STEM CHANGING VERBS
Tener, venir, preferir, querer, and poder;
Los verbos : STEM - CHANGING
Remember, there are three types of infinitives: -ar, -er, -ir. Infinitives are made up of two parts: the ending and the stem. In the following examples, the stem is underlined and the ending is inbold.
hablar
comer
vivir
With regular verbs, the stem stays the same, and the ending changes as they are conjugated.
hablocomovivo
hablascomesvives
hablacomevive
hablamoscomemosvivimos
habláiscoméisvivís
hablancomenviven
With some verbs, the stem also changes when you conjugate them. In the present tense, there are three groups of stem-changing verbs:
o:ue
e:ie
e:i
With the first group of stem-changing verbs, the letter o in the stem changes to ue in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros.
contar
cuento
cuentas
cuenta
contamos
contáis
cuentan
Here's another o:ue stem changing verb. Compare it to the regular verb comer. Notice that the endings are the same for regular verbs and stem-changing verbs.
mover (o:ue)
comer (regular -er verb)
muevo
como
mueves
comes
mueve
come
movemos
comemos
movéis
coméis
mueven
comen
Here's another o:ue stem-changing verb. Notice how the stem doesn't change in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
dormir (o:ue)
duermo
duermes
duerme
dormimos
dormís
duermen
Here is a list of common o:ue stem-changing 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, to tell
probar
to prove, test, sample, taste
costar
to cost
recordar
to remember
devolver
to return (an object)
resolver
to solve
volver
to return (from someplace)
rogar
to beg, pray
dormir
to sleep
sonar
to sound, ring
encontrar
to find
soñar (con)
to dream (about)
envolver
to wrap
tostar
to toast
morder
to bite
volar
to fly