Radical -Changing AR and ER Verbs — Defined

Radical -Changing AR and ER Verbs — Defined

Radical (stem vowel) changing verbs of the first & second conjugations include ar and er verbs.

There are some verbs in which the vowel of the stem changes when it falls under the stress. The expression for I want is quiero, with ie, but the infinitive is querer, with e. You have noticed that I meet is encuentro, with ue, but the infinitive is encontrar. There is a group of verbs which has this type of irregularity and no other, and we call this group radical-changing verbs.

If the vowel of the stem or radical vowel is o it becomes ue under the stress. If the radical vowel is e it becomes ie under the stress. Where the radical vowel does not fall under the stress, there is no change.

We are considering here only the verbs of the first and second conjugations. Of the tenses studied so far, the radical changes occur only in the first, second, third persons singular, and the third person plural of the present tense.