Spanish Boot Verbs: Stem-Changing Verbs With Full Conjugations
Spanish boot verbs, also called stem-changing verbs, change the vowel in their stem in four of the six present-tense forms: yo, tú, él/ella/usted and ellos/ellas/ustedes. The nosotros and vosotros forms stay regular. Draw a line around the four changed forms in a conjugation chart and the shape looks like a boot, which is where the name comes from. There are four patterns: e → ie (pensar: pienso), o → ue (poder: puedo), e → i (pedir: pido) and the single verb u → ue (jugar: juego).
Below: the boot chart, the reason the boot exists (it is about stress, and once you see it you will stop guessing), full present-tense tables for the most useful verbs in each group, the verbs with an extra twist, what happens in the preterite, gerund, subjunctive and commands, real learner mistakes, a short dialogue and practice with answers.
The boot chart
Here is poder (can, to be able to) laid out in the usual two columns. The forms in bold are inside the boot.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| yo puedo | nosotros podemos |
| tú puedes | vosotros podéis |
| él / ella / usted puede | ellos / ellas / ustedes pueden |
The whole left column plus the bottom right make the boot; the top right corner, nosotros and vosotros, is left outside. Some teachers call them “shoe verbs” for the same reason.
Why the boot exists: stress
The change happens only when the stem vowel is stressed. Say the forms out loud and listen to where the stress falls:
- PUEdo, PUEdes, PUEde, PUEden: stress on the stem, so o becomes ue.
- poDEmos, poDÉIS: stress on the ending, so the stem keeps its plain o.
This is why the same verb changes in some tenses and not others. In the imperfect (poDÍa) and the infinitive (poDER), the stress is never on the stem, so there is no ue. If you remember one thing from this page, remember that the boot is just a map of where Spanish stresses the stem.
What you cannot do is predict from the infinitive whether a verb changes. Contar gives cuento, but montar gives monto; querer gives quiero, but temer gives temo. Dictionaries mark stem-changers, often as pensar (ie) or dormir (ue, u), and that is how you learn them.
e → ie verbs
This is the largest group, with -ar, -er and -ir verbs.
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pensar (to think) | pienso | piensas | piensa | pensamos | pensáis | piensan |
| querer (to want, to love) | quiero | quieres | quiere | queremos | queréis | quieren |
| empezar (to begin) | empiezo | empiezas | empieza | empezamos | empezáis | empiezan |
| cerrar (to close) | cierro | cierras | cierra | cerramos | cerráis | cierran |
| entender (to understand) | entiendo | entiendes | entiende | entendemos | entendéis | entienden |
| perder (to lose) | pierdo | pierdes | pierde | perdemos | perdéis | pierden |
| preferir (to prefer) | prefiero | prefieres | prefiere | preferimos | preferís | prefieren |
| sentir (to feel, to be sorry) | siento | sientes | siente | sentimos | sentís | sienten |
Others in this group: comenzar (to begin), despertar(se) (to wake up), sentar(se) (to sit), recomendar (to recommend), nevar (to snow: nieva), defender (to defend), encender (to switch on), mentir (to lie), divertirse (to have fun).
- ¿Qué piensas de la película? (What do you think of the film?)
- La clase empieza a las nueve, pero nosotros empezamos antes. (Class starts at nine, but we start earlier.)
- Lo siento, no entiendo. (Sorry, I don’t understand.)
o → ue verbs
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| poder (can) | puedo | puedes | puede | podemos | podéis | pueden |
| volver (to return) | vuelvo | vuelves | vuelve | volvemos | volvéis | vuelven |
| dormir (to sleep) | duermo | duermes | duerme | dormimos | dormís | duermen |
| encontrar (to find) | encuentro | encuentras | encuentra | encontramos | encontráis | encuentran |
| recordar (to remember) | recuerdo | recuerdas | recuerda | recordamos | recordáis | recuerdan |
| contar (to count, to tell) | cuento | cuentas | cuenta | contamos | contáis | cuentan |
| almorzar (to have lunch) | almuerzo | almuerzas | almuerza | almorzamos | almorzáis | almuerzan |
| morir (to die) | muero | mueres | muere | morimos | morís | mueren |
Others: costar (to cost: ¿Cuánto cuesta?), mostrar (to show), probar (to try, to taste), mover (to move), llover (to rain: llueve), soñar (to dream), acostarse (to go to bed), resolver (to solve).
