-IR is the last group of Spanish verb conjugation models. Even though this group may not be as large or common as -AR verbs or -ER verbs, it still contains verbs that add great value to your vocabulary. For that reason, in this list you will only find the most important and most common -IR verbs that Spanish speakers use on a daily basis and that are essential for your communication.
Most Common Regular -IR Verbs
- Abrir – To open
- Aburrir – To bore
- Añadir – To add
- Aplaudir – To applaud
- Confundir – To confuse
- Cubrir – To cover
- Decidir – To decide
- Descubrir – To discover
- Discutir – To discuss/To argue
- Dividir – To divide
- Escribir – To write
- Escupir – To spit
- Existir – To exist
- Hundir – To sink
- Partir – To leave/To split
- Pudrir – To rot
- Recibir – To receive/To accept
- Repartir – To distribute
- Subir – To go up
- Vivir – To live
Most Common Irregular -IR Verbs
- Conseguir – To get/To achieve
- Convertir – To become
- Corregir – To correct
- Decir – To say
- Despedir – To say goodbye/To fire
- Divertir – To amuse
- Dirigir – To run
- Dormir – To sleep
- Elegir – To choose
- Freír – To fry
- Herir – To hurt
- Hervir – To boil
- Ir – To go
- Medir – To measure
- Mentir – To lie
- Morir – To die
- Oír – To hear
- Pedir – To ask/To order
- Perseguir – To pursue
- Preferir – To prefer
- Reír – To laugh
- Rendir – To surrender/To yield
- Repetir – To repeat
- Reunir – To reunite
- Salir – To go out/To exit
- Seguir – To follow
- Sentir – To feel
- Servir – To work
- Venir – To come
- Vestir – To dress
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Most common regular ‘-IR’ verbs in Spanish
In this section, you’ll learn the most frequently used regular -IR verbs. Keep in mind that in almost all cases, these verbs follow the same conjugation pattern. This means that, with exception of the conditional and future tenses, you’ll always replace the -ir infinitive ending with the appropriate ending for the subject and tense.
However, there are several key exceptions that are important to be aware of. Therefore, I’ve included these exceptions below when they apply to specific verbs in this list.
Abrir – To open
As the direct translation of ‘to open’, abrir in Spanish expresses that a person is giving access to something that was closed or blocked by something. As a result, we use ‘abrir’ when talking about opening doors, presents, containers, windows, or spots. Spanish speakers also use this verb when talking about valves and faucets. So, in this context, abrir means ‘to turn on’.
Abriremos los regalos a las 12 de la noche.
We will open the gifts at 12 o’clock at night.
Abrí la llave de la regadera pero no salió agua.
I turned on the shower faucet, but water didn’t come out.
Take Note: Even though ‘abrir’ is a regular verb, its past participle form is irregular. As a result, it’s incorrect to say abrido. Instead, you’ll say abierto.
Incorrect
¿Quién dejó la llave abrida?
Who left the tap open?
Correct
¿Quién dejó la llave abierta?
Who left the tap open?
Aburrir – To bore
When talking about emotions or mental states, aburrir is used to talk about things that are tedious and that bore people. So, this verb is the direct translation of ‘to bore’. Its reflexive form aburrirse is used to express that someone gets bored by someone or something.
¿Ya te aburriste de mi plática?
Did you get bored of my talk?
La clase de física aburrió a los alumnos.
The physics class bored the students.
Añadir – To add
The Spanish verb añadir means ‘to add’. Since this verb is used to talk about increasing things in quantity, it can be applied to numerous contexts.
Añade un poco más de canela al ponche.
Add a little more cinnamon to the punch.
Añadí algunas correcciones a tu ensayo.
I added some corrections to your essay.
Aplaudir – To applaud
Overall, aplaudir expresses strong approval for something. Depending on the context, ‘aplaudir’ can be translated as ‘to applaud’ or ‘to clap’. However, when talking about accepting ideas, it can be close in meaning to ‘to welcome’ or ‘to approve’.
