Conjugations of Stem-changing Verbs in the Spanish Simple Present Tense

In previous articles, we have covered the conjugations of regular verbs in the Spanish simple present tense.

In this article, we’ll cover the conjugations of stem-changing verbs in the Spanish simple present tense.

Stem-changing verbs, as the name suggests, exhibit a change in their stem when conjugated. These changes occur in the root of the verb, often affecting the vowels. The most common types of stem changes involve the vowels “e” and “o” changing to “ie” and “ue,” respectively, in the present tense. This pattern applies to regular and some irregular verbs.

Verbs with “e” to “ie” Stem Change

Let’s start by exploring the conjugations of some common stem-changing verbs with the “e” to “ie” stem change. 

Here is an example using the verb “cerrar” (to close):

• Yo cierro (I close)
• Tú cierras (You close)
• Él/Ella/Usted cierra (He/She/You formal close)
• Nosotros/Nosotras cerramos (We close)
• Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes cierran (They/You all formal close)

Other verbs in this category include:

• Querer (to want)
• Pensar (to think)
• Empezar (to start/begin)
• Perder (to lose)
• Preferir (to prefer)
• Sentir (to feel)

Verbs with “o” to “ue” Stem Change

Next, let’s explore the conjugations of common stem-changing verbs with the “o” to “ue” stem change. 

We’ll use the verb “poder” (to be able to/can) as an example:

• Yo puedo (I can)
• Tú puedes (You can)
• Él/Ella/Usted puede (He/She/You formal can)
• Nosotros/Nosotras podemos (We can)
• Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes pueden (They/You all formal can)

Other verbs in this category include:

• Dormir (to sleep)
• Volver (to return)
• Costar (to cost)
• Encontrar (to find)
• Jugar (to play)
• Recordar (to remember)

Mixed Stem-Changing Verbs

In addition to the common “e” to “ie” and “o” to “ue” stem-changing verbs, there are some mixed stem-changing verbs that exhibit both changes in different conjugation forms. 

Let’s consider the verb “decir” (to say/tell):

• Yo digo (I say/tell)
• Tú dices (You say/tell)
• Él/Ella/Usted dice (He/She/You formal say/tell)
• Nosotros/Nosotras decimos (We say/tell)
• Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes dicen (They/You all formal say/tell)

Another example of a mixed stem-changing verb is “pedir” (to ask/request).

Summary

Phew. That was a lot of information!

But don’t worry, if you practice these regularly in conversation with a Spanish teacher, you’ll get them down. Eventually using the correct conjugation will just ‘feel right’ you won’t even have to think about it anymore.

Check out our series of Complete Spanish Grammar articles – everything you’ll ever need to know about Spanish grammar.

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