Stem-Changing Verbs (fahren→fährt, sprechen→spricht, lesen→liest)

Some of the most common German verbs are stem-changing verbs (starke Verben — strong verbs). These verbs follow the regular endings (-e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en) but change the vowel in the stem for the du and er/sie/es forms only. The other forms (ich, wir, ihr, sie/Sie) keep the original stem vowel.

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The Three Types of Stem Changes

Change	Pattern	Example
a → ä	fahren → fährt	to drive
e → i	sprechen → spricht	to speak
e → ie	lesen → liest	to read

Key Rule: Stem changes ONLY affect du and er/sie/es. All other forms use the regular stem.

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Type 1: a → ä