La compañía aplaudió la decisión del CEO.
The company applauded the CEO’s decision.
No aplaudan hasta que la orquesta termine la pieza.
Don’t clap until the orchestra finishes the piece.
Confundir – To confuse
The verb confundir and its reflexive form confundirse express that someone is puzzled, misunderstood something or is unable to distinguish between two things. As a result, ‘confundir’ means ‘to confuse’, ‘to disorient’, ‘to mistake’.
La conjugación de algunos verbos me confunde.
The conjugation of some verbs confuses me.
Se confundió, pensó que la fiesta era mañana.
He got confused. He thought the party was tomorrow.
Take Note: When talking about objects or things, both of these verbs can be used to describe that those objects are blending in with something else. In this case, ‘confundir’ can be translated as ‘to mingle’, ‘to muddle with’ or ‘to blend in with’.
Cubrir – To cover
In Spanish, cubrir refers to putting something on top or in front of a person or object with the purpose of protecting or hiding them. However, when talking about money or resources, ‘cubrir’ indicates that something is enough. This verb is the Spanish equivalent of ‘to cover’, but it’s also close in meaning to ‘to fill’, ‘to hide’ or ‘to conceal’.
Cúbrete, hace mucho frío.
Cover up, it’s very cold.
Cien dólares al mes no cubren sus necesidades.
One hundred dollars a month does not cover his needs.
Decidir – To decide
Decidir describes someone making a choice, and as a result, it can be translated as ‘to decide’ or ‘to choose’.
Decidí aprender a tocar el violín.
I decided to learn to play the violin.
Mañana decidiremos quién cuidará al perro.
Tomorrow we will decide who will take care of the dog.
Descubrir – To discover
Overall, descubrir in Spanish is used to talk about discoveries. As a result, we use this verb to talk about confidencial or unknown things that someone found out. Therefore, ‘descubrir’ means ‘to discover’, ‘to find out’ and ‘to uncover’.
Los arqueólogos descubrieron una pirámide en Chiapas.
Archaeologists discovered a pyramid in Chiapas.
Mi hermano descubrió la contraseña de mi celular.
My brother found out my cell phone password.
Take Note: Descubrir is a regular verb in all tenses except in the past participle form. The correct past participle for descubrir is ‘descubierto’ not ‘descubrido’.
Incorrect
No he descubrido tu plan.
I haven’t discovered your plan.
Correct
No he descubierto tu plan.
I haven’t discovered your plan.
Discutir – To discuss/To argue
Discutir indicates that two or more people are participating in an exchange of ideas, which can be civilized or lead to a lively debate. Although, the direct translation of discutir is ‘to discuss’, it can also be translated as ‘to argue’ or ‘to debate’.
Mañana discutiremos ese tema.
We’ll discuss that issue tomorrow.
Tú y tu novio discuten demasiado.
You and your boyfriend argue too much.
Dividir – To divide
The verb dividir describes the separation of something into two or more parts. Its direct translation is ‘to divide’ and ‘to split’. Therefore, you can use this verb to refer to objects, but also groups of people.
¿Dividimos la cuenta?
Should we split the bill?
La historia de la humanidad se divide en tres partes.
The history of humankind is divided into three parts.
Escribir – To write
As the direct translation of ‘to write’, the Spanish verb escribir expresses that a person is conveying his ideas through written format. As a result, it can be used to talk about taking notes with a pen or pencil, typing, composing music, and more. In informal conversations, Spanish speakers also use this verb as a synonym of ‘to text’ or ‘to email’.
Escribí mi primera novela a los veinte años.
I wrote my first novel when I was twenty.
Te escribí ayer, pero no me respondiste.
I texted you yesterday, but you didn’t answer.
Take Note: Although it’s considered a regular verb, the past participle form of ‘escribir’ is irregular. So, instead of saying ‘escribido’, you’ll need to say ‘escrito’.
Incorrect
No he escribido mi ensayo.
I haven’t written my essay.
