Online Encyclopedia
Latin conjugation
Conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from one basic form. It may be affected by person, number, gender, tense, mood, voice or other language-specific factors. When, for example, we use a verb to function as the action done by a subject, most languages require conjugating the verb to reflect that meaning. (For more information on conjugation in general, see the article on grammatical conjugation.)
In Latin, there are four main patterns of conjugation composed of groups of verbs that are conjugated following similar patterns. Like in other languages, Latin verbs have a passive voice and an active voice. (Naturally, only transitive verbs may be conjugated in the passive.) Furthermore, there exist deponent and semi-deponent Latin verbs (verbs with a passive form but active meaning).
In a dictionary, Latin verbs are always listed with four principal parts which allow the reader to deduce the other conjugated forms of the verbs. These are:
- the first person singular of the present indicative
- the present infinitive
- the first person singular of the perfect indicative
- the supine or perfect passive participle
Contents |
Latin tenses and moods
Latin has the following tenses and moods:
active voice | ||||||
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indicative
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subjunctive
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infinitive
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imperative
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participle
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gerundive |
supine (perfect passive participle) |
passive voice | ||||||
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indicative
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subjunctive
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infinitive
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imperative
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participle
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verbal adjective |
Deponent and semi-deponent verbs
Deponent verbs are verbs that are passive in form (that is, conjugated as though in the passive voice) but active in meaning. These verbs have only three principal parts since the present indicative in the passive voice is formed from the same radical as the supine.
Deponent verbs use active conjugations for tenses that do not exist in the passive: the gerundive, the supine, the present and future participles and the future infinitive.
Verbal adjectives of deponent verbs are passive in meaning.
Principal parts for the active voice
The first conjugation is characterized by the vowel a and can be recognized by the -āre ending of the present infinitive.
- The principal parts of a first-conjugation verb follows the pattern: amō, amāre, amāvī, amātum (to love)
The second conjugation is characterized by the vowel e and can be recognized by the -eō ending of the first person present indicative and the -ēre ending of the present infinitive.
- The principal parts of a second-conjugation verb follows the pattern: dēleō, dēlēre, dēlēvī, dēlētum (to destroy)
The third conjugation consists of two sub-forms sometimes referred to as the third normal (or e stem) and third special (or i stem) forms. In the normal form the first person present indicative ends in -ō. In the special or i stem form, the first person indicative ends in -iō. In both cases the present infinitive ends in -ere.
- The principal parts of a normal third-conjugation verb follows the pattern: legō, legere, lēgī, lēctum (to read)
- The principal parts of a special third-conjugation verb follows the pattern: capiō, capere, cēpī, captum (to capture)
The fourth conjugation is characterized by the vowel i and can be recognized by the -īre ending of the present infinitive.
- The principal parts of a fourth-conjugation verb follows the pattern: audiō, audīre, audīvī, audītum (to hear)
There are also some verbs that are irregular and do not fall into one of the four categories. Some examples include:
- sum, esse, fuī, -- (to be) and its compound forms
- eō, īre, iī (ivī), itum (to go) and its compound forms
- volō, velle, voluī, -- (to want)
- nōlō, nōlle, nōluī, -- (to not want)
- mālō, mālle, māluī, -- (to prefer)
- ferō, ferre, tulī, lātum (to carry or wear)
Some verbs that fall under one of the four categories may follow its method of conjugation but not necessarily have the same progression of principal parts. This is especially true in the third conjugation, where there is no general pattern for the third and fourth principal parts of the verb. For example, the verb occīdō, occīdere, occīdī, occīsum (to kill) is third conjugation but has principal parts that are different from that of legō.
Conjugation tables
For the most part, the four principal parts of a verb are sufficient information to form all other conjugations of the verb. The tables below show the conjugations of verbs in all four declensions and several irregular verbs.
