A1 Verb Conjugation 1 min read Leicht

The First Conjugation (-a)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

First conjugation verbs end in -a in the infinitive and follow a specific pattern of endings like -u, -i, -a.

  • Identify the stem by removing the -ti ending from the infinitive.
  • Add the present tense endings: -u (1st), -i (2nd), -a (3rd).
  • The 3rd person singular and plural are identical in form.
Infinitive (-ti) + Ending (-u/-i/-a) = Conjugated Verb

Meanings

The first conjugation group covers verbs whose infinitive form ends in -ti and whose present tense stem ends in -a.

1

Present Action

Describing an action happening right now or a habitual action.

“Aš skaitau knygą.”

“Tu dirbi biure.”

2

General Truth

Stating facts that are generally true.

“Saulė šviečia ryte.”

“Vanduo verda.”

3

Future Intention

Using present tense to imply near future.

“Rytoj aš dirbu.”

“Mes einame į kiną vėliau.”

First Conjugation (-a) Pattern

Person Pronoun Ending Example (dirbti)
1st Sing. Aš -u dirbu
2nd Sing. Tu -i dirbi
3rd Sing. Jis/Ji -a dirba
1st Plur. Mes -ame dirbame
2nd Plur. Jūs -ate dirbate
3rd Plur. Jie/Jos -a dirba

Reference Table

Reference table for The First Conjugation (-a)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Stem + Ending Aš dirbu
Negative ne + Stem + Ending Aš nedirbu
Question Ar + Subject + Verb Ar tu dirbi?
Short Answer (Yes) Taip, [Pronoun] [Verb] Taip, aš dirbu
Short Answer (No) Ne, [Pronoun] ne[Verb] Ne, aš nedirbu
Plural Stem + -ame/-ate/-a Mes dirbame

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Aš dirbu.

Aš dirbu. (Work)

Neutral
Aš dirbu.

Aš dirbu. (Work)

Informell
Dirbu.

Dirbu. (Work)

Umgangssprache
Varau.

Varau. (Work)

The First Conjugation Universe

First Conjugation

Endings

  • -u 1st sing
  • -i 2nd sing
  • -a 3rd sing

Examples

  • dirbti to work
  • skaityti to read
  • rašyti to write

Conjugation Comparison

1st Conj
dirbu I work
2nd Conj
turiu I have

How to Conjugate

1

Does it end in -ti?

YES
Remove -ti
NO
Check other group
2

Is the stem -a?

YES
Use -u, -i, -a
NO
Use other endings

Common Verbs

💼

Work/Study

  • • dirbti
  • • skaityti
  • • rašyti
🚶

Movement

  • • eiti
  • • važiuoti
  • • bėgti
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Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Aš dirbu.

I work.

2

Tu skaitai.

You read.

3

Jis rašo.

He writes.

4

Mes einame.

We go.

1

Ar tu dirbi šiandien?

Do you work today?

2

Mes neiname į parką.

We are not going to the park.

3

Jie skaito knygą.

They are reading a book.

4

Jūs rašote laišką.

You are writing a letter.

1

Nors aš dirbu daug, man patinka mano darbas.

Although I work a lot, I like my job.

2

Ką tu skaitai šiuo metu?

What are you reading at the moment?

3

Mes einame ten, kur šviečia saulė.

We are going where the sun shines.

4

Jie rašo ataskaitą visą dieną.

They have been writing the report all day.

1

Jei aš dirbu viršvalandžius, gaunu daugiau pinigų.

If I work overtime, I get more money.

2

Knyga, kurią skaitai, yra labai įdomi.

The book you are reading is very interesting.

3

Mes einame į susitikimą, kuris prasideda devintą.

We are going to the meeting that starts at nine.

4

Rašau tau, nes noriu pasitarti.

I am writing to you because I want to consult.

1

Nepaisant to, kad dirbu sunkiai, rezultatai ne visada džiugina.

Despite the fact that I work hard, the results are not always pleasing.

