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    • Spanish Spell-Changing Verbs

    Spanish Spell-Changing Verbs

    • Date July 13, 2015

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    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.

    Tag:Spanish, Spanish Spell-Changing Verbs, Spanish Verbs

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