IL. THE FOUR CONJUGATIONS

THE division of verbs into four conjugations, -er, -ir, -oir, -re, is arbitrary. À 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 here considered accordingly.

To the first conjugation belong nine-tenths of all the verbs of the

French language. All 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 -êre, ère, ire, have passed into the first in F rench, e.g.—

Persuadère, persuader ; imprimère, imprimer ; lussire, tousser Many new verbs in -er are constantly formed from nouns, e.g.— téléphoner, luncher

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

finire, finir; dormire, dormir; ventre, venir partly from Latin verbs in -êre, e.g.— tenère, tenir; florère, fleurir ; resplendère, resplendir and also from Latin verbs in -êre, e.g.—

agére, agir; applaudère, applaudir; convertère, convertir; colligère, cueillir; fugère, fuir; flectère, fléchir ; tradère, d'ahir.

Word-Formation 171

The verbs in -i> which insert -#ss between the root and the inflexion, as in the Imperfect Of fnir, je finissais, form a living conjugation, and new verbs belonging to it are mostly derived from adjectives, e.g. —

mûr, mârir

” The origin of these lengthened forms, as Jirissais, finissant, Sinissent, is to be found in the -ise, -esc of incipient or inchoative verbs in Latin expressing the eginning of the action indicated by the simple verb, e.g.—

nigrescère, ‘to begin to get black’ (Fr. noircir); ingemiscère, ‘10 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. Aabëre)

devoir (Lat. debère)

recevoir {Lat. recigère, which became in popular Latin recipère)

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, respondére having become respondëre, similarly #ordre from mordêre, tondre from tondèére, tordre from forguêre, taire from tacère, rire from ridére.

No new verbs are formed by this conjugation. Both the third and fourth conjugation are dead.