Present of First-Conjugation Verbs
Verbs like nest (to carry) add -u for es, -am for mēs and -at for jūs. The tu, viņš/viņa and viņi/viņas forms are usually the bare stem: nes.
How It Works
Which verbs. The first conjugation is the group of verbs whose infinitive has one syllable, such as nest, dzert, ņemt, nākt and braukt, plus the same verbs with a prefix, such as atnākt (to come over) and paņemt (to take).
The endings. nest: es nesu, tu nes, viņš/viņa nes, mēs nesam, jūs nesat, viņi/viņas nes. So there are only three different endings to learn: -u, -am and -at. The other three forms are usually the bare stem.
Learn the present stem. The infinitive does not always show it:
- dzert → dzeru, tu dzer
- ņemt → ņemu, tu ņem
- braukt → braucu, tu brauc: the k becomes c in every present form.
- nākt → nāku, but tu nāc: here the k becomes c only in the tu form.
- celt → ceļu, tu cel, viņš ceļ: some verbs soften the last consonant in every form except tu. See consonant changes.
A few tu forms end in -i. When the present stem ends in -st, the tu form adds -i: pazīt (to know a person) → pazīstu, pazīsti, pazīst. Some verbs with a vowel change do the same when the stem ends in t or d, such as rast (to find) → rodu, rodi, rod.
Close relatives. Ēst (to eat) belongs here too, but its stem ēd- is hidden in the infinitive. It is taught with the irregular verbs in iet, dot and ēst.
Using the forms. One present form covers "I carry" and "I am carrying"; see one present tense. To say "not", join ne- to the verb: nenesu, nedzer. The past of these verbs is in the first-conjugation past.
Examples (6)
- Es nesu smagu somu.
I am carrying a heavy bag.
- Vai tu dzer kafiju ar pienu?
Do you drink coffee with milk?
The tu form of dzert has no ending: dzer.
- Viņš brauc uz darbu ar vilcienu.
He goes to work by train.
Braukt has the present stem brauc-, and it means travelling by vehicle.
- Mēs ņemam taksometru.
We are taking a taxi.
- Vai jūs nākat?
Are you coming?
Nākt → nākat for jūs.
- Bērni nes ziedus.
The children are carrying flowers.
The they form nes is the same as the he and she form.
Common Mistakes
Adding -i to the tu form.
Vai tu dzeri kafiju?Vai tu dzer kafiju?Most first-conjugation verbs have no ending in the tu form, so it is tu dzer, just like viņš dzer.
Building the present from the infinitive instead of the present stem.
Es brauku uz Rīgu.Es braucu uz Rīgu.The present stem of braukt is brauc-, so the es form is braucu.
Forgetting the c in the tu form of nākt.
Vai tu nāk?Vai tu nāc?Nākt has nāku and nāk, but the tu form changes k to c: tu nāc.
How It Connects
Learn This First
First-conjugation verbs change with the subject.
Related Patterns
- Present of Second-Conjugation Verbs
Compares the other big group of present forms, like runāju and runā.
Level 1 - Present Forms of Verbs Ending in -ītPresent of Verbs Like Lasīt
Shows verbs like lasīt, whose tu form ends in -i and whose viņš form ends in -a.
Level 1 - iet / dot / ēstIrregular Iet, Dot and Ēst
Covers three everyday verbs whose present stems must be memorised.
Level 1 - Consonant Changes Before Endings
Explains changes such as l → ļ in celt → ceļu.
Level 2 - Past of First-Conjugation Verbs
Builds the past of the same verbs, such as nesa (carried) and ņēma (took).
Level 2 - One Present Tense
One present form means both "I carry" and "I am carrying".
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Present of First-Conjugation Verbs in Bubblegum
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