Defective, Impersonal & Gustar-Type Verbs
Most foreign language courses teach you that every verb has 6 distinct subject forms. But in reality, an entire class of essential verbs is defective: they only exist in the 3rd person ("llueve", "me duele") or lack entire tenses altogether ("soler").
1. Atmospheric / Weather Verbs (Impersonal)
Because weather phenomena have no human agent, these verbs only conjugate in the 3rd person singular. You cannot say 'yo lluevo'!
💡 Stem-changer (o->ue) only in 3rd person.
💡 Stem-changer (e->ie) only in 3rd person.
💡 Only accepts dummy subject 'il'.
💡 Takes impersonal 'es'.
2. The 'Gustar' Clan (Inverted Subject Verbs)
These verbs conjugate in only TWO forms: 3rd person singular (before singular nouns or infinitives) and 3rd person plural (before plural nouns).
💡 Me gusta el libro / Me gustan los libros.
💡 Me encanta viajar / Me encantan las flores.
💡 Me duele la cabeza / Me duelen los pies.
💡 No me importa el dinero.
💡 Me falta un botón.
3. Tense-Defective Verbs (Missing Entire Tenses)
Verbs that cannot be conjugated in specific tenses or moods due to semantic or historical phonological restrictions.
💡 You cannot say 'solí' or 'soleré' in standard Spanish.
💡 Defective modal with no person other than 'il'.
💡 Historically defective; only conjugated in endings with 'i'.