Present Indicative Stem-changing & Irregular Verbs - Presente Indicativo Verbos de Cambio e Irregulares
11.
Present Indicative Stem-changing &
Irregular Verbs (English)
When
"regular verbs" are conjugated the ending changes and the front part
(a.k.a. stem or root) doesn’t change. When
"stem-changing verbs" are conjugated the stem changes. Most
stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when conjugated, however, there are some
verbs that don't follow a consistent rule when they are conjugated, and these are
called, "irregular verbs".
This lesson
includes information on:
- Stem-Changing Verbs
- Irregular Verbs
- Related Vocabulary
1. Stem-Changing Verbs
Fortunately,
most stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when they are conjugated.
- Change the "e" to "ie" in the stem. However, the
subject "nosotros" is
conjugated as a regular verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Pensar |
To Think |
|
Yo |
pienso |
I think |
|
Tú |
piensas |
You think
|
|
Usted/él/ella |
piensa |
You
(formal)/He/She thinks |
|
Nosotros |
pensamos |
We think |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
piensan |
You
(plural)/They think |
Here is a
list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Cerrar |
To close |
|
Calentar |
To warm |
|
Comenzar |
To begin |
|
Pensar |
To think |
|
Perder |
To lose |
|
Gobernar |
To govern |
|
Negar |
To deny |
|
Quebrar |
To break |
|
Querer |
To want |
|
Herir |
To wound |
|
Entender |
To
understand |
|
Encender |
To turn
on |
|
Despertarse (refl) |
To wake
up |
|
Defender |
To defend |
|
Confesar |
To
confess |
|
Mentir |
To lie |
|
Preferir |
To prefer |
|
Sentir |
To feel |
- Change the "o" to "ue" in the stem. However, the subject "nosotros" is conjugated as a regular verb.
For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Poder |
To be
able |
|
Yo |
puedo |
I am able |
|
Tú |
puedes |
You are
able |
|
Usted/él/ella |
puede |
You (formal)/He/She
is able |
|
Nosotros |
podemos |
We are
able |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
pueden |
You
(plural)/They are able |
Here is a
list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Contar |
To tell |
|
Almorzar |
To have
breakfast |
|
Devolver |
To return |
|
Envolver |
To wrap |
|
Volver |
To return |
|
Encontrar |
To find |
|
Llover |
To rain |
|
Morder |
To bite |
|
Mover |
To move |
|
Oler |
To smell |
|
Poder |
To be
able |
|
Volar |
To fly |
|
Probar |
To try |
|
Recordar |
To recall |
|
Soñar |
To dream |
|
Sonar |
To sound |
|
Dormir |
To sleep |
|
Morir |
To die |
- Change the "e" to "i" in the stem. However, the subject "nosotros" is conjugated as a regular verb. For
example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Pedir |
To ask |
|
Yo |
pido |
I ask |
|
Tú |
pides |
You ask |
|
Usted/él/ella |
pide |
You
(formal)/He/She asks |
|
Nosotros |
pedimos |
We ask |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
piden |
You
(plural)/They ask |
Here is a
list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Pedir |
To ask |
|
Perseguir |
To pursue |
|
Reír |
To laugh |
|
Repetir |
To repeat |
|
Vestir |
To dress |
|
Seguir |
To follow/to
continue |
|
Servir |
To serve |
|
Sonreír |
To smile |
|
Construir |
To
construct |
|
Destruir |
To
destroy |
|
Concluir |
To
conclude |
|
Diluir |
To dilute |
- For verbs that end in "cer" change "c" to "zc"
but only for the subject "yo". The other subjects are conjugated as a regular
verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Reconocer |
To
recognize |
|
Yo |
reconozco |
I
recognize |
|
Tú |
reconoces |
You
recognize |
|
Usted/él/ella |
reconoce |
You
(formal)/He/She recognize |
|
Nosotros |
reconocemos |
We
recognize |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
reconocen |
You
(plural) speak/They recognize |
Here is a
list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Aparecer |
To appear |
|
Conducir |
To drive |
|
Introducir |
To
introduce |
|
Ofrecer |
To offer |
|
Reconocer |
To
recognize |
|
Reducir |
To reduce |
- For verbs that end in "ger" and "gir"
change "g" to "j" but only for the subject
"yo".
The other subjects are conjugated as regular verbs. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Escoger |
To choose |
|
Yo |
escojo |
I choose |
|
Tú |
escoges |
You choose
|
|
Usted/él/ella |
escoge |
You
(formal)/He/She chooses |
|
Nosotros |
escogemos |
We choose |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
escogen |
You
(plural) speak/They choose |
Here is a
list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Escoger |
To chose |
|
Exigir |
To demand |
|
Dirigir |
To direct |
- For verbs that end in "eguir" change "egu"
to "ig"
for the subject "yo" and to "igu" for "tú ",
"usted/él/ella"
and "ustedes/ellos/ellas".
However, the subject "nosotros" is conjugated as a regular verb.
