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
Latin has the following tenses and moods:
Latin tenses and moods
| active voice | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
indicative
|
subjunctive
|
infinitive
|
imperative
|
participle
|
gerundive | supine (perfect passive participle) |
| passive voice | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
indicative
|
subjunctive
|
infinitive
|
imperative
|
participle
|
verbal adjective | |
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.
The first conjugation is characterized by the vowel a and can be recognized by the -āre ending of the present infinitive.
Deponent and semi-deponent verbs
Principal parts for the active voice
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 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 fourth conjugation is characterized by the vowel i and can be recognized by the -īre ending of the present infinitive.
There are also some verbs that are irregular and do not fall into one of the four categories. Some examples include:
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.
| ACTIVE VOICE | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative Mood | Subjunctive Mood | |||||||||
| Present | Imperfect | Future | Perfect | Pluperfect | Future perfect | Present | Imperfect | Perfect | Pluperfect | |
| 1st person sing. | amō | amābam | amābō | amāvī | amāveram | amāverō | amem | amārem | amāverim | amāvissem |
| 2nd person sing. | amās | amābās | amābis | amāvistī | amāverās | amāveris | amēs | amārēs | amāveris | amāvissēs |
| 3rd person sing. | 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 sing. | amā | amātō | amāre | amāvisse | amātūrus esse | amāns | amātūrus | Accusative | amandum | amātum |
| 3rd person sing. | amātō | Ablative | amandō | amātū | ||||||
| 2nd person pl. | amāte | amātōte | Dative | amandō | ||||||
| 3rd person pl. | amantō | Genitive | amandī | |||||||
| ACTIVE | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative Mood | Subjunctive Mood | |||||||||
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Third Conjugation (normal or e stem)
Third Conjugation (special or i stem)
Fourth Conjugation
Irregular Verbs
Syncopated Forms
| Indicative present | ||
|---|---|---|
First conjugation
|
Second conjugation
| |
Third conjugation
|
Third conjugation
|
Fourth conjugation
|
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
See also