Clues to Latin Verb-Forms

Clues to Verb Forms

From Saint Louis University

Grammar Helps Index

A Latin verb usually has a tripartite structure. The first part is the base or root. It carries the meaning or idea of the word:

vid- = see curr- = run iuv- = help

The third part is the personal ending. It tells you WHO or WHAT is being highlighted as performing or receiving or governing the action implied by the verb; that is, the personal ending indicates the subject of the clause:

You see. They run. We are being helped.

The Latin personal endings are taken from one of only three sets of six possibilities (three persons in singular and three in plural). These endings give you the person and the voice.

Personal Endings:	Active	Passive/ Deponent	Perfect Indicative Active	These endings usually mean:

1st sg.	-m / -ô	-r	-î	I
2d sg.	-s	-ris (= -re)	-istî	you (sg.)
3d sg.	-t	-tur	-it	he/ she/ it

1st pl.	-mus	-mur	-imus	we
2d pl.	-tis	-minî	-istis	you (pl.)
3d pl.	-nt	-ntur	-êrunt (= -êre)	they

Whereas the active and passive / deponent personal endings are used in many different tenses, and in both indicative and subjunctive moods, the perfect indicative active endings do not occur elsewhere in the table of verb-forms. Therefore, perfect indicative active endings attached to the stem of the third part of the verb (the perfect stem) give you a sure clue to recognizing the form.

But usually the tense and mood clues are embedded in the middle part of the verb. Learn how to register these clues automatically by becoming aware of the letter or letters that immediately precede the personal ending.

-A- -Â-	present subjunctive for II, III, III-io, IV	moneâtis, ponâtur, capiant, audiam
	present indicative for I	laudant, precâminî, stat, fatur, amâtis
	future indicative, 1st singular for III, III-io, IV	pônam, dûcam, capiar, audiam, legar

-E- -Ê-	present subjunctive for I	amem, adôrêmus, stet, dês, hortêmur
	present indicative for II	monet, tenêmur, continent, fatêminî
	future indicative for III, III-io, IV	dûcêmus, capient, audiêris, sequêris
	pres ind passive / deponent 2d sg for III, III-io	caperis, dûceris, sequeris, loqueris

-I- -Î-	present indicative for III, III-io, IV	premitur, capit, audîris, sequimur, dûcis

-U- -ÎU-	present indicative 3d pl for III, III-io, IV	regunt, nesciunt, loquuntur, veniunt

-B- -BI- -BE- -BU-	future indicative for I, II	laudâbô, conâberis, amâbuntur, dêbêbit, monêbitur

-BA- -BÂ-	imperfect indicative for all conjugations	clamâbam, timêbat, regêbâmus, iungêbâmur, agêbam, monêbantur

-ERA- -ERÂ-	pluperfect indicative active for all conjugations	amâverâmus, didicerâtis, polîverant

-ER- -ERI- -ERÎ-	future perfect indicative active [-erô in 1st sg.]	cantâverô, cênâverimus, dixêrint, monueris
	perfect subjunctive active [-erim in 1st sg.; î in 2d sg, 1st and 2d plural]	amaverim, responderîs, incêperîmus

-ÂRE- -ÊRE- -ERE- -ÎRE-	imperfect subjunctive NOTE: This form looks like a present active infinitive with a personal ending attached.	ôrârêmus, dûcerentur, audîret, tenerêtur, caperêmur, sequerêtur, hortârêtur, servîrêminî

-ISSE-	pluperfect subjunctive active NOTE: This form looks like a perfect active infinitive with a personal ending attached.	mansissêmus, timuissent, amâvissês, cecinissêtis

When verbs have two parts, the past participle (ppl.) and a part taken from the verb to be (esse), they are usually PERFECT and PASSIVE / DEponENT. (Other two-part forms are future infinitives like actûrus esse, monitum îrî.)

(PAST PPL.) + SUM	perfect indicative passive / deponent	amâtî sunt, locûta est, mentîtî sumus

(PAST PPL.) + ERAM	pluperfect indicative passive / deponent	ductus eram, recitâtum erat, secûtae erâtis

(PAST PPL.) + ERÔ	future perfect indicative passive / deponent	inventî erint, amâta eris, superâtus erô

(PAST PPL.) + SIM	perfect subjunctive passive / deponent	laudâtus sit, dêsîderâta sint, hortâtî sîmus

(PAST PPL.) + ESSEM	pluperfect subjunctive passive / deponent	sublâta essent, victus essem, ingressus esset

