Spanish: An Essential Grammar

The -ir conjugation

There are two discernible patterns of conjugation:

Pattern I– In the present indicative and subjunctive, the occurrence of the

changes from e > ie(and in the cases of morir‘die’ and dormir ‘sleep’ from

o> ue) is the same as for -arand -erverbs (see Tables 10.3. and 10.4).

In addition, in the present subjunctive there are changes in the 1st and 2nd

persons plural from e > ias shown in Table 10.5, and in the cases of morir

and dormir fromo > u.

Table 10.5-irradical changes (pattern I)

Sentir ‘feel’

Person Indicative Subjunctive

Singular

1 (yo) siento sienta

2 (tú) sientes sientas

(vos) sentís [LA] sientas

3 (él etc.) siente sienta

Plural

1 (nosotros) sentimos sintamos

2 (vosotros) sentís [SP] sintáis [SP]

3 (ellos etc.) sienten sientan

Other common verbs that follow this pattern include:

advertir warn hervir boil

arrepentirse regret mentir lie

consentir consent preferir prefer

convertir convert referir(se) refer

divertir(se) amuse sugerir suggest

herir wound

1111

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

10

Verb forms

102