Group 1: -ger and -gir Verbs

• Rule: In the first person singular, the g changes to a j.

Conjugation Examples

Common -ger and -gir Verbs

Group 2: -guir Verbs

• Rule: In the first person singular, the -gu changes to a g. (You could also rephrase this rule to say that the u is dropped in the first person singular.)

Conjugation Example

Common -guir Verbs

Group 3: -uir Verbs

• Rule: Between vowels, an unstressed i always changes to a y. In these verbs, the first person singular, second person singular, and third person singular and plural forms are affected.

Conjugation Example

Common -uir Verbs

Group 4: -cer and -cir Verbs

• Rule One: If the letter that comes before -cer or -cir is a consonant, the c changes to a z in the first person singular.

Conjugation Example

Common Consonant + -cer and -cir Verbs

• Rule Two: If the letter that comes before -cer or -cir is a vowel, a z is added to the first person singular.

Common Vowel + -cer and -cir Verbs

Group 5: -go Verbs

• Hacer, decir, and satisfacerdo not follow the c --> -zc rule. Instead, the c changes to a g in the first person singular.

Conjugation Examples

Other Verbs that Add G to the First Person in the Present Tense

These verbs are informally called GO verbs.