Spanish Verbal Periphrasis

A verbal periphrasis is a verbal construction made of two verb forms, a conjugated form and an impersonal form (an infinitive, a present participle, or a past participle). Verbal periphrasis is used in the informal future, the present progressive, and the perfect tenses.

For this post, I have compiled some of the most important Spanish verbal periphrasis that students should begin to learn.

Acabar DE (to have just done something; to just can't VERB something) – Acaba de darse cuenta de mi error (I have just noticed my error); Acababa de entrar cuando sonó el teléfono (He had just entered when the telephone rang); ¿Puedes echarme una mano cuando acabes de limpiar? (Can you give me a hand when you're done cleaning?); No acabo de entender por qué lo hizo (I just can't understand why he did it); No me acaba de parecer bien que revises el correo de tu novio (I just don't think it's right that you check your boyfriend's email)

Acabar GER (to end up doing something) - Me sigue pareciendo mal que acabara pagando la novia (I still find it bad that the girlfriend ended up paying)

Andar GER (to get around doing something) – Anduvimos buscando la llave (We were searching around for the keys)

Comenzar A (to start doing something) – La gente comenzó a preocuparse por el medio ambiente (The people started to care about the environment)

Continuar GER (to continue doing something) - En cualquier caso continúa siendo optimista (In any case he still is optimist); No creía que continuara lloviendo (I didn't think it would continue raining)

Deber DE (must – expressing possibility) – Debe de ser muy caro estudiar en los Estados Unidos (It must be very expensive to study in the US); Deben de haberse ido por aquí (They must have gone this way); Deben de haberse dado cuenta de que tenemos problemas (They must have noticed we have problems); Deben de haberse equivocado (They must have been wrong)

Deber INF (must – expressing obligation) - No debes preocuparte (You must not worry); Debería cambiarse cada mes (It should be changed monthly);  No deberías haberla dejado sola (You shouldn't have left her alone); Debíamos haber salido ayer (We should have left yesterday)

Dejar DE (to stop doing something) - Cuando deje de llover nos iremos (When it stops raining we will go)

Dejar QUE (let someone/ something do something) - Deja que acabe de llover (let the rain stop); Deja que me toque la lotería y verás (Wait until I won the lottery and you'll see)

Estar GER (to be doing something) – Los niños están estudiando (The children are studying)

Haber DE (must – expressing possibility and obligation) – Hemos de pagar la cuenta (We have to pay the bill); Habían de ser las nueve cuando llegaron (It must be 9 o'clock when they arirved)

Ir A (be going to do something) – Vamos a estudiar. (We are going to study)

Ir GER (be gradually doing something) - id pensando en el tema que queréis tratar (You can now start thinking about the topic you want to talk about); hemos ido consiguiendo lo que queríamos (We've been getting what we wanted); voy comprendiendo que no te ha gustado (I'm underdstanding that you didn't like it)

Llegar A (to come to do something, to achieve) - Llegó a conocer a varios directores de cine (He got to meet some cinema directors); no llego a comprenderlo (I just can't understand it); Me ha llegado a parecer bien que sólo le des 20 pesos a tu hijo, pues si le das más, se compra cualquier chuchería en la escuela (I, now, think it's right that you only give 20 pesos to your son, if you give more, he'll buy junkfoods in school); Julia llegó a ser presidenta (Julia became president); Temí no llegar a ver el año nuevo. (I'm afraid I can't get to new year)

No dejar DE (to keep on doing something; to be always ADJECTIVE; to can't help) - No deja de preguntarme por ti (He keeps asking me about you); Eso no deja de tener gracia (I always find that funny); No deja de ser raro que no haya venido (It's odd you didn't come); No por eso deja de ser una tontería lo que has dicho (That does not stop what you said from being silly); No puedo dejar de asombrarme (I can't help be amazed); No dejes de visitarlos (make sure you visit them); No me deja de parecer mal que les sigas pidiendo dinero a tus padres (I have always thought it bad that you keep asking money to your parents); NOTE: When this periphrasis is used in a negative imperative sentence, its meaning changes to "to make sure to do something" as in "no dejes de visitarlos" which means "make sure to visit them".

