Present Tense Stem-Changing Verbs Page 5 – Para Empezar Realidades 3

Stem-Changing Verbs Remember that in Spanish there are three groups of stem-changing verbs. The stem change occurs in all forms except the nosotros(as) and vosotros(as) forms.

Stem-Changing Verbs Let´s look at some verbs that have a stem change of e > ie:

PERDER (e > ie) – to lose pierdo pierdes pierde perdemos perdéis pierden

Stem-Changing Verbs (e > ie) empezar querer preferir pensar divertirse despertarse sentirse mentir cerrar comenzar entender to begin to want to prefer to think, plan to have fun to wake up to feel to lie to close to understand

Stem-Changing Verbs Let´s look at some verbs that have a stem change of o > ue:

PODER (o > ue) – to be able to, can puedo puedes puede podemos podéis pueden

Stem-Changing Verbs (o > ue) jugar (u > ue) contar costar encontrar recordar volar dormir volver devolver acostarse almorzar to play to count, tell a story to cost to find, meet to remember to fly to sleep to return to return something to go to bed to eat lunch

Stem-Changing Verbs Let´s look at some verbs that have a stem change of e > i:

PEDIR (o > ue) – to ask for, to order pido pides pide pedimos pedís piden

Stem-Changing Verbs (e > i) servir repetir reír sonreír seguir vestirse to serve to repeat to laugh to smile to follow, continue to dress

REÍR (e > i) – to laugh río ríes ríe reímos reís ríen

SONREÍR (e > i) – to smile sonrío sonríes sonríe sonreímos sonreís sonríen