Present Tense and Stem-Changing Verbs

What this unit covers

This page sits in the Verbs and Tenses strand of Spanish language. It starts with regular present tense endings and moves on to verbs that change inside the stem. Resources were made by GoConqr users, and they are free to open and study.

Start with the regular endings

Begin with the Regular Spanish verb endings mind map. It sets out the -ar, -er and -ir patterns, with examples such as hablo, como and the matching endings for each person. Then try the flashcard decks Regular -ar verbs, Grammar and Conjugating Verbs to say each form aloud.

The KS3 decks on present tense endings for -er and -ir verbs are a good next step if you want the endings in a short, focused set.

Move on to stem changes

The note STEM CHANGING VERBS explains that the stem is what is left once you drop the -ar, -er or -ir ending. It shows examples such as querer, poder and servir. After that, open the Conjugations mind map, which groups verbs that change from e to ie and from o to ue, including empezar, pensar, perder, querer, poder, volver and dormir.

The Stem Changing Verbs flashcards list verbs like poder, dormir, volver, almorzar, cerrar and pedir, so you can test yourself on which verbs change.

Irregular verbs and mind maps

• Verbs - Tener, Ser and Estar covers the key verbs meaning to have and to be.
• Irregular present yo change only is useful for verbs that differ only in the first person.
• The many necesitar mind maps show how different students have mapped the verb to need.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then take a quiz such as U4L1 Review of Stem-changing verbs to see what stuck. Go back to the map for anything you missed. Choose a resource and work through it, or make your own maps and flashcards for the verbs you find hardest.