I. THE FOUR CONJUGATIONS

The division of verbs into four conjugations, -er, -ir, -oir, -re, is arbitrary. A more scientific way of classifying French verbs is a division into strong and weak verbs. Strong forms are those in which the accent is on the root-syllable, and weak forms those in which the accent is on the termination. However, since the division into four conjugations is generally accepted, verbs will be hère considered accordingly.

To the fïrst conjugation belong nine-tenths of ail the verbs of the French language. AU verbs of popular formation derived from Latin verbs in -are belong to this conjugation, e.g. —

amare, aimer ; pensare, penser

Moreover, some verbs of the Latin second, third, and fourth conjugations in -ère, ëre, ire, hâve passed into the first in French, e.g. —

persuadera, persuader ; imprimere, imprimer; tussire, tousser

Many new verbs in -er are constantly formed from nouns, e. g. —

téléphoner, luncher

To the second conjugation belong about 350 verbs which are partly derived from Latin verbs in -ire, e.g. —

finire, finir ; dormîre, dormir; ventre, venir

partly from Latin verbs in -ère, e. g. —

tenëre, tenir ; Jlorêre, fleurir ; resplendère, resplendir

and also from Latin verbs in -ère, e.g. —

agere, agir; applaudere, applaudir ; convertëre, convertir; colligcre, cueillir ; fugëre, fuir ; flectère, fléchir ; tradëre, trahir.

Word-Formation 171

The verbs in -z> which insert -iss between the root and the inflexion, as in the Imperfect oî finir, je finissais, form a living conjugation, and new verbs belonging to it are mostly derived from adjectives, e.g. —

mûr, mûrir

The origin of thèse lengthened forms, as finissais, finissant, finissent, is to be found in the -isc, -esc of inci/ient or inckoative verbs in Latin expressing the beginning of the action indicated by the simple verb, e.g. —

nigrcscëre, ' to begin to get black ' (Fr. noircir) ; ingetniscere, ' to begin to sigh ' (Fr. gémir)

To the third conjugation belong only thirty verbs. It corresponds to the Latin second, but comprises also verbs from the Latin third conjugation, e.g. —

avoir (Lat. habêre) devoir (Lat. debêre) recevoir (Lat. recip&re, which became in popular Latin recipcre)

No new verbs are formed by this conjugation.

To the fourth conjugation belong sixty verbs. It corresponds to the Latin third, but comprises also some verbs from the Latin second which had shifted their accent in popular Latin, respondêre having become respôndëre, similarly mordre from mordcrc, tondre from tondêre, tordre from torquêre, taire from tacêre, rire from ridêre.

Xo new verbs are formed by this conjugation. Both the third and fourth conjugation are dead.