Parar DE (to stop doing something) – No para de quejarse (He doesn't stop complaining)

Poder INF (can, to be able to) – Puedo hacerlo yo solo (I can do it alone); No se puede fumar (Smoking prohibited); ¿Me puede decir su nombre? (Can you tell me your name?); Podías haberte roto una pierna (You could have broken your leg)

Seguir GER (to be still doing something) – Me preocupa que sigas cometiendo tantos errores (I'm worried you keep on making a lot of erros)

Soler INF (to be doing something usuall ) – Solemos comenzar a las ocho (We usually start at 8)

Tardar EN (to take much time in doing something) - No tarde usted en informarme (Please tell me as soon as you know); No tardaron en darse cuenta de mi presencia (They immediately noticed my presence)

Tener QUE (to have to do something, should) – Tengo que comprarlo (I have to buy it); Tiene que dolerte mucho ¿no? (It hurts a lot, doesn't it?); ¡Tendrías que haberlo dicho antes! (You should have told us before)

Terminar DE (to not quite feel something – expresses uncertain feelings) - No me cae mal, pero no termina de convencerme (I don't hate him, I'm not too sure about him); No me termina de gustar la casa que hemos visto (I'm not sure about the house we've seen)

Venir A (to be more or less – expresses approximation) – “Perhaps” y “Maybe” vienen a significar lo mismo (Perhaps and Maybe more or less mean the same thing)

Venir GER (to have been doing something) - Eso lo vengo diciendo desde hace tiempo (I've been saying that since a long time ago)

Volver A (to do something again) – Por favor, no lo vuelvas a hacer. (Don't do it again, please)


If you have any question about the usage of these Spanish verbal periphrasis, please leave a comment below.

Spanish verbs like "Gustar"

As a new learner of Spanish, it's a real struggle to figure out how the verb "Gustar" works, however when you finally get the hang of it, you are on your way to your Spanish mastery. Here I have a list of some verbs that work the same way as the verb "Gustar"

Verbs	Meaning	Sample sentence
Aburrir	to bore	Me aburre ver películas (I feel bored watching movies)
Agradar	to like, to be nice	Me agrada estar aquí (It's nice to be here)
Alegrar	to make feel happy	Me alegra saber que estás bien (I'm happy to know that you're OK)
Apenar	to sadden	Nos apena que tú tengas que irte (We're sad that you have to go)
Apetecer	to feel like	Me apetece comer espagueti (I feel like eating Spaghuetti)
Bastar	to be enough	Me bastó leer el primer párrafo para saber que era un genio (I only had to read the first paragraph to know that he was a genius)
Caer, Sentar, Sabe mal	to put out	Me cayó mal que no me invitaran (I was rather put out that they didn't ask me)
Compensar, Valer la pena	to be worth it	Te compensa hacerlo (It's worth you doing it)
Convenir	to be advisable	Te convendría olvidar ese asunto (You would be well advised to forget all about this business)
Corresponder, Incumbir, Competer	to be one's responsibility	Te corresponde a tí cuidar al niño (It's your responsibility to take care of the child)
Costar trabajo	to be difficult	Me cuesta trabajo entender su acento (I have difficulties understanding his accent)
Chocar	to be shocking	Me choca mucho que la gente no respete la ley (It's shocking that people don't follow the law)
Dar + noun	to make someone feel… etc
Dar igual	to not care	Me da igual (It doesn't matter)
Dar rabia	to make angry	Me da rabia que los niños siempre hagan ruido (The noise the children make drives me mad)
Dar nostalgia	to make feel nostalgic	Le da nostalgia ver la casa de su abuela (Seeing her grandmother's house makes her feel nostalgic)
Dar miedo	to make feel scared	A los niños les da miedo cruzar por la calle (The children are scared crossing the street)
Dar vergüenza	to make feel embarrased	Me da vergüenza pedirle dinero a mis padres (I feel embarrassed asking money to my parents)
Desagradar	to not like	Me desagrada tener que decírselo (I don't like having to tell her)
Disgustar	to upset	Me disgustó mucho que me mintiera (I was very upset that he lied to me)
Doler	to be hurt	Les duele que digas eso (It hurts them that you're saying that)
Emocionar	to be thrilled	Nos emocionan ver películas de terror (We're thrilled about watching horror movies)
Encantar	to love	Te encanta pasear por la playa (You love walking along the beach)
Entusiasmar	to be keen on	Me entusiasma visitar España (I'm keen on visiting Spain)
Exasperar	to be exasperating	Me exasperó tener que esperar (I found having to wait exasperating)
Extrañar	to be strange	Me extraña que no lo sepas (I'm surprised you don't know)
Faltar	to be lacking	Me faltan 3 dolares (I'm lacking three dollars; I need three dollars)
Fascinar	to love	Me fascina viajar (I love travelling)
Fastidiar	to annoy	Me fastidia tener que repetir las cosas (It annoys me to have to repeat things)
Hacer falta	to need	Me hacían falta 10 dolares para poder comprar el libro (I needed 10 dollars to buy the book)
Importar	to matter	A algunos hombres no les importa que su novia cobre más que ellos (Some men don't mind that their girlfriend earn more than them)
Impresionar	to move, shock, surprise	Me impresiona el accidente (The accident has taken be aback)
Interesar	to be interested in	Le interesa el fútbol (He's interested in soccer)
Molestar	to annoy	Me molesta el ruido de la ciudad (The city's noise annoys me)
Parecer + adjective/ adverb	to seem … etc
Parecer bien	to consider it right	Me parece bien que ayudes a tus hermanos (I think it's right that you're helping your brothers)
Parecer injusto	to think it's unfair	Me parece injusto que no podamos participar (I think it's unfair that we can't join)
Preocupar	to worry	Me preocupa que sus hijos no vayan a la escuela (It worries me that her children don't go to school)
Quedar	to have left	Os quedan dos libros por leer (You still have two books to read)
Repugnar	to be disgusting	Me repugna beber de un vaso sucio (I find having to drink out of a dirty glass disgusting)
Ser + adjective	to be… etc
Ser imposible	to not be possible	Me fue imposible ir a la cena (I couldn't go to the dinner)
Ser indiferente	to not matter	Me es indiferente quien lo haga (It doesn't matter who does it)
Servir	to be useful	Estos zapatos ya no me sirven (These shoes are no good to me )
Sobrar	to have too much	No me sobra el tiempo para hacerlo (I don't have enough time to do it)
Sorprender	to be a surprise	Me sorprende que no hables inglés (I'm surprised you don't speak English)

