December 27, 2001

9:01 AM

WebVerbixcan conjugate verbs for you sixty-four languages, ranging from French and Spanish to Dutch and a variety of creoles. The best part is that it'll do it for free (though you can buy the software and conjugate in 100 languages.) It's sites like these that remind me why I love the Internet.
posted by headspace (16 comments total)

it's also sites like those that remind us how dependent we are becoming on technology, rather than upon ourselves for success.
posted by wesgrimes at 9:07 AM on December 27, 2001

boo-hoo! bring on the implants!
posted by rhyax at 9:09 AM on December 27, 2001

Neato-keen! Dunno about dependency so much- you still have to understand grammar to use this properly. And it's invaluable if you're lerning a language and have to memorize all the exceptions... English, anyone?
posted by kahboom at 9:10 AM on December 27, 2001

exactly, and what happen's when you are over in a foreign country, and you realize that you do not have your wired laptop to whip out and conjugate a verb for you. it's just not practical . . .
posted by wesgrimes at 9:22 AM on December 27, 2001

Why in god's name would anyone want to know how to conjugate verbs in so many languages and not be able to otherwise use the language or read it?
posted by Postroad at 9:23 AM on December 27, 2001

For an interesting time try clicking on "Equivalent to" a couple dozen times until you return to the starting language. What started 'kiss', became 'embrace', then 'f*ck', followed by 'smack'.

Guess somebody sobered up torwards the end there...
posted by revbrian at 9:24 AM on December 27, 2001

it's also sites like those that remind us how dependent we are becoming on technology, rather than upon ourselves for success.

Eh? This seems rather alarmist. Substitute "reference sources" or "textbooks" for "technology" in your sentence and see how it sounds.

Why in god's name would anyone want to know how to conjugate verbs in so many languages and not be able to otherwise use the language or read it?

Yeah! I hate knowing stuff! Jesus Christ, it's just a tool. It's like reading a map and wondering why anyone would care where London is located if they don't know anything about the history of England.
posted by Skot at 9:28 AM on December 27, 2001

I found this site handy because when I learn a language, I learn it by learning to conjugate the (regular) verbs first. This site lists them in order and forms, and you can see the natural progression. Having a handy list to memorize from is a great tool to build a language foundation, and I just get a lot of geeky fun out of conjugating verbs anyway. Besides, you never know when you might need to be able to say "I conquer!" in six or seven languages...
posted by headspace at 9:45 AM on December 27, 2001

yeah why did this thread become so bitter about learning languages? i personally found conjugating to be the most frustrating part of learning french. dictionaries never sufficed in trying to teach one how to masterfully use more eloquent and appropriate words. this is ridiculously concise and far less bulky than a pesky verb book. super link!
posted by c at 10:08 AM on December 27, 2001

Seems pointless to me, but I've never understood the "2001 Verbs in Estonian"-type books either.

why did this thread become so bitter

"Bitter"? Huh?
posted by rodii at 10:19 AM on December 27, 2001

I've never understood the "2001 Verbs in Estonian"-type books either.

Tere tere tolu rodii! Kurat!
posted by Skot at 10:23 AM on December 27, 2001

Nice. This would be worthwhile if only for the great lists of verbs. The only English/Welsh dictionary with as complete a list as this costs £40.

Some of the bits I've looked at are under pretty heavy construction, but dodgy sections are very clearly signposted. Good stuff.
posted by ceiriog at 10:39 AM on December 27, 2001

Also for those that are looking for a no frills dictionary I would suggest www.wordreference.com.

There you'll find English to (and vice versa):

Spanish
German
Italian
French
posted by HoldenParis at 1:03 PM on December 27, 2001

Of course you could just take the easy way out and learn Mandarin Chinese which has no verb conjugations.

µ´ «–¥?÷?ª”–ƒ«?¥»›“?°£

Translation: But the characters aren't so easy.
posted by phoenix enflamed at 3:02 PM on December 28, 2001

Il faut espérer que ce site réusisse mieux que Webvan.
posted by ParisParamus at 3:43 PM on December 28, 2001

If you spend some time at that Web site, would it be a conjugal visit?
posted by kindall at 4:06 PM on December 28, 2001