If you’re using a traditional textbook, you will most certainly have to teach a unit on stem changing verbs in Spanish. They usually coincide with vocabulary related to sports (juega, pierde), talking about your classes (comienza, prefiere), or ordering in a restaurant. (pide, sirve).
Teaching stem changing verbs in Spanish is all about spelling, and let’s face it, with autocorrect, spell check, and talk to text, spelling is really not the most important thing to be teaching them.
Instead, teach stem changing verbs as Spanish vocabulary.
Rather than showing students the infinitives, introduce the stem changing verbs already conjugated through a story.
Storytelling to teach grammar in context
Read or create a story for each verb family. The purpose is to show the verbs already conjugated and in context. This way, students learn the stem changing verbs as vocabulary, rather than a grammar pattern. This is how we learned language as babies too. We did not formally start learning any grammar patterns until about 4th grade, but we were speaking properly way before then because we had heard the structures used in every day language. That’s why we use stories to teach grammar in Spanish. Think of your Spanish I students as cognitive toddlers =).
Before reading
Present students with a picture book slideshow so you can read together and make sure everyone understands the plot of the story. Here is a sample of “Capitan Hook no puede encontrar su tesoro”, focusing on O > UE verbs.
After you present the story, pass out or share individual copies. Before you begin reading, draw attention to the word bank and help students write in the definition above each word. This way, when they are reading independently, they can reference it quickly.
During reading
Read the story to students to model fluency and pause to ask questions as you go. Questions provide added repetitions of the key words you are targeting. Questions may be related to the story, but not always. You can also use the vocabulary to ask the students a personal question for engagement or to gauge their understanding.
After reading
After you finish reading together, I will ask students to read to themselves for another repetition. Next, they read to a partner to practice pronunciation. Finally, they summarize or read aloud to a partner in English.
Throughout these activities, students are rereading the stem changing verbs in context and seeing them as vocabulary, rather than grammar.
Here are two other examples:
Sample of E > IE story
Each story has comprehension questions that I use to assess their understanding or stem changing verbs as vocabulary. After we complete the story, I do explicitly teach the grammar, but in a quick pop-up lesson. Then students do a traditional grammar activity to practice the conjugating, because this is something they will have to do on a department wide assessment.
Check for understanding
So far, we have learned that instead of learning that pensar = to think, it’s more effective to teach that piensa = thinks.
Use the stories to ask students lots of questions for repetition. Then reinforce the vocabulary and practice the terms with a Quizlet where the verbs are conjugated in the él/ella form.
Just like any other vocabulary lesson, you should only present a few words at a time. Consider chunking them by their grammar families (e > i, o >ue, e >ie), so when you do teach the grammar, it’s already organized for them.
Stem-changing verb families
Here are some of the most common stem changing verbs organized by families. NEVER teach an entire family of verbs at once – it’s way too much input! However, it’s nice to have a comprehensive list of stem stem changing verbs to pull from if you are writing your own stories. Notice, they are listed in the singular form.
O > UE verbs
- almuerza (almorzar)
- cuenta (contar)
- demuestra (demostrar)
- duerme (dormir)
- encuentra (encontrar)
- llueve (llover)
- muere (morir)
- muestra (mostrar)
- mueve (mover)
- puede (poder)
- recuerda (recordar)
- sueña (soñar)
- vuela (volar)
- vuelve (volver)
E > I verbs
- consigue (conseguir)
- corrige (corregir)
- dice (decir)
- despide (despedir)
- elige (elegir)
- mide (medir)
- pide (pedir)
- persigue (perseguir)
- repite (repetir)
- sigue (seguir)
- sirve (servir)
- se viste (vestirse)
E > IE verbs
- cierra (cerrar)
- comienza (comenzar)
- defiende (defender)
- se despierta (despertarse)
- se divierte (divertirse)
- empieza (empezar)
- enciende (encender)
- encierra (encerrar)
- entiende (entender)
- miente (mentir)
- nieva (nevar)
- piensa (pensar)
- pierde (perder)
- prefiere (preferir)
- quiere (querer)
- se sienta (sentarse)
- siente (sentir)
- sugiere (sugerir)
- tiene (tener)
- viene (vener)
Games to practice stem-changing verbs in Spanish
If you are looking for more of a review activity or something more hands on with stem changing verbs, check out this puzzle and matching game. They are great activities for stations or collaborative partner activities!
More games
Here is a Kahoot I made for my class. You will notice that I am not asking students how to conjugate the stem-changing verb, but rather to use it in context as vocabulary.
Kahoot, Gimkit, Blooket, Quizzizz and Boomcards all have great digital activities to use during distance learning. All of these sites have pre-made activities that you can search for and use with minor tweaks.
If you are looking for more rote practice, however, here are some online games I have found for independent practice.
- Stem changing verbs (matching)
- Stem-change verbs(battleship)
- Stem-changing verbs (Quizlet)
- Stem-changing verbs (rags to riches)
- Stem-changing verbs e>ie (practice quizzes-write on paper and check answers at bottom)
- O>UE (practice quiz- write on paper and check answers at bottom)
Teach students how to study on their own
Make sure you teach students how to study a topic like this. When when they go to high school, they will encounter a lot of fill-in-the-blank style activities, so we have to prepare them. However, your main goal should always be that students remember what the words mean – not what kind of stem change they use.
What other ways do you teach stem changing verbs in your Spanish classroom? Comment below!
