A&G›PART FIRST — WORDS AND FORMS›FORMS OF THE VERB

FORMS OF THE VERB

§§164–170 · 7 sections

The Three Stems

The forms of the verb may be referred to three stems, called (1) the Present, (2) the Perfect, and (3) the Supine stem.

  1. On the Present stem are formed—

    The Present, Imperfect, and Future Indicative, Active and Passive.

    The Present and Imperfect Subjunctive, Active and Passive.

    The Imperative, Active and Passive.

    The Present Infinitive, Active and Passive.

    The Present Participle, the Gerundive, and the Gerund.

  2. On the Perfect stem are formed—

    The Perfect, Pluperfect, and Future Perfect Indicative Active.

    The Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive Active.

    The Perfect Infinitive Active.

  3. On the Supine stem are formed—

The Perfect Passive Participle, which combines with the forms of the verb sum, be, to make—

The Perfect, Pluperfect, and Future Perfect Indicative Passive.

The Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive Passive.

The Perfect Infinitive Passive.

The Future Active Participle, which combines with esse to make the Future Active Infinitive.

The Supine in -um and -ū. The Supine in -um combines with īrī to make the Future Passive Infinitive (§ 203. a).

VERB-ENDINGS

Every form of the finite verb is made up of two parts:

  1. The STEM (see § 24). This is either the root or a modification or development of it.
  2. The ENDING, consisting of—
  1. the Signs of Mood and Tense (see §§ 168, 169).
  2. the Personal Ending (see § 163).

Thus in the verb vocā-bā-s, you were calling, the root is VOC, modified into the verb-stem vocā-, which by the addition of the ending -bās becomes the imperfect tense vocābās; and this ending consists of the tense-sign bā- and the personal ending (-s) of the second person singular.

The Verb-endings, as they are formed by the signs for mood and tense combined with personal endings, are—

ACTIVE PASSIVE
INDICATIVE SUBJUNCTIVE INDICATIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
PRESENT PRESENT
SING. 1. -ō Vowel-Change: I,1 to ē; II, to eā; III, to ā; IV, to iā. -m -or Vowel-Change: as inActive. -r
2. -s -s -ris (-re) -ris (-re)
3. -t -t -tur -tur
PLUR. 1. -mus -mus -mur -mur
2. -tis -tis -minī -minī
3. -nt -nt -ntur -ntur
IMPERFECT IMPERFECT
SING. 1. -ba-m -re-m -ba-r -re-r
2. -bā-s -rē-s -bā-ris (-re) -rē-ris (-re)
3. -ba-t -re-t -bā-tur -rē-tur
PLUR. 1. -bā-mus -rē-mus -bā-mur -rē-mur
2. -bā-tis -rē-tis -bā-minī -rē-minī
3. -ba-nt -re-nt -ba-ntur -re-ntur
INDICATIVE INDICATIVE
FUTURE FUTURE
I, II III, IV I, II III, IV1
SING. 1. -b-ō Vowel-Change: as indicated in italics; verbs in -iō retainingi before these vowels. -a -m -bo-r Vowel-Change: asin Active. -a -r
2. -bi-s -ē -s -be-ris (-re) -ē -ris (-re)
3. -bi-t -e -t -bi-tur -ē -tur
PLUR. 1. -bi-mus -ē -mus -bi-mur -ē-mur
2. -bi-tis -ē -tis -bi-minī -ē -minī
3. -bu-nt -e -nt -bu-ntur -e -ntur
Active Passive
INDICATIVE SUBJUNCTIVE INDICATIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
PERFECT PERFECT
SING. 1. -ī -eri-m -tus (-ta, -tum) sum sim
2. -is-tī -eri-s es sīs
3. -i-t -eri-t est sit
PLUR. 1. -i-mus -eri-mus -tī (-tae, -ta) sumus sīmus
2. -is-tis -eri-tis estis sītis
3. -ēru-nt (-ēre) -eri-nt sunt sint
PLUPERFECT PLUPERFECT
SING. 1. -era-m -isse-m -tus(-ta, -tum) eram essem
2. -erā-s -issē-s erās essēs
3. -era-t -isse-t erat esset
PLUR. 1. -erā-mus -issē-mus -tī (-tae, -ta) erāmus essēmus
2. -erā-tis -issē-tis erātis essētis
3. -era-nt -isse-nt erant essent
FUTURE PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT
SING. 1. -er-ō -tus (-ta, -tum) erō
2. -eri-s eris
3. -eri-t erit
PLUR. 1. -eri-mus -tī (-tae, -ta) erimus
2. -eri-tis eritis
3. -eri-nt erunt
IMPERATIVE
PRESENT PRESENT
SING. 2. ---- PLUR. 2. -te SING. 2. -re PLUR. 2. -minī
FUTURE FUTURE
2. -tō 2. -tōte 2. -tor
3. -tō 3. -ntō 3. -tor 3. -ntor

For convenience a table of the Noun and Adjective forms of the verb is here added.

