Five Families of Verbs
A verb's stem vowel decides which family it belongs to.
How It Works
| Conjugation | Infinitive | I | he or she | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| first | amare | amo | amat | love |
| second | habere | habeo | habet | have |
| third | ducere | duco | ducit | lead |
| third in -io | capere | capio | capit | take |
| fourth | audire | audio | audit | hear |
Habere and ducere both end in -ere. In habere the e is long and takes the stress: ha-BE-re. In ducere the e is short: DU-ce-re. A dictionary marks the long e.
Capere is a third conjugation verb that borrows some fourth conjugation endings (capio, capiunt), so many books list it as its own group.
Examples (5)
- Puella cantat.
The girl sings.
Cantat belongs to the first conjugation (cantare).
- Marcus rosam habet.
Marcus has a rose.
Habet belongs to the second conjugation (habere).
- Dux populum ducit.
The leader leads the people.
Ducit belongs to the third conjugation (ducere).
- Puer librum capit.
The boy takes a book.
Capit belongs to the third conjugation in -io (capere).
- Iulia Marcum audit.
Iulia hears Marcus.
Audit belongs to the fourth conjugation (audire).
How It Connects
Learn This First
The five verb families put different vowels before the same endings, so the idea of endings comes first.
Related Patterns
- The Four Dictionary Forms of a Verb
The four forms that a dictionary gives for each verb.
Foundations - Present Tense: amare
The present tense of amare.
Level 1 - Present Tense: habere
The present tense of habere.
Level 1 - Present Tense: ducere
The present tense of ducere.
Level 2 - Present Tense: audire
The present tense of audire.
Level 2
Practice Five Families of Verbs in Bubblegum
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