Spanish Verb Conjugation: Present Tense: E to I Stem-Changing Verbs


IR	competir	to compete	konkurrieren
	despedir	to say goodbye	verabschieden
	desvestir	to undress	auskleiden
	medir	to measure	messen
	pedir	to request, ask for	bitten
	servir	to serve	servieren, dienen
	vestir	to dress	kleiden

In some forms the -e nearest the end of the stem becomes an -i.

Drop the -ir: That's the stem !!

To see the present tense conjugated forms of these verbs, click on a pronoun below:

The nosotros & vosotros forms do not require the stem change in the present tense.

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Yo form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

Look for the E nearest the end of the stem, and change it to I.

Add the normal ending for present tense conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	compito	I compete	I do compete	I am competing	ich konkurriere
despedir	despido	I say goodbye	I do say goodbye	I'm saying goodbye	ich verabschiede
desvestir	desvisto	I undress	I do undress	I'm undressing	ich ziehe (mich) aus
medir	mido	I measure	I do measure	I'm measuring	ich messe
pedir	pido	I request	I do request	I am requesting	ich bitte
servir	sirvo	I serve	I do serve	I am serving	ich diene, serviere
vestir	visto	I dress	I do dress	I am dressing	ich ziehe mich an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the o ending says I am doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The YO is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say YO. If you do add the YO, it usually adds emphasis, saying I dooo ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Tú form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

Look for the E nearest the end of the stem, and change it to I.

Add the normal ending for present tense conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	compites	you compete	you do compete	you're competing	du konkurrierst
despedir	despides	you say goodbye	you do say goodbye	you're saying goodbye	du verabschiedest
desvestir	desvistes	you undress	you do undress	you're undressing	du ziehst (dich) aus
medir	mides	you measure	you do measure	you're measuring	du meßt
pedir	pides	you request	you do request	you're requesting	du bittest
servir	sirves	you serve	you do serve	you're serving	du dienst, servierst
vestir	vistes	you dress	you do dress	you're dressing	du ziehst dich an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -es ending says you are doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The TÚ is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say TÚ. If you do add the TÚ, it usually adds emphasis, saying you dooo ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Él form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

Look for the E nearest the end of the stem, and change it to I.

Add the normal ending for present tense conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	compite	he competes	he does compete	he's competing	er konkurriert
despedir	despide	he says goodbye	he does say goodbye	he's saying goodbye	er verabschiedet
desvestir	desviste	he undresses	he does undress	he's undressing	er zieht (sich) aus
medir	mide	he measures	he does measure	he's measuring	er meßt
pedir	pide	he requests	he does request	he's requesting	er bittet
servir	sirve	he serves	he does serve	he's serving	er dient, serviert
vestir	viste	he dresses	he does dress	he's dressing	er zieht sich an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -e ending says he is doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The ÉL is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say ÉL. If he does add the ÉL, it usually adds emphasis, saying he doooes ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Ella form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

Look for the E nearest the end of the stem, and change it to I.

Add the normal ending for present tense conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	compite	she competes	she does compete	she's competing	sie konkurriert
despedir	despide	she says goodbye	she does say goodbye	she's saying goodbye	sie verabschiedet
desvestir	desviste	she undresses	she does undress	she's undressing	sie zieht (sich) aus
medir	mide	she measures	she does measure	she's measuring	sie meßt
pedir	pide	she requests	she does request	she's requesting	sie bittet
servir	sirve	she serves	she does serve	she's serving	sie dient, serviert
vestir	viste	she dresses	she does dress	she's dressing	sie zieht sich an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -e ending says she is doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The ELLA is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say ELLA. If he does add the ELLA, it usually adds emphasis, saying she doooes ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Usted form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

Look for the E nearest the end of the stem, and change it to I.

Add the normal ending for present tense conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	compite	you compete	you do compete	you're competing	Sie konkurrieren
despedir	despide	you say goodbye	you do say goodbye	you're saying goodbye	Sie verabschieden
desvestir	desviste	you undress	you do undress	you're undressing	Sie ziehen (sich) aus
medir	mide	you measure	you do measure	you're measuring	Sie messen
pedir	pide	you request	you do request	you're requesting	Sie bitten
servir	sirve	you serve	you do serve	you're serving	Sie dienen, servieren
vestir	viste	you dress	you do dress	you're dressing	Sie ziehen sich an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -e ending says you are doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The USTED is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say USTED. If he does add the USTED, it usually adds emphasis, saying you dooo ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Nosotros & Nosotras form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

