The present tense of stem-changing verbs (e→ie; o→ue; u→ue; e→i): Uso y forma

El e-mail de Aimar

Ahora vamos a leer un email de Aimar a Allison, su amiga y compañera en la clase de química. ¿Qué problema tiene Aimar? Pay attention to the verbs she uses. Remember the verb querer in Introducción comunicativa? The verbs in the email behave in the same way. What do you think their infinitive forms are? What do they mean?

---

¿Comprendiste? Completa estas oraciones con la información del email de Aimar. 

1. Let’s talk about verbs in the conversation first.
   1. Escribe the infinitive forms of the verbs in bold:
   2. Based on the infinitives, hypothesize about the changes that take place when these verbs are conjugated:
   3. Mira el verbo me siento. ¿Cómo se llaman estos verbos? Hint: We learned about this type of verbs in Module 1
2. Ahora hablamos del contenido del email (continue paying attention to the verb forms):
   1. Aimar no puede ir a clase porque…
   2. Aimar pide las ______________ de clase a Allison y recomienda una ______________ también.
   3. Aimar empieza a tener ______________ porque ella tiene mucho ______________ en sus clases.
   4. Aimar tiene otro problema. Ella dice: “No ______________ mucho”.

These verbs are what we call stem-changers, which means that, when the infinitive is conjugated, some of the verb’s vowels change. In the next section, you will learn about what stem-changing verbs are and how we conjugate them.

I. Conjugación

As you know, all Spanish verbs have a stem (la raíz) and an ending (-ar / -er / -ir) 

These verbs belong to a large group of verbs that change their stem in the present tense and fall into one of these three different types of changes in their stem:

It is important to note that not all stem-changing verbs change for all subjects. To help you remember where the changes take place, we have a trick! Think of the verbs as being in the shape of a boot (see illustration below). The only forms that change are those inside the boot. Let’s have a look at pensar (to think):

---

---

Yes, in these verbs, the stem will change in all conjugations, except for vos (informal you, Argentina and Uruguay), nosotros and vosotros.

---

Modified from: “Stem Changing Verbs” by Enrique Yepes, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

---

II. Verbos

Stem-changing Verbs: e → ie 

comenzar	to start
empezar	to begin
entender	to understand
hervir	to boil
pensar	to think
preferir	to prefer
querer	to want
recomendar	to recommend
sentirse	to feel in a certain way or to be suffering from the symptoms of a certain state (e.g., Me siento cansada—I feel tired)

Based on the rules discussed, conjugate the verb entender. Write the forms next to the person.

yo	nosotros
tú vos	vosotros
él/ella/usted	ellos/as /ustedes

Stem-changing Verbs: o/u → ue 

almorzar	to have lunch
acostarse	to go to bed
costar	to cost
dormir	to sleep
dormirse	to fall asleep
encontrar	to find
jugar	to play a game or sport
mostrar	to show
poder	to be able to
probar	to taste/ to try on
volver	to come back/return

Based on the rules discussed, conjugate the verb poder. Write the forms next to the person. 

yo	nosotros
tú vos	vosotros
él/ella/usted	ellos/as /ustedes

Stem-changing Verbs: e → i 

desvestirse	to undress (oneself)
pedir	to ask for/to request
seguir	to follow/to continue
servir	to serve
vestirse	to dress (oneself)

Based on the rules discussed, conjugate the verb vestirse. This is a reflexive verb, so you will need to use the reflexive pronouns. We have done the first one for you. Write the forms next to the person. 

yo me visto	nosotros
tú vos	vosotros
él/ella/usted	ellos/as /ustedes

¡Ojo! 

In Spanish, the verb poder is used in the same way as the modal can in English, to express you have the ability to do something, or, due to specific circumstances, you are able to do something. Like can, it is followed by a verb in the infinitive. Have a look at these examples from Aimar’s email.

Piensa en tu español hasta ahora. ¿Qué puedes hacer? Responde esta pregunta con 3 oraciones con los verbos entender, hablar y leer para describir what you can do with Spanish so far.

Now that you have learned what stem-changing verbs are and how they are conjugated, we recommend that you watch the following video, which summarizes the information presented in this section. 

---

Stem Changing Verbs

Attribution: El presente. By srtakendrick, CC BY.

---

Now it’s time to use our new structures:

---

Click on the following button to continue using your new structures.

---

Ahora dejamos la comida y hablamos sobre la ropa y la moda. Vamos a