verbklass

Verbklass is a term used in linguistics to describe a category of verbs that share a common pattern of conjugation within a language. Verbklass groups reflect regularities in how verbs form different tenses, aspects, voices, and participles, and they often align with historical sound changes or phonological properties. In many languages, a verb’s klass helps determine its stem behavior and the endings it takes.

Verbklass arise from systematic differences in morphology. Some languages differentiate verbs by stem alteration (ablaut in Germanic languages) or by adding specific suffixes for past tense or participles. For example, in English and Germanic languages, verbs are often described as strong (changing the stem vowel in the past tense) or weak (adding a dental or -ed ending). Mixed verbs show characteristics of both. In Romance languages, verbs are frequently divided into classes by their infinitive endings, producing parallel conjugation patterns across groups such as -ar, -er, -ir in Spanish and -are, -ere, -ire in Italian.

The concept of verbklass aids descriptive and historical linguistics, language teaching, and lexicography by highlighting regularities and pinpointing irregularities. While modern grammars present verbklass as a useful analytical tool, actual usage can blur boundaries, with some verbs migrating between classes or exhibiting idiosyncratic forms.

See also: inflection, conjugation, strong and weak verbs, suppletion.