Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs

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Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs

• e?ie
• o?ue
• u?ue

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Los verbos que cambian e?ie

• Tener
• Querer
• Pensar
• Empezar
• Comenzar
• Perder

• To have
• To want
• To think
• To begin (start)
• To begin (start)
• To lose

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How do these verbs work?
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Stem-changing verbs give their stems the boot!
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Querer
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Querer

• First, lets just add all the correct endings.

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Verb endings

• If a verb ends in ar, you add
• o
• as
• a
• amos
• an

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Verb endings

• If a verb ends in er, you add
• o
• es
• e
• emos
• en

• if a verb ends in ir, you add
• o
• es
• e
• imos
• en

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• So, since querer ends en er (querer), which
  endings will we add?
• The er endings
• o
• es
• e
• emos
• en

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Querer
o
emos
es
e
en
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Now, lets add our stem change.

• Remember, only the e in the stem can change.
• querer
• perder
• If there are two es in the stem, the second one
  always changes.
• preferir
• empezar

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• Now lets change the stems.
• Remember, e can change to ie only within the
  boot. This means the nosotros form never changes!

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Querer
emos
o
es
e
en
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The u?ue and o?ue verbs work the same way.

• Poder
• Jugar
• Dormir
• Soñar
• Volver
• Devolver

• to be able to (can)
• to play
• to sleep
• to dream
• to return (to a place)
• to return (a thing)

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First, find the o or u in the stem that is going
to change

• Poder
• Jugar
• Dormir
• Soñar
• Volver
• Devolver

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Then, decide which verb endings you will use.

• For jugar
• o
• as
• a
• amos
• an

• For poder
• o
• es
• e
• emos
• en

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Then change it in the boot
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Poder
o
emos
ue
ue
es
ue
ue
e
en