⇒ For pronunciation reasons, there are several Spanish verbs that undergo a spelling change in certain present tense conjugations.
⇒ We'll look at five groups of these stem-changing verbs in this article.
| Subject | -ger Conjugation | -gir Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | protejo | finjo |
| tú | proteges | finges |
| él, ella, usted | protege | finge |
| nosotros | protegemos | fingimos |
| vosotros | protegéis | fingís |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | protegen | fingen |
Common -ger and -gir Verbs
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| acoger | to greet | escoger | to choose |
| afligir | to afflict | exigir | to demand |
| coger | to catch/grab | fingir | to pretend |
| corregir | to correct | infringir | to infringe |
| dirigir | to direct | proteger | to protect |
| emerger | to emerge | recoger | to pick up |
| encoger | to shrink | restringir | to restrain |
| resurgir | to reappear | sumergir | to submerge |
| surgir | to emerge | urgir | to urge |
| Subject | -guir Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | distingo |
| tú | distingues |
| él, ella, usted | distingue |
| nosotros | distinguimos |
| vosotros | distinguís |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | distinguen |
Common -guir Verbs
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| distinguir | to distinguish | perseguir | to pursue, to go after |
| conseguir | to come by, to get | proseguir | to proceed, to continue |
| erguir | to build | seguir | to follow |
⇒ In these verbs, the first person singular, second person singular, and third person singular and plural forms are affected.
| Subject | -uir Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | concluyo |
| tú | concluyes |
| él, ella, usted | concluye |
| nosotros | concluimos |
| vosotros | concluís |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | concluyen |
Common -uir Verbs
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| argüir | to argue | destruir | to destroy |
| influir | to influence | intuir | to intuit |
| obstruir | to obstruct | recluir | to confine |
| reconstruir | to reconstruct | sustituir | to substitute |
| atribuir | to attribute | diluir | to dilute |
| constituir | to constitute | disminuir | to diminish |
| construir | to construct | distribuir | to distribute |
| contribuir | to contribute | huir | to run away |
| destituir | to dismiss | incluir | to include |
⇒ If the letter that comes before -cer or -cir is a consonant, the c changes to a z in the first person singular.
| Subject | -cir Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | frunzo |
| tú | frunces |
| él, ella, usted | frunce |
| nosotros | fruncimos |
| vosotros | fruncís |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | fruncen |
Common Consonant + -cer and -cir Verbs
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| convencer | to convince | fruncir | to frown |
| ejercer | to exert | vencer | to vanquish |
| esparcir | to disperse | zurcir | to darn |
⇒ If the letter that comes before -cer or -cir is a vowel, a z is added to the first person singular.
| Subject | -cer Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | conozco |
| tú | conoces |
| él, ella, usted | conoce |
| nosotros | conocemos |
| vosotros | conocéis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | conocen |
Common Vowel + -cer and -cir Verbs
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| aborrecer | to detest | deducir | to deduce |
| producir | to produce | nacer | to be born |
| agradecer | to thank | desaparecer | to disappear |
| aparecer | to appear | desconocer | to ignore |
| reaparecer | to reappear | reconocer | to recognise |
| apetecer | to feel an urge for | establecer | to establish |
| complacer | to satisfy | inducir | to induce |
| reducir | to reduce | restablecer | to restore |
| conducir | to drive | introducir | to introduce |
| conocer | to know, to meet | merecer | to deserve |
| rejuvenecer | to rejuvenate | traducir | to translate |
| crecer | to grow | obedecer | to obey |
⇒ Hacer, decir, and satisfacer do not follow the c --> -zc rule. Instead, the c changes to a g in the first person singular
| Subject | Decir Conjugation | Hacer Conjugation | Satisfacer Conjugation |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | digo | hago | satisfago |
| tú | dices | haces | satisfaces |
| él, ella, usted | dice | hace | satisface |
| nosotros | decimos | hacemos | satisfacemos |
| vosotros | decís | hacéis | satisfacéis |
| yo | dicen | hacen | satisfacen |
Other verbs that add G to the first person in the present tense:
| Infinitive | Yo Form | Infinitive Translation |
|---|---|---|
| asir | asgo | to seize |
| salir | salgo | to leave |
| oír | oigo | to hear |
| tener | tengo | to have |
| poner | pongo | to put |
| valer | valgo | to cost |