Other verbal forms also have easily noticeable clues, but they often use case-endings instead of the personal ones:

-TUS / -SUS	perfect participle [endings change with case, 1/2 declension]	amâta, mansô, dictîs, laudâtârum

-NS / -NT-	present participle [endings change with case, 3d declension]	currêns, audientis, venientibus

-ND-	gerundive (future passive participle) or gerund [endings change with case, 1/2 declension]	dêlenda, agenda, mittendî

-ÛR-	future active participle [endings change with case, 1/2 declension]	moritûrî, vîsûrus, mixtûrôrum

This account of verb forms has not included the imperatives, which are treated elsewhere. Practice your mastery of this material by doing the exercises given on the various verb-review pages in the LatinPraxis section of this website.

Clues to Verb Forms

From Saint Louis University

Grammar Helps Index

A Latin verb usually has a tripartite structure. The first part is the base or root. It carries the meaning or idea of the word:

vid- = see curr- = run iuv- = help

The third part is the personal ending. It tells you WHO or WHAT is being highlighted as performing or receiving or governing the action implied by the verb; that is, the personal ending indicates the subject of the clause:

You see. They run. We are being helped.

The Latin personal endings are taken from one of only three sets of six possibilities (three persons in singular and three in plural). These endings give you the person and the voice.

PersonalEndings:

Active

Passive/ Deponent

PerfectIndicativeActive

These endings usually mean:

1st sg.

-m / -ô

-r

-î

I

2d sg.

-s

-ris (= -re)

-istî

you (sg.)

3d sg.

-t

-tur

-it

he/ she/ it

1st pl.

-mus

-mur

-imus

we

2d pl.

-tis

-minî

-istis

you (pl.)

3d pl.

-nt

-ntur

-êrunt (= -êre)

they

But usually the tense and mood clues are embedded in the middle part of the verb. Learn how to register these clues automatically by becoming aware of the letter or letters that immediately precede the personal ending.

-A--Â-

present subjunctive for II, III, III-io, IV

moneâtis, ponâtur, capiant, audiam

present indicative for I

laudant, precâminî, stat, fatur, amâtis

future indicative, 1st singular for III, III-io, IV

pônam, dûcam, capiar, audiam, legar

-E--Ê-

present subjunctive for I

amem, adôrêmus, stet, dês, hortêmur

present indicative for II

monet, tenêmur, continent, fatêminî

future indicative for III, III-io, IV

dûcêmus, capient, audiêris, sequêris

pres ind passive / deponent 2d sg for III, III-io

caperis, dûceris, sequeris, loqueris

-I- -Î-

present indicative for III, III-io, IV

premitur, capit, audîris, sequimur, dûcis

-U- -ÎU-

present indicative 3d pl for III, III-io, IV

regunt, nesciunt, loquuntur, veniunt

-B- -BI- -BE- -BU-

future indicative for I, II

laudâbô, conâberis, amâbuntur, dêbêbit, monêbitur

-BA- -BÂ-

imperfect indicative for all conjugations

clamâbam, timêbat, regêbâmus, iungêbâmur, agêbam, monêbantur

-ERA- -ERÂ-

pluperfect indicative active for all conjugations

amâverâmus, didicerâtis, polîverant

-ER- -ERI- -ERÎ-

future perfect indicative active [-erô in 1st sg.]

cantâverô, cênâverimus, dixêrint, monueris

perfect subjunctive active [-erim in 1st sg.; î in 2d sg, 1st and 2d plural]

amaverim, responderîs, incêperîmus

Personal
Endings:

Passive/
Deponent

Perfect
Indicative
Active

-ris
(= -re)

-êrunt
(= -êre)

-A-
-Â-

-E-
-Ê-

-I-
-Î-

-U-
-ÎU-

-B-
-BI-
-BE-
-BU-

-BA-
-BÂ-

-ERA-
-ERÂ-

-ER-
-ERI-
-ERÎ-

future perfect indicative active
[-erô in 1st sg.]

perfect subjunctive active
[-erim in 1st sg.; î in 2d sg, 1st and 2d plural]

-ÂRE-
-ÊRE-
-ERE-
-ÎRE-

imperfect subjunctive

NOTE: This form looks like a present active infinitive with a personal ending attached.

pluperfect subjunctive active

NOTE: This form looks like a perfect active infinitive with a personal ending attached.

(PAST PPL.)
+ SUM

(PAST PPL.)
+ ERAM

(PAST PPL.)
+ ERÔ

(PAST PPL.)
+ SIM

(PAST PPL.)
+ ESSEM