Stem-Changing Verbs in the Present Tense

Spanish grammar is wonderfully logical; even the occasional exception to the rules follows a general pattern.  Case in point:  stem-changing (also known as radical-changing) verbs.

 

In order to understand this concept, it is first necessary to define “stem.”  The stem of the verb is the root, the part that, unlike the ending, does not change when the verb is conjugated.  It is the part of the infinitive that stays when the –ar, -er or –ir ending is changed.  In the verb hablar (to speak/talk), habl- is the stem:

 

yo hablo (I speak)                      nostros hablamos (we speak)

tú hablas (you speak)

él habla (he speaks)                   ellos hablan (they speak)

 

 

Hablar is a regular –ar verb, and so the stem does not change.  Watch what happens to the stem-changing –ar verb jugar (to play (a game, a sport)):

 

yo juego (I play)                              nosotros jugamos (we play)

tú juegas (you play)

él juega (he plays)                            ellos juegan (they play)

 

Here’s another stem-changing –ar verb, cerrar (to close):

 

yo cierro (I close)                      nosotros cerramos (we close)

tú cierras (you close)

él cierra (he closes)                          ellos cierran (they close)

 

 

In the case of jugar, the u in the stem became ue in four of the conjugations (the yo, tú, él and ellos forms).  In the case of cerrar, the e became ie in the same four conjugations.  The third type of stem change is o to ue.  I’ll bet you can predict what happens to the stem-changing verb recordar (to remember/recall, or record):

 

yo recuerdo (I remember)               nosotros recordamos (we remember)

tú recuerdas (you remember)

él recuerda (he remembers)          ellos recuerdan (they remember)

 

The tricky part about stem-changing verbs is that there are two parts of the verb to conjugate: the ending and the middle, or stem.  Fortunately, most stem-changing verbs are quite predictable; the –ar, -er and –ir endings remain the same as in any regular verb, and only the stem changes in all but the nosotros and vosotros forms.  (In Latin America, vosotros is not widely used, but you’ll still run into it in written language, including the Bible.)  There are, as we have seen, three main stem changes.  Here are some verbs that follow the patterns we’ve seen so far:

 

e to ie stem change

 

cerrar                           to close

comenzar                      to start, begin

despertar                      to awaken

defender                       to defend

entender                       to understand

empezar                       to start, begin

mentir                           to lie

negar                            to deny

pensar                          to think

perder                          to lose

preferir                         to prefer

querer                          to want

**tener                         to have

**venir             to come

**These two have irregular yo forms:  yo tengo, yo vengo.  The other forms follow the rules for the regular e to ie stem change.

o to ue stem change

 

acordar                         to remember

almorzar                       to have lunch

contar                           to count, to tell

costar                           to cost

devolver                       to return, give back

dormir                          to sleep

encontrar                      to meet, find

envolver                       to wrap, envelop

morir                            to die

mostrar                        to show

mover                           to move

poder                           to be able (to do something)

probar                          to prove, to try

recordar                       to remember

volver                           to return, come back

 

Practice

Let’s try it.  Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses—then, translate the sentences to English.  Answers at the bottom:

 

1)      Yo ____________________ hambre.  ¿Tú ___________________ comer?  (tener, querer)

2)      Sí.  ¿Qué restaurante _____________________ tú? (preferir)

 

3)      Mi hermano _________________________ en Pollo Loco muchas veces.  (almorzar)

 

4)      Ah, sí, yo __________________________ que le gusta allí.  Está bien.  (recordar)

 

5)      Está bueno, y la comida no ______________________ mucho.   Pero primero vamos a la biblioteca.  (costar)

 

6)      ¿ ___________________________ (tú) un libro?  (devolver)

 

7)      Sí, ahora misma.  Después nosotros __________________________ a comer.  (empezar)

 

8)      ¡Antes que yo _________________________ de hambre!  (morir)

 

 

Answers:

1)      tengo, quieres.  I’m hungry.  Do you want to eat?

2)      prefieres.  Yes.  What restaurant do you prefer?

3)      almuerza.  My brother often has lunch at Pollo Loco.

4)      recuerdo.  Oh yes, I remember that he likes it there.  Okay.

5)      cuesta.  It’s good, and the food doesn’t cost much.  But first let’s go to the library.

6)      Devuelves.  Are you returning a book?

7)      empezamos.  Yes, right now.  Then we can start to eat.

8)      muero.  Before I die of hunger!