Model Verbs
This table shows all irregular stems for the 45 irregular-stem model verbs from the Real Academia Española (RAE). Every verb in Spanish conjugates similarly to one of these models.
Finding the Model
Given an unfamiliar verb, how do you know which model verb it conjugates like?
Prefixes: Prefixed (compound) verbs conjugate like the base verb. For example disponer and proponer conjugate like poner:
| Infinitive | Yo | Preterite | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| poner | ponga | pusiera | pondría |
| disponer | disponga | dispusiera | dispondría |
| proponer | proponga | propusiera | propondría |
Other common base verbs include tener (obtener, retener) and volver (devolver, resolver).
Suffixes
- -ducir verbs all follow conducir + conduzca (for example traducir + traduzca).
- -ecer verbs almost all follow conocer + conozca (for example nacer + nazca)
- -uir verbs all follow construir + construyes + construya (for example deluir + deluyes + deluya).
Boot Stem-Changes
There are eight model verbs where you can't tell the model verb based on prefixes or suffixes. Instead, verbs that conjugate like these models share a stem-vowel change pattern.
The stem vowel is the vowel in the last syllable of the stem. For example in doler and demoler the stem vowel is o. For these verbs, the vowel changes to ue in Boot positions (when the stress falls on the stem vowel):
However, not all verbs with stem vowel o have this vowel change. For example comer is perfectly regular. So to correctly conjugate all the 350 most common irregular verbs, learn the lists of verbs with stem vowel changes on the following pages:
| Model Verb | Irregular Stem(s) | Vowel-Change Pattern | No. of Verbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| mover | mueves | o → ue | 10 |
| contar | cuentes | o → ue | 35 |
| acertar | aciertes | e → ie | 36 |
| entender | entiendes | e → ie | 10 |
| sentir | sientes + sintiendo | e → ie | 24 |
| pedir | pides + pidiendo | e → i | 16 |
| enviar | envíes | i → í | 16 |
| actuar | actúes | u → ú | 8 |
For verbs conjugated like enviar and actuar the stem change is only an added accent on the stem vowel. This hiatus accent prevents the vowel from forming a single-syllable diphthong with the following vowel: envío is pronounced "env-I-o" instead of "ENV-io".