The Five Infinitives

Level 2

Five infinitives, one for each pattern.

How It Works

ConjugationInfinitiveEnglishStressed syllable
firstamareto lovema
secondhabereto havebe
thirdducereto leaddu
third in -iocapereto takeca
fourthaudireto heardi

The second and third conjugations both end in -ere. A long e in habere pulls the stress onto the e, and a short e in ducere leaves the stress on the first syllable: DOO-keh-reh.

A dictionary shows the first person and the infinitive together: duco, ducere. Read the infinitive to know how to build the other forms.

Examples (5)

  1. Amare

    to love

    The -are ending marks the first conjugation.

  2. Habere

    to have

    The -ere with a long e marks the second conjugation.

  3. Ducere

    to lead

    The -ere with a short e marks the third conjugation. The stress is on du.

  4. Capere

    to take

    Also third conjugation: the first person is capio.

  5. Audire

    to hear

    The -ire ending marks the fourth conjugation.

Common Mistakes

  • Giving capio a fourth conjugation infinitive.

    Capire
    Capere

    Capio has an i in the first person, but it is a third conjugation verb. Its infinitive ends in a short e: capere.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

The Five InfinitivesLevel 2

Learn This First

Each family has its own infinitive, so the first infinitives and every present tense come first.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.