Latin 2 – Woo-Hoo!
Dr. McGay
Ch.
I. Perfect Tense I
19
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in
What’s
Nōmen
Chapter 19 Worksheet: Perfect Tense I (P a g e | 1)
1. What the word “perfect” means in languages.
2. Comparison between “perfect” and “imperfect”
3. The 3 ways to translate the perfect tense.
4. The “true perfect” (using “has/have verbed”): completed from the point of view of present time.
5. How to form the perfect tense: Go to the 3rd principal part of the verb.
6. The Endings of the Perfect Tense. (-v-, -s-, -u-, -x-, lengthened vowel, reduplicated 1st consonant, no change)
7. The 7 possible tense markers of the perfect tense. (-v-, -s-, -u-, -x-, lengthened vowel, reduplicated 1 consonant, no change)
st
1. Both the imperfect and perfect tenses occur in the -- present – past –future. (Circle one).
2. Describe the “picture analogy” I have given in class for discussing the difference between the
perfect and imperfect tenses:
3. Pretend that you are explaining to your friend Harold the difference in meaning or “aspect”
between the imperfect tense & the perfect tense. What would you say to Harold?
4. So, what does the word “perfect” mean in language study?
5. Therefore, “imperfect” in language study means
6. In the paragraph below, write above the underlined verbs either “perf” if they are perfect
tense, or “impf” if they are imperfect:
The moon was shining over the small village, and the people were gazing into its captivating gleam, until suddenly they heard a bonechilling howl. The scared villagers ran into their cottages and locked their doors and windows behind them. Although they hid inside their
homes and tried to cover their ears, nothing (that) they tried drowned out the shrill howling or diminished their fears. For the werewolf kept
howling. And now it seemed that it was coming closer. They didn’t dare crack open a door; no one at that moment was game enough to peer
out a window for fear that the werewolf might be there, waiting, ready to pounce. They remembered, in truth, they grew up hearing how their
ancestors used to kill every wolf in the valley they encountered. Now the bloodthirsty werewolf returned to the sleepy village to exact revenge.
7. Continue the story by writing a sentence (or sentences) that contain an imperfect and a
perfect tense verb:
Latin 2 – Woo-Hoo!
Dr. McGay
Nōmen
Chapter 19 Worksheet: Perfect Tense I (P a g e | 2)
II. Forming the Perfect Tense and Tense Stem Markers:
1. There are
3 possible ways to translate a verb in the perfect
translate an imperfect]
[as opposed to 4 or 5 ways to

(1) simple past or “verbed”
(2) “did verb”
(3) “has/have verbed” or the “true perfect”
(2) we did see
(3) we have seen
Example: vīdimus =
(1) we saw
2. From the verb, legō, legere, lēgī, lectus/a/um “to read”…. give 4 imperfect translations for the
following form: legēbant, & then give 3 perfect translations for: lēgērunt.
legēbant =
lēgērunt =
3. Typically, verbs have 4 principal parts, from which you can create any tense of the
verb needed. Which principal part do you need to conjugate the perfect tense?
4. Which principal part(s) do you need to conjugate the imperfect tense?
5.
For the verbs in the following chart, look up there 3rd principal part in the dictionary
& fill in the 3rd column:
1st Principal Part
amō
2nd Principal Part
amāre
dūcō
3RD PRINCIPAL PART
amāvī
4th Principal Part
amātus/a/um
Meaning
to love
dūcere
ductus/a/um
to lead, bring
mittō
mittere
missus/a/um
to send
habeō
habēre
habitus/a/um
to have
videō
vidēre
vīsus/a/um
to see
respondeō
respondēre
responsus/a/um
to answer
maneō
manēre
mansus/a/um
to stay
dēleō
dēlēre
dēlētus/a/um
to destroy
dormiō
dormīre
dormitus/a/um
to sleep
veniō
venīre
ventus/a/um
to come
faciō
facere
factus/a/um
to do, make
agō
agere
actus/a/um
to do, drive
currō
currere
cursus/a/um
to run
trahō
trahere
tractus/a/um
to drag, pull
pellō
pellere
pulsus/a/um
to drive off
dēlēvī
Perfect Stem Marker1
-v-
6. Now read the footnote, then fill out the right column in the above chart by identifying the
perfect stem marker. (Note these have to be learned verb by verb).
Here are the 7 possible perfect stem markers: -v-, -s-, -u-, -x-, lengthened vowel, reduplicated 1st consonant,
no change.
1
Latin 2 – Woo-Hoo!
Dr. McGay
Nōmen
Chapter 19 Worksheet: Perfect Tense I (P a g e | 3)
7. There are a few tendencies (e.g., for –are verbs or 1st conjugation verbs), but
otherwise these principal parts should be learned.
8. How do you get the perfect stem or base?
9. To that perfect stem, add the new and special perfect endings, which are
The new Perfect endings
Person/Number
1st Person Singular
-
2nd Person Singular
-
3rd Person Singular
-
1st Person Plural
-
2nd Person Plural
-
3rd Person Plural
-
10. Sound like an elf: repeat those endings aloud 5 times every other hour.
11. Conjugate in the perfect: (1) moveō, movēre, mōvī, motus/a/um = “to move”
(1) moveō, movēre, mōvī, motus/a/um
English translations
Person/Number
1st Person Singular
I (have) moved, I did move
2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural
 Conjugate in the imperfect: (1) moveō, movēre, mōvī, motus/a/um = to move
(1) moveō, movēre, mōvī, motus/a/um
English translations
Person/Number
1st Person Singular
2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural
I was/kept moving, I used to
move, I tried to move
Latin 2 – Woo-Hoo!
Dr. McGay
Nōmen
Chapter 19 Worksheet: Perfect Tense I (P a g e | 4)
12. Conjugate in the perfect: (2) capiō, capere, cēpī, captus/a/um = “to take”
(2) capiō, capere, cēpī, captus/a/um
English translations
Person/Number
st
1 Person Singular
2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural
 Conjugate in the imperfect: (2) capiō, capere, cēpī, captus/a/um = “to take”
(2) capiō, capere, cēpī, captus/a/um
English translations
Person/Number
1st Person Singular
capiēbam
2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural
13. Conjugate in the perfect: (3) dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus/a/um = “to say”
(3) dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus/a/um
English translations
Person/Number
1st Person Singular
2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural
 Conjugate in the imperfect: (3) dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus/a/um = “to say”
English translations
(3) dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus/a/um
st
1 Person Singular
Person/Number
2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural
Latin 2 – Woo-Hoo!
Dr. McGay
Nōmen
Chapter 19 Worksheet: Perfect Tense I (P a g e | 5)