Correct
No he escrito mi ensayo.
I haven’t written my essay.
Escupir – To spit
In Spanish, escupir describes that something or someone spit something out. Although it’s commonly used to refer to spitting saliva, escupir can also refer to lava, fire, among other things. In this case, it means ‘to spit’ or ‘to spew’.
Detesto cuando la gente escupe en la calle.
I hate when people spit in the street.
Escupió la verdad en cuanto le pregunté.
He spat out the truth as soon as I asked him.
Take Note: As an informal term, ‘escupir’ expresses that a person told everything they know about something. So, in this case, this verb is close in meaning to ‘spat out’, ‘disclose’, ‘snitch’ or ‘squeal’.
Existir – To exist
When talking about things or ideas being real, we use the verb existir, which directly translates as ‘to exist’.
Santa sí existe.
Don’t be silly, Santa does exist.
En el siglo XIX no existía la radio.
The radio didn’t exist in the 19th century.
Hundir – To sink
Hundir means ‘to sink’ or ‘to plunge’ and is generally used to talk about things sinking or submerging in water or other substances. However, in other contexts, the verb ‘hundir’ can also be used to express that a business is ruined or that a person is depressed. Therefore, depending on the context, ‘hundir’ can also mean ‘to cave in’, ‘to submerge’ or ‘to ruin’.
El Titanic se hundió en 1914.
The Titanic sank in 1914.
No hundas tus juguetes o no los vamos a encontrar.
Don’t sink your toys or we won’t be able to find them.
Take Note: Hundir can work as a pronominal verb when expressing that something or someone sank by accident. In this case, you’ll need to use reflexive pronouns. In other situations, hundir needs to work with direct objects to indicate what is sinking.
Partir – To leave/To split
Generally speaking, there are two main situations when we use the verb partir in Spanish. The first one, to express formally that someone or something is leaving a certain place. The other context describes that something is being cut or divided into several parts. So, depending on the situation, ‘partir’ means ‘to leave’, ‘to depart’, ‘to split’, ‘to cut’, ‘to divide’ or ‘to break’.
Partí la piña en trocitos.
I cut the pineapple into pieces.
El tren a Madrid partió hace dos horas.
The train to Madrid left two hours ago.
Take Note: Depending on the meaning you want to convey, ‘to leave’ in Spanish can have different translations.
Pudrir – To rot
The verb pudrir means ‘to rot’ and refers to the decomposition of organic materials. When we want to emphasize the thing that has rotten, we use the Spanish pronoun ‘se’.
La humedad pudrió el techo de madera.
The humidity rotted the wooden ceiling.
La fruta se pudre muy rápido en época de calor.
The fruit rots very quickly in hot weather.
Recibir – To receive/To accept
In Spanish, recibir expresses that a person is accepting a package or something that someone else sent. In its reflexive form, ‘recibir’ is a formal way to say that someone graduated from school. Based on the context, this verb can be translated as ‘to receive’, ‘to get’, ‘to accept’ or ‘to graduate’.
Recibí una carta de la Universidad.
I received a letter from the University.
Matt se recibió de abogado hace dos años.
Matt graduated from law school two years ago.
Repartir – To distribute
Repartir is a verb that relates to distributing things. Therefore, it can be used to talk about delivering food or dividing something among a group of people. Based on the context, it can be translated as ‘to distribute’, ‘to hand out’ or ‘to deliver’.
Repartí folletos toda la tarde.
I handed out flyers all afternoon.
Su abuelo repartió su fortuna en partes iguales.
Their grandfather distributed his fortune equally.
Subir – To go up
Subir, and its reflexive form ‘subirse’, are verbs with multiple meanings in Spanish. Situations where you can use this verb include: explaining that someone or something is climbing something, getting into a vehicle, uploading things online, or increasing in quantity or quality, among other things. As a result, subir can be translated as ‘to go up’, ‘to climb’, ‘to get on’ or ‘to upload’.
No te subas a la mesa.
Don’t get on the table.
