Irregular verb pattern
Stem-changing verbs: o → ue
Verbs whose stem vowel o changes to ue in stressed present-tense forms — another "boot verb" pattern and one of the most common in Spanish.
The pattern rule
When the stressed syllable contains the stem vowel o, it changes to ue. Like e→ie verbs, this affects yo, tú, él/ella, and ellos/ellas in the present tense, but NOT nosotros or vosotros.
Example: poder (to be able to / can) — Present
Irregular forms are highlighted in red. Regular forms for comparison are shown in grey where they differ.
| Pronoun | Actual form | Regular would be |
|---|---|---|
| yo | puedo* | podo |
| tú | puedes* | podes |
| él/ella | puede* | pode |
| nosotros | podemos | ✓ |
| vosotros | podéis | ✓ |
| ellos/ellas | pueden* | poden |
Frequently asked questions
What are o to ue stem-changing verbs in Spanish?
O to ue stem-changing verbs change the stem vowel o to ue when it is stressed. In the present tense this affects yo, tú, él/ella, and ellos/ellas. Examples include poder (puedo), volver (vuelvo), and dormir (duermo).
Is the verb jugar an o to ue verb?
No — jugar is a u→ue stem-changing verb (juego, juegas, juega...). It follows the same pattern as o→ue verbs but changes u to ue instead. It is the only common u→ue verb in Spanish.
Do o to ue verbs change in the preterite?
Most o→ue verbs are regular in the preterite. The exceptions are dormir and morir, which change o→u (not ue) in the third-person preterite: durmió, durmieron; murió, murieron.
All 39 o → ue verbs — ordered by frequency
Sorted by how commonly each verb appears in everyday Spanish. Start with rank #1 and work down.
Other irregular verb patterns
Practise these verbs with spaced repetition to actually remember them.