The "o to ue" Change
Just like verbs that change from e to ie, another common group of Spanish verbs has a stem change in the present tense. For these verbs, the vowel o changes to ue.
Let's look at the verb dormir (to sleep). Instead of saying "yo dormo", the o changes to ue: yo duermo.
This change happens for all subjects except nosotros (we), which keeps the original o.
| Subject | Dormir (to sleep) |
|---|---|
| yo | duermo |
| tú | duermes |
| él, ella, usted | duerme |
| nosotros | dormimos |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | duermen |
| You sleep in a quiet hotel. | Ustedes duermen en un hotel tranquilo. |
Talking About Abilities with "Poder"
The verb poder means "to be able to" or "can." It is one of the most useful o to ue stem-changing verbs. To talk about what someone can do, just use a conjugated form of poder followed by an unconjugated verb (an infinitive).
| I cannot sleep because there is a lot of noise. | No puedo dormir porque hay mucho ruido. |
| The man is strong and can work a lot. | El hombre es fuerte y puede trabajar mucho. |
| Can you sleep in the bus? | ¿Tú puedes dormir en el autobús? |
More Stem-Changing Verbs
Several other everyday verbs follow this exact same o to ue pattern. Some common ones include volver (to return), encontrar (to find), recordar (to remember), and soñar (to dream).
| Do you remember our plan? | ¿Tú recuerdas nuestro plan? |
| My sister returns to her quiet room. | Mi hermana vuelve a su cuarto tranquilo. |
| They find an open restaurant in the city. | Ellos encuentran un restaurante abierto en la ciudad. |
| My dog sleeps and dreams a lot. | Mi perro duerme y sueña mucho. |