Principal parts

Principal parts

In language learning, the principal parts of a verb are those forms that a student must memorize in order to be able to conjugate the verb through all its forms.

By language

English

In English, the verb "love" derives all its forms systematically ("love, loves, loved, loving"), and since these can all be deduced from the basic form (the citation, dictionary, or lexicographic form, which in English is the bare infinitive), no other principal parts have to be learned. With irregular verbs like the verb "sing", on the other hand, the forms "sang" and "sung" cannot be deduced, so the learner of English must memorise three principal parts, "sing – sang – sung". From these, all other forms (like "sings" or "singing") can be deduced. "(See also English verbs, English irregular verbs, English as an additional language.)"

Latin

In Latin, most verbs have four principal parts. The verb for "to carry" has the parts "portō – portāre – portāvī – portātus". "Portō" is the first person singular form of the present ("I carry"), but the infinitive "portāre" ("to carry") is also needed to deduce all the forms of the present stem. The perfect stem "portāvī" ("I carried") and the supine stem "portātus" (required for the perfect passive participle). Another example, the verb "to praise" has the parts "laudā - laudāre - laudāvī - laudātus". "Laudā" and "laudāre", the present active indicative first person singular and the present active infinitive are needed to deduce the present stem. "Laudāvī" is needed for the perfect stem, while "laudātus" is required for the perfect passive participle.

panish

In Spanish, verbs are traditionally held to have only one principal part, the infinitive, by which one can classify the verb into one of three conjugation paradigms (according to the ending of the infinitive, which may be "-ar", "-er" or "-ir"). However, some scholars believe that the conjugation could be regularized by adding another principal part to vowel-alternating verbs, which shows the alternation. For example, "herir" "to hurt" is usually considered irregular because its conjugation contains forms like "hiero" "I hurt", "hieres" "you hurt", where the vowel in the root changes into a diphthong. However, by including the first person singular, present tense, indicative mood form ("hiero") as a principal part, and noting that the diphthong appears only when that syllable is stressed, the conjugation of "herir" becomes completely predictable. "(See also Spanish verbs, Spanish conjugation.)"

cottish Gaelic

In Scottish Gaelic there are two principal parts for the regular verb: "pog – pogadh". All finite forms can be deduced from the imperative "pog" ('kiss!'), all non-finite forms from the verbal noun "pogadh" ('kissing'). The ten irregular verbs can, with only two or three small aberrations (unexpected lenition), be deduced from four principal parts.

ee also

*Regular verb
*Irregular verb
*Grammatical conjugation
*List of Latin verbs including all four principal parts
*Root (linguistics)
*Lemma (linguistics)


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • principal parts — n. the principal inflected forms of a verb, from which the other forms may be derived: in English, the principal parts are the infinitive, past tense, and past participle (Ex: drink, drank, drunk; go, went, gone): the present participle, derived… …   English World dictionary

  • principal parts — noun plural MAINLY BRITISH the basic forms of an English verb, from which other verb forms are made, such as the INFINITIVE, PAST TENSE, and PAST PARTICIPLE …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • principal parts — noun plural : a series of verb forms from which all the other forms of a verb can be derived including in English the infinitive, the past tense, and the past participle (as play, played, played or sing, sang, sung) * * * noun [plural] grammar :… …   Useful english dictionary

  • principal parts — noun (plural) technical the parts of a verb from which other parts are formed in English; the infinitive, past tense, present participle, past participle …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • principal parts — prin′cipal parts′ n. gram. a set of inflected forms of a verb from which all the other inflected forms can be derived, as sing, sang, sung or smoke, smoked: sometimes considered to include the present participle, as singing or smoking[/ex] •… …   From formal English to slang

  • principal parts — noun plural Date: 1870 a series of verb forms from which all the other forms of a verb can be derived including in English the infinitive, the past tense, and the present and past participles …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • principal parts — Gram. a set of inflected forms of a form class from which all the other inflected forms can be derived, as sing, sang, sung; smoke, smoked. [1865 70] * * * …   Universalium

  • principal parts — UK / US noun [plural] linguistics the basic forms of an English verb, from which other verb forms are made, such as the infinitive, past tense, and past participle …   English dictionary

  • principal parts — /prɪnsəpəl ˈpats/ (say prinsuhpuhl pahts) plural noun a set of inflected forms of a verb from which all the other inflected forms can be inferred (theoretically, the smallest such set) as sing, sang, sung; smoke, smoked …  

  • principal — adj. & n. adj. 1 (usu. attrib.) first in rank or importance; chief (the principal town of the district). 2 main, leading (a principal cause of my success). 3 (of money) constituting the original sum invested or lent. n. 1 a head, ruler, or… …   Useful english dictionary

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