Level 2 — Elementary (CEFR: A2)
Unit 5 — Verb Group 1: -AR Verbs
Lesson 5 — Stem-Changing -AR Verbs
Lesson Overview
Level: 2 — Elementary Unit: 5 — Verb Group 1: -AR Verbs Lesson: 5 of 14 Estimated Time: 60–75 minutes
What this lesson covers:
- What stem-changing verbs are and why the stem changes
- The three stem-change patterns in -AR verbs: e→ie, o→ue, u→ue
- The boot/shoe pattern: which forms change and which don’t
- All stem-changing -AR verbs from the curriculum: pensar, empezar, despertar, cerrar, encontrar, recordar, contar, mostrar, jugar
- Ministry contexts for each verb
- The listening recognition drill: identifying stem-changing verbs in a passage
What Stem-Changing Verbs Are
Most regular -AR verbs have a stable stem throughout their conjugation. Stem-changing verbs are different: the vowel in the stem changes in certain forms. These are not irregular verbs — they follow a completely predictable pattern — but the pattern is different from the standard paradigm.
Stem changes occur in the present tense only (in all persons except nosotros and vosotros). The past tenses of -AR stem-changing verbs use the regular stem.
The boot (or shoe) pattern: Draw a “boot” around the four forms where the stem change occurs — yo, tú, él/ella/usted, and ellos/ellas/ustedes. These four forms are inside the boot and experience the stem change. The two forms outside the boot — nosotros and vosotros — keep the original stem.
yo → CHANGES (inside boot)
tú → CHANGES (inside boot)
él/ella → CHANGES (inside boot)
nosotros → unchanged (outside boot)
vosotros → unchanged (outside boot)
ellos/ellas → CHANGES (inside boot)
The Three Stem-Change Patterns
Pattern 1: e → ie
The letter e in the stem changes to ie in the four boot forms.
pensar (to think / to plan)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | pienso |
| tú | piensas |
| él/ella/usted | piensa |
| nosotros | pensamos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | piensan |
Pienso en las palabras del sermón. — I am thinking about the words of the sermon. ¿Qué piensas sobre este pasaje? — What do you think about this passage? Pensamos en misionar en América del Sur. — We are thinking about doing missions in South America.
empezar (to begin / to start)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | empiezo |
| tú | empiezas |
| él/ella/usted | empieza |
| nosotros | empezamos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | empiezan |
¿A qué hora empieza el servicio? — What time does the service begin? Empezamos con una oración de alabanza. — We begin with a prayer of praise. El pastor empieza a predicar a las diez. — The pastor begins preaching at ten.
despertar (to wake up / to awaken)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | despierto |
| tú | despiertas |
| él/ella/usted | despierta |
| nosotros | despertamos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | despiertan |
Appears in ministry speech in two ways: literal awakening and spiritual awakening.
El Espíritu despierta el corazón endurecido. — The Spirit awakens the hardened heart. Nos despertamos cada mañana con gratitud. — We wake up each morning with gratitude. ¿Despiertan temprano para orar? — Do they wake up early to pray?
cerrar (to close / to shut)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | cierro |
| tú | cierras |
| él/ella/usted | cierra |
| nosotros | cerramos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | cierran |
Cerramos el servicio con una oración. — We close the service with a prayer. El pastor cierra la Biblia y mira a la congregación. — The pastor closes the Bible and looks at the congregation. ¿Quién cierra con oración esta noche? — Who closes in prayer tonight?
Pattern 2: o → ue
The letter o in the stem changes to ue in the four boot forms.
encontrar (to find / to encounter)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | encuentro |
| tú | encuentras |
| él/ella/usted | encuentra |
| nosotros | encontramos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | encuentran |
In ministry speech, often used for encountering God, finding salvation, meeting someone.
Encuentro paz en la presencia de Dios. — I find peace in God’s presence. ¿Dónde se encuentra usted espiritualmente? — Where are you spiritually? Los perdidos encuentran vida en Cristo. — The lost find life in Christ.
recordar (to remember / to remind)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | recuerdo |
| tú | recuerdas |
| él/ella/usted | recuerda |
| nosotros | recordamos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | recuerdan |
Recordamos la muerte del Señor hasta que Él venga. — We remember the Lord’s death until he comes. ¿Recuerdas cuando entregaste tu vida a Cristo? — Do you remember when you surrendered your life to Christ? El Espíritu te recuerda todo lo que Jesús enseñó. — The Spirit reminds you of everything Jesus taught.
contar (to count / to tell / to narrate)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | cuento |
| tú | cuentas |
| él/ella/usted | cuenta |
| nosotros | contamos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | cuentan |
Two meanings: contar numbers (to count) and contar a story or testimony (to tell/narrate).
