Irregular Second and Third Conjugation Italian Verbs
Irregular verbs are those that do not follow the typical conjugation patterns of their respective types (infinitive stem + endings). There are three distinct irregularities:
change to the stem (andare – io vado)
change in the normal ending (dare – io darò)
change to both stem and ending (rimanere – io rimasi).
Irregular Second Conjugation Verbs
There are only three first conjugation verbs (verbs ending in –are) that are irregular – andare, dare, and stare. Much more numerous, however, are the irregular verbs of the second conjugation (verbs ending in –ere). These verbs are usually divided into two groups:
—verbs in –ére, (cadere, dovere, valere). The majority of irregular changes occur in the root, generally in the present indicative and subjunctive (valg–o, valg–a).
—verbs in –’ere (accendere, accludere) in which the accent falls on the stem. Usually these irregular verbs have changes in the past remote and the past participle (acce–si, acce–so).
| Examples of irregular –ere verbs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| INFINITIVE | REMOTE PAST | ||
| INDICATIVE | PAST PARTICIPLE | ||
| contendere | io contesi | conteso | |
| emergere | io emersi | emerso | |
| tergere | io tersi | terso | |
| discutere | io discussi | discusso | |
| percuotere | io percossi | percosso | |
| scindere | io scissi | scisso | |
| attingere | io attinsi | attinto | |
| frangere | io fransi | franto | |
| vincere | io vinsi | vinto | |
| affliggere | io afflissi | afflitto | |
| leggere | io lessi | letto | |
| trafiggere | io trafissi | trafitto | |
| chiedere | io chiesi | chiesto | |
| nascondere | io nascosi | nascosto | |
| rispondere | io rimasi | risposto | |
Consult the list of principal irregular second and third conjugation verbs for reference.
Note! Several irregular verbs of the second conjugation double the final consonant of the stem to form the I and III person singular and III person plural of the remote past.
| INFINITIVE | REMOTE PAST |
| INDICATIVE | |
| cadere | io caddi, lui cadde, loro caddero |
| tenere | io tenni, lui tenne, loro tennero |
| volere | io volli, lui volle, loro vollero |
Other irregular –ere verbs double the final consonant of the irregular stem.
| INFINITIVE | REMOTE PAST | |
| INDICATIVE | PAST PARTICIPLE | |
| bere | io bevvi, lui bevve... | bevuto |
| conoscere | io conobbi, lui conobbe... | conosciuto |
| rompere | io ruppi, lui ruppe | rotto |
| vivere | io vissi, lui visse... | vissuto |
Verbs ending in –arre (trarre), –orre (porre), and –urre (tradurre), like fare and dire, are considered second conjugation verbs since they derive from contractions of Latin verbs of the second conjugation (trahere, ponere, traducere, facere, dicere).
Next page > Irregular Third Conjugation Verbs > Page 1, 2, 3
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