For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Seguir |
To follow |
|
Yo |
sigo |
I follow |
|
Tú |
sigues |
You
follow |
|
Usted/él/ella |
sigue |
You
(formal)/He/She follows |
|
Nosotros |
seguimos |
We follow |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
siguen |
You
(plural) speak/They follow |
Here is a
list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Conseguir |
To get |
|
Perseguir |
To pursue |
|
Seguir |
To follow |
- For verbs that end in "uir" change "u" to "y". However, the subject
"nosotros"
is conjugated as a regular verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Instruir |
To
instruct |
|
Yo |
instruyo |
I
instruct |
|
Tú |
instruyes |
You
instruct |
|
Usted/él/ella |
instruye |
You
(formal)/He/She instructs |
|
Nosotros |
instruimos |
We
instruct |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
instruyen |
You
(plural) speak/They instruct |
Here is a
list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Construir |
To build |
|
Destruir |
To
destroy |
|
Instruir |
To
instruct |
2. Irregular Verbs
Fortunately,
there aren't many irregular verbs. Unfortunately, some of the irregular verbs
listed below are used frequently:
|
Infinitive |
|
Yo |
Tú |
Usted/él/ella |
Nosotros |
Ustedes/ellos/ellas |
|
Saber (to know) |
|
Sé |
Sabes |
Sabe |
Sabemos |
Saben |
|
Estar (to be) |
|
Estoy |
Estás |
Está |
Estamox |
Están |
|
Ser (to be) |
|
Soy |
Eres |
Es |
Somos |
Son |
|
Ir (to go) |
|
Voy |
Vas |
Va |
Vamos |
Van |
|
Dar (to give) |
|
Doy |
Das |
Da |
Damos |
Dan |
|
Caer (to fall) |
|
Caigo |
Caes |
Cae |
Caemos |
|
|
Traer (to bring) |
|
Traigo |
Traes |
Trae |
Traemos |
Traen |
|
Decir (to say) |
|
Digo |
Dices |
Dicen |
Decimos |
Dicen |
|
Oír (to hear) |
|
Oigo |
Oyes |
Oye |
Oímos |
Oyen |
|
Hacer (to do) |
|
Hago |
Haces |
Hace |
Hacemos |
Hacen |
|
Poner (to put) |
|
Pongo |
Pones |
Pone |
Ponemos |
Ponen |
|
Salir (to leave) |
|
Salgo |
Sales |
Salen |
Salemos |
Salen |
|
Tener (to have) |
|
Tengo |
Tienes |
Tiene |
Tenemos |
Tienen |
|
Venir (to come) |
|
Vengo |
Vienes |
Viene |
Venimos |
Vienen |
3. Related Vocabulary
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Irregular: |
|
|
Caber |
To fit |
|
Caer |
To fall |
|
Dar |
To give |
|
Hacer |
To make |
|
Poner |
To put |
|
Saber |
To know |
|
Salir |
To leave |
|
Traer |
To bring |
|
Valer |
To be
worth |
|
Ver |
To see |
|
Decir |
To say |
|
Estar |
To be |
|
Ir |
To go |
|
Tener |
To have |
|
Venir |
To come |
|
Oír |
To hear |
|
Ser |
To be |
|
Stem-changing: |
|
|
Cerrar |
To close |
|
Calentar |
To warm |
|
Comenzar |
To begin |
|
Pensar |
To think |
|
Perder |
To lose |
|
Gobernar |
To govern |
|
Negar |
To deny |
|
Quebrar |
To break |
|
Querer |
To want |
|
Sentarse |
To sit |
|
Entender |
To
understand |
|
Encender |
To turn
on |
|
Despertarse |
To wake
up |
|
Defender |
To defend |
|
Confesar |
To
confess |
|
Contar |
To tell |
|
Almorzar |
To have
breakfast |
|
Devolver |
To return |
|
Envolver |
To wrap |
|
Volver |
To return |
|
Encontrar |
To find |
|
Llover |
To rain |
|
Jugar |
To play |
|
Morder |
To bite |
|
Mover |
To move |
|
Oler |
To smell |
|
Poder |
To be
able |
|
Volar |
To fly |
|
Probar |
To try |
|
Recordar |
To recall |
|
Soñar |
To dream |
|
Sonar |
To sound |
|
Acostarse |
To go to
bed |
|
Acordarse |
To agree |
|
Mentir |
To lie |
|
Divertirse |
To have
fun |
|
Preferir |
To prefer |
|
Sentir |
To feel |
|
Sentirse |
To feel
(sentiments) |
|
Herir |
To wound |
|
Dormir |
To sleep |
|
Morir |
To die |
|
Pedir |
To ask |
|
Perseguir |
To pursue |
|
Reír |
To laugh |
|
Repetir |
To repeat |
|
Vestir |
To dress |
|
Vestirse |
To dress
oneself |
|
Seguir |
To
follow/to continue |
|
Servir |
To serve |
|
Sonreír |
To smile |
|
Construir |
To
construct |
|
Destruir |
To
destroy |
|
Concluir |
To
conclude |
|
Diluir |
To dilute |