Subí todas las fotos a iCloud.
I uploaded all the photos to iCloud.
Vivir – To live
As the direct translation of ‘to live’, in Spanish, vivir is used to express that something or someone is alive, to refer to experiences and to talk about the place where a person lives. So, in addition to ‘to live’, ‘vivir’ is also close in meaning to ‘to experience’ or ‘to live through’.
El hermano de Carlos vive en España.
Carlos’ brother lives in Spain.
Las cosas que viví en mi adolescencia fueron muy bonitas.
The things I experienced in my adolescence were very beautiful.
Most common irregular ‘-IR’ verbs
As you may already know, when a verb is irregular in Spanish, it means that its stem will experience different changes depending on the tense and subject. Below, you’ll find the most common -IR irregular verbs that are important for you to learn.
Conseguir – To get/To achieve
As the direct translation of ‘to get’, the verb conseguir is used to talk about achievements or things that a person obtained. So, in addition to this translation, this verb can also be translated as ‘to achieve’ or ‘to obtain’.
Conseguí boletos para el festival de Cine.
I got tickets to the film festival.
No conseguimos la medalla de oro.
We didn’t get the gold medal.
Convertir – To become
The Spanish verb convertir implies transformation. As a result, it can be used to describe a change in shape or mentality. ‘Convertir’ is commonly translated as ‘to turn into’, ‘to become’ or ‘to transform’. Depending on what you want to express, this verb can work with both reflexive and direct object pronouns.
La ciudad se convirtió en un basurero.
The city became a garbage dump.
En la película, la protagonista se convierte en adulta en un segundo.
In the film, the protagonist turns into an adult in a second.
Corregir – To correct
In Spanish, corregir expresses that a person is modifying something in order to fix an error. However, it can also be used to describe that a person is correcting someone else’s behavior. As a result, ‘corregir’ means ‘to correct’ or ‘to improve’.
Siempre me corriges al hablar.
You always correct me when I speak.
Mi maestro de piano corrigió mi postura.
My piano teacher corrected my posture.
Decir – To say
Decir is the Spanish equivalent of ‘to tell’ or ‘to say’. If the context is clear enough, decir can be used on its own. Otherwise, you’ll need to use indirect pronouns to specify to whom you’re saying or telling something.
Pierre me dijo que mañana no puede venir.
Pierre told me he can’t come tomorrow.
¿Cómo se dice ‘zapatos’ en francés?
How do you say ‘shoes’ in French?
Take Note: As a beginner, decir can be very useful since it allows you to ask how certain things are said (pronunciations, translations, etc.). In this case, decir is accompanied by the impersonal pronoun ‘se’.
Despedir – To say goodbye/To fire
In Spanish, the verb despedir has three main uses. In work environments, it expresses that an employee was dismissed. When describing objects, ‘despedir’ refers to the smells and substances that something expels. Finally, its reflexive form despedirse indicates that a person is saying goodbye in Spanish. So, based on the context, this verb can be translated as ‘to fire’, ‘to emit’, or ‘to say goodbye’.
Keep in mind that, depending on what you want to say, ‘despedir’ can work with reciprocal, reflexive or object pronouns.
¿Te vas a ir sin despedirte de mí?
Are you going to leave without saying goodbye to me?
El jefe de Luis lo despidió por llegar tarde.
Luis’s boss fired him for being late.
Divertir – To amuse
Divertir is a verb that describes things or people being fun, so it can be translated as ‘to amuse’ or ‘to entertain’. However, its reflexive form divertirse refers to a fun experience. In this case, it can be translated as ‘to have fun’ or ‘to have a good time’.
El mago divirtió a los niños.
The magician amused the children.
Quiero que te diviertas en tu cumpleaños.
I want you to have fun on your birthday.
Dirigir – To run
Dirigir expresses the idea of providing a form of guidance. When talking about a business or a group of people, it can be translated as ‘to manage’, ‘to run’ or ‘to lead’. Dirigir is also used to refer to movies, letters or packages. Under certain contexts, it can be a formal synonym for ‘ir’. So, depending on the context, dirigir can also mean ‘to conduct’, ‘to direct’, ‘to go to’ or ‘to send to’.
