Guide to Verb Tenses in Latin

Principal Parts and Conjugations In order to conjugate a verb in any tense, you need to know the principal parts of the verb. A conjugation is a group of verbs. Each conjugation follows a pattern in its principal parts which makes it easier to know a verbs principal parts if you know the verbs conjugation. However, some verbs do not follow the normal pattern of their conjugation so their principal parts must be memorized. 1st Conjugation Pattern: -o, -are, -avi,-atum

Examples amo, amare, amavi, amatum (to love) ambulo, ambulare, ambulavi, ambulatum (to walk) clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatum (to shout) Exceptions sto, stare, steti, statum (to stand) do, dare, dedi, datum (to give)

2nd Conjugation Pattern :

-eo, -re, -ui, -itum

Examples habeo, habre, habui, habitum (to have) terreo, terrre, terrui, territum (to frighten) Exceptions video, vidre, vdi, visum (to see) iubeo, iubre, iussi, iussum (to order)

3rd Conjugation Pattern:

-o, -ere, ----, -----

There is no pattern for the 3rd and 4th principal parts! Examples dico, dicere, dixi, dictum (to say) scribo, scribere, scripsi, scriptum (to write) ago, agere, egi, actum (to do, to drive)

3rd Conjugation io Pattern:

-io, -ere, -----, ----

Again, no pattern for 3rd or 4th principal parts! Examples facio, facere, fci, factum (to do, to make) conspicio, conspicere, conspexi, conspectum (to catch sight iacio, iacere, ici, iactum (to throw) 4th Conjugation Pattern: -io, -ire, -ivi, -itum

Examples audio, audire, audivi, auditum (to hear) dormio, dormire, dormivi, dormitum (to sleep) Exception venio, venire, vni, ventum (to come)

As you can see, all conjugations follow a pattern in the 1st 2 principal parts. In fact, the 2nd principal part (which is called the infinitive and is translated to verb) tells which conjugation the verb is in. 1st=-are 2nd=-re 3rd and 3rd io=-ere 4th=-ire

Present Tense This tense is actually the trickiest. There are several ways to do it. This is just one. Rule: Take off the last three letters of the 2nd principal part(infinitive) and then add the appropriate endings depending on the conjugation of the verb. 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd io and 4th

-o -as -at

-amus -atis -ant

-eo -es -et

-emus -etis -ent

-o -imus -is -itis -it -unt

-io -imus -is -itis -it -iunt

Imperfect Tense The basic endings for all conjugations: -bam -bas -bat -bamus -batis -bant

The only tricky part is figuring out what to add these to. There are two rules. Rule for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Conjugations: Take off the re of the infinitive and add the endings above. Rule for 3rd-io and 4th: Take off the ere or ire, then add ie, then add the endings above.

Future Tense There are two COMPLETELY different ways to do the future depending on the verbs conjugation. Rule for 1st and 2nd conjugation: Take off the re and add the following endings: -bo -bimus -bis -bitis -bit -bunt

Rule for 3rd, 3rd io, and 4th conjugation: Take off the ere or ire from the infinitive, then add the following endings: -(i)am -(i)es -(i)et -(i)emus -(i)etis -(i)ent

If the verb is 3rd, it doesnt have the i-; if it is 3rd io or 4th, it has the i-

Perfect Tense The great thing about the rest of the tenses is it doesnt matter what conjugation the verb is to determine what endings to add. The tricky part is knowing what to add the endings to. For all the rest of the tenses, you need to know the verbs 3rd principal part. Rule: Take off the i from the 3rd principal part and add the following endings: -i -imus -isti -istis -it -erunt

Pluperfect Tense Rule: Take off the i from the 3rd principal part and add the following endings: -eram -eras -erat -eramus -eratis -erant

Future Perfect Tense Rule: Take off the i from the 3rd principal part and add the following endings: -ero -eris -erit -erimus -eritis -erint

How to translate each tense Present: I am verbing, I do verb, I verb Imperfect: I was verbing, I verbed, I used to verb, I kept on verbing Future: I will verb, I shall verb Perfect: I have verbed, I verbed, I did verb Pluperfect: I had verbed Future Perfect: I will have verbed

Sum, Esse, Fui, Futurus in each tense Present sum es est Imperfect eram eras erat

sumus estis sunt

eramus eratis erant

Future ero eris erit

erimus eritis erunt

Perfect fui fuisti fuit

fuimus fuistis fuerunt

Pluperfect fueram fueramus fueras fueratis fuerat fuerant

Future Perfect fuero fuerimus fueris fueritis fuerat fuerint

Imperatives The imperative form of a verb is its command form. The following are all present tense. (There are future tense imperatives, but they are not used as much) Rule for the singular imperative: drop the re from the infinitive Rule for the plural imperative: add te to the singular imperative. If the verb is 3rd conjugation, change the final e- of the singular to i- then add te. Rule for the negative imperative: noli plus infinitive for the singular; nolite plus infinitive for the plural (the negative imperative is two separate words)

