A Summary of the Latin Verb as Presented in Unit 1
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A Summary of the Latin Verb as Presented in Unit 1 of the Cambridge Latin Course • • • • Every Latin verb includes a personal ending that indicates both the person of the verb and the number of the verb. There are three persons (first, second, and third) and two numbers (singular and plural), and so there are six personal endings. Each personal ending may be understood as a personal pronoun supplying a built-in subject for the verb. There are two distinct sets of personal endings, one for the perfect tense alone, the other for all the other tenses. The Three Persons, Singular and Plural First Person Singular: Second Person Singular: Third Person Singular: First Person Plural: Second Person Plural: Third Person Plural: I you he / she / it we you they Personal Endings Present and Imperfect Tenses -ō / -m (I) -s (you) [singular] -t (he / she / it) -mus (we) -tis (you) [plural] -nt (they) Number Person Singular -ī -istī -it -imus -istis -ērunt (I) (you) [singular] (he / she / it) (we) (you) [plural] (they) The Verb to be Present Tense Imperfect Tense 1 sum I am eram I was 2 -m es you are erās you were -s 3rd est he is erat he was -t 1st sumus we are erāmus we were -mus 2nd estis you are erātis you were -tis 3rd sunt they are erant they were -nt st nd Plural Perfect Tense 1 Grammar . Latin . Verb . Latin I.A Copyright 2013 The Lancaster Center for Classical Studies 910 Marietta Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603 Personal Ending The Regular Verb PRESENT TENSE: describes simple, continuous, or emphatic action in the present. The present stem of the word in the example below is porta- . We affix the personal ending to the present stem in order to form the present tense of the verb. Number Singular Plural Person 1 Verb Personal Ending Meaning porto -o I carry, am carrying, do carry 2 nd portās -s you carry, are carrying, do carry 3rd portat -t he carries, is carrying, does carry 1st portāmus we carry, are carrying, do carry 2nd -mus portātis -tis you carry, are carrying, do carry 3rd portant -nt they carry, are carrying, do carry st IMPERFECT TENSE: describes incomplete action in the past, including past actions that were continuous, repeated, persistent, habitual, or beginning. The constant sign of the imperfect tense is -ba-. In the example below, the present stem is porta-. To form the imperfect tense, we affix the -ba- to the present stem of the verb, then we affix the personal ending to the -ba-. Number Singular Plural Person 1 Verb Personal Ending Meaning st portābam -m I was/began/kept carrying, used to carry 2nd portābas -s you were/began/kept carrying, used to carry 3rd portābat -t he was/began/kept carrying, used to carry portābāmus -mus we were/began/kept carrying, used to carry 2nd portābatis -tis you were/began/kept carrying, used to carry 3rd portābant -nt they were/began/kept carrying, used to carry 1st PERFECT TENSE: describes unique or completed action in the past. In the perfect tense, the stem of the word usually changes from its present-tense form. In the example below, the present stem, porta-, has changed, with the addition of a -v-, to become the perfect stem, portav-. To form the perfect tense, we affix to the perfect stem of the verb the perfect-tense personal ending. Number Person Singular 1 portāvi I carried, have carried, did carry 2 -ī portāvistī -istī you carried, have carried, did carry 3rd portāvit -it he carried, has carried, did carry 1st portāvimus -imus we carried, have carried, did carry 2nd portavistis -istis you carried, have carried, did carry 3rd portavērunt -ērunt they carried, have carried, did carry st nd Plural Verb Personal Ending Meaning 2 Grammar . Latin . Verb . Latin I.A Copyright 2013 The Lancaster Center for Classical Studies 910 Marietta Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603 The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Conjugations of the Regular Latin Verb Present, Imperfect, and Perfect Tenses, All Persons and Numbers A Basic Study-Chart for the Tense-forms of the Verb Introduced in Unit 1 of the Cambridge Latin Course Tense Number Person First Conjugation Second Conjugation Third Conjugation Fourth Conjugation to carry to teach to drag / pull / draw to hear / listen to Present Singular Plural Imperfect Singular Plural Perfect Singular Plural 1st portō doceō trahō audiō 2nd portās docēs trahis audīs 3rd portat docet trahit audit 1st portāmus docēmus trahimus audīmus 2nd portātis docētis trahitis audītis 3rd portant docent trahunt audiunt 1st portābam docēbam portābam audiēbam 2nd portābās docēbās portābās audiēbās 3rd portābat docēbat portābat audiēbat 1st portābāmus docēbāmus portābāmus audiēbāmus 2nd portābātis docēbātis portābātis audiēbātis 3rd portābant docēbant portābant audiēbant 1st portāvī docuī trāxī audīvī 2nd portāvistī docuistī trāxistī audīvistī 3rd portāvit docuit trāxit audīvit 1st portāvimus docuimus trāximus audīvimus 2nd portāvistis docuistis trāxistis audīvistis 3rd portāvērunt docuērunt trāxērunt audīvērunt 3 Grammar . Latin . Verb . Latin I.A Copyright 2013 The Lancaster Center for Classical Studies 910 Marietta Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603 The Present, Imperfect, and Perfect Tenses of the Latin Verb to be In All Persons and Numbers A Basic Study-Chart for the Tense-forms of the Verb to be Introduced in Unit 1 Nota bene: This chart includes the perfect tense of the Verb to be. That form of the verb to be is not introduced in Unit 1 of the Cambridge Latin Course, but it is easy to learn. The perfect stem of the verb to be is fu-. As with the perfect tense of all verbs, in order to form the perfect tense of the verb to be, you affix the common perfect-tense personal endings (-ī,-istī, -it, -imus, -istis, -ērunt) to the perfect stem fu-. Present Tense Imperfect Tense Perfect Tense Number Person Singular 1st sum I am eram I was fuī I have been 2nd es you are erās you were fuistī you have been 3rd est he is erat he was fuit he has been 1st sumus we are erāmus we were fuimus we have been 2nd estis you are erātis you were fuistis you have been 3rd sunt they are erant they were fuērunt they have been Plural Study Tips Study all persons, numbers, and tenses of all four conjugations of the regular verb and of the verb to be, as exhibited in the two foregoing charts. Conduct your study by periodically reviewing all of the forms in a thoughtful, observant manner, first 1.) mentally (reading them silently to yourself), then 2.) orally (reading them aloud to yourself or to a parent or sibling), and finally 3.) in writing (writing them out in an organized manner, including the labels). Rather than trying to learn the two charts at once, in their entirety, work at them a section at a time, gradually building your command. Learn the present tense of the first conjugation, then move to the imperfect tense of the first conjugation, and so on. Or, learn the present tense of the first conjugation, then move to the present tense of the second conjugation, and so on. Quiz yourself periodically on the sections that you have been working on recently, and reinforce your gains by going back to quiz yourself on earlier sections as well. Study by reviewing the forms in a given section of the charts thoughtfully and attentively, doing so now mentally, now orally, now in writing, until you truly know the details of each section thoroughly, not by rote, but by heart. Build up your mastery steadily, section by section, until you have gained control of the entire system of both the regular verb and the verb to be As you conduct your periodic reviews, always be thinking of the meaning and function of each word in each of its particular forms. Make a game of your learning! A Latin word for school is ludus, which also means a game. Enjoy your work. 4 Grammar . Latin . Verb . Latin I.A Copyright 2013 The Lancaster Center for Classical Studies 910 Marietta Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603