First Conjugation
ACTIVE VOICE | ||||||||||
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Indicative Mood | Subjunctive Mood | |||||||||
Present | Imperfect | Future | Perfect | Pluperfect | Future perfect | Present | Imperfect | Perfect | Pluperfect | |
1st person sg. | amō | amābam | amābō | amāvī | amāveram | amāverō | amem | amārem | amāverim | amāvissem |
2nd person sg. | amās | amābās | amābis | amāvistī | amāverās | amāveris | amēs | amārēs | amāveris | amāvissēs |
3rd person sg. | amat | amābat | amābit | amāvit | amāverat | amāverit | amet | amāret | amāverit | amāvisset |
1st person pl. | amāmus | amābāmus | amābimus | amāvimus | amāverāmus | amāverimus | amēmus | amārēmus | amāverimus | amāvissēmus |
2nd person pl. | amātis | amābātis | amābitis | amāvistis | amāverātis | amāveritis | amētis | amārētis | amāveritis | amāvissētis |
3rd person pl. | amant | amābant | amābunt | amāvērunt | amāverant | amāverint | ament | amārent | amāverint | amāvissent |
Imperative | Infinitive | Participle | Gerundive | Supine | ||||||
Present | Future | Present | Perfect | Future | Present | Future | ||||
2nd person sg. | amā | amātō | amāre | amāvisse | amātūrus esse | amāns | amātūrus | Accusative | amandum | amātum |
3rd person sg. | amātō | Ablative | amandō | amātū | ||||||
2nd person pl. | amāte | amātōte | Dative | amandō | ||||||
3rd person pl. | amantō | Genitive | amandī |
PASSIVE VOICE | ||||||||||
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Indicative Mood | Subjunctive Mood | |||||||||
Present | Imperfect | Future | Perfect | Pluperfect | Future perfect | Present | Imperfect | Perfect | Pluperfect | |
1st person sg. | amōr | amābar | amābōr | amātus (-ā,-um) sum | amātus (-ā,-um) eram | amātus (-ā,-um) erō | amēr | amārer | amātus (-ā,-um) sim | amātus (-ā,-um) essem |
2nd person sg | amāris | amābāris | amāberis | amātus (-ā,-um) es | amātus (-ā,-um) erās | amātus (-ā,-um) eris | amēris | amārēris | amātus (-ā,-um) sīs | amātus (-ā,-um) essēs |
3rd person sg. | amātur | amābātur | amābitur | amātus (-ā,-um) est | amātus (-ā,-um) erat | amātus (-ā,-um) erit | amētur | amāretur | amātus (-ā,-um) sit | amātus (-ā,-um) esset |
1st person pl. | amāmur | amābāmur | amābimur | amātī (-ae,-ā) sumus | amātī (-ae,-ā) erāmus | amātī (-ae,-ā)erimus | amēmur | amārēmur | amātī (-ae,-ā) sīmus | amātī (-ae,-ā) essēmus |
2nd person pl. | amāmini | amābāmini | amābimini | amātī (-ae,-ā) estis | amātī (-ae,-ā) erātis | amātī (-ae,-ā) eritis | amēmini | amārēmini | amātī (-ae,-ā) sītis | amātī (-ae,-ā) esstis |
3rd person pl. | amantur | amābantur | amābuntur | amātī (-ae,-ā) sunt | amātī (-ae,-ā) erant | amātī (-ae,-ā) erunt | amentur | amārentur | amātī (-ae,-ā) sint | amātī (-ae,-ā) essent |
Imperative | Infinitive | Participle | ||||||||
Present | Future | Present | Perfect | Future | Perfect | Future | ||||
2nd person sg. | amare | amārī | amātus esse | amātus (-ā,-um) | amandus | |||||
3rd person sg. | ||||||||||
2nd person pl. | amamini | |||||||||
3rd person pl. |
Second Conjugation
ACTIVE VOICE | ||||||||||
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Indicative Mood | Subjunctive Mood | |||||||||
Present | Imperfect | Future | Perfect | Pluperfect | Future perfect | Present | Imperfect | Perfect | Pluperfect | |
1st person sg. | moveō | movēbam | movēbo | mōvi | mōveram | mōverō | moveam | movērem | mōverim | mōvissem |
2nd person sg. | movēs | movēbās | movēbis | mōvisti | mōverām | mōveris | moveās | movēres | mōveris | mōvissēs |
3rd person sg. | movet | movēbat | movēbit | mōvit | mōverat | mōverit | moveat | movēret | mōverit | mōvisset |
