Today we are going to talk about a word that might even be considered controversial in some situations because some people don’t even know of its existence.
That is why if they see this word then they might think that this is just a mistake and they would like to correct it without understanding the context behind it.
But as content writers, it is our duty to know about everything related to a language and that also includes unique words like this.
The word we are going to talk about is conversate.
People often ask the question is conversate a word?
Yes, it is an actual word and it has been used in English for centuries. The origin of this word might be shrouded in mystery but we can see the earliest use of this word all the way back in 1811.
Let us understand more about this fascinating word along with its uses so that you might understand whether to use the word conversation or the word conversating in a sentence.
The Origin of Conversate
This word has been in constant use for at least 200 years and the origin of conversate is actually not that rare of an occurrence.
Different words have different kinds of formations and the conversate word is a result of back-formation.
This is when you take the word ‘conversation’ and remove the ‘ion’ from it and then add an ‘e’ at the back of it and this is usually how back-formation words are created.
It is usually done to create a verb. You can call it a colloquial technique shortening words for easier use.
Other examples of this kind of word formation would be things like ‘escalate’ from the word ‘escalator’ or perhaps ‘donate’ from the word ‘donation’.
When did conversate become a word?
Well, if you look back at history then you can find the earliest evidence of this becoming a word way back in 1574.
But if we want more examples then you can find it used a lot in the early 19th century.
This Is What Conversate Means
If we want to look at the conversate definition then it is just going to be the verb version of conversation.
The meaning of conversate is simple. It is when someone wants to have a conversation with another person.
However, there is a problem with the usage of this word because there are better ways to convey the meaning.
The confusion starts when people can’t simply decide what to use because you have two distinct words that can be used in a scenario of a verb.
You can use ‘conversate’ meaning to have a conversation and you can use ‘converse’, which also means the same.
So, what is the difference between the two? Let’s find out.
Let’s Define Converse and Conversate
Definition Of Conversate in The Context of Grammar
If you think about the word conversate then it is mostly used informally and you might even face backlash for using it in some formal circles.
Conversate comes in various forms and you can find it in present-participle versions and you can also find it in the past participle.
When it comes to present participle, ‘conversate’ becomes ‘conversating’, with ‘conversating’ meaning just holding a conversation.
But people generally do not use this version. Instead, almost all people prefer ‘conversing’ rather than ‘conversating’.
Although you might use it in a sentence like “conversating a word”, most people are not going to use it like this.
If you want to use it in past participle then you might use something like ‘conversated’, but people would just use something like ‘had a conversation’ or ‘conversed’ rather than ‘conversated’.
But since we are already here, let us look at a few examples that will help you understand the different uses of conversate, conversating and conversated.
Examples using “conversate”:
“Let’s sit down and conversate about our plans for the vacation.”
“They were seen to conversate intensely at the party last night.”
“They always conversate about various topics over lunch.”
Examples using “conversating”:
“We enjoy conversating with our friends about history.”
“We heard them conversating about the latest game updates.”
“They spent the vacation conversating about their business.”
Examples using “conversated”:
“We conversated for hours about our business.”
“I conversated with him about the business before the meeting started.”
“They conversated with their teacher about the project after class.”
Definition Of Converse in The Context of Grammar
Converse is a very versatile word and it can be used in most sentence structures in the form of an adjective as well as a noun and definitely a verb.
If you want to use it as an adjective then the meaning actually becomes the opposite of something.
And if you want to use it as a noun then again it actually means the reverse of something.
When it comes to using it as a verb, we already know how it is used because it carries the same meaning as holding a conversation.
Examples using “converse” as a verb:
“He likes to converse with his colleagues during lunch breaks.”
“They can converse about the assignment during the lunch break.”
“I find it hard to converse with strangers at family events.”
Examples using “converse” as a noun:
“The meeting took an interesting turn and became the converse of productive.”
“In the world of politics, converse opinions should always be studied.“
“Converse personalities usually vibe quite well.”
Examples using “converse” as an adjective:
“The book yacht club members engaged in stimulating converse discussion.”
“His reserved demeanour sometimes leads to converse interactions in the workplace.”
“We had a temporary office at converse ends of the building.”
