Stem-Changing Verbs in Spanish: Sentences & Exercises

As you may already know, all verbs in Spanish are formed by a stem and an ending. Regular verbs change their ending following simple rules without affecting the first part of the verb, but Spanish stem-changing verbs are special because they change their ending and their stem as well. Some of these verbs are very common and useful in everyday situations. In this lesson, we will learn how to make sentences with stem-changing verbs in Spanish in the present tense. Let’s start…

What are Spanish stem-changing verbs?

In general, regular verbs in Spanish retain their root form when conjugated for all subject pronouns. However, some verbs follow the same conjugation rules for their endings, but also require a change in their root (e.g., “dorm-” in “dormir” or “pens-” in “pensar”). This slight modification helps maintain a pronunciation similar to the one of its infinitive form even after it has been conjugated. These root changes apply to all conjugations, except for the pronouns “vos,” “vosotros,” and “nosotros.” The image below shows the four main groups of verbs that undergo stem changes in Spanish in the present indicative tense:

Spanish stem-changing verbs O to UE: list and sentences

The first group of verbs are those with the vowel O is found in the stem, such as CONTAR (to count) in the picture above. Know that NOT all verbs will follow this pattern, even if they have an -O in the stem. For verbs following this pattern, then there must be a stem change from O to UE. Another popular verb following this rule is DORMIR (to sleep), which can be divided into DORM- (stem) and -IR (ending). The letter O is found in DORM, so we must make a stem change from O to UE for all subject pronouns, except for VOS, VOSOTROS and NOSOTROS. Therefore, we must say “Yo duermo” not “Yo dormo” as we would normally do for other regular verbs.

Here is a list of Spanish stem-changing verbs O to UE: dormir (to sleep), contar (to count), costar (to cost), encontrar (to find/to meet), recordar (to remember), volar (to fly), volver (to return), acostar (lay down) and almorzar (to eat lunch).

Sentences with stem-changing verbs O to UE

Yo duermo ocho horas todos los días I sleep eight hours every day

Tú duermes demasiado durante el día You sleep too much every day

Vos dormís como oso You sleep like a bear

Él duerme solo algunas horas He sleeps only a few hours

Dormimos en la misma habitación We sleep in the same room

¿Vosotros dormís juntos? Do you sleep together?

Ellos no duermen ahí They do not sleep there

Interactive quiz No. 1

Read these sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct conjugation of the -O to -UE verbs in parentheses.

Spanish stem changing verbs E to IE: list and sentences

The second rule we will learn says that if the vowel in the verb’s stem is E, then the vowel should change from E to IE. Similarly to the first rule, the stem change does not apply when the subject is VOS, VOSOTROS or NOSOTROS. The verb PENSAR is a very important stem-changing verb following this rule. The stem PENS- will change to PIENS- for the pronoun TÚ as in the sentence “Tú piensas”

Here is a list of stem changing verbs E to IE: empezar (to begin), querer (to want), pensar (to think), divertirse (to have fun), despertarse (to wake up), sentir (to feel), mentir (to lie), cerrar (to close), herir (to harm) and entender (to understand).

Sentences with stem-changing verbs E to IE

(Yo) Pienso que esa es una buena idea. I think that is a good idea

¿(Tú) Piensas que esto es importante? Do you think this is important?

Vos pensás que ella es bonita You think she is beautiful

Ella piensa que está loco She thinks that he is crazy

Pensamos que deberías quedarte. We think you should stay

Vosotros pensáis que estoy enojado. You think that I am angry

Ellos piensan que soy listo. They think I am smart

Interactive quiz No. 2

Read these sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct conjugation of the -E to -IE verbs in parentheses.

Spanish stem changing verbs E to I: list and sentences

The third rule says that if the stem contains the vowel E, then we must change the stem from E to I only when the verb in infinitive ends in IR like SERVIR. For the verb SERVIR, we should say “Yo sirvo” not “Yo servo”.

Some common Spanish stem-changing verbs E to I are: servir (to serve), repetir (to repeat), seguir (to follow) and vestirse (to get dressed).

Sentences with stem-changing verbs E to I

Repito las canciones cuando me gustan I repeat the songs when I like them

Tú repites demasiado You repeat too much

Vos repetís eso una y otra vez. You repeat that again and again

Ella repite los mismos errores. She repeats the same mistakes

Nosotros repetimos las actividades We repeat the activities

Vosotros repetís el viaje cada año. You repeat the trip every year

Ellos repiten los pasos They repeat the steps

Interactive quiz No. 3

Read these sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct conjugation of the -E to -I verbs in parentheses.

Spanish stem changing verbs U to UE: list and sentences

The fourth rule is actually pretty simple and only affects one very common verb and that is JUGAR (to play), changing the stem from U to UE. JUGAR would be conjugated like this “Yo juego”, “Tú juegas”, “Él juega”, “Nosotros jugamos”, “Vosotros jugáis”, “Ellos juegan”.

Interactive quiz No. 4

Related PDF Worksheets:

• Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs O to UE
• Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs E to IE – PDF Worksheet
• Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs E to I – PDF Worksheet
• The Verb PODER in Spanish (Sentences)