1st person pl. | movēmus | movēbāmus | movēbimus | mōvimus | mōverāmus | mōverimus | moveāmus | movēremus | mōverimus | mōvissēmus |
2nd person pl. | movētis | movēbatis | movēbitis | mōvistis | mōverātis | mōveritis | moveātis | movēretis | mōveritis | mōvissētis |
3rd person pl. | movent | movēbant | movēbunt | mōverunt | mōverant | mōverint | moveant | movērent | mōverint | mōvissent |
Imperative | Infinitive | Participle | Gerundive | Supine | ||||||
Present | Future | Present | Perfect | Future | Present | Future | ||||
2nd person sg. | movē | movēre | mōvisse | moturus esse | movēns, (-tis) | moturus | Accusative | movendum | motum | |
3rd person sg. | Ablative | movendō | motu | |||||||
2nd person pl. | movēte | Dative | movendō | |||||||
3rd person pl. | Genitive | movendi |
PASSIVE VOICE | ||||||||||
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Indicative Mood | Subjunctive Mood | |||||||||
Present | Imperfect | Future | Perfect | Pluperfect | Future perfect | Present | Imperfect | Perfect | Pluperfect | |
1st person sg. | moveor | movēbar | movēbōr | mōtus (-ā,-um) sum | mōtus (-ā,-um) eram | mōtus (-ā,-um) erō | movear | movērer | mōtus (-ā,-um) sim | mōtus (-ā,-um) essem |
2nd person sg. | movēris | movēbāris | movēberis | mōtus (-ā,-um) es | mōtus (-ā,-um) erās | mōtus (-ā,-um) eris | moveāris | movērēris | mōtus (-ā,-um) sīs | mōtus (-ā,-um) essēs |
3rd person sg. | movētur | movēbātur | movēbitur | mōtus (-ā,-um) est | mōtus (-ā,-um) erat | mōtus (-ā,-um) erit | moveātur | movērētur | mōtus (-ā,-um) sit | mōtus (-ā,-um) esset |
1st person pl. | movēmur | movēbāmur | movēbimur | mōtī (-ae,-ā) sumus | mōtī (-ae,-ā) erāmus | mōtī (-ae,-ā) erimus | moveāmini | movērēmur | mōtī (-ae,-ā) sīmus | mōtī (-ae,-ā) essēmus |
2nd person pl. | movēmini | movēbāmini | movēbimini | mōtī (-ae,-ā) estis | mōtī (-ae,-ā) erātis | mōtī (-ae,-ā) eritis | moveāmur | movērēmini | mōtī (-ae,-ā) sītis | mōtī (-ae,-ā) esstis |
3rd person pl. | movēntur | movēbantur | movēbuntur | mōtī (-ae,-ā) sunt | amōtī (-ae,-ā) erant | mōtī (-ae,-ā) erunt | moveantur | movērentur | mōtī (-ae,-ā) sint | mōtī (-ae,-ā) essent |
Imperative | Infinitive | Participle | ||||||||
Present | Future | Present | Perfect | Future | Perfect | Future | ||||
2nd person sg. | movērī |
mōtus (-ā,-um) esse |
mōtus (-ā,-um) |
movendus | ||||||
3rd person sg. | ||||||||||
2nd person pl. | ||||||||||
3rd person pl. |
Third Conjugation (normal or e stem)
Third Conjugation (special or i stem)
Fourth Conjugation
Irregular Verbs
Syncopated Forms
Indicative present | ||
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First conjugation
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Second conjugation
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Third conjugation
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Third conjugation
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Fourth conjugation
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Notice in all forms the endings are similar, 'o' or 'm' endings mean I. 's' means 'you' (in the pronouns 'suus' means 'his'; do not get confused) and the 't' endings mean he/she/it.
So:
-
Singular
- -o/m = I, eg. sum or verbo
- -s = You, eg. es or amas
- -t = He, eg est or amat
-
Plural (note the simularities with the singular)
- -mus
- -atis
- -nt
Elements of conjugation survive in English, however it is watered down. 'am' (I am) retains the nasal 'mmm' sound inherited from its ancestors (note: me). 'is' is remarkably similar to the Latin 'est'.