Stem Changing Verbs: Spanish for Beginners (+ Cheatsheet)

Pensar, perder and sentir are stem-changing verbs in Spanish.

A stem-changing verb suffers a change in its stem when it is conjugated.

In the chart, the blue letters represent the stem changes.

Today, I will explain to you what stem-changing verbs are and how you can use them in conversations.

Let’s dive right in!

Spanish Stem-changing Verbs

Stem-changing verbs in Spanish suffer a change in their stem when they are conjugated. 

What does that mean? Let me explain…

A verb stem is the root of a verb. For example, in the verb amar, am is the stem, and ar is the ending. 

In Spanish, all verbs end in one of three ways:

• verbs that end in -ar
• verbs that end in -er
• verbs that end in -ir

If you eliminate the ending of a verb, all you are left with is its stem. 

In Spanish, a verb is considered irregular when there is a change in its stem when it is conjugated.

If the stem of a verb does not change when the verb is conjugated, then, it is considered a regular verb. 

Let’s practice a bit!

What’s the stem of the verb querer (to love)?

It’s quer.

When conjugated, the verb querer changes to quiero (I love), for example.

Is querer a stem-changing verb in Spanish or not?

Yes, it is! Its stem changes, for the vowel i is added in quer.

Oh! The verbs we are about to study are also called boot verbs.

Have you ever wondered why?

It’s because when they are conjugated and placed in a conjugation table, the only verbs that suffer a stem change form a boot. 

That kind of looks like a boot, doesn’t it?

Notice in the chart that the nosotros and vosotros forms are not affected by this stem change in the present tense.

For a list of more than 100 stem-changing verbs in Spanish and a conjugation cheat sheet, visit List of Stem Changing Verbs in Spanish [+150 Verbs].

Stem Changing -Ar Verbs

To use Spanish stem-changing verbs in conversations, apply the following changes. 

Change E for IE

Change the e in pensar for ie.

Other verbs like pensar are:

• cerrar (close)
• comenzar (start)

Pensar (to think)

• Yo pienso

• Tú  piensas
• Vos pensas

• Él piensa
• Ella piensa
• Usted piensa

• Nosotros pensamos
• Nosotras pensamos

• Vosotros pensáis
• Vosotras pensáis

• Ellos piensan
• Ellas piensan
• Ustedes piensan

Change O for UE

Change the o in recordar for ue.

Other verbs like recordar are:

• acordar (agree)
• apostar (bet)

Recordar (to remember)

• Yo recuerdo

• Tú  recuerdas
• Vos recordás

• Él recuerda
• Ella recuerda
• Usted recuerda

• Nosotros recordamos
• Nosotras recordamos

• Vosotros recordáis
• Vosotras recordáis

• Ellos recuerdan
• Ellas recuerdan
• Ustedes recuerdan

Stem Changing -Er Verbs

Verbs that end in -er have two possible changes in their stem. However, in this category, there are verbs that change in the yo form only. I’ll show them to you. 

Change E for IE

Change the e in querer for ie.

Some verbs like querer are:

• entender (understand)
• extender (extend)

Querer (to want)

• Yo quiero

• Tú  quieres
• Vos querés

• Él quiere
• Ella quiere
• Usted quiere

• Nosotros queremos
• Nosotras queremos

• Vosotros queréis
• Vosotras queréis

• Ellos quieren
• Ellas quieren
• Ustedes quieren

Change O for UE

Change the o in poder for ue.

Other verbs like poder are:

• demoler (demolish)
• desenvolver (unfold)

Poder (to be able to / can)

• Yo puedo

• Tú  puedes
• Vos podés

• Él puede
• Ella puede
• Usted puede

• Nosotros podemos
• Nosotras podemos

• Vosotros podéis
• Vosotras podéis

• Ellos pueden
• Ellas pueden
• Ustedes pueden

Irregular In the Yo Form Only

The following verbs suffer a change in their stem only in the yo form.

• poner (to put) – yo pongo

• saber (to know) – yo sé

• ver (to see) – yo veo

• nacer (to be born) – yo nazco

• agradecer (to thank) – yo agradezco

• conocer (to meet) – yo conozco

Stem Changing -Ir Verbs

These verbs have three common changes in their stem. Here they are!

Change E for IE

Change the e in preferir for ie.

Some verbs like preferir are:

• presentir (sense)
• invertir (invest)

Preferir (to prefer)

• Yo prefiero

• Tú  prefieres
• Vos preferís

• Él prefiere
• Ella prefiere
• Usted prefiere

• Nosotros preferimos
• Nosotras preferimos

• Vosotros preferís
• Vosotras preferís

• Ellos prefieren
• Ellas prefieren
• Ustedes prefieren

Change E for I

Change the e in pedir for i.

Some verbs like pedir are:

• seguir (follow)
• sonreír (smile)

Pedir (to ask for)

• Yo pido

• Tú  pides
• Vos pedís

• Él pide
• Ella pide
• Usted pide

• Nosotros pedimos
• Nosotras pedimos

• Vosotros pedís
• Vosotras pedís

• Ellos piden
• Ellas piden
• Ustedes piden

Change O for UE

Change the o in dormir for ue.

Some verbs like dormir are:

• morir (die)

Dormir (to sleep)

• Yo duermo

• Tú  duermes
• Vos dormís

• Él duerme
• Ella duerme
• Usted duerme

• Nosotros dormimos
• Nosotras dormimos

• Vosotros dormís
• Vosotras dormís

• Ellos duermen
• Ellas duermen
• Ustedes duermen

Stem Changing Verb Chart

Remember Endel Tulving and his discovery? Well, he formed two groups of students and gave each group 100 cards with words printed on them.

He asked one group to memorize the cards. The other group was asked to organize the cards into categories. The results surprised Endel! When tested, both groups remembered the vocabulary with the same precision.

Yes, organizing stem-changing verbs into a few categories can help you remember their conjugation!

So, what do you think? Do you dare to try organizing these verbs into a few categories?

Download the PDF to get the answers.

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