Spanish Stem Changing Verbs

Spanish Stem Changing Verbs

E-ie Stem Changes

• Verbs that change "e" to "ie" in the present tense
• Examples:
  • Verb: pensar (to think)
    • Present tense: pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan
  • Verb: empezar (to begin)
    • Present tense: empiezo, empiezas, empieza, empezamos, empezáis, empiezan

E-i Stem Changes

• Verbs that change "e" to "i" in the present tense
• Examples:
  • Verb: sentar (to sit)
    • Present tense: siento, sientas, sienta, sentamos, sentáis, sientan
  • Verb: servir (to serve)
    • Present tense: sirvo, sirves, sirve, servimos, servís, sirven

O-ue Stem Changes

• Verbs that change "o" to "ue" in the present tense
• Examples:
  • Verb: dormir (to sleep)
    • Present tense: duermo, duermes, duerme, dormimos, dormís, duermen
  • Verb: encontrar (to find)
    • Present tense: encuentro, encuentras, encuentra, encontramos, encontráis, encuentran

U-ue Stem Changes

• Verbs that change "u" to "ue" in the present tense
• Examples:
  • Verb:.junitar (to judge)
    • Present tense: juzgo, juzgas, juzga, juzgamos, juzgáis, juzgan
  • Verb: argüir (to argue)
    • Present tense: arguyo, arguyes, arguye, arguimos, arguís, arguyen

Spanish Stem Changing Verbs

E-ie Stem Changes

• This type of stem change occurs in verbs that change the "e" in the infinitive to "ie" in the present tense
• Examples of verbs that follow this pattern:
  • Pensar (to think) changes "e" to "ie" in present tense conjugation (e.g. pienso, piensas, piensa)
  • Empezar (to begin) changes "e" to "ie" in present tense conjugation (e.g. empiezo, empiezas, empieza)

E-i Stem Changes

• This type of stem change occurs in verbs that change the "e" in the infinitive to "i" in the present tense
• Examples of verbs that follow this pattern:
  • Sentar (to sit) changes "e" to "i" in present tense conjugation (e.g. siento, sientas, sienta)
  • Servir (to serve) changes "e" to "i" in present tense conjugation (e.g. sirvo, sirves, sirve)

O-ue Stem Changes

• This type of stem change occurs in verbs that change the "o" in the infinitive to "ue" in the present tense
• Examples of verbs that follow this pattern:
  • Dormir (to sleep) changes "o" to "ue" in present tense conjugation (e.g. duermo, duermes, duerme)
  • Encontrar (to find) changes "o" to "ue" in present tense conjugation (e.g. encuentro, encuentras, encuentra)

U-ue Stem Changes

• This type of stem change occurs in verbs that change the "u" in the infinitive to "ue" in the present tense
• Examples of verbs that follow this pattern:
  • Junitar (to judge) changes "u" to "ue" in present tense conjugation (e.g. juzgo, juzgas, juzga)
  • Argüir (to argue) changes "u" to "ue" in present tense conjugation (e.g. arguyo, arguyes, arguye)

Spanish Stem Changing Verbs

E-ie Stem Changes

• Verbs ending in -cer, -cir, -ger, -gir, -jer, and -tir change the "e" in the stem to "ie" in the present tense
• Examples of E-ie stem changing verbs:
  • cercar (to surround): cerco (I surround), cercas (you surround), cercamos (we surround), cercáis (you all surround), cercan (they surround)
  • comenzar (to begin): comienzo (I begin), comienzas (you begin), comenzamos (we begin), comenzáis (you all begin), comienzan (they begin)

E-i Stem Changes

• Verbs ending in -pedir, -querer, and -venir change the "e" in the stem to "i" in the present tense
• Examples of E-i stem changing verbs:
  • pedir (to ask for): pido (I ask for), pides (you ask for), pedimos (we ask for), pedís (you all ask for), piden (they ask for)
  • querer (to want): quiero (I want), quieres (you want), queremos (we want), queréis (you all want), quieren (they want)

O-ue Stem Changes

• Verbs ending in -oler, -oler, and -olver change the "o" in the stem to "ue" in the present tense
• Examples of O-ue stem changing verbs:
  • volear (to fly): vuelo (I fly), vuelas (you fly), volamos (we fly), voláis (you all fly), vuelan (they fly) +olver (to unroll): vuelvo (I unroll), vuelves (you unroll), volvemos (we unroll), volvéis (you all unroll), vuelven (they unroll)

Learn about Spanish verbs that change 'e' to 'ie' or 'i' in the present tense, including examples like pensar and sentar. Quiz yourself on conjugation rules and verb forms.