Third and Fourth Conjugation Verbs
Conjugate -ere and -īre verbs. Recognize the stem vowel change in third conjugation and the -iō verbs.
A lesson of Latin A1 — Beginner, in Verb Conjugations, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will conjugate third- and fourth-conjugation verbs in the present tense, including the tricky -io subgroup.
The Four Conjugations at a Glance
Latin has four main conjugations, distinguished by the stem vowel:
| Conjugation | Infinitive ending | Stem vowel | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | -are | -a- | amare (love) |
| 2nd | -ere (long e) | -e- | videre (see) |
| 3rd | -ere (short e) | -i- (present) | ducere (lead) |
| 4th | -ire | -i- | audire (hear) |
The key difference between 2nd and 3rd conjugation: the infinitive e is long in 2nd (videre) and short in 3rd (ducere). In print they often look similar — but the present-tense forms are quite different.
Third Conjugation: -ere (short e) Verbs
The third conjugation is the trickiest because the stem vowel shifts to -i- in most present-tense forms.
Paradigm: ducere (to lead)
Stem from infinitive: duc-
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | duco | ducimus |
| 2nd | ducis | ducitis |
| 3rd | ducit | ducunt |
Notice:
- 1st sg.: duc + o = duco (stem vowel disappears before -o)
- 2nd, 3rd sg. and 1st, 2nd pl.: a short -i- appears between stem and ending
- 3rd pl.: -unt (not -ent) — a common student error
Common 3rd-conjugation verbs
| Latin | Meaning |
|---|---|