Stems and Endings
French verbs have a large number of simple (one-word) forms. These are composed of two distinct parts: the stem (or root, or radix), which indicates which verb it is, and the ending (inflection), which indicates the verb's tense and mood and its subject's person and number, though many endings can correspond to multiple tense-mood-subject combinations. In certain parts of the second conjugation there is also a suffix -iss- between the stem and the ending, which derives historically from an inchoative suffix.
- In parlaient, the stem parl- indicates that the verb is parler (to speak) and the ending -aient marks the third-person plural imperfect indicative.
- In finissons, the stem fin- indicates that the verb is finir (to finish), the suffix -iss- follows it, and the inflection -ons marks the first-person plural present indicative or imperative.
Note that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the stem from the ending, especially in irregular verbs such as avoir, aller, dire, être, faire, pouvoir, savoir, valoir, and vouloir:
- Il va travailler.
- Tu es là ?
- Elle a rougi.
Read more about this topic: French Verb Morphology
Famous quotes containing the words stems and, stems and/or endings:
“Let me walk through the fields of paper
touching with my wand
dry stems and stunted
butterflies....”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)
“A passion for politics stems usually from an insatiable need, either for power, or for friendship and adulation, or a combination of both.”
—Fawn M. Brodie (1915–1981)
“Logic and hope fade somewhat by thirty-six, when endings seem more like clear warnings than useful experience.”
—Jane O’Reilly, U.S. feminist and humorist. The Girl I Left Behind, ch. 2 (1980)