CONTENT
Some verbs in the present indicative change their stem during conjugation. They can be grouped into three main categories.
Spanish
English
Duermo bien todas las noches.
I sleep well every night.
Present Indicative Conjugation
Rule 1. Before diving into the rules regarding the stem-changing verbs, it is important to review quickly the conjugations of the present indicative. Even though the verbs mentioned in this article are irregular in their stem, they still follow the regular conjugation of the present indicative.
- -ar ending verbs
| Subject Pronoun | Present Indicative Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | hablo |
| tú | -as | hablas |
| él, ella, usted | -a | habla |
| nosotros, nosotras | -amos | hablamos |
| vosotros, vosotras | -áis | habláis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -an | hablan |
| Subject Pronoun | Present Indicative Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | hablo |
| tú | -as | hablas |
| él, ella, usted | -a | habla |
| nosotros, nosotras | -amos | hablamos |
| vosotros, vosotras | -áis | habláis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -an | hablan |
- -er ending verbs
| Subject Pronouns | Present Indicative Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | como |
| tú | -es | comes |
| él, ella, usted | -e | come |
| vosotros, vosotras | -éis | coméis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -en | comen |
| nosotros, nosotras | -emos | comemos |
| Subject Pronouns | Present Indicative Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | como |
| tú | -es | comes |
| él, ella, usted | -e | come |
| vosotros, vosotras | -éis | coméis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -en | comen |
| nosotros, nosotras | -emos | comemos |
- -ir ending verbs
| Subject Pronouns | Present Indicative Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | vivo |
| tú | -es | vives |
| él, ella, usted | -e | vive |
| nosotros, nosotras | -imos | vivimos |
| vosotros, vosotras | -ís | vivís |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -en | viven |
| Subject Pronouns | Present Indicative Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | vivo |
| tú | -es | vives |
| él, ella, usted | -e | vive |
| nosotros, nosotras | -imos | vivimos |
| vosotros, vosotras | -ís | vivís |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -en | viven |
First Group: o → ue Change
Rule 2. In some verbs, the o in the stem changes to ue. This is the case with verbs such as dormir, poder, almorzar, volver, encontrar, morir, mostrar and contar. These verbs change their stem in all forms except nosotros(as) and vosotros(as).
| Subject Pronouns | Verb Dormir |
|---|---|
| yo | duermo |
| tú | duermes |
| él, ella, usted | duerme |
| nosotros, nosotras | dormimos |
| vosotros, vosotras | dormís |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | duermen |
| Subject Pronouns | Verb Dormir |
|---|---|
| yo | duermo |
| tú | duermes |
| él, ella, usted | duerme |
| nosotros, nosotras | dormimos |
| vosotros, vosotras | dormís |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | duermen |
Spanish
English
¿Tú duermes temprano usualmente?
Do you usually go to bed early?
Second Group: e → ie Change
Rule 2. In some verbs, the e in the stem changes to ie. This is the case with verbs such as pensar, cerrar, atravesar, comenzar, empezar, recomendar, sentarse, despertar, querer. These verbs change their stem in all forms except nosotros(as) and vosotros(as).
| Subject Pronouns | Pensar |
|---|---|
| yo | pienso |
| tú | piensas |
| él, ella, usted | piensa |
| nosotros, nosotras | pensamos |
| vosotros, vosotras | pensáis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | piensan |
| Subject Pronouns | Pensar |
|---|---|
| yo | pienso |
| tú | piensas |
| él, ella, usted | piensa |
| nosotros, nosotras | pensamos |
| vosotros, vosotras | pensáis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | piensan |
Spanish
English
Pienso que este es un buen lugar para comer.
I think this is a good place to eat.
Third Group: e → i Change
Rule 2. In some verbs, the e in the stem changes to i. This is the case with verbs such as pedir, elegir*, reír*, repetir, servir, vestirse. Just like verbs from other groups, these verbs change their stem in all forms except nosotros(as) and vosotros(as).
| Subject Pronouns | Querer |
|---|---|
| yo | quiero |
| tú | quieres |
| él, ella, usted | quiere |
| nosotros, nosotras | queremos |
| vosotros, vosotras | queréis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | quieren |
| Subject Pronouns | Querer |
|---|---|
| yo | quiero |
| tú | quieres |
| él, ella, usted | quiere |
| nosotros, nosotras | queremos |
| vosotros, vosotras | queréis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | quieren |
Spanish
English
Quiero viajar el próximo mes.
I want to travel next month.
Quiz
1/3
Cuando salgas ___________ (cerrar) la puerta.
0
correct answers.