- ¿Puedes ayudarme? (Can you help me?)
- Los sábados duermo hasta las diez. (On Saturdays I sleep until ten.)
- ¿Cuánto cuestan estos zapatos? (How much do these shoes cost?)
e → i verbs (only -ir verbs)
This group is made up entirely of -ir verbs. No -ar or -er verb changes e to i.
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pedir (to ask for, to order) | pido | pides | pide | pedimos | pedís | piden |
| servir (to serve) | sirvo | sirves | sirve | servimos | servís | sirven |
| repetir (to repeat) | repito | repites | repite | repetimos | repetís | repiten |
| vestirse (to get dressed) | me visto | te vistes | se viste | nos vestimos | os vestís | se visten |
| seguir (to follow, to continue) | sigo | sigues | sigue | seguimos | seguís | siguen |
| decir (to say) | digo | dices | dice | decimos | decís | dicen |
Others: medir (to measure), competir (to compete), conseguir (to get, to manage), despedirse (to say goodbye), elegir (to choose), corregir (to correct), reír (to laugh: río, ríes, ríe, reímos, reís, ríen), sonreír (to smile).
- Siempre pido lo mismo. (I always order the same thing.)
- ¿Me repites la pregunta? (Can you repeat the question?)
- Sigo sin entenderlo. (I still don’t understand it.)
u → ue: jugar
Jugar (to play) is the only common verb in this group. It follows the boot exactly like o → ue verbs:
| yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| juego | juegas | juega | jugamos | jugáis | juegan |
¿Juegas al fútbol? (Do you play football?) In Spain people usually say jugar al fútbol; in much of Latin America jugar fútbol without al is also common.
Boot verbs with an extra twist
Some very common verbs are stem-changers and also have another irregularity. Learn these as a group:
| Verb | Stem change | Extra twist | Present |
|---|---|---|---|
| tener (to have) | e → ie | yo form ends in -go | tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen |
| venir (to come) | e → ie | yo form ends in -go | vengo, vienes, viene, venimos, venís, vienen |
| decir (to say) | e → i | yo form ends in -go | digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen |
| seguir (to follow) | e → i | gu → g before o | sigo, sigues, sigue, seguimos, seguís, siguen |
| elegir (to choose) | e → i | g → j before o | elijo, eliges, elige, elegimos, elegís, eligen |
| oler (to smell) | o → ue | adds h- at the start | huelo, hueles, huele, olemos, oléis, huelen |
| adquirir (to acquire) | i → ie | a rare pattern | adquiero, adquieres, adquiere, adquirimos, adquirís, adquieren |
The -go verbs have their own page: go verbs in Spanish.
One pair causes real confusion: sentarse (to sit down) and sentir (to feel) share the form siento. Me siento aquí is “I sit here”; Me siento cansado is “I feel tired” (from sentirse); Lo siento is “I’m sorry”. Context sorts them out, and in other tenses they split: me senté (I sat) but me sentí (I felt).
Boot verbs in other tenses
The boot belongs to the present tense, but stem-changers leave traces elsewhere. The rule that saves the most mistakes: in the preterite and the gerund, only -ir verbs change.
| Tense or form | -ar and -er stem-changers | -ir stem-changers |
|---|---|---|
| Present indicative | the boot | the boot |
| Preterite | regular: pensé, pensó; volví, volvió | e → i and o → u in él/ella/usted and ellos/ustedes only: pidió, pidieron; sintió, sintieron; durmió, durmieron |
| Gerund (-ing) | regular: pensando, volviendo (but poder gives pudiendo) | e → i, o → u: pidiendo, sintiendo, durmiendo, muriendo |
| Present subjunctive | the boot: piense, pensemos | the boot, and nosotros/vosotros take i or u: pidamos, sintamos, durmamos |
| Imperfect | no change: pensaba, podía | no change: pedía, dormía |
| Commands | piensa (tú), piense (usted), pensad (vosotros) | pide (tú), pida (usted), duerme, duerma |
So: Anoche dormí bien, pero mi hermano durmió mal (Last night I slept well, but my brother slept badly). Pedimos pizza y el camarero nos sirvió enseguida (We ordered pizza and the waiter served us straight away). Notice that pedimos is the same in the present and the preterite.
