Variation with 2nd conjugation verbs in the passato remoto in the io, lui and loro forms?

Question

In studying the passato remoto one notes immediately the variation on the 2nd conjugation (-ere stem) verbs in the io, lui/lei, loro forms. For example a verb like ***credere*** is conjugated:> ***credei / credetti***, credesti, ***credè / credette***, credemmo, credeste, ***crederono / credettero***Why does this occur? Is one form favored more than another based on the time period in which it is written or is there another reason?

Answer 1

It’s mostly dependent on personal preference, although sometimes other forms sound more antiquated than others. It’s similar to in English how one can say fish or fishes (for the plural noun) - of course this is different, but just so you can see that these types of occurrences are in all languages.