This Is the Difference Between Converse and Conversate
If you want to look at it from a general standpoint then the entire debate between conversate vs converse is actually not that complicated.
Both of these words mean the same but the difference is clearly visible where they are used.
‘Converse’ is mostly used in formal settings and in a formal context of conversation but ‘conversate’ is mostly used informally and colloquially.
If you want to use ‘conversate’ then you should avoid it in formal and professional environments because it is a nonstandard word and most people might not even understand what it means.
Of course, you can use converse everywhere both in a formal context as well as informally.
We can understand how they are both used with examples.
Examples using “converse”:
“We sat down to converse about the latest developments in the office.”
“I love engaging in deep philosophical conversations when I converse with my partner.”
“It’s important to be able to converse effectively in English in today’s world.”
Examples using “conversate”:
“After the exam, we decided to grab some coffee and conversate about our weekend plans.”
“I always find it easy to conversate with Rahul; we just click.”
“Let’s find a quiet spot in the garden where we can conversate without interruptions.”
So, Which One Should You Use?
If you have been through the entire blog then you might understand the fact that both of these words are grammatically correct and there is no doubt about it.
You might also understand how they can be used in a sentence with our examples because both words have been in continuous use in English with ‘conversate’ being in use for at least 200 years.
So, if you have to decide which to use, conversate or converse, what do you do?
We can get all technical with you and tell you when these kinds of words were used and we can also talk about where you can use them and where you can’t use them.
We might also tell you that you can use one of these words in the office or while writing your academic paper and you can’t use the other one.
But we have an even better suggestion for you that will help you understand exactly what we mean.
The primary purpose of language is to get your point across and that is exactly what words should do for you because if you do not get the point across then there is no point in using that word.
That is why if you decide to choose the word ‘converse’ then people will understand what you mean because it is familiar to everyone.
But if you decide to use ‘conversate’ or ‘conversating’ or even ‘conversated’ then it might cause confusion and you might have to pull out this blog to explain it to people.
But it is just a matter of inconvenience at this point.
We hope this blog helps you understand the exact meaning of conversate and we also hope you understand when to use it and when not to use it.
If you really want to use it then you are free to use it because it is not wrong and the Merriam-Webster dictionary is there to vouch for you.
And if you are someone who wants to use it in your own novel but you simply do not have the time to write it then we are here for you.
We are Ghostwriting India and we are the fastest growing as well as the most popular ghostwriter-for-hire agency in India and we know how to utilise every kind of word in all our content.
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Common Conversate FAQs
Is conversate correct grammar?
Yes, it is definitely correct grammar because ‘conversate’ is what we call a word that has been formed as a result of back-formation in English. It is a formation technique that originates in casual colloquial conversation
However, that does not mean the word ‘conversate’ is formal because if you want to use it in a formal setting then you might get looks.
This is what we call a non-standard word just like ‘irregardless’, people will not simply know if it is correct, it might still get flagged by different spell checkers.
When did conversate become a word?
If you look back far enough then there is evidence of ‘conversate’ being used as far back as 1574 by C. Vitell in one of his translations.
That does not mean it was in common use because if you have to look at ‘conversate’ being used in common sentences by regular people then we have to go back to 1811 in a citation —Archibald Loudon, A Selection of Some of the Most Interesting Narratives, 1811.
Since this citation, this word has become fairly popular and can then be seen used in 1829 in the North Carolina Free Press. Although the news is not the best source of credible English usage but we can’t ignore the fact that it has been used.
When did conversate become popular?
The word ‘conversate’ actually became popular with its usage in rap music as well as in the Hip Hop category of music.
The reason for this is simple and it is because ‘conversate’ is much easier to rhyme than ‘conversation’ if you want to write rap music.
Notorious B.I.G used ‘conversate’ in the song Big Poppa and there is actually a song by the name of Conversate by Case released in 2001.
Is aint a real word?
‘Ain’t’ is grammatically correct and definitely a real word just like ‘conversate’ is a real word. These words have been used for centuries with them being most common in the 18th century.
However, the reason why people might think that ‘aint’t’ is wrong is simply because it is a nonstandard word which means it is not used in any formal setting and is only used in colloquial speech.
You might hear its usage in movies and songs but you might never find it in a legal document or something like the notice board of a government organisation.
