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Learning irregular verbs and its difficulties

Teaching irregular verbs in the preterite tense can be a challenge. These verbs do not conjugate like regular verbs and can be difficult to learn with non-native students. Even so, they are essential! Irregular verbs do not follow the predictable patterns of regular -ar, -er, or -ir endings. Some of the hardest verbs to learn verbs like tener, estar, ir, ser, hacer, and poder because their stems change and their endings are unique. Creating activities that can help facilitate students' learning, such as charts, color-coded endings, and plenty of examples, helps learners recognize the patterns and memorize them more effectively.


Beyond memorization, students also need to receive lots of practice communicating. Activities such as role-playing, storytelling, or writing about what they did yesterday allow students to use irregular preterite verbs in authentic communication. Drills can help students conjugate quickly, but forming complete sentences will create a long-lasting buildup of not only conjugating the verbs, but also giving them the tools to become fluent! Giving students the opportunity to practice irregular verbs in real-life scenarios will help them build confidence and fluency, while also developing a deeper understanding of how the preterite tense functions in everyday conversation.




 
 
 

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