29 Stem-changing verbs 2
O:ue and u:ue stem-changing verbs
The second type of stem-changing verbs involve those with either an “o” or a “u” in the stem, and the change is to “ue”. The pattern that we saw before remains the same; the constant is that the “nosotros / vosotros” forms do not have changes in their stems while all other forms do.
Stem-changing verb pattern
| Stem-change? | Stem-change? |
|---|---|
| yo (yes) | nosotros (no) |
| tú (yes) | vosotros (no) |
| él (yes) | ellos (yes) |
| ella (yes) | ellas (yes) |
| Ud. (yes) | Uds. (yes) |
Stem-changing verbs: o:ue
The verb “poder” (can, to be able to) is another practical verb that allows us to talk about one’s capacity to do something and to ask for permission. Although the chart below shows the basic meaning of each conjugation to mean “I can”, “you can”, etc., keep in mind that the other meanings are “I’m able to”, “you’re able to” and so on for the other conjugations.
Poder: can, to be able to
| Subject pronouns | Singular | Basic meaning | Subject pronouns | Plural | Basic meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | puedo | I can, I’m able to | nosotros/as | podemos | we can |
| tú | puedes | you can | vosotros/as | podéis | you can (Sp.) |
| él | puede | he can | ellos | pueden | they can |
| ella | puede | she can | ellas | pueden | they can (f) |
| Ud. | puede | you can | Uds. | pueden | you can |
Once again, recall that to make questions, we can simply conjugate the verb that agrees with the subject of the sentence. A rising inflection of the voice at the end of the question would signal the difference between a statement “I can” (puedo) and “Can I? (¿Puedo?):
Poder: can, to be able to
| Subject pronouns | Singular | Question | Subject pronouns | Plural | Question |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | ¿Puedo? | Can I? | nosotros/as | ¿Podemos? | Can we? |
| tú | ¿Puedes? | Can you? | vosotros/as | ¿Podéis? | Can you? (Sp.) |
| él | ¿Puede? | Can he? | ellos | ¿Pueden? | Can they? |
| ella | ¿Puede? | Can she? | ellas | ¿Pueden? | Can they? (f) |
| Ud. | ¿Puede? | Can you? | Uds. | ¿Pueden? | Can you? |
| Alma puede trabajar de noche. | Alma can work nights. |
| ¿Puedes ayudar ahora? | Are you able to (can you) help now? |
| No podemos ir. | We can’t go. |
| Pueden comer si quieren. | They can eat if they want to. |
| ¿Puedo pagar más tarde? | Can I pay later? |
| ¿Podéis volver a las tres? | Are you (pl-Spain) able to return at three? |
| Uds. pueden visitar mañana. | You (pl) can visit tomorrow. |
Stem-changing verbs: u:ue
The verb “jugar” (to play) seems to be the only u:ue stem-changing verb in Spanish; it’s meaning “to play” is used in the sense of to play games and sports. The verb “tocar” (not stem-changing) is used to express “to play” musical instruments. Notice again the “nosotros / vosotros” forms do not stem-change:
Jugar: to play (games, sports)
| Subject pronouns | Singular | Basic meaning | Subject pronouns | Plural | Basic meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | jue