Present -a
Present Verbs in -a
dirbti (work): dirbu, dirbi, dirba, dirbame, dirbate, dirba
How It Works
The endings. Take the third-person form and replace -a:
- aš dirbu · tu dirbi · jis, ji dirba
- mes dirbame · jūs dirbate · jie, jos dirba
Verbs in -ia. When the third person ends in -ia, the i before a marks consonant softness: gerti → geriu, geri, geria, geriame, geriate. Likewise žaisti → žaidžiu, žaidi, žaidžia (play). In the tu-form, i is a pronounced vowel rather than a silent softness marker: geri, žaidi. See i as a softness marker.
Common verbs in this group. dirbti – dirba (work), gyventi – gyvena (live), kalbėti – kalba (speak), mokėti – moka (know how), važiuoti – važiuoja (ride), gerti – geria (drink), eiti – eina (go).
Do not trust the infinitive. Kalbėti and mokėti end in -ėti like turėti, but their present is in -a: kalbu, moku. Always check the third-person form. Some verbs also change their stem (pirkti – perka); see vowel changes in the principal parts.
In speech. Dirbame and dirbate are often shortened to dirbam and dirbat. See short plural endings.
Examples (6)
- Aš dirbu mokykloje.
I work at a school.
- Ar tu kalbi lietuviškai?
Do you speak Lithuanian?
Kalbėti ends in -ėti but belongs to the -a group: kalba, kalbu, kalbi.
- Mes gyvename Vilniuje.
We live in Vilnius.
- Ką jūs geriate?
What are you drinking?
Gerti has -ia in the third person, so the i stays: geriate.
- Ryte geriu arbatą.
In the morning I drink tea.
- Vaikai žaidžia kieme.
The children are playing in the yard.
Žaisti: žaidžia, žaidžiu.
Common Mistakes
Using the -au ending from the -o group.
Aš dirbau čia.Aš dirbu čia.The intended meaning is "I work here". Dirbau is the past tense ("I worked"). In the -a group, the I-form ends in -u.
Dropping the i of an -ia verb.
Aš geru kavą.Aš geriu kavą.The first-person form is geriu. Its i before u marks the soft r; geru is not this verb form.
Guessing the group from the infinitive.
Aš kalbiu lietuviškai.Aš kalbu lietuviškai.Kalbėti looks like turėti (turiu), but its third person is kalba, so the I-form is kalbu.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The -a group is one present-tense conjugation pattern.
Related Patterns
- Present -iPresent Verbs in -i
The group whose third-person form ends in -i.
Level 1 - Present -oPresent Verbs in -o
The group whose third-person form ends in -o.
Level 1 - The Three Principal Parts
The third-person present tells you which group a verb is in.
Level 2 - Softness Marker iI as a Softness Marker
Explains the silent i in geriu and geria.
Level 1 - Short Plural Endings in Speech
The short spoken forms of dirbame and dirbate.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Present -a in Bubblegum
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