A new stem change: e → i
You already know verbs whose stem vowel changes when it is stressed: querer gives quiero, poder gives puedo. A small group of -ir verbs changes the e to i instead. The three you know are pedir (to ask for, to order), servir (to serve) and repetir (to repeat).
| I always order a black coffee. | Siempre pido un café solo. |
| The waiter serves the wine. | El camarero sirve el vino. |
| I repeat the word. | Repito la palabra. |
The whole present
| pedir | servir | repetir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | pido | sirvo | repito |
| tú | pides | sirves | repites |
| él / ella / usted | pide | sirve | repite |
| nosotros / nosotras | pedimos | servimos | repetimos |
| vosotros / vosotras | pedís | servís | repetís |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | piden | sirven | repiten |
| I serve the soup and you serve the fish. | Yo sirvo la sopa y tú sirves el pescado. |
| The students repeat the words. | Los estudiantes repiten las palabras. |
Nosotros and vosotros keep the e
The change only happens where the stress falls on the stem. In pedimos and pedís the stress moves to the ending, so the e stays — exactly as in queremos and podéis.
| We ask for the bill. | Pedimos la cuenta. |
| What are you guys ordering? | ¿Qué pedís vosotros? |
| We repeat the exercise. | Repetimos el ejercicio. |
pedir or preguntar?
English says ask for both; Spanish does not. Pedir is to ask for something — a coffee, the bill, money. Preguntar is to ask a question.
| I ask the time and order a coffee. | Pregunto la hora y pido un café. |
With object pronouns
The pronouns go in front of the conjugated verb as usual, and le still becomes se before lo or la.
| The children always ask me for money. | Los niños siempre me piden dinero. |
| The boy asks for water and his mother serves it to him. | El niño pide agua y su madre se la sirve. |
Common mistakes
- pidimos, repitís → pedimos, repetís: no change in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
- repeto, servo → repito, sirvo.
- decir follows the same pattern (dices, dice, dicen, but decimos) with its own yo form, digo.
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