STEM CHANGING VERBS
Remember, there are three types of infinitives: -ar, -er, -ir. Infinitives are made up of two parts: the ending and the stem. You already know how to conjugate verbs in the present tense, so the actual conjugation is easy. With stem change verbs we are adding the step of making a small vowel spelling change in the stem in all forms of the conjugation except the nosotros and vosotros.
In the present tense, there are three groups of stem-changing verbs: e-ie, o-ue, and e-i.
When this happens you use the 2nd e for the stem change
Therefore I recommend…is Recomiendo and NOT Riecomendo.
Now let's do o-ue:
It follows the same principle as e-ie...so if you can do them, you can do these!
Verb: Poder(o-ue)- to be able, can
yo: puedo
tú: puedes
él/ella: puede
ud.: puede
nosotros(as): podemos
vosotros(as): podéis
ellos/ellas: pueden
uds.: pueden
Here are some common o-ue stem change verbs:
almorzar: to eat lunch
morir: to die
aprobar: to approve
mostrar: to show
colgar: to hang
mover: to move (an object)
contar: to count
probar: to test, sample
costar: to cost
recordar: to remember
devolver: to return (an object)
volver: to return (from someplace)
dormir: to sleep
soñar (con): to dream about
sonar: to ring, to sound
encontrar: to find
morder: to bite
volar: to fly
The last form of stem change verbs that we will study is the e-i form.
Verb: Pedir (e-i) - to ask for, order
yo: pido
tú: pides
él/ella: pide
ud.: pide
nosotros(as): pedimos
vosotros(as): pedís
ellos/ellas: piden
uds.: piden
Here are some common e-i stem change verbs:
repetir: to repeat
reír: to laugh
sonreír: to smile
servir: to serve
seguir: to follow
despedir: to dismiss, to fire
elegir: to elect
competir: to compete
medir: to measure
conseguir: to get, to obtain
