In Spanish, the future tense is used to communicate actions that will take place in the future. One category of verbs, the stem-changing verbs, requires special attention when conjugating in this tense. This article provides a deep-dive into the conjugation of these verbs in the future tense.
Regardless of their irregularities in the stem, all verbs including stem-changing ones adhere to the same future tense endings:
- For “yo” (I): -é
- For “tú” (you, singular informal): -ás
- For “él/ella/usted” (he/she/you, singular formal): -á
- For “nosotros/nosotras” (we): -emos
- For “ellos/ellas/ustedes” (they/you, plural): -án
Decoding Stem-Changing Verbs
Stem-changing verbs, often referred to as radical-changing verbs, undergo a vowel change in their stem when conjugated. However, this does not apply to the future tense, where they adopt a different stem altogether. These irregular stems are utilized with all subjects (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros/nosotras, ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Common stem-changing verbs in the Spanish future tense include:
- tener (to have) becomes tendr-
- poner (to put/place) becomes pondr-
- salir (to leave/go out) becomes saldr-
- venir (to come) becomes vendr-
- decir (to say/tell) becomes dir-
- hacer (to do/make) becomes har-
Conjugation Examples
Here are the future tense conjugations for these stem-changing verbs:
Tener (to have):
| Pronoun | Tener |
|---|---|
| Yo | tendré |
| Tú | tendrás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | tendrá |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | tendremos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | tendrán |
Poner (to put/place):
| Pronoun | Poner |
|---|---|
| Yo | pondré |
| Tú | pondrás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | pondrá |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | pondremos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | pondrán |
Salir (to leave/go out):
| Pronoun | Salir |
|---|---|
| Yo | saldré |
| Tú | saldrás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | saldrá |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | saldremos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | saldrán |
Venir (to come):
| Pronoun | Venir |
|---|---|
| Yo | vendré |
| Tú | vendrás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | vendrá |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | vendremos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | vendrán |
Decir (to say):
| Pronoun | Decir |
|---|---|
| Yo | diré |
| Tú | dirás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | dirá |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | diremos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | dirán |
**Hacer (to do/m
ake):**
| Pronoun | Hacer |
|---|---|
| Yo | haré |
| Tú | harás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | hará |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | haremos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | harán |
Learning the conjugations of stem-changing verbs in the Spanish future tense may seem daunting at first, but with practice, these patterns will become ingrained, making your journey with the Spanish language smoother and more enjoyable.