The Everything Spanish Grammar Book: All The Rules You Need To Master Espanol (Everything®) (15 page)

Use of Accent Marks

Some spelling irregularities are pretty simple: They involve a change in the use of accent marks. For example, many verbs that end in –iar require an accent mark over the “í” in four of the present indicative conjugations (these four are the usual suspects— all singular forms and third person plural). Take a look at
confiar
(to confide) and
espiar
(to spy), as two examples:

Other verbs that require an accent mark over the “í” are
enviar
(to send),
guiar
(to guide) and
variar
(to vary).

The same pattern also applies to –uar verbs, except it’s the “ú” that requires the accent mark. This change occurs with the verbs
actuar
(to act) and
continuar
(to continue):

Changes in Pronunciation

As you’ve seen so far, the need to retain regular pronunciation may result in a spelling change irregularity. However, some verb conjugations simply change in pronunciation. In the present indicative, verbs are most likely to undergo a pronunciation change in the
yo
form, which has to do with its –o ending.

One common change is the addition of “g” in verbs like
hacer
(to do) and
salir
(to leave):

ALERT

The following table includes other verbs that take on a “g” in the
yo
form:

Not all of these verbs are regular in the other five conjugations of the present indicative. For example,
tener
and
venir
are also stem-change verbs (described in the next section).

In addition to the
yo
forms that need an extra “g,” a few verbs have
yo
conjugations that are irregular and don’t follow any particular pattern:

Stem Changing Verbs

Some groups of Spanish verbs undergo a stem change, that is, their stem or root changes spelling and pronunciation in four of the six conjugation forms (excluding
nosotros
and
vosotros
). The most common changes occur in the stem’s vowel: “e” may change to “ie” or “i,” and “o” may change to “ue” or “u.”

The Unstable “E”

A number of –ar and –er verbs undergo an “e > ie” change in the stem when the “e” is in the accented syllable. Take a look at the conjugations of the verbs
apretar
(to grip) and
defender
(to defend):

Other verbs that follow the same pattern are worth memorizing:

The verb
tener
(to have) is also an “e > ie” verb, with an additional irregularity in the
yo
form:

A similar modification occurs with –ir verbs as well. In the conjugations where the “e” is accented, it is replaced with “i.” Take a look at the verbs
gemir
(to moan) and
repetir
(to repeat) as examples:

Other verbs in this category are
medir
(to measure),
pedir
(to ask),
seguir
(to follow),
servir
(to serve), and
vestir
(to dress).

ESSENTIAL

When “O” Is under Stress

Just as stressed “e” may undergo a change to “i” or “ie,” a stressed “o” in some irregular verbs changes to “u” or “ue.” In the present indicative, the change is limited to “o > ue.” Take a look at two examples:
almorzar
(to have lunch) and
dormir
(to sleep):

Other verbs that follow the “o > ue” stem change include the following:

Just Plain Irregular

Irregular verbs reviewed so far share their irregularity with at least a few other verbs. But there are some verbs that have unique irregularities. All you can do with these verbs is memorize their conjugations. The following tables include conjugations of
haber
(to have),
i r
(to go),
oler
(to smell), and
reír
(to laugh). Note that
haber
and
i r
will be covered in greater detail in subsequent chapters. And we’ll take a look at two more irregular verbs,
ser
and
estar,
both translated as “to be,” in the next section.