Present Tense Stem-Changing Verbs: e>i verbs

In the last post we talked about o>ue stem-changing verbs. The next type of stem-changing verbs are those where the e changes to i.  One such verb is pedir (to ask for, request).  The e in the stem will change to i, and just as with all stem-changing verbs, this change will only happen in the boot.

pedir

                                                 pido             pedimos
                                                 pides            pedís
                                                 pide             piden

There is one thing you have to remember about e>i verbs.  This type of stem change can only happen with IR verbs.  AR verbs and ER verbs can never be e>i stem-changing verbs.
Here are some common e>i verbs:

competir - to compete
concebir - to conceive of
*conseguir - to get, obtain
*decir - to say, tell
**elegir - to choose, elect
***freír - to fry
impedir - to impede
**regir - to rule, govern
***reír - to laugh
repetir - to repeat
*seguir - to continue, follow
servir - to serve
vestir - to dress

*These verbs end in go in the yo form: consigo, digo, sigo.
** These verbs end in jo in the yo form: elijo, rijo.
***Due to a weak-strong vowel combination where the weak vowel is stressed, there are accents throughout the conjugation:

                                frío                   freímos
                                fríes                  freís
                                fríe                   fríen

Next time we'll talk about other irregularities that can happen in the present tense. ¡Hasta la próxima!

Present Tense Stem-Changing Verbs - o>ue Verbs

In the last post we talked about e>ie stem-changing verbs. The next type of stem-changing verbs are those where the o changes to ue.  One such verb is poder (to be able or "can").  The o in the stem will change to to ue, and just as with the e>ie verbs, this change will only happen in the boot.

poder

                                                 puedo             podemos
                                                 puedes            podéis
                                                 puede             pueden

Poder works very nicely with other verbs:

No puedo nadar.    I cannot swim.
Podemos salir cuando termine.     We can go out when I finish.
¿Puedes tocar el piano?    Can you play the piano?

Here are some common o>ue verbs:

absolver - to absolve, acquit
acordarse - to remember
acostarse - to go to bed, lay down
almorzar - to have lunch
apostar - to bet
cocer - to cook
colgar - to hang
contar - to count, tell
costar - to cost
demostrar - to demonstrate
doler - to hurt
dormir - to sleep
encontrar - to find, meet
llover - to rain
morder - to bite
morir - to die
mostrar - to show
*oler - to smell
poder - to be able
recordar - to remember, remind
resolver - to solve
rogar - to beg
soltar - to release, let go
volar - to fly
volver - to return, come back

*When a stem change happens at the very beginning of the conjugated verb, the letter h will precede the change.  Such is the case with a verb like oler:

                                              huelo               olemos
                                              hueles              oléis
                                              huele                huelen

Since the verb forms olemos and oléis do not undergo a stem change, there is no need for the h.  Next time we will talk about the last type of present tense stem change, e>i verbs.  ¡Hasta la próxima!

Present Tense Stem-Changing Verbs - e > ie Verbs

Stem-changing verbs are verbs that undergo a slight change to one of the vowels in the stem during conjugation.  In the case of e > ie verbs, the "e" in the stem would change to "ie" before adding the endings.  A common e>ie verb is cerrar (to close).  If you drop the AR ending you are left with the stem cerr.

So before we conjugate the verb, let's modify the stem.

cerr > cierr

So you can see the "e" has become "ie in our modified stem.  This particular change happens everywhere except in the nosotros and vosotros subjects.  The conjugated forms of all the other subjects (first, second and third person singular, and the third person plural - including usted and ustedes) will experience the stem change.  To save time, we call this area of the conjugation grid "the boot."  The following is the complete present tense conjugation of the verb cerrar with a line drawn around the boot:

So you can see the stem change only happens in the boot.  Outside of the boot (nosotros and vosotros) you use the unmodified stem.  You will find that all stem-changing verbs in the present indicative follow this pattern.

So what happenes if you have an e>ie verb that has two "e's" in the stem?  Which "e" gets changed?  The answer is the last one.  Take the verb preferir (to prefer).  You can see the stem has two e's.

prefer

Just change the second "e" before adding the endings.  The final product looks like this:

                                              prefiero          preferimos

                                              prefieres         preferís

                                              prefiere          prefieren

You can see that the stem change has happened only in the boot.  Some common e>ie verbs are:

acertar - to be correct, guess correctly

arrepentirse - to repent, regret

atender - to attend to, pay attention

calentar - to warm

cerrar - to close

comenzar - to begin

consentir - to consent, allow, spoil (pamper)

descender - to descend

divertirse - to have fun

empezar - to begin

encender - to light, turn on

encerrar - to enclose, confine

entender - to understand

herir - to wound, injure

hervir - to boil

mentir - to lie

merendar - to snack

perder - to lose, miss

preferir - to prefer

querer - to want

sentarse - to sit down

sentirse - to feel

verter - to pour, spill

This list is far from complete, but it's a good place to start.  There are two other types of stem-changing verbs - o > ue and e > i.  We will discuss these verbs in the next post.  ¡Hasta la próxima!