Stem-changers
To find the stem of a verb Take off the last 2 letters Hablar = habl
Some verbs have a stem-change. That means there is a spelling change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
You already know some Tener (e ie) tengo, tiene, tienes Jugar (u ue) juego, juegas Querer (e–> ie) quiero, quieres
There are 4 kinds of stem-changes e ie ei o ue u ue
You’ll notice that only the STEM has a spelling change You’ll notice that only the STEM has a spelling change. The endings are still the same and depend on the subject. Yo quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, quereís, quieren
How to conjugate a stem-changing verb: Identify the letter that will change. (if there is more than one option, choose the 2nd) Take that letter out and replace it with the letter(s) indicated on the chart. Add the appropriate verb ending
Pedir (the e changes to i) Pid (this is the new stem) Example Pedir = ei Pedir (the e changes to i) Pid (this is the new stem) Yo/pedir = yo pido
You’ll also notice that the NOSOTROS and VOSOTROS forms NEVER, EVER have a stem-change.