Stem-Changing Verbs in SpanishA2

In some verbs, the central part changes its vowel in certain forms while the ending remains regular. In to think, to close and to want, the stem does not look the same in every person: I think, you close, he wants. That change appears within the stem, not at the end. The ending continues to mark the person, as in the subject + verb + complement structure, just as in Introduction to Spanish Verbs.

Many frequently used verbs follow the e → ie pattern in the present indicative. The stem vowel e changes to ie in I think, you close, it begins, we understand. Verbs such as to think, to close, to begin, to understand, to want and to prefer form this group. The change appears in every person except we and you all: I think, you think, he thinks, we think, you all think, they think. In -ar and -er verbs, the present ending is added to the changed stem, as in I want and we want.

Present indicative with e ie

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	pensar	pienso
tú	pensar	piensas
él	cerrar	cierra
nosotros	querer	queremos
vosotros	pensar	pensáis
ellos	querer	quieren

ScrambleShow TranslationShow Questions

Another very common group changes o → ue in the present. This happens in verbs such as to be able to, to sleep, to return, to count and to show: I can, you sleep, he returns, I count, I show. The distribution follows the same model as other stem-changing verbs: every person except we and you all has the changed vowel. Thus, one says I can, you can, he can, we can, you all can, they can. This pattern appears often in verbs that express ability, movement or a change of position, and also in frequent present-tense constructions that appear alongside the irregular verbs in Present Indicative - Irregular Verbs.

Present indicative with o ue

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	poder	puedo
tú	dormir	duermes
él	volver	vuelve
nosotros	poder	podemos
vosotros	dormir	dormís
ellos	volver	vuelven

ScrambleShow TranslationShow Questions

Some verbs ending in -ir do not follow e → ie throughout the present, but rather e → i. The most frequent are to ask for, to repeat, to serve, to follow and to say. In these forms, one sees I ask for, you repeat, he serves, we follow, they say. The change usually appears in the persons where the stem naturally carries stress: I ask for, you ask for, he asks for, we ask for, you all ask for, they ask for. In this group, the infinitive preserves the original vowel, and the change is seen only in the conjugated present forms.

Present indicative with e i

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	pedir	pido
tú	repetir	repites
él	servir	sirve
nosotros	pedir	pedimos
vosotros	servir	servís
ellos	repetir	repiten

ScrambleShow Translation

To play belongs to the same type of stem change as o → ue, although its base vowel is u. The stem changes to ue in the present forms: I play, you play, he plays, we play, you all play, they play. That is why it is classified with other verbs with an altered stressed vowel in the stem. The pattern is learned as a stem change, not as an isolated exception, and appears in sentences about sports, leisure and everyday activities, such as those in the vocabulary of Thematic Vocabulary: Daily Life (Common Stem-Changing Verbs).

Present indicative with u ue

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	jugar	juego
tú	jugar	juegas
él	jugar	juega
nosotros	jugar	jugamos
vosotros	jugar	jugáis
ellos	jugar	juegan

ScrambleShow Translation

In the present indicative, the stem change usually appears in every person except we and you all. Thus, the original stem is maintained in we think, we can, we ask for and we play, although other persons do change: I think, I can, I ask for, I play. In many countries, you all is not used; there, you is used with the third-person plural verb form, as in you think or you can. When you is used in this way, the verb form follows the behavior of they and preserves the stem change if necessary.

People who do not change the stem

Idea
The stem change appears in all persons except nosotros and vosotros.
In many countries ustedes is used instead of vosotros.

Show Translation

The stem change also appears in the present subjunctive, where forms such as I think, you want, they sleep, I ask for are formed. In this tense, the changed stem accompanies the subjunctive endings, as in Present Subjunctive - Stem-Changing Verbs. In the preterite, some -ir verbs change in another way: e → i and o → u. Thus, one says I asked for, you asked for, he asked for, we asked for, you all asked for, they asked for and I slept, you slept, he slept, we slept, you all slept, they slept. This change appears mainly in the third person singular and plural, while the other persons preserve the expected vowel.

Extension of the change in other tenses

Idea
In the present subjunctive, stem-changing verbs usually maintain the same change as in the present indicative.
In the preterite, some -ir verbs make e i in certain persons.
In the preterite, other -ir verbs make o u in certain persons.

Show Translation

The infinitive, gerund and participle do not follow the same distribution as the present with a stem change. The infinitive preserves the basic form, as in to think, to be able to, to ask for. The gerund and participle may have their own irregularities, such as sleeping, asking for, said, done, and these forms do not depend on the present stem change. Therefore, it is useful to separate two ideas: one is the stem that changes in conjugation, and the other is the special form that appears in more complex irregular verbs, a topic that fits with Advanced Verb Conjugation - Patterns and Exceptions.

Infinitive gerund and participle

Idea
The infinitive does not show the stem change characteristic of the present.
The gerund usually follows a different stem and does not repeat the present-tense change.
The participle can also be irregular and does not depend on the present-tense stem change.

Show Translation