Conjugate stem-changing (e > ie) -er verbs in the present tense in Spanish (El Presente)

There are some common Spanish verbs that are stem-changing where the -e becomes -ie in some forms in the present tense.

Learn how to conjugate -er stem-changing verbs in El Presente in Spanish

A number of common Spanish verbs (perder, defender, encender) ending in -er are stem-changing semi-regular in El Presente because the stem changes for some forms:

Notice how the vowel -e- in the stem that is closer to the end of the word becomes-ie- except for the nosotros and vosotros forms.

Look at and listen to these examples:

Useful verbs that also follow this pattern are querer (to want) and entender (to understand).  You can practise them here:

• Conjugate querer in the present tense in Spanish (El Presente)
• Conjugate entender in the present tense in Spanish (El Presente)

For more verbs that follow this pattern, see:

• B1 Spanish verb list: Stem-changing (e > ie) verbs in the present tense
• A1 Spanish verb list: Stem-changing (e > ie) verbs in the present tense