Stem-Changing Verbs: "E">"Ie"

Notes:

1. The written lesson is below.
2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

Remember, there are three types of infinitives: -ar, -er, -ir. Infinitives are made up of two parts: the ending and the stem. In the following examples, the stem is underlined and the ending is in bold.

hablar
comer
vivir

With regular verbs, the stem stays the same, and the ending changes as they are conjugated.

With some verbs, the stem also changes when you conjugate them. In the present tense, there are three groups of stem-changing verbs:

o:ue
e:ie
e:i

With the second group of stem-changing verbs, the letter e in the stem changes to ie in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros.

cerrar

cierro
cierras
cierra

cerramos
cerráis

cierran

Here’s another e:ie stem changing verb. Compare it to the regular verb comer. Notice that the endings are the same for regular verbs and stem-changing verbs.

entender (e:ie)
comer (regular -er verb)

entiendo
como

entiendes
comes

entiende
come

entendemos
comemos

entendéis
coméis

entienden
comen

Here’s another e:ie stem-changing verb. Notice how the stem doesn’t change in the nosotros and vosotros forms.

mentir (e:ie)

miento
mientes
miente

mentimos
mentís

mienten

Here is a list of common e:ie stem-changing verbs.

acertar
to guess, get right

encender
to light, kindle

advertir
to advise, warn

entender
to understand

cerrar
to close, shut

fregar
to scrub, wash dishes

comenzar
to begin

hervir
to boil

confesar
to confess

mentir
to lie

consentir
to consent

negar
to deny

convertir
to convert

pensar (en)
to think about

defender
to defend

perder
to lose

empezar
to begin

preferir
to prefer

Let’s add a flashcard for e:ie stem-changers:

Verb Flashcards
Complete List

e:ie stem-changers (cerrar)

cierro
cierras
cierra
cerramos
cerráis
cierran

(comenzar, empezar, entender, pensar, perder, preferir)