Cuento mi testimonio a quien quiera escuchar. — I tell my testimony to whoever wants to listen. Ella cuenta cómo Dios cambió su vida. — She narrates how God changed her life. Contamos las bendiciones de Dios. — We count God’s blessings.
mostrar (to show / to demonstrate)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | muestro |
| tú | muestras |
| él/ella/usted | muestra |
| nosotros | mostramos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | muestran |
La Biblia muestra el camino a la salvación. — The Bible shows the way to salvation. Mostramos el amor de Cristo con nuestras obras. — We demonstrate the love of Christ through our works. Dios muestra su misericordia a mil generaciones. — God shows his mercy to a thousand generations.
Pattern 3: u → ue
Only one -AR verb has this change:
jugar (to play)
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | juego |
| tú | juegas |
| él/ella/usted | juega |
| nosotros | jugamos (no change) |
| ellos/ustedes | juegan |
Less common in preaching but appears in children’s ministry and community outreach contexts.
Los niños juegan después del servicio. — The children play after the service. El equipo de misiones juega fútbol con los jóvenes de la comunidad. — The mission team plays soccer with the community youth.
The Listening Recognition Drill
This is the core exercise from the curriculum.
Setup: Find a 4–6 minute audio passage in Spanish — a sermon excerpt, a devotional, a testimony.
The task: Listen. Every time you hear a verb whose present tense form might involve a stem change, raise your hand (or mark the timestamp). After the passage, go back and identify the infinitive form of each verb you flagged.
What to listen for: The ie sound where you might expect e, and the ue sound where you might expect o. These are the sonic signatures of stem-changing verbs.
piensa, piensan, encuentra, recuerda, cuenta, muestra — all will sound noticeably different from their infinitive forms.
Summary Table
| Verb | Infinitive | Pattern | Yo form | Ellos form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pensar | to think | e→ie | pienso | piensan |
| empezar | to begin | e→ie | empiezo | empiezan |
| despertar | to awaken | e→ie | despierto | despiertan |
| cerrar | to close | e→ie | cierro | cierran |
| encontrar | to find | o→ue | encuentro | encuentran |
| recordar | to remember | o→ue | recuerdo | recuerdan |
| contar | to tell/count | o→ue | cuento | cuentan |
| mostrar | to show | o→ue | muestro | muestran |
| jugar | to play | u→ue | juego | juegan |
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — Boot Pattern Production
Conjugate each verb in all five Latin American present tense forms. Mark which forms have stem changes.
pensar — recordar — cerrar — encontrar
Exercise 2 — Ministry Sentence Production
For each verb, produce two ministry sentences: one using a stem-changed form (yo, tú, él, or ellos), one using the unchanged form (nosotros).
empezar — mostrar — contar — despertar
Exercise 3 — Rapid Recognition
A partner reads the following forms. You immediately give the infinitive and translate to English:
piensan — cerramos — encuentro — recuerdas — muestran — empezamos — cuentan — despierta
Exercise 4 — Listening Drill
Complete the listening recognition drill described above using a 4-minute Spanish ministry audio clip.
Key Takeaways for This Lesson
Before moving to Lesson 6:
- Understand the boot pattern: yo, tú, él, ellos change; nosotros does not
- Know all three stem-change patterns: e→ie, o→ue, u→ue
- Know all nine stem-changing -AR verbs with their changed forms
- Recognize stem-changed forms in incoming speech as quickly as regular forms
- Complete the listening recognition drill
Daily Practice
Add the nine stem-changing verbs to your conjugation drill rotation. Run their present tense forms specifically emphasizing the contrast between the boot forms (stem change) and the nosotros form (no change):
pienso — piensas — piensa — pensamos — piensan
The contrast between piensa and pensamos must be automatic — this is where errors occur in production and comprehension.