Watch the spelling changes in the preterite yo form, which are not stem changes but trip people up: jugué, empecé, almorcé. For more on the preterite, see irregular vs regular preterite; for the subjunctive, the Spanish present subjunctive; and for command forms, formal vs informal commands.
Mistakes learners really make
| Not this | But this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nosotros puedemos | Nosotros podemos | Nosotros is outside the boot. |
| Él pensa | Él piensa | Forgetting the change in a boot form. |
| Ellos dormen | Ellos duermen | Same: ellos is inside the boot. |
| Yo jugo | Yo juego | Jugar changes u to ue. |
| Yo pedo | Yo pido | A famous one: pedo is a rude word for a fart. Ask for things with pido. |
| Yo tieno | Yo tengo | Tener has a -go yo form. |
| Ella pedió, Él dormió | Ella pidió, Él durmió | -ir stem-changers change in the third-person preterite. |
| Yo piensé | Yo pensé | -ar verbs never change in the preterite. |
| Estoy pediendo | Estoy pidiendo | -ir stem-changers change in the gerund. |
A short dialogue at a café
Camarero: Buenos días. ¿Qué quieren tomar?
Laura: Yo quiero un café con leche. ¿Tú qué pides, Javi?
Javi: No sé… ¿Me recomienda algo?
Camarero: La tarta de manzana. La servimos caliente.
Javi: Vale, pruebo la tarta. ¿Cuánto cuesta?
Camarero: Cuatro euros. Ahora vuelvo.
Laura: ¿Ves? Siempre encuentras algo bueno aquí.
Waiter: Good morning. What would you like? Laura: I’d like a white coffee. What are you having, Javi? Javi: I don’t know… Can you recommend something? Waiter: The apple tart. We serve it warm. Javi: OK, I’ll try the tart. How much is it? Waiter: Four euros. I’ll be right back. Laura: See? You always find something good here.
Count the boot verbs: quieren, quiero, pides, recomienda, pruebo, cuesta, vuelvo, encuentras, and servimos, which stays regular because it is the nosotros form.
Practice
Put the verb in the present tense unless a different tense is given.
- Yo no ____ (entender) la pregunta.
- Nosotros ____ (volver) a casa a las ocho.
- ¿Tú ____ (jugar) al tenis?
- Los niños ____ (dormir) mucho.
- ¿Qué ____ (pedir) usted?
- Vosotros ____ (preferir) la playa.
- Ayer mi madre ____ (dormir, preterite) ocho horas.
- Los clientes ____ (pedir, preterite) la cuenta.
- Yo ____ (tener) dos hermanos.
- El profesor está ____ (repetir, gerund) la explicación.
Answers
- entiendo
- volvemos (outside the boot)
- juegas
- duermen
- pide
- preferís (outside the boot)
- durmió
- pidieron
- tengo
- repitiendo
Quick answers
Why are they called boot verbs?
Because the four forms that change, drawn round on a two-column chart, make the shape of a boot. Nosotros and vosotros sit outside it.
Do boot verbs change in the nosotros form?
Not in the present indicative. In the present subjunctive, -ir verbs take a small change there too: durmamos, pidamos.
Do boot verbs change in the preterite?
Only -ir verbs, and only in the third person: pidió, durmió, sintieron. -ar and -er verbs are regular in the preterite.
How do I know if a verb is a boot verb?
You cannot tell from the infinitive alone. Learn the common ones in this page’s tables, and check a dictionary, which marks them as (ie), (ue) or (i).
Is jugar the only u → ue verb?
It is the only common one, and it is the one every learner needs.
More Spanish grammar and vocabulary is collected in the Spanish vocabulary hub.
