verbclass

Verb class is a linguistic category used to group verbs that share certain morphosyntactic properties. In many languages, verbs are sorted into classes that predict how they inflect for tense, aspect, mood, voice, or agreement with subject, and sometimes with object, as well as which subcategorization frames they permit.

Common types of verb class include conjugation class systems, where verbs are grouped by typical inflectional endings. In Latin, verbs are traditionally divided into four conjugations (first: -are; second: -ēre; third: -ere; fourth: -ire), each with its own set of endings. In Japanese, the two main classes—godan (u-verb) and ichidan (ru-verb)—govern how the verb changes for different forms.

Other languages organize verbs by valency or cross-reference: Bantu languages employ extensive verb-class systems that align with noun-class morphology and determine agreement markers. Semitic languages use stem-based systems—the binyanim—that affect voice, aspect, and subject agreement. Some Indo-European languages also differentiate irregular verb groups, strong versus weak verbs, and related patterns of irregularity.

The concept of a verb class is not universal; some languages have few or no grouped classes, while others show many. Verb-class systems influence dictionary organization, pedagogical description, and historical reconstruction because they reveal patterns of regularity and irregularity and can preserve traces of historical sound changes.

In linguistic analysis, describing a verb’s class helps predict its conjugation behavior, subcategorization options, and agreement patterns. Examples across languages illustrate both the diversity of systems and the recurring role of verb-class organization in human language.