Abrupt Imperatives 5 Latin verbs have shortened forms of the singular imperative. Memorize the following imperative forms. (The negative is formed regularly) dico, dicere (to say): duco, ducere (to lead): facio, facere (to make, do): fero, ferre (to bring): dic, dicite duc, ducite fac, facite fer, ferte

Present, Imperfect and Future of Irregular Verbs possum, posse, potui (to be able) present possum potes potest future potero poteris poterit imperfect poteram poteras poterat

possumus potestis possunt

poteramus poteratis poterant

poterimus poteritis poterunt

eo, ire, ivi, itum (to go) present eo imus is itis it eunt imperfect ibam ibas ibat future ibo ibis ibit

ibamus ibatis ibant

ibimus ibitis ibunt

volo, velle, volui (to wish, to want) present volo vis vult future volam voles volet imperfect volebam volebas volebat

volumus vultis volunt

volebamus volebatis volebant

volemus voletis volent

fero, ferre, tuli, latum present fero fers fert future feram feres feret imperfect ferebam ferebas ferebat

ferimus fertis ferunt

ferebamus ferebatis ferebant

feremus feretis ferent

The perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect is regular, i.e., it is formed according to the rules for those tenses listed above.

Regular Verbs from each Conjugation conjugated in each tense, with Imperatives 1st conjugation: amo, amare, amavi, amatum present: amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant imperfect: amabam, amabas, amabat, amabamus, amabatis, amabant future: amabo, amabis, amabit, amabimus, amabitis, amabunt perfect: amavi, amavisti, amavit, amavimus, amavistis, amaverunt pluperfect: amaveram, amaveras, amaverat, amaveramus, amaveratis, amaverant future perf: amavero, amaveris, amaverit, amaverimus, amaveritis, amaverint Imperatives: ama, amate Negative Imperatives: noli amare, nolite amare

2nd conjugation: doceo, docre, docui, doctum present: doceo, doces, docet, docemus, docetis, docent imperfect: docebam, docebas, docebat, docebamus, docebatis, docebant future: docebo, docebis, docebit, docebimus, docebitis, docebunt perfect: docui, docuisti, docuit, docuimus, docuistis, docuerunt pluperfect: docueram, docueras, docuerat, docueramus, docueratis, docuerant future perf: docuero, docueris, docuerit, docuerimus, docueritis, docuerint imperatives: doce, docete negative imperatives: noli docre, nolite docre

3rd conjugation: dico, dicere, dixi, dictum present: dico, dicis, dicit, dicimus, dicitis, dicunt imperfect: dicebam, dicebas, dicebat, dicebamus, dicebatis, dicebant future: dicam, dices, dicet, dicemus, dicetis, dicent perfect: dixi, dixisti, dixit, diximus, dixistis, dixerunt pluperfect: dixeram, dixeras, dixerat, dixeramus, dixeratis, dixerant future perf: dixero, dixeris, dixerit, dixerimus, dixeritis, dixerint imperatives: of lego, legere: lege, legite plural imperatives: of lego legere: noli legere, nolite legere

3rd-io & 4th conjugation: iacio, iacere, ici, iactum present: iacio, iacis, iacit, iacimus, iacitis, iaciunt imperfect: iaciebam, iaciebas, iaciebat, iaciebamus, iaciebatis, iaciebant future: iaciam, iacies, iaciet, iaciemus, iacietis, iacient perfect: ieci, iecisti, iecit, iecimus, iecisitis, iecerunt pluperfect: ieceram, ieceras, iecerat, ieceramus, ieceratis, iecerant future perf: iecero, ieceris, iecerit, iecerimus, ieceritis, iecerint imperatives: iace, iacite of dormio dormire: dormi, dormite negative imperatives: noli iacere, nolite iacere

Note that, other than in the imperative singular, 3rd io and 4th conjugation verbs are conjugated exactly alike.

Piece of cake right?!

This is not even half of all forms of Latin verbs. The forms above are all active indicative (except for the imperatives). Still to go are: passive indicative (double whats above) active subjunctive (2/3 of whats above) passive subjunctive (2/3 of whats above) 5 more infinitives 4 participles the supine the gerund passive imperatives future imperatives, active and passive

Not to scare you or anything!