¡Hola, amigos! In Spanish, when you’re using certain verbs in the simple present, you gotta swap the last e in the root with ie for every form except nosotros/nosotras (and also vos and vosotros/vosotras).
For example, let’s take the verb querer (to want):
Instead of quer, the root becomes quier
Damián, a voice from Spain, will recite this special conjugation for you.
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | quiero |
| tú | quieres |
| usted | quiere |
| él ella | quiere |
| nosotros nosotras | queremos |
| ustedes | quieren |
| ellos ellas | quieren |
| vos | querés |
| vosotros vosotras | queréis |
IMPORTANT: Even though the root changes, the endings remain regular. That is, if the verb ends in AR, the endings are the same as for any other verb ending in AR. And the same applies to verbs ending in ER or IR.
Let’s check out some of these verbs! All of them follow the same E-IE pattern! That is, the last e in the root becomes ie
Listen to Carina, another voice from Spain, read them aloud for you!
| # | Español | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | cerr + ar (cierr) | to close |
| 2 | comenz + ar (comienz) | to begin |
| 3 | defend + er (defiend) | to defend |
| 4 | despert + ar (despiert) | to wake up |
| 5 | empez + ar (empiez) | to start |
| 6 | encend + er (enciend) | to turn on |
| 7 | entend + er (entiend) | to understand |
| 8 | neg + ar (nieg) | to deny |
| 9 | pens + ar (piens) | to think |
| 10 | perd + er (pierd) | to lose |
| 11 | prefer + ir (prefier) | to prefer |
| 12 | quer + er (quier) | to want |
| 13 | sembr + ar (siembr) | to sow |
Examples:
| # | Español | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yo | I want to drink coffee. |
| 2 | Ella | She begins to study. |
| 3 | Usted | You defend the cause, sir. |
| 4 | Tú | You wake up at six, Pepito. |
The Verb “Tener” (To Have)
If you wanna ace Spanish, you gotta know the verb tener (to have). It doesn’t just follow this pattern, but there’s also a special irregularity when you use it with yo.
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | tengo |
| tú | tienes |
| usted | tiene |
| él ella | tiene |
| nosotros nosotras | tenemos |
| ustedes | tienen |
| ellos ellas | tienen |
| vos | tenés |
| vosotros vosotras | tenéis |
The Verb “Venir” (To Come)
The verb venir (to come) also follows this rule and has a special irregularity with yo:
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | vengo |
| tú | vienes |
| usted | viene |
| él ella | viene |
| nosotros nosotras | venimos |
| ustedes | vienen |
| ellos ellas | vienen |
| vos | venís |
| vosotros vosotras | venís |
And now, let’s play so we learn this in a snap!
