чакам/чакаш
Third Conjugation: А- and Я-Verbs
If the I-form ends in -ам or -ям, the verb is almost always third conjugation: чакам (I wait), вечерям (I have dinner). Keep the а or я and add the endings.
How It Works
The endings. Take the stem ending in а or я and add:
- аз чакам, ти чакаш, той / тя чака
- ние чакаме, вие чакате, те чакат
Я-verbs work the same way: вечерям, вечеряш, вечеря, вечеряме, вечеряте, вечерят.
He and she. The third-person singular is the bare stem with no ending: Той чака. Тя обича музика.
Common verbs. имам (have), чакам (wait), питам (ask), обичам (love), гледам (watch), слушам (listen), казвам (say), отговарям (answer), вечерям (have dinner). Many verbs in -вам, such as давам and ставам, belong here as well.
Spotting the group. Verbs are listed by their I-form (see речникова форма в първо лице), so a final -м tells you the group at once, apart from a few irregular verbs. Compare чета and говоря, whose I-form ends in -а or -я.
Имам has its own negative. Not не имам but нямам: Нямам време. See имам/нямам.
Look-alikes. Ям (I eat) and дам (I give) also end in -м but have irregular forms. See ям и дам.
Examples (6)
- Чакам автобуса.
I am waiting for the bus.
Word by Word: I-wait bus-the.
The I-form ends in -м.
- Имаме време.
We have time.
Word by Word: We-have time.
- Какво гледаш?
What are you watching?
Word by Word: What you-watch?
- Те обичат музика.
They love music.
Word by Word: They love music.
The they-form ends in -т.
- Обикновено вечеряме в седем.
We usually have dinner at seven.
Word by Word: Usually we-dine at seven.
A я-verb keeps я before the ending: вечеря-ме.
- Той отговаря на въпроса.
He answers the question.
Word by Word: He answers on question-the.
The he-form is the bare stem with no ending.
Common Mistakes
Leaving off the -м in the I-form.
Аз чака автобуса.Аз чакам автобуса.Third-conjugation verbs end in -м for I. Чака without -м means he or she waits.
Making the negative of имам with не.
Не имам време.Нямам време.Имам has a special negative verb, нямам, which is conjugated the same way.
How It Connects
Learn This First
А- and я-verbs are learned after the е-verb pattern.
Related Patterns
- говоря/говоришSecond Conjugation: И-Verbs
The group whose other forms add и.
Level 1 - Verbs Listed in the First Person
Verbs are listed by the I-form, which shows this group by its final -м.
Level 1 - имам/нямамHaving with Имам and Нямам
Имам is a third-conjugation verb with the special negative нямам.
Level 1 - Uses of the Present Tense
These endings give the present tense, which covers both I wait and I am waiting.
Level 1 - ям / дамThe Irregular Verbs Ям and Дам
Two irregular verbs that also end in -м.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice чакам/чакаш in Bubblegum
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