Verbs Ending in -oy in the Present Indicative
In Spanish, four essential and very common verbs have a unique characteristic: their first person singular in the present indicative ends in -oy. These four verbs are ir (to go), dar (to give), estar (to be) and ser (to be).
Why this ending? The -oy ending is the result of phonetic evolution from Latin. These four verbs are highly irregular and do not follow any regular conjugation pattern. However, they are easier to pronounce with -oy.
IR (to go)
Present tense conjugation:
- yo voy
- tú vas
- él/ella/usted va
- nosotros/nosotras vamos
- vosotros/vosotras vais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes van
Main uses:
- Expressing movement: Voy al mercado (I'm going to the market)
- Forming the near future: Voy a estudiar (I'm going to study)
- Common expressions: ¿Cómo te va? (How's it going?)
Other points to remember about the verb ir.
- The verb ir always requires the preposition a to indicate a destination.
- In the gerund, it becomes yendo (another irregularity)
- It shares the same preterite as ser: fui, fuiste, fue... You must then refer to the context to distinguish between these two verbs.
DAR (to give)
Present tense conjugation:
- yo doy
- tú das
- él/ella/usted da
- nosotros/nosotras damos
- vosotros/vosotras dais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes dan
Main uses:
- To give in the literal sense: Te doy un regalo (I give you a gift)
- Idiomatic expressions: dar las gracias (to thank), dar un paseo (to take a walk)
- With prepositions: dar a (to face/overlook), dar con (to find)
Note that although the verb ends in -ar, its first person conjugation resembles -er/-ir verbs. It is at the origin of many fixed expressions: dar miedo (to scare), dar pena (to cause pity).
ESTAR (to be - temporarily or to indicate a state)
Present tense conjugation:
- yo estoy
- tú estás
- él/ella/usted está
- nosotros/nosotras estamos
- vosotros/vosotras estáis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes están
Main uses:
- Location: Estoy en casa (I am at home)
- Temporary state: Estoy cansado (I am tired)
- Progressive: Estoy trabajando (I am working)
Some points to remember about the verb Estar:
- It is used for temporary or changing situations. This is its main difference with the verb ser.
- In all forms (except nosotros/vosotros), it carries a written accent
- It forms the gerund with estar + gerundio
SER (to be - permanently)
Present tense conjugation:
- yo soy
- tú eres
- él/ella/usted es
- nosotros/nosotros somos
- vosotros/vosotras sois
- ellos/ellas/ustedes son
Main uses:
- Identity: Soy María (I am María)
- Permanent characteristics: Soy alto (I am tall)
- Origin: Soy de España (I am from Spain)
- Time and dates: Son las tres (It is three o'clock)
The main point to note for this verb is that it is completely irregular and, as already mentioned, it shares the same preterite as the verb ir: fui, fuiste, fue... You must then pay attention to the context to properly grasp the meaning of the sentence. Ser is used for permanent or essential characteristics.