what is the difference between Exist and Exists

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premanand

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Jan 5, 2006
What is the difference between the words Exist and Exists? When should we use "Exist" and when to use "Exists". Please provide me some examples with those words.
 

SweetMommaSue

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Joined
Aug 8, 2005
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English Teacher
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American English
Home Country
United States
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Welcome to the forums premanand! :hi:

The infinitive verb "to exist" is conjugated as follows:

I exist/we exist
you exist/you all exist
he exists/they exist
she exists/they exist
it exists/they exist

As you can see, in English, it is usually the third person singular that puts a final "s" on the verb. The other conjugations leave it off.

I live/we live
you live/you all live
he lives/they live
she lives/they live
it lives/they live

I run/we run
you run/you all run
he runs/they run

I cook/we cook
you cook/you cook
he cooks/they cook

I eat/we eat
you eat/you eat
he eats/they eat

We do have irregular verbs that conjugate differently, and still it is the third person singular which is the odd conjugation.

I go/we go
you go/you go
he goes/they go

I do/we do
you do/you all do
she does/they do

I have/we have
you have/you have
it has/they have

Do you see the pattern? In some of the second person plural conjugations I wrote "you all" to indicate that it is a plural. The fact is that when talking to a group of people you can either say, "You all are to go to . . ." or "You are to go to . . ." The "all" can be used or omitted. It's personal preference.

Have a pleasant day!
Sweet Momma Sue :usa
 
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