Verb Conjugation
What Is A Verb Conjugation
A sentence cannot be complete without a conjugated verb. Thus, we must discuss this important concept. The following article will discuss these concepts, using tables, examples, and quizzes as tools of discussion. Let’s begin with general definitions.
According to grammarly.com, verb conjugation refers to how a verb changes to show a different person, tense, number or mood”. These changes are verb conjugations. Since a conjugated verb must have person, tense, number or mood, we should start with a definition and explanation of each.
A conjugated verb is the action of the sentence. Person is the actor of the sentence. Number refers to whether one or more than one actor preform the action. Tense refers to when the actor preformed the action. Mood refers to special conditions or states that the actor preformed the action. The following will provide more insight into this topic.
Person
Person refers to either first person, second person, or third person. These are the singular subject pronouns.
- I – first person
- You – second person
- he, she, it – third person
Number
Number refers to either singular or plural. A singular subject of the verb will have a singular ending. These are the plural subject pronouns.
- We- first person
- You all – second person
- They – third person
The person and number go together with verb conjugation.
Let’s consider another example. In the sentence, “I want to learn how to teach“, the conjugated verb is want. It has person, the first person pronoun, I, which is the subject of the present tense verb, want. To conjugate the verb in the first person, simply remove the preposition, to. Thus, the subject and predicate of the sentence is, I want. The infinitive, to learn, is the direct object of the verb. The object signifies what I want. The phrase, how to teach, is and adverbial phrase the modifies the infinitive, to learn.
Try practicing with this quiz.
Choose all the conjugated verbs.
The below table shows that the infinitive verb, to want, only changes in the third person singular.
| Singular | Conjugation | Plural | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | want | We | want | |
| You | want | You all | want | |
| He, She, It | wants | They | want | |
| We | learn, speak | Nosotros | aprendemos, hablamos | |
| You all | learn, speak | Ustedes | aprenden, hablan | |
| They | learn, speak | Ellos, Ellas | aprenden, hablan | |
The same verb in Spanish, querer, changes in all numbers. Lucky for English learners, verbs do not changes as much.
| Persona Singular | Conjugación | Plural | Conjugación | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | Quiero | Nosotros | queremos | |
| Tu | quieres | Ustedes | quieren | |
| El, Ella (Ustedes) | quiere | Ellos | quieren | |
| We | learn, speak | Nosotros | aprendemos, hablamos | |
| You all | learn, speak | Ustedes | aprenden, hablan | |
| They | learn, speak | Ellos, Ellas | aprenden, hablan | |
Notice the difference between English and Spanish verb conjugations. The following table gives the conjugations of two regular verbs. The first column contains the English subject pronouns, The second column contains the conjugations of the verbs. Notice that not much changes in English. However, the third column contains the Spanish subject pronouns, and the fourth column contains the verb conjugations. Notice how much more changes occur in Spanish verb conjugations.
| English Pronouns | English Conjugation | Spanish Pronouns | Spanish Conjugation |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | learn, speak | Yo | aprendo, hablo |
| You | learn, speak | Tu | aprendes, hablas |
| He, She, It (you formal) | learns, speaks | El, Ella (Usted) | aprende, habla |
| We | learn, speak | Nosotros | aprendemos, hablamos |
| You all | learn, speak | Ustedes | aprenden, hablan |
| They | learn, speak | Ellos, Ellas | aprenden, hablan |
Tense
Tense refers to a time period. The present tense, the past tense, and the future tense are all examples of tenses. As you can see from the previous quiz, the only change needed in the present tense is to add an s to the first person ending.
Now that we have discussed the present tense, let’s discuss the past tense.
Past Tense
Two distinct past tense verbs appear in English- the simple past tense and the imperfect past tense. The simple [past tense describes an action that occurred once in the past. For Example, I drove to the store. This action occurred once. and the action ended. However, if some wanted to describe the action as a continuous action, then the imperfect past tense would be used. For example, I was driving to the store when I realized that I forgot my wallet. This action of driving to the store is described as an ongoing action that was occurring at the time I realized that I had forgotten my wallet.
To conjugate the simple past tense for regular verbs, all you need to do is add an ed to the end of the base verb. The following table demonstrates the regular verb, to want.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| I wanted | We wanted | |
| You wanted | You All wanted | |
| He, She, It wanted | They wanted |
Notice there is only one change for all persons. The ed is added, making the verb a simple past tense.
The imperfect past tense is constructed by using the helping verd, used to. It can also be constructed using the past participle. You can learn more in this article on verbs.
Examples of the imperfect include:
I used to go to the movies, but now I say home.
She used to play tennis.
I was watching a movie when she called.
She was talking to a stranger when she realized that she knew him.
Notice how the infinitive, to go, is used. The proposition to remains with the helping verb, used to, i.e., I used to go to the movies. However, the participle is used with the helping verb, was or were, i.e., I was going to work when you called.
Practice and expand your understanding of the past tense of verbs with this quiz.
The Future Tense
The future tense of the verb is created with the helping verb, will plus the infinitive but without the proposition, to.
I will go to work.
He will buy a new car.
We will visit Italy this summer.
Mood
The mood of a verd refers to the way a verb is used to express an expression. There are five verbal moods. Studying the examples will give you a better understand of verbal mood.
Indicative Mood
The indicative mood is the most common mood. The indicative mood is used to make a statement of fact or opinion. In essence, it indicates something. For examples:
This is a sentence.
I know that you are working at the store.
These ideas are good, but mine are better
Each sentence indicates something.
Imperative Mood
The imperative mood demands that something be done. The imperative mood is a command to the second person (you). For examples:
Do your homework
Shut up!
Have a nice day!
In each of the above sentences, you are being commanded to do something.
Interrogative Mood
The interrogative mood asks a question always directed to the second person (you). Examples:
How are you doing?
What is his job title?
When will it stop raining?
Subjunctive Mood and Conditional Mood
The subjunctive mood is rarely used in English. It indicates deep desire or sometimes doubt. Examples:
May God be with you!
May you sleep well!
The subjunctive verb is formed with the infinitive but without the proposition, to. Notice that in the indicative mood, the third person would be
God is with you.
But in the subjunctive mood, it is:
May God be with you!
The conditional mood is formed with the model verb, would. Model and helping verbs will be discussed more in the article on verbs.
Oftentimes, the imperfect subjunctive is used with conditional mood to express a hypothetical situation. Examples:
I would go to the beach if it were sunny.
In this sentence, the conditional is would go. The subjunctive is, were. It changes to the same verb as the past plural.
I would travel to France if I had more time.
In this sentence, the conditional is, would travel. The subjunctive is, had.