2

Skaitydamas šią knygą, supratau daug naujų dalykų.

Reading this book, I understood many new things.

3

Einame pirmyn, nežiūrėdami atgal.

We are moving forward, not looking back.

4

Rašydamas šį tekstą, rėmiausi istoriniais šaltiniais.

Writing this text, I relied on historical sources.

1

Dirbu su didžiausiu atsidavimu, tarsi tai būtų mano gyvenimo misija.

I work with the greatest dedication, as if it were my life's mission.

2

Skaitai tarp eilučių, ieškodamas paslėptų prasmių.

You read between the lines, looking for hidden meanings.

3

Einame ten, kur veda likimas.

We go where fate leads.

4

Rašau šią esė, siekdamas įamžinti mūsų kultūrinį paveldą.

I am writing this essay, aiming to immortalize our cultural heritage.

Leicht verwechselbar

The First Conjugation (-a) vs. 1st vs 2nd Conjugation

Learners mix up the endings -u/-i/-a with -iu/-i/-i.

The First Conjugation (-a) vs. Present vs Past

Learners use present tense for past events.

The First Conjugation (-a) vs. Infinitive vs Conjugated

Using the dictionary form in sentences.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Aš dirbti

✓

Aš dirbu

Using the infinitive instead of the conjugated form.
✗

Tu dirba

✓

Tu dirbi

Using the 3rd person ending for the 2nd person.
✗

Jis dirbi

✓

Jis dirba

Using the 2nd person ending for the 3rd person.
✗

Aš nedirbti

✓

Aš nedirbu

Negating the infinitive instead of the conjugated verb.
✗

Mes dirbi

✓

Mes dirbame

Incorrect plural ending.
✗

Jūs dirba

✓

Jūs dirbate

Using 3rd person for 2nd person plural.
✗

Jie dirbate

✓

Jie dirba

Using 2nd person plural for 3rd person plural.
✗

Aš dirbuoju

✓

Aš dirbu

Adding unnecessary suffixes.
✗

Jis dirbės

✓

Jis dirba

Confusing present with future tense.
✗

Mes dirbamei

✓

Mes dirbame

Adding extra vowels to endings.
✗

Jis dirbąs

✓

Jis dirba

Using archaic participle forms incorrectly.
✗

Mes dirbame esame

✓

Mes dirbame

Redundant auxiliary usage.
✗

Jie dirbą

✓

Jie dirba

Incorrect nasalization.
✗

Aš dirbčiau

✓

Aš dirbu

Confusing conditional with present.

Satzmuster

Aš ___ knygą.

Tu ___ biure.

Mes ___ į darbą.

Jie ___ laišką.

Real World Usage

Job Interview very common

Aš dirbu programuotoju.

Texting constant

Ką veiki?

Food Delivery App common

Užsakymas ruošiamas.

Travel common

Mes einame į stotį.

Social Media constant

Aš skaitau gerą knygą.

Classroom very common

Mes rašome testą.

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💡

Use a dictionary

Always check the conjugation group in a dictionary.
⚠️

Don't skip the pronoun

While pronouns can be dropped, keep them for clarity as a beginner.
🎯

Listen to music

Listen to Lithuanian songs to hear the verb endings in context.
💬

Be direct

Lithuanians appreciate clear, direct communication.

Smart Tips

Always look up the infinitive and the 3rd person form.

Guessing the conjugation. → Checking the dictionary first.

Write out the full conjugation table for new verbs.

Only learning the 1st person. → Learning all 6 forms.

Focus on the ending rhythm.

Stumbling over endings. → Using the -u, -i, -a rhythm.

Identify the verb stem.

Ignoring the verb structure. → Breaking down the word into stem + ending.

Aussprache

dir-BU

Stress

Lithuanian stress is mobile; check the dictionary for each verb.

dir-bi

Vowel length

Short vowels are crisp and clear.

Question

Ar tu dirbi↑?

Rising intonation at the end signals a question.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Remember the 'U-I-A' rhythm: 'You (u) and I (i) are (a) working!'

