“Taking flights” a little higher towards the improvement of our linguistic competence, always we come across some linguistic facts whose particularities tend to be accentuated more than that of others. Thus, “landing” in the field of morphology, especially when we are situated in the universe of verbs, we come across some aspects that are somewhat complex, but nothing impossible to be effectively understood, as nothing less than a pinch of attention cannot solve possible deadlocks. So, specifically, we will focus our attention on the peculiar traits that guide one of the thought-provoking verbs: the verb to fit. Would this verb, in turn, present itself as defective?
It is therefore worth stating that according to the conception of some grammarians, by the way most of them, as well as some dictionaries, such a verb is indeed considered as defective, that is, it is not conjugated at all the manners, times and people. Thus presented, the lack of these conjugations concerns those forms in which the stressed vowel is demarcated by the letter “U” (adequo, adequas...).
In this sense, it is noteworthy that the conjugations are present only in the present tense, as well as in the times and people derived from it, as is the case of the present subjunctive and the negative imperative, in addition to the third person singular, first and third plural of the imperative affirmative. At other times, taking into account the modes to which they belong, the conjugation remains normal. So, let's see:
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Present tense:
we fit
you fit
Subjunctive present:
that we adapt
may you suit
Affirmative imperative:
let us adapt
fit yourselves
Negative imperative:
we don't fit
do not fit yourselves
Given these reasons, not only with the verb in question, but with the others that are also defective, it is recommended that we opt for others with a similar meaning, therefore synonyms. As a suggestion, here are the verbs: accommodate, adapt, adjust.
However, according to what the Houaiss dictionary advocates, the verb in question is normally conjugated, that is, in all grammatical persons.
By Vânia Duarte
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DUARTE, Vânia Maria do Nascimento. "Adequate: A defective verb?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/adequar-um-verbo-defectivo.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.