How to remember

Nicola B.A1Kwiziq community member

How to remember

Hi, is there some kind of rule with the verbs that stem change to ue or is it just a case of learning and remembering which ones do? 

Thanks :) 

Asked 4 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hola Nicola

It'd be useful if there was some kind of rule to know which verbs undergo that change but no, unfortunately it is a memorising exercise...

Saludos

Inma

David M.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Nicola - Although not really the same verbs which you are asking about, http://dlmcn.com/ir_verbs.html contains the results of research I did on vowel changes in certain "-ir" verbs. For example, for me it is helpful to remember that advertir, convertir, invertir, divertir and the others which end in "-vertir", all adopt the e>ie stem-change in [much of] the present tense, as too do all the "-erir" ones [sugerir, diferir, interferir, referir, transferir, preferir, inferir etc.] However, those which terminate in "-ergir" [sumergir, divergir, and convergir] do *not* undergo any vowel change. In the third category, all "-etir" verbs [e.g. repetir, competir, derretir] - as well as "-egir" ones - replace the 'e' by 'i' in the present tense [apart from the nosotros and vosotros forms, of course].

Nicola B. asked:

How to remember

Hi, is there some kind of rule with the verbs that stem change to ue or is it just a case of learning and remembering which ones do? 

Thanks :) 

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your Spanish level for FREE

Test your Spanish to the CEFR standard

Find your Spanish level
Clever stuff happening!