Spanish: An Essential Grammar

Orthography changing verbs

Given the general principles of Spanish orthography, a verb’s stem may

require a spelling adjustment depending on the vowel that immediately fol-

lows it, e.g. elige ‘he/she chooses’ but elijo‘I choose’ (jis required before o).

These adjustments are designed to preserve correct pronunciation and so they

do not constitute a genuine irregularity. Nevertheless, a proper understand-

ing of such adjustments is crucial to the correct writing of Spanish. See 1.2.

-ar verbs

In the -ar conjugation, throughout the present subjunctive there are changes

from g > gu, z > c and c > qu, when the following vowel is e. See Table 10.14.

Note: In the verb averiguar‘verify’, the gu is changed to güthroughout the present

subjunctive: averigüe, averigües etc. (compare the present indicative averiguo,

averiguasetc.).

-er and -ir verbs

In the -er and -irconjugations, in the 1st person singular of the present

indicative and throughout the present subjunctive, the changes are gu > g, g

> jand c > z (when the following vowel isa oro). This pattern is illustrated

in Table 10.15.

(^1111) 10.1.2.4
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

41111

Present

indicative and

present

subjunctive

111

Table 10.14Spelling changes in certain -arverbs

Llegar‘arrive’ Cazar‘hunt’ Sacar‘take out’

indicative subjunctive indicative subjunctive indicative subjunctive

llego llegue cazo cace saco saque

llegas llegues cazas caces sacas saques

llegás [LA] llegues cazás [LA] caces sacás [LA] saques

llega llegue caza cace saca saque

llegamos lleguemos cazamos cacemos sacamos saquemos

llegáis [SP] lleguéis [SP] cazáis [SP] cacéis [SP] sacáis [SP] saquéis [SP]

llegan lleguen cazan cacen sacan saquen