how is inquit conjugated?
how about ait?
these two are confusing me a bit.
inquam and aio are defective verbs and you can find their complete conjugations in A&G §206.
inquam appears to be a 3rd conjugation -io verb, though many forms are missing from its paradigm and the 1st pers. sing. pres. act. indic. is thought to be a subjunctive form in origin. The common forms of inquam are:
inquam “I say”
inquis “you say”
inquit “he/she says”
inquiunt “they say”.
inquit is the form you will no doubt encounter most often. This verb often seems to be used with a past sense, though you could just consider it historic present.
aio is just another 3rd conjugation -io verb with some missing forms. The common forms of aio are:
aio “I say”
ais “you say”
ait “he/she says”
aiunt “they say”
It is regular in the imperfect, as aiebam, aiebas, aiebat, etc, but you will most often see it in the present.