¿Sabes quién dirigió esta película?
Do you know who directed this movie?
Su papá dirige la empresa y su mamá administra el dinero.
His dad runs the company and his mom manages the money.
Dormir – To sleep
The verb dormir in Spanish is used to talk about sleeping. However, it can also be used to refer to other states of unconsciousness such as being anesthetized or euthanizing animals. If referring to body parts, dormir describes that a limb is numbed. Therefore, this verb can be translated as ‘to sleep’, ‘to put to sleep’ or ‘to go numb’.
Mi gato duerme todo el día.
My cat sleeps all day.
Ve a ver si tu hermano ya se durmió.
Go check if your brother fell asleep already.
Take Note: In some cases, the meaning of a verb can change slightly in its reflexive form. For example, the Spanish reflexive verb dormirse expresses that a person fell asleep.
Elegir – To choose
Elegir refers to the action of selecting someone or something from a group of people or things. Because of this, this verb is translated as ‘to choose’. However, in a political and similar contexts, ‘elegir’ is close in meaning to ‘to elect’.
Mi novia siempre elige los restaurantes más caros.
My girlfriend always chooses the most expensive restaurants.
¿Ya elegiste el vestido que vas a usar en la boda?
Have you already chosen the dress you’re going to wear at the wedding?
Freír – To fry
If you’re trying to learn Spanish vocabulary that you can use in the kitchen, you should consider adding ‘freír’ to your list. As the direct translation of ‘to fry’, freír is used to describe the process of cooking food in hot oil.
Fríe las papas durante cinco minutos.
Fry the potatoes for five minutes.
Freír la comida no es saludable.
Frying food is not healthy.
Herir – To hurt
When speaking about causing a wound, injury or emotional damage, we use the verb herir, which means ‘to hurt’, ‘to wound’ or ‘to injure’.
Creo que heriste sus sentimientos.
I think you hurt his feelings.
El asaltante hirió a dos personas.
The robber injured two people.
Hervir – To boil
Hervir is another Spanish verb that you’ll use when cooking. Since it’s the direct translation of ‘to boil’, this verb is only used to talk about liquids.
La leche está hirviendo.
The milk is boiling.
Pon los garbanzos a hervir.
Put the chickpeas to boil.
Ir – To go
In Spanish, ir is one of the most common and important verbs you’ll learn. As the direct translation of ‘to go’, ir expresses that something or someone is moving from one place to another. However, its reflexive form irse indicates that a person is leaving or departing from a certain place.
Additionally, when followed by an infinitive verb, ir expresses that an action will take place in the near future. In this context, it’s the Spanish equivalent of ‘going to’.
¿A dónde fuiste de vacaciones?
Where did you go on vacation?
Voy a ver una película con José.
I’m going to see a movie with José.
Lucy fue a la tienda.
Lucy went to the store.
Take Note: In Spanish, there are some verbs whose meaning can change in their reflexive form. For example, ir describes that a person is going somewhere, while irse conveys the idea that a person is leaving from a place.
Olivia y Lucy se fueron a las ocho.
Olivia and Lucy left at eight.
Medir – To measure
When talking about determining the size or weight of a thing or person, we use the verb medir. As a result, it can be translated as ‘to measure’ or ‘to calculate’. However, if you use this verb to talk about height, it would be closer in meaning to ‘to be’.
¿Cuánto mides?
How tall are you?
¿Ya mediste la madera?
Did you already measure the wood?
Mentir – To lie
In Spanish, mentir is saying something opposite to the truth. Therefore, this verb is the equivalent of ‘to lie’. If you need to specify to whom a person is lying to, you may need to use indirect object pronouns.
Tanya miente todo el tiempo.
Tanya lies all the time.
No me mientas, sé que escondes algo.
Don’t lie to me, I know you are hiding something.
