conjugation
/ˌkɒndʒuˈɡeɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkɑːndʒuˈɡeɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌkän-jə-ˈgā-shən/ (ame, mw)
conjugation — noun
- conjugationsingular
- conjugationsplural
1. The complete set of a verb's changed forms that show information such as tense,
The complete set of a verb's changed forms that show information such as tense, person, number, mood, or voice.
Layla wrote out the full conjugation of the French verb etre on a flashcard.
"full conjugation" — the complete set of a verb's inflected forms
The teacher asked the class to memorise the conjugation of the Spanish verb hablar for next Monday.
Amara checked the conjugation table at the back of her grammar book before writing her essay.
- verb forms
More general, less technical. Can refer to any forms without implying a system.
- inflectional paradigm
More formal, used in academic linguistics.
用法筆記
This sense is often uncountable ('Learning verb conjugation is important'), but can be countable when referring to a specific verb's complete set of forms ('the conjugation of the verb "to be"').
常見錯誤
2. A group of verbs that follow the same pattern when they change their form to sho
A group of verbs that follow the same pattern when they change their form to show tense, person, or number.
In Latin, the first conjugation includes verbs whose infinitive ends in -are, like amare.
Sanjay's Spanish textbook listed three regular conjugations for present-tense verbs.
"regular conjugations" — commonly taught pattern groups
Learners often find the second conjugation harder because its endings vary more.
- verb class
Broader term — can describe any grouping of verbs, not only by inflection pattern.
- inflectional pattern
More technical; emphasises the specific set of endings rather than the group of verbs.
用法筆記
Countable when referring to a specific class of verbs (e.g., 'the third conjugation'). More common in discussions of highly inflected languages like Latin, Spanish, or French than of English.