Spanish Stem Changing Verbs
Being able to identify verbs in Spanish and how to properly change their stem, will help you greatly in order to improve your communication skills. Since you already know what a verb is, let's talk about the different ways in which the verbs can be conjugated by identifying the stem of the verbs and their endings; also known as 'stem change.'
Resources for further reading:
What is a Stem Change?
Remember the two ways in which the verbs venir and tener were irregular? First, their yo form had a ‘g’ before the ‘o,’ and second, they had a stem change in the tú, Ud., and Uds. forms.
This notion of a stem change will become quite familiar to you over time, as many Spanish verbs are stem changing in every form exept nosotros/as and vosotros/as..
Let’s go back and review what a stem is. The stem of a verb is the part of the verb that is left once you take away the –ar, -er, or –ir ending. In regular verbs, the stem does not change no matter what ending you add on to it..
However, in stem changing verbs, the stem will change in every form but two. There are three common types of stem changing verbs: ‘e’ to ‘ie’, ‘e’ to ‘i’, and ‘o’ to ‘ue.’
Review the following examples:
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e to ie: COMENZAR (to begin)
Yo comienzo
I begin
Tú comienzas
You begin
Usted comienza
You (formal) begin
Él comienza
He begins
Ella comienza
She begins
Nosotros comenzamos
We (masc.) begin
Nosotras comenzamos
We (fem.) begin
Vosotros comenzáis
You (pl. masc.) begin
Vosotras comenzáis
You (pl. fem.) begin
Ustedes comienzan
You (plural) begin
Ellos comienzan
They (masc.) begin
Ellas comienzan
They (fem.) begin
e to i: MEDIR (to measure)
Yo mido
I measure
Tú mides
You measure
Usted mide
You (polite) measure
Él mide
He measures
Ella mide
She measures
Nosotros medimos
We (masc.) measure
Nosotras medimos
We (fem.) measure
Vosotros medís
You (pl. masc.) measure
Vosotras medís
You (pl. fem.) measure
Ustedes miden
You (plural) measure
Ellos miden
They (masc.) measure
Ellas miden
They (fem.) measure
o to ue: DORMIR (to sleep)
Yo duermo
I sleep
Tú duermes
You sleep
Usted duerme
You (polite) sleep
Él duerme
He sleeps
Ella duerme
She sleeps
Nosotros dormimos
We (masc.) sleep
Nosotras dormimos
We (fem.) sleep
Vosotros dormís
You (pl. masc.) sleep
Vosotras dormís
You (pl. fem.) sleep
Ustedes duermen
You (polite) sleep
Ellos duermen
They (masc.) sleep
Ellas duermen
They (fem.) sleep
Por ejemplo (for example):
Mis primos duermen mucho.
My cousins sleep a lot.
Mido mi altura todas las semanas.
I measure my height every week.
Nosotros comenzamos el juego.
We start the game.
A Rare Stem Change: i to ie
The stem change patterns above are the most common, but you will find a few verbs that make a different stem change: from i to ie.
Adquirir - to acquire.
Yo adquiero
I acquire
Tú adquieres
You acquire
Usted adquiere
You (polite) acquire
Él adquiere
He acquires
Ella adquiere
She acquires
Nosotros adquirimos
We (masc.) acquire
Nosotras adquirimos
We (fem.) acquire
Vosotros adquirís
You (pl. masc.) acquire
Vosotras adquirís
You (pl. fem.) acquire
Ustedes adquieren
You (plural) acquire
Ellos adquieren
They (masc.) acquire
Ellas adquieren
They (fem.) acquire
Inquirir - to inquire or to investigate
Yo inquiero
I inquire
Tú inquieres
You inquire
Usted inquiere
You (polite) inquire
Él inquiere
He inquires
Ella inquiere
She inquires
Nosotros inquirimos
We (masc.) inquire
Nosotras inquirimos
We (fem.) inquire
Vosotros inquirís
You (pl. masc.) inquire
Vosotras inquirís
You (pl. fem.) inquire
Ustedes inquieren
You (plural) inquire
Ellos inquieren
They (masc.) inquire
Ellas inquieren
They (fem.) inquire
Por ejemplo:
- Hoy tus padres adquieren una casa nueva.
Today your parents acquire a new house.
- Mi hermano inquiere sobre su equipo de fútbol.
My brother inquires about his football team.
Hoy tus padres adquieren una casa nueva.
Today your parents acquire a new house.
Mi hermano inquiere sobre su equipo de fútbol.
My brother inquires about his football team.
Another Rare Stem Change: u to ue
A verb that you will use often in Spanish is jugar (to play). Jugar is a stem-changing verb with a u to ue stem change.
Yo juego
I play
Tú juegas
You play (sing/inf)
Usted juega
You (formal) play
Él juega
He plays
Ella juega
She plays
Nosotros jugamos
We (masc.) play
Nosotras jugamos
We (fem.) play
Vosotros jugáis
You (pl. masc.) play
Vosotras jugáis
You (pl. fem.) play
Ustedes juegan
You (plural) play
Ellos juegan
They (masc.) play
Ellas juegan
They (fem.) play
Por ejemplo:
Los niños juegan en el parque.
The kids play in the park.
Jugamos con ellos.
We play with them.
Please note that jugar does not include the sense of playing music or an instrument. If you want to say that you play the guitar, you will use the verb tocar, as in, “Toco la guitarra.”
The Last and Strangest Stem Change: o to hue
Last of all, you should note that the verb oler (to smell) is also irregular. You’ll need to memorize this stem change if you want to talk of smelling the roses.
Yo huelo
I smell
Tú hueles
You smell (sing/inf)
Usted huele
You (formal) smell
Él huele
He smells
Ella huele
She smells
Nosotros olemos
We (masc.) smell
Nosotras olemos
We (fem.) smell
Vosotros oléis
You (pl. masc.) smell
Vosotras oléis
You (pl. fem.) smell
Ustedes huelen
You (plural) smell
Ellos huelen
They (masc.) smell
Ellas huelen
They (fem.) smell
Por ejemplo:
Huelo el aire del mar.
I smell the air from the sea.
Check out more Spanish Verbs for useful info! Here are some recommended lessons:
- Spanish Verbs - Saber and Conocer
- Spanish Verbs in the Present Tense and Conjugations
- Spanish Verbs Decir & Dar
See you soon! ¡Hasta pronto!
Mauricio Evlampieff: Rocket Spanish
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