Irregular Verbs: Hacer, Poner, and Salir

In this lesson, we continue exploring "go verbs" — verbs that have an irregular yo form ending in -go but are otherwise regular (or nearly regular) in their other present tense forms. The verbs hacer, poner, and salir are all essential for everyday communication, and we will also look at several more -go verbs: traer, decir, and oir.

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Hacer (To Do / To Make)

Conjugation

Subject	Conjugation	Translation
yo	hago	I do / I make
tu	haces	you do / you make
el / ella / usted	hace	he/she does, you (formal) do
nosotros / nosotras	hacemos	we do / we make
vosotros / vosotras	haceis	you all do / you all make
ellos / ellas / ustedes	hacen	they do, you all (formal) do

Only the yo form is irregular (hago instead of the expected haco). All other forms follow regular -ER patterns.

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Uses of Hacer

Hacer is one of the most versatile verbs in Spanish:

1. To Do / To Make

• Hago mi tarea. — I do my homework.
• Ella hace un pastel. — She makes a cake.
• ?Que haces? — What are you doing?

2. Weather Expressions

Spanish uses hacer for many weather descriptions:

Spanish	English
Hace calor.	It is hot.
Hace frio.	It is cold.
Hace sol.	It is sunny.
Hace viento.	It is windy.
Hace buen tiempo.	The weather is good.
Hace mal tiempo.	The weather is bad.

Note: Not all weather uses hacer. Rain uses llover (Llueve) and snow uses nevar (Nieva).

3. Time Expressions

Hacer is also used to express how long ago something happened (though this is used more with the past tense, it is good to know):

• Hace dos anos que vivo aqui. — I have been living here for two years.

4. Common Expressions

Expression	Meaning
hacer ejercicio	to exercise
hacer la cama	to make the bed
hacer cola	to queue / to stand in line
hacer una pregunta	to ask a question
hacer las maletas	to pack (suitcases)

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Poner (To Put / To Place)

Conjugation

Subject	Conjugation	Translation
yo	pongo	I put
tu	pones	you put
el / ella / usted	pone	he/she puts
nosotros / nosotras	ponemos	we put
vosotros / vosotras	poneis	you all put
ellos / ellas / ustedes	ponen	they put

Again, only the yo form is irregular (pongo). The rest follow regular -ER patterns.

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Uses of Poner

1. To Put / To Place

• Pongo el libro en la mesa. — I put the book on the table.
• Ella pone la ropa en el armario. — She puts the clothes in the wardrobe.

2. To Turn On (appliances, media)

• Pongo la television. — I turn on the television.
• Pone musica. — He/She puts on music.

3. Ponerse — Reflexive Uses

When used reflexively (ponerse), it has several meanings:

Expression	Meaning	Example
ponerse + clothing	to put on (clothes)	Me pongo la chaqueta.
ponerse + adjective	to become / to get	Se pone nervioso. (He gets nervous.)
ponerse de pie	to stand up	Nos ponemos de pie.

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Salir (To Leave / To Go Out)

Conjugation