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a worker (dirbu) reading (skaitau) while writing (rašau) a letter. The letters U, I, and A are floating above their head.

Rhyme

First group is easy, just say it out loud: I end in u, you end in i, he ends in a, that's the way!

Story

Jonas is a hard worker. Every morning, he 'dirbu' (works). He likes to 'skaitau' (read) the news. Then he 'rašau' (writes) his daily report. He is a master of the first conjugation.

Word Web

dirbtiskaitytirašytieitibėgtikalbėti

Herausforderung

Conjugate three verbs (dirbti, skaityti, rašyti) for all six persons in under 60 seconds.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Lithuanians value directness. Using the correct conjugation shows respect for the language.

In the Samogitian dialect, some endings may sound slightly different.

Standard Lithuanian is based on the Aukštaitian dialect.

Lithuanian verbs are highly conservative and retain many features of Proto-Indo-European.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Ką tu veiki?

“

Ar tu dirbi šiandien?

“

Ką tu skaitai?

“

Kur jūs einate?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Aprašyk savo darbo dieną.
Ką tu skaitai šią savaitę?
Aprašyk savo draugo veiklą.
Ką mes veikiame savaitgalį?
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Test Yourself

Conjugate 'dirbti' for 'Aš'.

Aš ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dirbu
1st person singular ending is -u.
Which is the correct 3rd person form of 'skaityti'? Multiple Choice

Jis ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: skaito
3rd person ending is -a (or -o in some groups, here -a).
Fix the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Tu dirba.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tu dirbi
2nd person singular requires -i.
Order the words. Sentence Building

knygą / skaitau / Aš

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Aš skaitau knygą
Standard SVO order.
Conjugate 'rašyti' for 'Mes'. Conjugation Drill

Mes ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: rašome
1st person plural is -ame.
Match the pronoun to the ending. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -u
1st person singular is -u.
Make negative. Sentence Transformation

Aš dirbu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Aš nedirbu
ne- prefix is attached to the verb.
Complete the response. Dialogue Completion

Ar tu skaitai? - Taip, aš ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: skaitau
1st person singular matches 'Aš'.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Conjugate 'dirbti' for 'Aš'.

Aš ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dirbu
1st person singular ending is -u.
Which is the correct 3rd person form of 'skaityti'? Multiple Choice

Jis ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: skaito
3rd person ending is -a (or -o in some groups, here -a).
Fix the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Tu dirba.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tu dirbi
2nd person singular requires -i.
Order the words. Sentence Building

knygą / skaitau / Aš

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Aš skaitau knygą
Standard SVO order.
Conjugate 'rašyti' for 'Mes'. Conjugation Drill

Mes ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: rašome
1st person plural is -ame.
Match the pronoun to the ending. Match Pairs

Aš -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -u
1st person singular is -u.
Make negative. Sentence Transformation

Aš dirbu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Aš nedirbu
ne- prefix is attached to the verb.
Complete the response. Dialogue Completion

Ar tu skaitai? - Taip, aš ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: skaitau
1st person singular matches 'Aš'.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

Lithuanian is an inflected language; endings indicate the subject.

Yes, 'Dirbu' is perfectly fine for 'I work'.

No, check the stem vowel.

The conjugation rules still apply.

For the first conjugation, yes.

Check the infinitive ending in a dictionary.

It has complex grammar but very consistent rules.

Use apps like SubLearn or talk to native speakers.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Present Indicative

Lithuanian conjugation is more regular in the first group.

French partial

Présent de l'indicatif

Lithuanian endings are always pronounced.

German moderate

Präsens

Lithuanian has more distinct person markers.

Japanese low

Dictionary form

Lithuanian requires person agreement.

Arabic moderate

Mudari

Lithuanian relies primarily on suffixes.

Chinese none

Verb base

Lithuanian is highly inflected.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
The Second Conjugation (-i)

Related Grammar Rules

A1

The Second Conjugation (-i)
A1

The Third Conjugation (-o)
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