Language Transfer Spanish notes
Lesson 15
When E Splits Under Pressure
Language Transfer Complete Spanish is by Mihalis Eleftheriou. Listen to the original audio first; use these notes for revision.
New vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| pasar | to pass / to happen / to spend (time) |
| ¿Qué pasa? | What's happening? / What's up? |
| pensar | to think |
| pienso | I think (e→ie stem change) |
| piensa | he/she thinks |
| entender | to understand |
| entiendo | I understand (e→ie) |
| entiende | he/she understands |
| comprender | to comprehend (less common) |
| perder | to lose (think "perish") |
| pierdo | I lose (e→ie) |
| tiempo | time (from English "tempo") |
| concierto | concert |
| cuándo | when |
Stem-changing (softening) verbs: When the accent falls on certain vowels, they "split under pressure":
-
e→ie: pensar→pienso, entender→entiendo, perder→pierdo, tener→tiene, querer→quiero, venir→viene
-
This does NOT happen in -go forms (tengo, vengo keep their e)
-
This does NOT happen in all verbs — llegar→llego, esperar→espero (no change)
Example sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Quiero saber qué pasa. | I want to know what's happening. |
| ¿Qué piensas? | What do you think? |
| Pienso comer. | I plan to eat. |
| Pienso comer más tarde. | I plan to eat later. |
| Entiendo. | I understand. |
| Entiende. | He/she understands. |
| Lo pierdo. | I lose it. |
| Los pierdo. | I lose them. |
Key notes
-
This lesson introduces the e -> ie stem change: pienso, entiendo, pierdo.
-
The change only happens when the stress falls on that vowel. It does not happen in forms like tengo or vengo, and it does not happen in every verb.
-
¿Qué pasa? means What's happening? / What's going on?; ¿Qué pasó? is past tense and means What happened?