Ch 19 · Lesson 10Spanish · Chapter 19 · Lesson 10 · Grammar primer
Durmamos, busque: stem and spelling changes
Stem changes ride in with the yo form, -ir verbs change again in , and , , keep their sound.
The short version
-ir stem changers change again in
.
Why?Hide
Stem changes come in with the yo form: , , . But -ir stem changers add a smaller change in and : , , . And -car, -gar and -zar verbs change a letter to keep the sound: , , .
Stem-changing verbs
The stem change rides in with the yo form, in the same persons as the present: every form except and :
| Verb | yo | nosotros |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| | |
| | |
The - stem changers go one step further: and take a smaller change, e to i or o to u:
| Verb | yo | nosotros |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| | |
| | |
.- I hope you sleep well..- It's better if we sleep here.
Spelling changes
Some verbs change a letter to keep the sound of the consonant once the vowel swaps:
| Change | Infinitive | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| -car: c → qu | | |
| -gar: g → gu | | |
| -: z → c | | |
| -ger, -gir: g → j | | |
| -guir: gu → g | | |
Before e, a plain c would sound like th or s and a plain g like the ch in loch, so qu and gu keep the hard sound. The first three match the yo preterite: , , .
The last two are already in the yo present, so the yo-form rule brings them in:
| Infinitive | yo, present | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | before o or a, a plain g would sound hard |
| | before o or a, gu would sound like gw |
.- I hope you arrive soon..- I want you to look for the key.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| vienas | | build on the yo form, |
| tenamos | | the yo stem teng- stays |
| van | | is one of the six |
| empiezen | | z becomes c before e |
| dormamos | | - verbs: o becomes u |
| the accent is compulsory |
Going further: The present subjunctive on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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