firstconjugation

First conjugation is the name given in Latin grammar to a group of verbs whose present active infinitive ends in -are. This class is the largest in classical Latin and is distinguished by a characteristic present tense paradigm: the present active indicative endings are -o, -as, -at, -amus, -atis, -ant, and the infinitive ends in -are.

Most first-conjugation verbs provide four principal parts: amo, amare, amavi, amatum. The first part is the first-person singular present indicative; the second is the present active infinitive; the third is the first-person singular perfect; the fourth is the supine or supine-like participle. From these parts, the present system is formed with a stem built from the infinitive by removing -re and adding the standard endings. Examples include amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant; cantare and portare follow the same pattern in forms such as canto, cantas, cantat, cantamus, cantatis, cantant.

Not all verbs in this class are completely regular; some are deponents (for example, conor, conari, conatus sum), which belong to the first conjugation but use passive forms with active meanings. Irregularities exist, but the canonical -are infinitive and -a- stem remain strong indicators of this conjugation.

In Latin grammar, first conjugation is contrasted with other conjugations defined by different infinitive endings, notably -ēre in the second and -ere/-ire varieties in other classes. The concept is primarily Latin, though some descriptions of similar patterns appear in related Indo-European languages.