Mastering verb conjugations - giving your sentences some action

How verbs change to express who, when and how

Welcome back to Grammar Unlocked! In this article, we’re tackling verb conjugations. This is how we transform verbs to show who is doing the action, when it’s happening and in what context.

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Why does verb conjugation matter?

Verbs drive sentences, adding life and movement. But in many languages verbs need to change - or conjugate - to match the subject (who’s doing it), the tense (when it’s happening), and sometimes even the mood (how it’s intended).

Cases change the word endings of nouns but conjugation changes the endings of verbs.

In English we do a bit of this:

• I go, she goes, they go.

But in languages like Spanish, French or Italian, conjugations vary widely based on the pronoun and tense, making them essential to understand early on.

Breaking down conjugation basics

Let’s start by looking at the essentials. In most languages, verbs will have at least three main characteristics to focus on:

• person and number: who’s doing the action (one person or more)?

• tense: when is the action happening (today, yesterday, tomorrow)?

• mood: is it a statement, a command, or a hypothetical situation?

Example in Spanish:
Take the verb “hablar” (to speak). In the present tense, it changes to show who is speaking:

• hablo - I speak

• hablas - you speak

• habla - s/he speaks

These endings -o, -as, -a indicate both the subject and the tense, reducing the need for pronouns (words like I, you, s/he, it, we, they).

Common patterns in conjugations

Many languages use patterns in conjugations based on verb endings. For example, regular verbs in French typically fall into -er, -ir, or -re categories, and each has a unique conjugation pattern.

Example in French: Take the regular -er verb “manger” (to eat):

• Je mange (I eat)

• Tu manges (you eat)

• Nous mangeons (we eat)

Once you know the pattern for one -er verb, you can apply it to others (parler, aimer, regarder, etc.).

Tip: Group your verbs by these patterns early on. This way, you’ll not only learn one verb but a whole family of similar ones.

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Conjugation pitfalls: common mistakes and quick fixes

Learning verb conjugations can feel overwhelming as they’re often presented in an intimidatingly long list or complicated-looking chart.

Here are two common pitfalls with ways to handle them:

• Stumbling over irregular verbs:
  In Spanish, verbs like “ser” (to be) and “tener” (to have) don’t follow typical patterns.
  Quick fix: Focus on the most commonly used irregular verbs first. Knowing just 10-15 key irregulars will cover most of what you need for daily conversations.

• Getting confused by multiple similar tenses:
  In languages with several past tenses (like French or German), it’s easy to get confused over which one to use.
  Quick fix: Think of past tenses in terms of what you’re trying to convey - are you describing a completed action or describing something you used to do regularly in the past? Often, understanding the “why” behind each tense helps you choose the right one.

Don’t be scared - get friendly with the conjugations

Learning conjugations is all about familiarity. Here are two techniques to make them stick:

1. verb of the week: Choose one verb each week and practice using it in the most common tenses and moods. This is a manageable way to make gradual progress around a busy life with work, family or other commitments.

2. use real-life phrases: Pick common phrases in your target language and study their conjugations. A few simple examples:

   • Spanish: “¿Dónde vives?” (Where do you live?)

   • German: “Ich spreche kein Deutsch” (I don’t speak German).

These phrases will help you see verbs in context, making it easier to remember and apply in conversation.

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Next Up: Our next article will take you through adjectives and agreement, another essential building block. Adjectives bring richness and detail to language but they often need to “agree” with the nouns they describe. We’ll break down what that means and more.

Until next time, keep practicing those verbs - you’ll be amazed at how they add power to your sentences!