A language where verb congruence fails in these cases:
In the following circumstances, the person congruence is conflated with a third person verb form:
- negative reflexive verbs
- any existential verbs (including verbs of motion or location, when used in an existential manner, such as "there are so-and-so running around on our back yard")
- presence of non-subject topics
This specific third person form is also used with third person subjects - both singular and plural - for expressing:
- with verbs of physical actions it marks plural subjects not acting in a concerted manner
- most often with copulas for any subject person
- lack of volition for third person
- nonspecificity of singular subject
Verb congruence also fails when a noun is used to denote a full class of things, so that the plural verb is used even with singular subjects, e.g.
- caviar is fish eggs
- cars have engines
- the antelope is an African mammal
all would have plural congruence on the verb. When the upper set of rules and this set of rules conflict, which one is chosen is in free variation.
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