Morir – To die
In Spanish, morir is the direct translation of ‘to die’ or ‘to pass away’. This verb is commonly used with reflexive pronouns as a way to intensify its meaning. In conversational Spanish, ‘morir’ is used to emphasize emotions and, as a result, it doesn’t have a direct translation.
No quiero que mis mascotas se mueran.
I don’t want my pets to die.
El tío de Carmen murió el martes pasado.
Carmen’s uncle died last Tuesday.
Me muero de hambre, ¿a qué hora vamos a comer?
I’m dying of hunger, what time are we eating?
Oír – To hear
Oír is one of the most basic verbs to talk about the senses in Spanish. It describes the ability of perceiving sounds through the sense of hearing. Unlike ‘escuchar’, oír is not a voluntary action. As a result, it means ‘to hear’.
Mi abuelita ya casi no oye.
My grandmother hardly hears anymore.
Oigo el tren desde mi casa.
I hear the train from my house.
Pedir – To ask/To order
Pedir refers to a person making a request. As a result, it can be used when talking about online shopping, food orders or asking someone for something. Because of its applications in Spanish, ‘pedir’ can be translated as ‘to ask for’, ‘to request’, ‘to order’ or ‘to demand’.
Pedí un par de libros por internet.
I ordered a couple of books online.
Gaby me pidió que te diera este dinero.
Gaby asked me to give you this money.
Take Note: Since they both can be translated as ‘to ask’, many people learning Spanish tend to confuse pedir and preguntar. As established before, ‘pedir’ is used when ordering or requesting something. On the other hand, ‘preguntar’ refers to inquiring information.
Perseguir – To pursue
Even though it may sound similar to ‘seguir’, perseguir expresses that a person is following someone or going after a goal in a persistent way. As a result, this verb can be translated as ‘to pursue’ or ‘to chase’.
Persigue tu sueño de ser artista.
Pursue your dream of being an artist.
El perro persiguió al cartero esta mañana.
The dog chased the postman this morning.
Preferir – To prefer
Preferir is a Spanish verb that is linked to preferences and choices. For this reason, this verb is used to describe that someone likes something better than its alternatives. Based on this, preferir can be translated as ‘to prefer’, ‘to favor’, or ‘rather’ when used as an auxiliary verb.
¿Cuál prefieres, el rosa o el morado?
Which one do you prefer, pink or purple?
Preferiría no tener que ir a la escuela mañana.
I’d rather not have to go to school tomorrow.
Reír – To laugh
Reír is the Spanish word for ‘to laugh’. However, in some contexts, its reflexive form reírse is used to express that a person is making fun of something or someone. In this case, this verb is close in meaning to ‘to make fun of’ or ‘to ridicule’.
Fernando se cayó y todos se rieron.
Fernando fell and everyone laughed.
Perdón por reírme tanto, no lo puedo evitar.
Sorry for laughing so much, I can’t help it.
Rendir – To surrender/To yield
In Spanish, rendir has two main meanings. It can be used to assess the performance, productivity or utility of a person, process or thing. In this context, rendir means ‘to yield’ or ‘to perform’. However, in its reflexive form, it expresses that a person accepted a defeat, in which case it can be translated as ‘to give up’, ‘to be enough for’, ‘to quit’, ‘to surrender’ or ‘to give in’.
Ríndete, no vas a ganar de todas formas.
Give up, you’re not going to win anyway.
Mi sueldo ya no rinde para hacer las compras del mes.
My salary is no longer enough to do the monthly shopping.
Repetir – To repeat
In Spanish, repetir is doing something that has already been done. The direct translation of repetir is ‘to repeat’, but depending on the sentence it can also mean ‘to do again’, ‘to do over’ or ‘to imitate’. In academic contexts, repetir implies that a student is retaking a course. Finally, in Mexican Spanish, it means ‘to burp’.
¿Puede repetir lo que dijo, por favor?
Can you repeat what you said, please?
Repetiré química el próximo semestre.
