Spanish conjugation explanation

Stress mark on i

<p>When a <strong>stressed <span style="font-style: italic;">i</span> comes after a strong vowel</strong> (<span style="font-style: italic;">a</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">e</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">o</span>) in a verb form, we have to <strong>put a stress mark</strong> (an acute accent) on the <span style="font-style: italic;">i</span>. We'll explain the reason for this further below, but let's see this rule in action first.</p>

<p>The verbs that are affected by this rule are <span style="font-style: italic;">-er</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">-ir</span> verbs whose stem ends in a vowel: <span style="font-style: italic;">creer, oír, leer, caer, poseer, reír, sonreír, freír</span>, etc. Exceptions: verb forms where <span style="font-style: italic;">g</span> comes after the <span style="font-style: italic;">i</span> (e.g. <span style="font-style: italic;">traer &#8594; yo traigo, <span style="font-style: italic;">caer &#8594; yo caigo</span>).</p>

<p>For <span style="font-style: italic;">-er</span> verbs, there are only a handful of verb forms that are affected. In the following conjugation tables, the affected verb forms of <span style="font-style: italic">caer</span> are highlighted:</p>

<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/18/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Pretérito perfecto simple</a>

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<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

yo

</span>caí

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

tú

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caíste<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

él

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">cayó<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

nosotros

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caímos<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

vosotros

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caísteis<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

ellos

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">cayeron<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/24/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Participio pasivo</a>

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<div class="data_compound_conjugations_form conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form"></span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caído<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span></div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

The verb <span style="font-style: italic">caer</span> is a G-verb (a <span style="font-style: italic;">g</span> is added in the first-person singular form in the present tense), so it has exceptions as well:

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<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/14/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Presente</a>

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<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

yo

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caigo<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

tú

</span>caes

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

él

</span>cae

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

nosotros

</span>caemos

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

vosotros

</span>caéis

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

ellos

</span>caen

</span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/19/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Presente subjuntivo</a>

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<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

yo

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caiga<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

tú

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caigas<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

él

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caiga<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

nosotros

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caigamos<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

vosotros

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caigáis<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

ellos

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caigan<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

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<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/22/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Imperativo afirmativo</a>

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<span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">---</span>

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<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

(tú)

</span>cae

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

(usted)

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caiga<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

(nosotros)

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caigamos<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

(vosotros)

</span>caed

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

(ustedes)

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">caigan<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<p>For <span style="font-style: italic;">-ir</span> verbs, even the infinitive is affected (e.g. <span style="font-style: italic;">oír</span>), plus a couple more verb forms (present: <span style="font-style: italic;">nosotros oímos</span>; imperative: <span style="font-style: italic;">(vosotros) oíd</span>).</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Why do we have to do this?</div>

<p>When a weak vowel (<span style="font-style: italic;">i</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">u</span>) combines with a strong vowel (<span style="font-style: italic;">a</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">e</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">o</span>), they form a diphthong (=double vowel). This diphthong will form a single syllable and the emphasis will be on the strong vowel if the syllable is stressed.</p>

<p>So, when is a syllable stressed? A syllable is always stressed if its vowel has an acute accent (´) over it. For all other words, the stressed syllable is determined by the last letter of the word:</p>

<ul>

<li>If the word ends in a <strong>vowel, <span style="font-style: italic;">-s</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">-n</span></strong>, the stress is on the <strong>second to last syllable</strong>.</li>

<li>If the word ends in a <strong>consonant other than <span style="font-style: italic;">-s</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">-n</span></strong>, the stress is on the <strong>last syllable</strong>.</li>

</ul>

<p>In the verb forms where we have to put a stress mark on the <span style="font-style: italic;">i</span>, the stress would fall on the <span style="font-style: italic;">i</span> if the preceding strong vowel hadn't combined with it. So, in order to move the stress back to the <span style="font-style: italic;">i</span> where it belongs, we have to break up the diphthong by putting an acute accent over the <span style="font-style: italic;">i</span>.</p>