COM: Lesson - Stem-Changing Verbs: Examples and Practice
Stem-Changing Verbs: Examples and Practice
Download the Verb Formation Practice Handout Links to an external site.. We will be exploring the stem-changing verbs by looking at several examples, but looking is only part of the equation. It is extremely important that you practice conjugating these verbs on your own as well, using the handout.
Conjugating Stem-changing Verbs
In this module we will learn a few stem changing verbs, we will practice how to conjugate these verbs and use these verbs in the context of a sentence.
This page covers the stem changing verbs you must learn in this module and course. Use the verb conjugation chart to practice stem changing verb conjugation.
Stem-changing Verbs: e-ie verbs
We will be looking at the conjugation of e-ie verbs first. First, let's look at one of these verbs in our normal Singular-Plural table format:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | Yo empiezo | Nosostros/Nosotras empezamos |
| 2nd Person (informal) | Tú empiezas | Vosotros/Vosotras empezáis |
| 3rd Person | Él/Ella empieza | Ellos/Ellas empiezan |
| 2nd Person (formal) | Usted empieza | Usted empiezan |
Do you notice anything about the pattern? It looks a bit like the boot pictured at the top of the page. We can highlight the cells as well:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | Change | Like Regular Verb |
| 2nd Person (informal) | Change | Like Regular Verb |
| 3rd Person | Change | Change |
| 2nd Person (formal) | Change | Change |
Examples of e-ie stem-changing verbs
Let's look at some additional verbs that show the e-it stem change. For these example, we are leaving out the subject pronoun, so you can more clearly see the change in the verb itself. Remember: the subject pronoun is optional, though it will be used regularly for clarity.
| Pensar (pens-/piens-) | Querer (quer-/quier-) | Preferir (prefer-/prefier-) |
|---|---|---|
| pienso piensas piensa pensamos pensáis piensan |
quiero |
prefiero prefieres prefiere preferimos preferís prefieren |
Examples of e-i stem change
| Decir (dec-/dic-) | Repetir (repet-/repit-) | Pedir (ped-/pid-) |
|---|---|---|
| digo dices dice decimos decís dicen |
repito |
pido |
Examples of o-ue stem-change
| Almorzar (almorz-/almuerz-) | Poder (pod-/pued-) | Dormir (dorm-/duerm-) |
|---|---|---|
| almuerzo almuerzas almuerza almorzamos almorzáis almuerzan |
puedo |
duermo duermes duerme dormimos dormís duermen |
Practice Activities
It is now time to practice these stem-changing verbs on your own. Hopefully, you've already attempted to conjugate a few examples in your Verb Conjugation handout. Take time to practice. All practice activities have unlimited attempts. Practice as many times as you need. When you complete practice activities, you are reviewing the lessons and preparing yourself to move forward in the course!
Complete the following practice activity. Be sure you do not forget to use correct end punctuation, capitalization, accents, and all diacritical marks in your response or points will be deducted.
NOTE: You are required to use information from this course to complete all practice activities. Additionally, fill-in-the-blank activities can be very particular: if an item is marked incorrect, double check that it wasn't something as minor as an extra space or a capital letter in the wrong place!
Activity 1: Practicing with querer
Activity 2: Sentence Completion
Reminder: fill-in-the-blank activities can be very particular. If an item is marked incorrect, double check that it wasn't something as minor as an extra space, a missing accent mark, or a capital letter in the wrong place!
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