Spanish/Lesson 4

Stem Changing Verbs

In Spanish, some verbs change their stems when they are conjugated. These verbs are known as stem-changing verbs. Many of these verbs are important and often used. There are three different types of stem changing verbs in Spanish:

Spanish Flag Cambios de los Verbos Los verbos

Types of Stem-Changing Verbs e → ie e → i o → ue

The stem changes for all conjugations, excepting nosotros/as and vosotros/as. The endings are the same as for regular verbs (-o for yo, -as/-es for tú, ...).

Entender
To Understand

I understand	yo entiend	o
You understand	tú entiend	es
He understands	él entiend	e
She understands	ella entiend	e
You understand	Usted entiend	e
We understand	nosotros entend	emos
You (pl.) understand	vosotros entend	eis
They understand	ellos entiend	en
You (pl form) understand	Ustedes entiend	en

Note that the stem change is done for the second 'e' (not the first one) - in general the stem always changes for the last vowel before the -ar/-er/-ir ending.

Example: pedir (e->i) to ask for, to order

Pedir
To Ask For, Order

I ask for	yo pid	o
You ask for	tú pid	es
He asks for	él pid	e
She asks for	ella pid	e
You (form) ask for	Usted pid	e
We ask for	nosotros ped	imos
You (plural) ask for	vosotros ped	ís
They ask for	ellos pid	en
You (pl form) ask for	Ustedes pid	en

Note: all e->i stem changing verbs are -ir verbs.

Dormir
To Sleep

I sleep	yo duerm	o
You sleep	tú duerm	es
He sleeps	él duerm	e
She sleeps	ella duerm	e
You (formal) sleep	Usted duerm	e
We sleep	nosotros dorm	imos
You (plural) sleep	vosotros dorm	ís
They sleep	ellos duerm	en
You (plural formal) sleep	Ustedes duerm	en

Here is a list of some other common stem changing verbs:

e -> ie	e -> i	o -> ue
cerrar (to close)	competir (to compete)	almorzar (to eat lunch)
comenzar (to begin)	conseguir (to get, obtain)	costar (to cost)
defender (to defend)	pedir (to ask for, order)	encontrar (to find)
empezar (to start, begin)	reir (to laugh)	morir (to die)
mentir (to lie)	repetir (to repeat)	mostrar (to show)
pensar (to think)	seguir (to follow, continue)	mover (to move)
perder (to lose)	servir (to serve)	recordar (to remember)
preferir (to prefer)	sonreír (to smile)	volver (to return)

Exercise: Stem Changing Verbs

Present Participle

The present participle in Spanish is used either for continuous tenses (with estar, e.g. I am running.) and can also be used as an adjective. The Spanish present participle corresponds to the English -ing form of the verb.To form the present participle for regular -ar verbs, add -ando to the stem. For -er and -ir verbs add -iendo:

Spanish Flag El Participio Presente Los Verbos

-ing hablar → hablando comer → comiendo vivir → viviendo speaking eating living

However, not all present participles are that regular. Some verbs add a "y," or change the spelling, to adhere to Spanish orthography (spelling) rules. Here is a list of some common verbs that have an irregular present participle:

Spanish Flag Participios Irregulares Los Verbos

-ing caer decir dormir ir leer oir pedir repetir reír seguir traer cayendo diciendo durmiendo yendo leyendo oyendo pidiendo repitiendo riendo siguiendo trayendo

Present Progressive

Like in English, the Spanish present progressive is used to describe an action in progress. It is formed by conjugating the verb estar and then adding the present participle:

Spanish Flag El Presente Progresivo Los Verbos

Talking about actions occurring right now Yo estoy hablando Tú estás hablando Él/ella/usted está hablando Nosotros estamos hablando Vosotros estáis hablando Ellos/ellas/ustedes están hablando I am talking You are talking He/She/You is/are talking We are talking You are talking They/You are talking

Vocabulary

Spanish Flag El Vocabulario La Familia

Vocabulary for the family los padres el padre, papá la madre, mamá los hijos el hijo la hija los hermanos el hermano la hermana los abuelos el abuelo la abuela los nietos el nieto la nieta los tíos el tío la tía los sobrinos el sobrino la sobrina los primos el primo la prima los cónyuges, marido y mujer el esposo, el marido la esposa, la mujer los suegros la suegra, la nuera el suegro, el yerno los cuñados el cuñado la cuñada los consuegros el consuegro la consuegra parents father mother children son daughter siblings brother sister grandparents grandfather grandmother grandchildren grandson granddaughter uncles and aunts uncle aunt nephews and nieces nephew niece cousins cousin (male) cousin (female) spouses husband wife parents-in-law mother-in-law father-in-law siblings-in-law brother-in-law sister-in-law your child's parents-in-law your child's father-in-law your child's mother-in-law