The nosotros form of these verbs is not affected, and follows the normal pattern for -ir verb conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	competimos	we compete	we do compete	we're competing	wir konkurrieren
despedir	despedimos	we say goodbye	we do say goodbye	we're saying goodbye	wir verabschieden
desvestir	desvestimos	we undress	we do undress	we're undressing	wir ziehen (uns) aus
medir	medimos	we measure	we do measure	we're measuring	wir messen
pedir	pedimos	we request	we do request	we're requesting	wir bitten
servir	servimos	we serve	we do serve	we're serving	wir dienen, servieren
vestir	vestimos	we dress	we do dress	we're dressing	wir ziehen uns an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -imos ending says we are doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The NOSOTROS is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say NOSOTROS. If you do add the NOSOTROS, it usually adds emphasis, saying we dooo ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Vosotros & Vosotras form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

The vosotros form of these verbs is not affected, and follows the normal pattern for -ir verb conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	competís	y'all compete	y'all do compete	y'all are competing	ihr konkurriert
despedir	despedís	y'all say goodbye	y'all do say goodbye	y'all are saying goodbye	ihr verabschiedet
desvestir	desvestís	y'all undress	y'all do undress	y'all are undressing	ihr zieht (euch) aus
medir	medís	y'all measure	y'all do measure	y'all are measuring	ihr meßt
pedir	pedís	y'all request	y'all do request	y'all are requesting	ihr bittet
servir	servís	y'all serve	y'all do serve	y'all are serving	ihr dient, serviert
vestir	vestís	y'all dress	y'all do dress	y'all are dressing	ihr zieht euch an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -ís ending says y'all are doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The VOSOTROS is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say VOSOTROS. If you do add the VOSOTROS, it usually adds emphasis, saying y'all dooo ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Ellos form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

Look for the E nearest the end of the stem, and change it to I.

Add the normal ending for present tense conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	compiten	they compete	they do compete	they're competing	sie konkurrieren
despedir	despiden	they say goodbye	they do say goodbye	they're saying goodbye	sie verabschieden
desvestir	desvisten	they undress	they do undress	they're undressing	sie ziehen (sich) aus
medir	miden	they measure	they do measure	they're measuring	sie messen
pedir	piden	they request	they do request	they're requesting	sie bitten
servir	sirven	they serve	they do serve	they're serving	sie dienen, servieren
vestir	visten	they dress	they do dress	they're dressing	sie ziehen sich an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -en ending says they are doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The ELLOS is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say ELLOS. If he does add the ELLOS, it usually adds emphasis, saying they dooo ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Ellas form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

Look for the E nearest the end of the stem, and change it to I.

Add the normal ending for present tense conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	compiten	they compete	they do compete	they're competing	sie konkurrieren
despedir	despiden	they say goodbye	they do say goodbye	they're saying goodbye	sie verabschieden
desvestir	desvisten	they undress	they do undress	they're undressing	sie ziehen (sich) aus
medir	miden	they measure	they do measure	they're measuring	sie messen
pedir	piden	they request	they do request	they're requesting	sie bitten
servir	sirven	they serve	they do serve	they're serving	sie dienen, servieren
vestir	visten	they dress	they do dress	they're dressing	sie ziehen sich an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -en ending says they are doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The ELLAS is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say ELLAS. If you do add the ELLAS, it usually adds emphasis, saying they dooo ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES

Present tense: Stem changing verbs: E -> I

Ustedes form

To make this form, drop the -ir from the end of the infinitive.

Look for the E nearest the end of the stem, and change it to I.

Add the normal ending for present tense conjugation.

					deutsch
competir	compiten	you compete	you do compete	you're competing	Sie konkurrieren
despedir	despiden	you say goodbye	you do say goodbye	you're saying goodbye	Sie verabschieden
desvestir	desvisten	you undress	you do undress	you're undressing	Sie ziehen (sich) aus
medir	miden	you measure	you do measure	you're measuring	Sie messen
pedir	piden	you request	you do request	you're requesting	Sie bitten
servir	sirven	you serve	you do serve	you're serving	Sie dienen, servieren
vestir	visten	you dress	you do dress	you're dressing	Sie ziehen sich an

What do they have in common now ?

The stem (verb minus IR) tells you the action.

Using the -en ending says y'all are doing this action, and it's going on NOW.

Each verb form in Spanish matches a specific pronoun, so Spanish doesn't need to use the pronoun.

That means: each of the conjugated forms you see says ALL of the given "meaning."

The USTEDES is understood, because of the ending.

You don't need to say USTEDES. If he does add the USTEDES, it usually adds emphasis, saying you dooo ...

A look at other forms:

YO	TÚ	ÉL	ELLA	USTED
NOSOTROS	VOSOTROS	ELLOS	ELLAS	USTEDES