100 most common Spanish verbs - Part 4

	Meaning	Sample sentence
aceptar	to accept, approve, to agree to	No acepto la oferta (I'm not accepting the offer)
realizar	to carry out	Realizó una magnifica labor (She did a magnificent job)
suponer	to suppose	Supongo que se habrá ido (I supposed he's gone)
comprender	to understand, comprehend	No comprendo la instrucción (I don't understand the instruction)
lograr	to get, obtain, to achieve, attain	Logró el quinto puesto (She managed fifth place)
explicar	to explain	Explícame qué fue lo que pasó (Explain me what happened)
preguntar	to ask, inquire	¡Deja de preguntar, por favor! (Please stop asking)
tocar	to touch, to play (an instrument)	¡No me toques! (Don't touch me!)
reconocer	to recognize	No te reconocí (I didn't recognize you)
estudiar	to study	Sigo estudiando (I'm still studying)
alcanzar	to reach, catch up	No alcanzo las cajas (I can't reach the boxes)
nacer	to be born	Nací en 1991 (I was born in 1991)
dirigir	to direct	Hay que dirigir todos nuestros esfuerzos hacia este fin (We must direct all our efforts to this end)
correr	to run	Tuve que correr para no llegar tarde (I had to run so as not to arrive late)
utilizar	to use, utilize	La están utilizando (She's being used)
pagar	to pay, pay for	Hay que pagar antes de entrar (You have to pay first before entering)
ayudar	to help	Ayudan a empresas en apuros (They help companies in difficulty)
gustar	to please, be pleasing	Me gusta el rojo (I like the red one)
jugar	to play (a game or sport)	Los niños juegan después de la clase (The children play after class)
escuchar	to listen, hear	Escúchame cuando te hablo (Listen to me when I'm talking to you)
cumplir	to fulfil, carry out	Siempre cumple su promesa (He always keeps his promise)
ofrecer	to offer	Me ofreció un té (He offered us tea)
descubrir	to discover	Descubrí que me estaba mintiendo (I discovered he's lying to me)
levantar	to raise, to lift	Que levante la mano quien quiere irse (Those who want to go, please raise your hand)
intentar	to try, attempt	Hay que intentarlo otra vez (We have to try it again)

100 most common Spanish verbs - Part 3

	meaning	Sample sentences
terminar	to finish, end	Terminaron el trabajo muy pronto (They finished off the work too soon)
permitir	to permit, allow	Sus padres no le permiten salir muy tarde (Her parents don't allow her to go out late)
aparecer	to appear, show up	La fecha de compra aparece en la factura (The sale date appears in the invoice)
conseguir	to get, obtain	Siempre consigo lo que quiero (I always get what I want)
comenzar	to begin, start, commence	Comencé a darme cuenta del error (I started to notice the error)
servir	to serve	Seguiré sirviendo al pueblo (I will continue to serve the people)
sacar	to take out, stick out	Saca al perro de aquí (take the dog out of here)
necesitar	to need, require	Necesito tu ayuda (I need your help)
mantener	to maintain, get	Mantener las tradiciones (Maintain the traditions)
resultar	to turn out (to be)	Resulté ser yo quien tuviera que hacerlo (I turned out to be the one who had to do it)
leer	to read	¿tú lees la biblia? (Do you read the bible?)
caer	to fall	Los precios caen (Prices fall)
cambiar	to change	Estamos pensando en cambiar el color de la pared (We're thinking of changing the wall's color)
presentar	to introduce	Te presentaré a mis padres (I'll introduce you to my parents)
crear	to create, to make	El bloqueo ha creado una situación insostenible (The blockade has created an untenable situation)
abrir	to open	La tienda no abre por la mañana (The store doesn't open in the morning)
considerar	to consider	Considero que es injusto (I consider it unfair)
oír	to hear	¿Me oyes? (Do you hear me?)
acabar	to finish, end	Acabaron con la comida en un minuto (They finished off the food within a minute)
convertir	to convert, change	Convirtieron la habitación en un despacho (They converted the room into an office)
ganar	to win, gain, earn, get, acquire	Ganaron la partida (They won the game)
formar	to form, shape, fashion, make	Formaron la organización (They formed the organization)
traer	to bring, to get, fetch, to carry	Tráeme un vaso de agua (Bring me a glass of water)
partir	to divide, to leave	Parte el pan por la mitad (Cut the bread in half)
morir	to die	Muchas personan mueren por cáncer (Many people die of cancer)

