Spanish Spell-Changing Verbs
In Spanish, there are two types of verbs that undergo spelling changes during conjugation. We’ve already covered one type: stem-changing verbs. Today we’re going to look at the present tense forms of spell-changing verbs.
This type of verb undergoes a spelling change in order to preserve the pronunciation found in the infinitive. As with stem-changing verbs, spell-changing verbs follow a consistent set of rules. Let’s look at each in turn:
Verbs ending in -ger or -gir
The g changes to a j to preserve the /h/ sound in the first person singular.
G to J Examples
Infinitive | Yo (First Person Singular) |
acoger (to greet) | acojo |
emerger (to emerge) | emerjo |
rugir (to roar) | rujo |
urgir (to urge) | urjo |
Verbs ending in –guir
The gu changes to g to preserve the /g/ sound in the first person singular. This also prevents the /w/ sound created by the “uo” combination.
GU to G Examples
Infinitive | Yo (First Person Singular) |
distinguir (to distinguish) | distingo |
extinguir (to extinguish) | extingo |
Verbs ending in -uir (without a g)
An unstressed i changes to y when the “i” would otherwise end up between vowels. This rule therefore applies to every form except nosotros and vosotros, which follow regular IR verb conjugation rules.
I to Y Example: concluir – to conclude
Pronoun | Ending | Conjugation |
yo | o | concluyo |
tú | es | concluyes |
él, ella, usted | e | concluye |
nosotros, nosotras | imos | concluimos |
vosotros, vosotras | ís | concluís |
ellos, ellas, ustedes | íen | concluyen |
Verbs ending in -cer or -cir
In the first person singular (yo), the c changes to z only if the stem before -cer/-cir ends in a consonant. This preserves the /s/ or /th/ sound and prevents the /k/ sound of the “co” combination. In the case of a vowel preceding -cer/-cir, add a z before the c.*
C to Z Examples
Infinitive | Yo (First Person Singular) |
convencer (to convince) | convenzo |
esparcir (to disperse) | esparzo |
Z before C Examples
Infinitive | Yo (First Person Singular) |
conducir (to drive) | conduzco |
reconocer (to recognize) | reconozco |
* Hacer (to do/make), decir (to say), and satisfacer (to satisfy) do not follow the c to zc rule. The c changes to a g in the first person singular instead.