I’m retaking chemistry next semester.
Reunir – To reunite
The most common way to use the verb reunir is to describe people getting together. In this context, it’s translated as ‘to reunite’ or ‘to meet’. However, it can also be used to talk about gathering or collecting things. So, depending on the situation, reunir is close in meaning to ‘to gather’, ‘to bring together’, ‘to join’ or ‘to collect’.
Lewis y yo nos reuniremos el próximo jueves.
Lewis and I will meet next Thursday.
¿Reuniste las firmas necesarias?
Did you collect the necessary signatures?
Salir – To go out/To exit
Salir is a verb with multiple meanings in Spanish. It can be translated as ‘to exit’, ‘to leave’, ‘to get out’ when describing that a person is leaving a place or a situation. In some situations, it’s used to explain the origin of something, in which case it would be close in meaning to ‘to come from’. Salir can also be used to talk about dating or hanging out with someone.
In conversational Spanish, ‘salir’ expresses that a person was part of a TV or movie. In this case, it’s close in meaning to ‘to be in’ or ‘to appear in’.
No salgas, está lloviendo.
Don’t go out, it’s raining.
Creo que Brad Pitt sale en esa película.
I think Brad Pitt is in that movie.
Take Note: Salir a is a popular idiom in Spanish that people use to describe the resemblance between relatives. This expression is similar to ‘to take after’ or ‘to look like’.
Seguir – To follow
Seguir is the translation of ‘to follow’ when talking about going after or behind someone or something. However when combined with a Spanish gerund, seguir means ‘still’ and it refers to emotions, habits or activities that haven’t changed and that a person keeps performing.
Sigamos al guía.
Let’s follow the tour guide.
¿Sigues yendo a correr todas las mañanas?
Do you still go for a run every morning?
Sentir – To feel
Given that it’s the direct translation of ‘to feel’, the Spanish verb sentir can be used to describe emotions and physical sensations. If you’re specifically talking about feeling sorrow, this verb means ‘to be sorry’. Lastly, in informal contexts, sentir can be used as a colloquial and gentle way to express your opinion in Spanish. In this case, it would be similar to ‘to think’.
Sentimos mucho tu pérdida.
We’re very sorry for your loss.
Me siento triste, déjame sola.
I feel sad, leave me alone.
Siento que esta foto quedaría mejor.
I think that this picture will look better.
Servir – To work
In Spanish, servir describes the utility, purpose or function of something or someone. Keep in mind that it can also be used when talking about food or beverages. So, depending on how it’s being applied, servir can be translated as ‘to work’, ‘to serve’, ‘to pour’ or ‘to be good at’.
El horno no sirve, usa la estufa.
The oven doesn’t work, use the stove.
Ya les serví lasaña a los invitados.
I already served lasagna to the guests.
Venir – To come
Overall, venir implies that a person is moving towards the direction or location of the speaker. However, in informal contexts, it is used to explain that something is or appeared in a certain place. So, depending on the situation, ‘venir’ can be translated as ‘to come’, ‘to arrive’, ‘to turn up’, ‘to be’ or ‘to appear’.
¿Dónde vienes? Te estamos esperando.
We are you? We’re waiting for you.
Mi papá vino a visitarme después de dos meses.
My dad came to visit me after two months.
Vestir – To dress
In Spanish, vestir and its reflexive form vestirse describe that a person is putting on their clothes or is helping someone else to get dressed. As a result, ‘vestir’ can be translated as ‘to dress’, ‘to get dressed’ or ‘to wear’. ‘Vestir’ is one of the most common ‘-ir’ verbs since it allows you to talk about your daily routines.
Baña al bebé y vístelo, por favor.
Bathe the baby and dress him, please.
Hace un par de siglos, los hombres vestían batas todo el tiempo.
A couple of centuries ago, men wore robes all the time.
Take Note: Most of the time, vestir works with direct object pronouns or reflexive nouns. This helps you indicate if a person is getting dressed on their own or if someone else is helping them with this activity.