Overview
This lesson covers Spanish present tense verbs that change their stem vowel from "o" to "ue," explaining the patterns, examples, and conjugations for AR, ER, and IR verbs.
O to UE Stem-Changing Verbs
- Certain verbs change their stem vowel "o" to "ue" in the present tense for all forms except nosotros and nosotras.
- These are often called "shoe verbs" or "boot verbs" because the changes occur in forms shaped like a shoe on conjugation charts.
- Stem-changing patterns apply to AR, ER, and IR verbs.
Common O to UE Verbs
- Examples include: poder (to be able to/can), almorzar (to eat lunch), contar (to count/tell), costar (to cost), encontrar (to find), mostrar (to show), recordar (to remember), volver (to return), oler (to smell), dormir (to sleep), morir (to die).
- The stem change is not used for nosotros/nosotras forms.
AR Verb Example: Recordar (to remember)
- Yo recuerdo, tú recuerdas, él/ella/usted recuerda, nosotros/nosotras recordamos, ellos/ellas/ustedes recuerdan.
- Only the stem vowel "o" changes to "ue" in the shoe forms; endings stay regular.
ER Verb Example: Oler (to smell)
- Yo huelo, tú hueles, él/ella/usted huele, nosotros/nosotras olemos, ellos/ellas/ustedes huelen.
- The initial "h" is added for pronunciation with "ue" in the stem.
- "UE" is not used to start a word, so "oler" uses "huelo" etc.
IR Verb Example: Dormir (to sleep)
- Yo duermo, tú duermes, él/ella/usted duerme, nosotros/nosotras dormimos, ellos/ellas/ustedes duermen.
- Conjugation endings are regular for IR verbs; only the stem changes in shoe forms.
Sample Sentences & Usage
- Francisco no recuerda dónde dejó su teléfono. (Francisco doesn't remember where he left his phone.)
- Todos los días los trabajadores almuerzan a las once y media. (Workers have lunch at 11:30 every day.)
- Los gatos comen y duermen. (Cats eat and sleep.)
- ¿Cuánto cuestan dos hamburguesas? (How much do two hamburgers cost?)
Key Terms & Definitions
- Stem-changing verb — a verb whose stem changes spelling in certain present tense forms.
- Shoe/boot verb — another name for stem-changing verbs that change in all forms except nosotros/nosotras.
- AR/ER/IR endings — regular verb ending patterns in Spanish present tense.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice conjugating more O-UE stem-changing verbs in the present tense.
- Review regular verb endings to distinguish stem changes from irregular endings.
- Complete any assigned translation or conjugation exercises on this topic.