tengo, hago, vengo, salgo (and veo)

The g that is only yours

In a regular verb the front never moves: «hablo», «hablas», «habla»; «como», «comes», «come»; «vivo», «vives», «vive». Whatever changes, changes at the end. Now look at «tener»: «tienes», «tiene», and then «tengo». There is a g in that last one and it is nowhere in the other two. The ending is the ordinary -o of «hablo» and «como»; it is the stem itself that changes shape, for yo and for nobody else. «tengo un perro», «tengo hambre», «tengo ocho años». And it is not the only verb that does this.

• Tengo un perro

  I have a dog

• Mi hermana tiene un gato

  My sister has a cat

• Tengo sed

  I'm thirsty

• Tú tienes un carro nuevo

  You have a new car

• Yo hablo español todos los días

  I speak Spanish every day

• Tengo ocho años

  I'm eight years old

• Hoy tú tienes hambre

  Today you are hungry

• Yo tengo hambre y mi hermano tiene sed

  I'm hungry and my brother is thirsty

Only the yo form is strange

«hacer» means to do or to make, and almost everywhere it behaves. For tú it is «haces», the front of the verb plus the -es of «comes». For él and ella it is «hace», the same front plus the -e of «come». Then you reach yo, and instead of that front Spanish hands you «hago». A stem change like «puedo» can be predicted once you know the verb bends; this cannot. There is no rule that turns «hacer» into «hago». It is one form, memorized once per verb, and everything else about the verb stays ordinary. «tengo» has the same shape: a yo form ending in -go next to «tienes» and «tiene» with no g in them at all.

• Hacer

  to do, to make

• Hago la tarea todos los días

  I do the homework every day

• Yo hago la tarea

  I do the homework

• Ana hace la tarea

  Ana does the homework

• Mi hermano hace el trabajo

  My brother does the work

• Mi hermana hace la tarea

  My sister does the homework

• Tengo hambre

  I'm hungry

• Yo hago la tarea, ella hace el trabajo

  I do the homework, she does the work

Three verbs, one ending, no rule

«venir» is to come, and its yo form is «vengo». Nothing about «venir» predicts that g. You cannot derive it; it is one word, learned once, the same way «hago» was. What you can do is notice the company it keeps: «tengo», «hago», «vengo». Three different verbs, three yo forms, all ending in -go. That is a family, not a rule, and each member joins it one at a time. The endings elsewhere are the ordinary ones: «viene» is he comes, she comes, with the plain -e you already hang on «come» and «vive» (the e → ie in «vienes» and «viene» is the stem change you know from «quiero»). Only yo gets the g.

• Vengo a la fiesta

  I come to the party

• Mi hermano viene a la fiesta

  my brother comes to the party

• Voy al parque

  I go to the park

• Mi hermana viene hoy, pero yo vengo mañana

  My sister comes today, but I come tomorrow

• Yo vengo en autobús

  I come by bus

• La fiesta empieza tarde

  the party begins late

• Tengo tarea, pero vengo a la fiesta

  I have homework, but I come to the party

You just guessed a verb

«salir» is to leave or to go out, and its yo form is «salgo». «tengo», «hago», «vengo», «salgo»: four verbs, four irregular yo forms, one shape. Be careful about what that shape is, though. It is not a rule that manufactures the form out of the infinitive; it is a club, and you have to know who is in it. Very common verbs that look just like these do something else entirely. Outside yo, nothing moves: «sale» is he or she leaves, «haces» is you do. Plain endings, no g anywhere.

• Mi hermano sale tarde

  my brother leaves late

• Mi madre sale temprano

  my mother leaves early

• Voy al trabajo

  I go to work

• Hoy salgo tarde

  today I leave late

• Salgo de casa temprano

  I leave the house early

• Mi hermana sale tarde, pero yo salgo temprano

  My sister leaves late, but I leave early

• Hoy salgo temprano y vengo a la fiesta

  today I leave early and I come to the party

Four go, one doesn't

«hago», «vengo», «salgo», «tengo»: four yo forms, every one ending in -go. Here is the fifth verb, and it breaks the pattern. «ver», to see, has the yo form «veo»: two letters after the v and no g anywhere. Knowing it exists is what stops you putting a g in it. The rest of «ver» is regular: «ve», he or she sees, wears the same plain -e as «come» and «vive». One more thing. When the thing you see is a PERSON, Spanish slips a little «a» in front: «veo la película» has no «a», and «veo a mi amigo» does. This personal a marks a person and has no meaning of its own.

• Quiero ver la película

  I want to see the movie

• Veo a mi amigo en el cine

  I see my friend at the cinema

• Diego ve el carro

  Diego sees the car

• Voy al cine

  I go to the cinema

• Veo a Diego en la fiesta

  I see Diego at the party

• Mi amigo hace la tarea

  my friend does the homework

• Veo a mi amigo en el cine, y mi amigo ve la película

  I see my friend at the cinema, and my friend sees the movie

Five verbs, one habit

Side by side: «hacer» gives «hago», «venir» gives «vengo», «salir» gives «salgo», «tener» gives «tengo», and «ver» gives «veo». Four of the five end in -go; «veo» is the one exception, and there is nothing else hiding. Now the other columns. «tienes», «tiene» and «viene» carry the e → ie stem change on top of their regular endings; «haces», «hace», «sale» and «ve» do not change at all. What every one of them shares is the ENDING: the plain -es and -e of any -er or -ir verb. The strangeness lives in exactly one cell of the table, the one with yo in it.

• Quiero tener un perro

  I want to have a dog

• Ana viene a la fiesta hoy

  Ana comes to the party today

• Tengo dos hermanos

  I have two brothers

• Ana tiene un carro

  Ana has a car

• Vengo a la fiesta hoy

  I come to the party today

• Quiero tener un perro, pero tengo un gato

  I want to have a dog, but I have a cat

Check yourself

Questions from the course. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.

1. 1.Four yo-forms you already use. Three of them are exactly what you would predict: the front of the verb, then -o. One of them has a letter in it that no rule put there. Which one?

   tengohablobebovivo

2. 2.You know how a regular yo-form is built: take the front of the verb, add -o. Run «hacer» through that and you get one of the four below. Spanish does not use it. Which one does Spanish actually use for 'I do'?

   hagohacohacehaces

3. 3.«tengo», «hago»: pick the yo form of «venir».

   venovengovienevenir

4. 4.«hago», «vengo», «tengo»: pick the yo form of «salir».

   salosalesalirsalgo