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Stem-Changing Verbs: e:i

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

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

hablo	como	vivo
hablas	comes	vives
habla	come	vive
hablamos	comemos	vivimos
habláis	coméis	vivís
hablan	comen	viven

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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

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

repetir

repito
repites
repite

repetimos
repetís

repiten

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Here's another e:i stem changing verb. Compare it to the regular verb vivir. Notice that the endings are the same for regular verbs and stem-changing verbs.

competir (e:i)
vivir (regular -ir verb)


compito
vivo

compites
vives

compite
vive

competimos
vivimos

competís
vivís

compiten
viven

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

pedir (e:i)

pido
pides
pide

pedimos
pedís

piden

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

bendecir (*) to bless	impedir to impede
colegir to deduce	maldecir (*) to curse
competir to compete	medir to measure
conseguir to get, obtain	pedir to ask for, to order
corregir to correct	perseguir to pursue, to persecute
decir (*) to say, tell	reír to laugh
despedir to dismiss, fire	repetir to repeat
elegir to elect	seguir to follow, continue
freír to fry	servir to serve
gemir to groan, moan	sonreír to smile

* Note: The verb "decir" and its derivitive forms are irregular in the first person: yo digo, etc.

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Let's add a flashcard for e:i stem-changers:

Verb Flashcards

14. e:i stem-changers (repetir)
    
    repito
    repites
    repite
    repetimos
    repetís
    repiten
    
    (decir (yo digo), despedir, medir, pedir, servir)

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