Suffix · forms verbs
Turns a root into an action verb: activ + ate = activate; celebrat + ate = celebrate.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
-ate takes a root, usually of Latin origin, and turns it into a verb describing an action or process. create = to make something exist, educate = to teach and develop someone, motivate = to give someone a reason to act, celebrate = to mark a special occasion, communicate = to share information with someone. Most of these verbs are shared across many languages, since English and Romance languages both borrowed the same Latin roots independently.
The trickiest part of -ate verbs is not the spelling, it is the stress. It almost always falls on the root, not on the ending: CE-le-brate, MO-ti-vate, E-du-cate, COM-mu-ni-cate. Getting the stress wrong is the single most common mistake with this suffix, even among advanced speakers, because the ending looks like it should carry the weight of the word.
Root (usually Latin) + ate = action verb. Stress falls on the root, not on the suffix.
Several -ate words change sound depending on whether they are a verb or a noun/adjective: to graduate (verb, full "eyt" sound) vs a graduate (noun, short "it" sound). The same happens with estimate, separate, and advocate.
-ate/eɪt/ · rhymes with "eight"
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
In -ate verbs, the stress almost always falls on the first syllable of the root, not on the suffix: CE-le-brate, MO-ti-vate, E-du-cate.
Several -ate words shift sound depending on their role: to graduate / a graduate, to estimate / an estimate, to separate / a separate room.
A trick to remember it
Stress almost always falls on the root, not on -ate: CE-le-brate, MO-ti-vate, E-du-cate. And watch for verb/noun pairs that change sound, like to graduate vs a graduate.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
How do you pronounce the verb "graduate" in "She will graduate next year"?
Exercise 3 · Form the word
The suffix -ate turns a root into an action verb: activ + ate = activate; celebrat + ate = celebrate. In Spanish it usually maps to -ar / -izar / -ificar.
The ending -ate is pronounced /eɪt/ · rhymes with "eight". For example, "create".
"creat-" becomes "create". It is a typical example of the -ate suffix.
Turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make" or "to convert into": simple becomes simplify.
Turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make" or "to convert into": modern becomes modernize.
Turns verbs into nouns that name an action or its result: educate becomes education.
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.