E to ie Stem Changers in Spanish Explained

In Spanish, there are a few verbs that undergo a stem change in the present tense. One of the most common types of stem change is the e to ie change. This means that the e in the stem of the verb changes to ie in certain forms.

We will explain how to conjugate e to ie stem-changing verbs in Spanish. We will also provide a list of common e to ie stem-changing verbs.

By the end of this post, you will be able to conjugate e to ie stem-changing verbs like a pro!

Here are some of the things we will cover in this post:

What are e to ie stem-changing verbs?
How to conjugate e to ie stem-changing verbs in the present tense
A list of common e to ie stem-changing verbs
Tips for learning e to ie stem-changing verbs

So whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, this post is for you! Let’s get started!

e to ie stem changers explained

e to ie stem-changing verbs all have an e in the stem, and that e is going to change to ie in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros. for example Empezar is a stem-changing verb.
we have to change the stem and that’s going to be this specific e to ie . see e to ie stem change chart below

English	Spanish	e to ie stem change
I begin	Yo	empiezo
You begin	tú	empiezas
He/she/you (formal) begins	Él/Ella/Usted	empieza
We began	Nosotros/Nosotras	empezamos
You (Spain) began	Vosotros/Vosotras	empezáis
They/They/You began	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	empiezan

e to ie conjugation video lesson

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What is a stem changing verb

A stem-changing verb is a verb that has a change in the stem. When it comes to stem-changing verbs we change the ending according to who is performing the action but we also have to change the stem.

Before we learn how to make all of those changes, let’s review the parts of a verb to make sure we are making changes where they belong.

Examples of e to ie stem-changing verbs

The verb empezar? To start, to begin.

Empezar is a stem-changing verb.
Not only are we changing the –ar according to who is performing the action, but we also have to change the stem and that’s going to be this specific e. The one I highlighted for you.

That highlighted e changes to ie in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros. Let me show you how this works.

Now, since empezar is an -ar verb, we need to remember the endings for -ar verbs which are:
o, as, a, amos, áis and an

Remember, the highlighted e changes to ie in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros.

yo → empiezo – I begin/Istart

tú → empiezas – you begin/you start

él/ella/Ud → empieza – he/she/You (f.) begin/start

nosotros → empezamos (remember no stem change in the nosotros form) – We begin/start

vosotros → empezáis (remember no stem change in the vosotros form) – You(pl.) Spain begin/start
ellos/ellas/Uds. → empiezan – They/You (pl) begin/start

Ellos empiezan la clase de español.

They begin the Spanish class.

Yo empiezo mi día a las 6:00 a.m.

I begin my day at 6:00 a.m.

Nosotros empezamos la clase de matemáticas a las 2 de la tarde.

We start math class at 2 in the afternoon.

The verb querer – e → ie

Querer = to want … by the way, that u is silent. Querer.

We know querer it’s an -er verb … so we need to use -er verb endings.
o, es, e, emos, éis, en

Querer Chart

Guerer Chart

And … we know querer is a stem changer. The highlighted e changes to ie in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros.

yo → quiero – I want

tú → quieres – you want

él/ella/Ud. → quiere – he/she/You (f.) want

nosotros → queremos (remember no stem change in the nosotros form) – We want.

vosotros → queréis (remember no stem change in the vosotros form) – You(pl.) want

ellos/ellas/Uds. → quieren – – They/You (pl) want

Did you notice how we conjugated this verb? We changed the ending like a regular -er verb and in addition, we change the e in the stem to ie in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros.

Examples:

Él quiere hablar español.

He wants to speak Spanish.

Tú quieres hablar francés.

You want to speak French.

Nosotros queremos comer pizza.

We want to eat pizza.