All Latin verbs have 4 principal parts.
These parts tell you about the verb:
•what conjugation it belongs to
•what the perfect stem is
•how different tenses will be formed
1. Present Active Indicative 1st Person Singular
2. Infinitive (Present Active)
3. Perfect Active Indicative 1st Person Singular
4. Perfect Passive Participle
(We will not be
learning the 4th principal part until next year)
porto, portare, portavi, portatus – carry
1. porto – present = I carry
2. portare – infinitive = to carry
3. portavi – perfect = I carried
4. portatus – perfect passive participle =
having been carried
mitto, mittere, misi, missus– send
1. mitto – present = I send
2. mittere – infinitive = to send
3. misi – perfect = I sent
4. missus – perfect passive participle =
having been sent
• The 1st pp tells us the 1st person singular
present tense active indicative.
• The 2nd pp tells us the infinitive (i.e. “to
do” form) of the verb.
• The 3rd pp tells us the stem for perfect
tense.
•The 2nd pp, or infinitive, also tells us the
conjugation of the verb. Look at the ending …
•-are = 1st Conjugation
•-ēre = 2nd Conjugation
•- ere = 3rd Conjugation
•- ire = 4th Conjugation
•All others are irregular
•This will also determine stem and linking vowels
for present and imperfect (to be learned later).
Given the verb audio, audire, audivi, auditus – hear
1. What is the infinitive? How does it translate?
audire = to hear
2. What is the perfect? How does it translate?
audivi = I heard
3. To what conjugation does this verb belong?
4th because of –ire ending of the 2nd pp
4. Which form is the present? How does it translate?
audio = I hear
Given the verb capio, capere, cepi, captus - take
1. What is the infinitive? How does it translate?
capere = to take
2. What gives us the perfect stem? How does it
translate?
cepi = I took
3. To what conjugation does this verb belong?
3rd because of –ere ending of the 2nd pp
4. Which form is the present? How does it translate?
capio – I take
Given the verb do, dare, dedi, datus - give
1. What is the present? How does it translate?
do = I give
2. What is the infinitive? How does it translate?
dare = to give
3. To what conjugation does this verb belong?
1st because of –are ending of the 2nd pp
4. Which form gives us the perfect stem? How does it
translate?
dedi = I gave
Given the verb sum, esse, fui, futurus - be
1. What is the present? How does it translate?
sum = I am
2. What is the infinitive? How does it translate?
esse = to be
3. To what conjugation does this verb belong?
irregular
4. Which form gives us the perfect stem? How does it
translate?
fui = I have been