The "Boot" Verbs

Stem-Changing in Present Tense

e→ie · o→ue · e→i · u→ue

What is a Boot Verb?

Boot verbs change their stem vowel — but only for some subjects. The change happens for: yo, tú, él/ella, ellos — these are INSIDE the boot.

Nosotros stays completely regular — they are OUTSIDE the boot and follow normal rules.

The Boot Shape: Draw a line connecting Yo → Tú → Él → Ellos. The shape looks like a boot!

1.1 The E → IE Change

The "e" in the stem becomes "ie". Example: QUERER (to want)

Subject	Form	Boot or not?
Yo	quiero	Inside the boot — vowel changes!
Tú	quieres	Inside the boot — vowel changes!
Él / Ella / Usted	quiere	Inside the boot — vowel changes!
Nosotros / as	queremos	Outside the boot — stays regular!
Ellos / Ellas / Uds.	quieren	Inside the boot — vowel changes!

Common E → IE Verbs:

Infinitive	English Meaning	Example in Boot (Yo)
Pensar	to think	pienso
Entender	to understand	entiendo
Preferir	to prefer	prefiero
Empezar	to start / begin	empiezo
Perder	to lose	pierdo

💡 Stem-Changing Tip: If the verb has more than one "e" in the stem (like preferir), it is always the last one (closest to the ending) that changes! E.g., prefiero.

VERBOS IRREGULARES

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1.2 The O → UE Change

The "o" in the stem becomes "ue". Example: PODER (to be able to / can)

Subject	Form	Boot or not?
Yo	puedo	Inside the boot
Tú	puedes	Inside the boot
Él / Ella	puede	Inside the boot
Nosotros	podemos	Outside the boot (regular)
Ellos / Ellas	pueden	Inside the boot

Common O → UE Verbs:

Infinitive	English Meaning	Example in Boot (Yo)
Dormir	to sleep	duermo
Volver	to return (to a place)	vuelvo
Encontrar	to find / meet	encuentro
Almorzar	to eat lunch	almuerzo
Costar	to cost	cuesta (it costs)

💡 Stem-Changing Tip: Remember that we never boot "Nosotros"! So dormir becomes duermen (they sleep) but stays dormimos (we sleep). Keep the original "o"!

1.3 The E → I Change

The "e" in the stem becomes "i". Important: This change only happens in -IR verbs. Example: PEDIR (to ask for / order)

Subject	Form	Boot or not?
Yo	pido	Inside the boot
Tú	pides	Inside the boot
Él / Ella	pide	Inside the boot
Nosotros	pedimos	Outside the boot (regular)
Ellos / Ellas	piden	Inside the boot

Common E → I Verbs:

Infinitive	English Meaning	Example in Boot (Yo)
Servir	to serve	sirvo
Repetir	to repeat	repito
Seguir	to follow / continue	sigo (note: yo sigo)
Decir	to say / tell	dice (he/she says - note: yo digo)
Vestirse	to get dressed	me visto

💡 Stem-Changing Tip: The E → I change only occurs in -IR verbs. If you have an -AR or -ER verb with an 'e' (like pensar or querer), it can only change to ie, never i!

VERBOS IRREGULARES

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1.4 The U → UE Change (The unique one!)

JUGAR is the ONLY verb in Spanish with a u → ue change. Example: JUGAR (to play games/sports)

Subject	Form	Boot or not?
Yo	juego	Inside the boot
Tú	juegas	Inside the boot
Él / Ella	juega	Inside the boot
Nosotros	jugamos	Outside the boot (regular)
Ellos / Ellas	juegan	Inside the boot

💡 Stem-Changing Tip: Jugar is spelled with a 'g'. Don't confuse it with regular verbs like jurar (to swear). It is the only verb in the entire Spanish language that changes U to UE!

01 — Fill in the blank

Conjugate the verb in parentheses. Before you write, ask yourself: Is the subject inside the boot or outside? If inside → change the vowel. If outside → keep it regular.

Yo (querer) un café con leche, por favor.
Nosotros (dormir) ocho horas cada noche.
Ella (jugar) al tenis muy bien los sábados.
¿Tú (entender) la explicación del profesor?
Ellos (volver) a casa a las seis de la tarde.
Yo (pedir) la pasta en ese restaurante siempre.
Mi hermana (preferir) el té al café.
Nosotros (empezar) las clases a las ocho.

VERBOS IRREGULARES

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02 — Find and fix the mistake

Each sentence has ONE mistake with a boot verb. Find it, cross it out, and write the correct form. One sentence is a trap — it may already be correct!

Incorrect sentence	Write the correction here
"Yo quero un helado de vainilla."
"Nosotros volvemos a casa tarde todos los viernes."
"Ellos podan hablar español muy bien."
"Mi hermana prefere el café sin azúcar."
"Yo sirvo la cena a las ocho en punto."

The "Boot" Verbs

Stem-Changing in Present Tense

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