100 most common Spanish verbs - Part 2

	Meaning	Sample sentence
venir	to come	No puedo venir con vosotros (I can't come with you)
pensar	to think	No quiero pensar en nuestros problemas (I don't want to think about our problems)
salir	to leave, go out	Debemos salir cuanto antes (We have to leave as soon as possible)
volver	to return, go back, come back	Dice que nunca más volverá (He says that he won't ever come back)
tomar	to take, drink	Toma lo que quieras (Take whatever you want)
conocer	to know (people, places)	Te conozco (I know you)
vivir	to live	Vivimos tres años en España (We lived for three years in Spain)
sentir	to feel, regret	Siento frío (I'm cold)
tratar	to treat, handle	Su novio la trata muy mal (Her boyfriend treats her very badly)
mirar	to watch, look at	Estaba mirando la foto (She was looking at the photo)
contar	to count, relate, tell	Cuenta cuántos alumnos hay en la clase (Count how many pupils there are in the class)
empezar	to begin, start	La misa empieza a las nueve (The mass starts at nine)
esperar	to wait for, to hope	Te espero en el parque (I'll be waiting for you in the park)
buscar	to search for, look for	Tuvimos que buscarlo por todas partes (We had to look for it everywhere)
existir	to exist	Esta empresa existe desde hace diez años (The company has been in existence for 10 years)
entrar	to enter, go in, come in	Entré en el despacho (I went into the office)
trabajar	to work	No trabajo (I don't work)
escribir	to write	Escribe una novela (He's writing a novel)
perder	to lose	Estoy perdiendo la paciencia (I'm losing patience)
producir	to produce	Esta fábrica ha producido cinco mil vehículos en un mes (This factory has produced five thousand vehicles in a month)
ocurrir	to occur, happen	El accidente ocurrió cuando estábamos comiendo (The accident happened when we were eating)
entender	to understand	No entiendo lo que quieres decir (I don't understand what you mean)
pedir	to request, ask for	Pídele dinero a tus padres (Ask money to your parents)
recibir	to receive, to welcome, greet	No he recibido ningún regalo (I haven't received any gift)
recordar	to remember, remind	Recuerda que hay que terminarlo hoy (Remember that we have to finish this today)

100 most common Spanish verbs - Part 1

	Meaning	Sample sentence
ser	to be (permanent quality)	Soy alto (I'm tall)
haber	to have ( auxiliary verb)	He comido (I have eaten)
estar	to be (health, location, state)	Estoy feliz (I'm happy)
tener	to have	Tengo 3 hermanos (I have three brothers)
hacer	to do, make	Tú no haces nada (You're nor doing anything)
poder	to be able, can	Yo puedo ayudarte (I can help you)
decir	to say, tell	Siempre dice mentiras (He always tells lies)
ir	to go	Vamos a la playa cada verano (We go to the beach every summer)
ver	to see	No te veo (I can't see you)
dar	to give	No quiero darte problemas (I don't want to give you problems)
saber	to know (information)	Sé cuál es su nombre (I know what his name is)
querer	to want, love	Yo te quiero (I love you)
llegar	to arrive, come, reach	El tren llegará en cinco mionutos (The train will arrive in five minutes)
pasar	to pass	¿Me pasas la sal? (Will you pass me the salt?)
deber	must, should, ought to	Debes trabajar (You must work)
poner	to put, place, set	Puse los libros en la mesa (I put the books on the table)
parecer	to seem, appear	Parece que ha llovido tanto (It seems it has rained so much)
quedar	to stay, remain	Quedaron allí una semana (They stayed there a week)
creer	to believe	Creo que se han perdido (I believe they've got lost)
hablar	to speak	¿Hablas español? (Do you speak Spanish)
llevar	to take	Por favor, lleva los platos a la cocina (Please, take the plates to the kitchen)
dejar	to leave something	Podemos dejar el gato aquí (We can leave the cat here)
seguir	to follow, continue	Debes seguir la instrucción (You have to follow the instructions)
encontrar	to find, encounter	No encuentro las llaves (I can't find the keys)
llamar	to call, to name	Prefiero llamar por teléfono (I prefer to call by phone)