Online Language Review

How to Teach Verbs That Are Irregular in the Present Tense - Part 1

Article by Eric Vogt

Published on Sep 21, 2008

When students begin to gain confidence with the regular verbs in the present and start to feel comfortable with the concept of conjugation, they can be thrown for a loop by any irregularity. This is the first of three lesson plans, to be taught in order, following the earlier one about the regulars.

Single vowel to Diphthong: e>ie and o>ueStudents who are familiar with the conjugation pattern displayed in the six-hole grid, described in the article on teaching subject pronouns, will learn irregular verbs much more easily than those who do not know this pattern. This is a good moment to tell all you teachers out there that if the textbook you are using displays all six forms in a vertical column, I suggest you change texts as soon as possible. No pattern can emerge from dsiplaying the conjugation of a vertically.

The first step to take when introducing any irregularity is to review the regular pattern and refresh their minds. You'll need a short list of regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs (to refer to, not to hand out).

Next, draw the grid on the board, leaving its boxes empty. The next step is to model the review exercise. Say a pronoun in Spanish (e.g., ellos), then an infinitive (e.g., hablar), then say the form: hablan, followed by the translation: they speak. Keep them on their toes with an oral review using four or five verbs, but asking randomly for nearly all the forms.
&If a student doesn't answer after no more than two seconds, say "demasiado lento" or some such phrase and call on someone else. After five minutes of rapid review, put the conjugation of one of the regular verbs in the grid.

Then tell them that not all verbs are quite so perfect in their conjugation, but that even so, they do form patterns. Tell them that such verbs are called irregulars. Reassure them that the irregularity has nothing to do with the verb endings for now (that is, in the present tense), but rather in the stem of the verb. Ask someone if he or she can tell the class what the stem or root of a verb is. Don't let them start with an example, push the student to define it. Thus, to say habl- is not enough (how would the pronounce that, anyway, without an ending?!).
&After that brief review and reinforcement -- which should take no more than 10 minutes -- they are ready to learn two types of irregulars for today: those that change the e of the stem to ie and those that change an o of the stem to ue.

The model verbs should be pensar and poder. Using these verbs gives you an opportunity to show them that the change has nothing to do with whether the verb is an -ar, -er or an -ir verb, but that it simply is a feature of certain verbs. In most textbooks, the irregularity is noted in the glossary, in parenthesis, or should be. Again, if your textbook doesn't show the irregularities, then switch textbooks as soon as your school's budget will allow. Tell students to always learn their vocabulary with these notations: e.g., pensar (ie); poder (ue). Be sure to test them for that detail in written quizzes.

Finally, write the full conjugations of each in their respective grids and tell the class that you are going ot model the pronunciation and you want them to see if they can hear a pattern as well as see one. As you pronounce each one, stress the ie and ue a bit more than usual. If no one hears that the placement of the stress is not in the stem when you come to the nosotros and vosotros forms (where the change does not occur), then use a pointer and say them again.

Finally, tell them that these verbs are called shoe or boot verbs -- draw a shoe or boot shaped box to enclose only the persons and numbers that show the irregularity (i.e., all but the nosotros and vosotros forms).