Stem-changing verbs list

Spanish stem-changing verbs don’t follow the normal conjugation rules.

Stem changing verbs chart

Like irregular verbs, you’ll hear them in casual conversations all the time—they seem confusing, but once you know them, they’re easy to use.

After reading this guide, you’ll be able to identify, conjugate and correctly use stem-changing verbs in Spanish.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.

Click here to get a copy. (Download)

What Are Spanish Stem-changing Verbs?

Have you ever wondered why the second-person conjugation for the verb tener (to have) is tú tienes?

Because tener is a stem-changing verb, even though it ends in –er, it doesn’t follow the same rules as normal –er verbs.

Spanish infinitive verbs consist of two parts: a stem and an ending.

For example, the regular verb hablar (to speak) consists of the stem habl-and the ending -ar.

To conjugate hablar in the present tense, you take the stem and ad

what is a stem changing verb in spanish definition

what is a stem changing verb in french