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What are Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs?
Spanish stem-changing verbs (verbos con cambio de raíz) are verbs that change their stem vowel in certain conjugations. These changes occur in the stressed syllable and follow predictable patterns. They are also called "boot verbs" because the changes occur in a boot-shaped pattern in conjugation charts.
The three main patterns are: e→ie, o→ue, and e→i.
Examples
Quiero café. (querer: e→ie)
I want coffee.
Puede llover. (poder: o→ue)
It might rain.
Pide la cuenta. (pedir: e→i)
He asks for the bill.
E → IE Pattern
Verbs with e→ie stem changes affect the stressed 'e' in the stem.
Querer (to want) - Present Tense
The stem change occurs in all forms except nosotros and vosotros:
Querer - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | quiero | I want |
| tú | quieres | you want |
| él/ella/usted | quiere | he/she/you want(s) |
| nosotros | queremos | we want |
| vosotros | queréis | you all want |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | quieren | they/you all want |
Common E→IE Verbs
Other frequently used e→ie stem-changing verbs:
pensar → pienso
to think → I think
empezar → empiezo
to begin → I begin
entender → entiendo
to understand → I understand
cerrar → cierro
to close → I close
O → UE Pattern
Verbs with o→ue stem changes affect the stressed 'o' in the stem.
Poder (to be able) - Present Tense
The stem change occurs in all forms except nosotros and vosotros:
Poder - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | puedo | I can |
| tú | puedes | you can |
| él/ella/usted | puede | he/she/you can |
| nosotros | podemos | we can |
| vosotros | podéis | you all can |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pueden | they/you all can |
Common O→UE Verbs
Other frequently used o→ue stem-changing verbs:
dormir → duermo
to sleep → I sleep
volver → vuelvo
to return → I return
encontrar → encuentro
to find → I find
contar → cuento
to count/tell → I count/tell
E → I Pattern
The e→i pattern occurs only in -ir verbs and affects the stressed 'e' in the stem.
Pedir (to ask for) - Present Tense
The stem change occurs in all forms except nosotros and vosotros:
Pedir - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | pido | I ask for |
| tú | pides | you ask for |
| él/ella/usted | pide | he/she/you ask(s) for |
| nosotros | pedimos | we ask for |
| vosotros | pedís | you all ask for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | piden | they/you all ask for |
Common E→I Verbs
Other frequently used e→i stem-changing verbs:
servir → sirvo
to serve → I serve
repetir → repito
to repeat → I repeat
seguir → sigo
to follow → I follow