INFINITIVE
PRES. -re (Pres. stem) I, II, IV. -rī; III. -ī
PERF. -isse (Perf. stem) -tus (-ta, -tum) esse
FUT. -tūrus (-a, -um) esse -tum īrī
PARTICIPLES
PRES. -ns, -ntis PERF. -tus, -ta, -tum
FUT. -tūrus, -a, -um GER. -ndus, -nda, -ndum
GERUND SUPINE
-ndī, -ndō, -ndum, -ndō -tum, -tū

A long vowel is shortened before the personal endings -m (-r), -t, -nt (-ntur): as, ame-t (for older amē-t), habe-t (for habē-t), mone-nt, mone-ntur.

The tenses of the Present System are made from the Present Stem as follows:—

In the Present Indicative the personal endings are added directly to the present stem. Thus,—present stem arā-: arā-s, arā-mus, arā-tis.

In the Imperfect Indicative the suffix -bam, -bās, etc. (originally a complete verb) is added to the present stem: as, arā-bam, arā-bās, arā-bāmus.

In the Future Indicative of the First and Second Conjugations a similar suffix, -bō, -bis, etc., is added to the present stem: as, arā-bō, arā-bis, monē-bō.

In the Future Indicative of the Third and Fourth Conjugations the terminations -am, -ēs, etc. (as, teg-am, teg-ēs, audi-am, audi-ēs) are really subjunctive endings used in a future sense (see e). The vowel was originally long throughout. For shortening, see § 167.

In the Present Subjunctive the personal endings were added to a form of the present stem ending in ē- or ā-, which was shortened in certain forms (§ 167). Thus, ame-m, amē-s, tegā-mus, tega-nt.

In the Imperfect Subjunctive the suffix -rem, -rēs, etc. is added to the present stem: as, amā-rem, amā-rēs, monē-rem, tege-rem, audī-rem.

The tenses of the Perfect System in the active voice are made from the Perfect Stem as follows:—

In the Perfect Indicative the endings -ī, -istī, etc. are added directly to the perfect stem: as, amāv-istī, tēx-istis.

In the Pluperfect Indicative the suffix -eram, -erās, etc. is added to the perfect stem: as, amāv-eram, monu-erās, tēx-erat.

In the Future Perfect the suffix -erō, -eris, etc. is added to the perfect stem: as, amāv-erō, monu-eris, tēx-erit.

In the Perfect Subjunctive the suffix -erim, -eris, etc. is added to the perfect stem: as, amāv-erim, monu-eris, tēx-erit.

In the Pluperfect Subjunctive the suffix -issem, -issēs, etc. is added to the perfect stem: as, amāv-issem, monu-issēs, tēx-isset.

The Verb Sum

The verb sum, be, is both irregular and defective, having no gerund or supine, and no participle but the future.

Its conjugation is given at the outset, on account of its importance for the inflection of other verbs.

PRINCIPAL PARTS: Present Indicative sum, Present Infinitive esse, Perfect Indicative fuī, Future Participle futūrus.

PRESENT STEM es- PERFECT STEM fu- SUPINE STEM fut-
INDICATIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
PRESENT
SING. 1. sum, I am sim
2. ĕs, thou art (you are) sīs
3. es t, he (she, it) is sit
PLUR. 1. sumus, we are sīmus
2. es tis, you are sītis
3. sunt, they are sint
IMPERFECT
SING. 1. er am, I was essem
2. er ās, you were essēs
3. er at, he (she, it) was esset
PLUR. 1. er āmus, we were essēmus
2. er ātis, you were essētis
3. er ant, they were essent
FUTURE
SING. 1. er ō, I shall be
2. er is, you will be
3. er it, he will be
PLUR. 1. er imus, we shall be
2. er itis, you will be
3. er unt, they will be
PERFECT
SING. 1. fuī, I was (have been) fuerim
2. fuistī, you were fueris
3. fuit, he was fuerit
PLUR. 1. fuimus, we were fuerimus
2. fuistis, you were fueritis
3. fuērunt, fuēre, they were fuerint
PLUPERFECT
SING. 1. fueram, I had been fuissem
2. fuerās, you had been fuissēs
3. fuerat, he had been fuisset
PLUR. 1. fuerāmus, we had been fuissēmus
2. fuerātis, you had been fuissētis
3. fuerant, they had been fuissent
FUTURE PERFECT
SING. 1. fuerō, I shall have been PLUR. 1. fuerimus, we shall have been
2. fueris, you will have been 2. fueritis, you will have been
3. fuerit, he will have been 3. fuerint, they will have been
IMPERATIVE
PRESENT SING. 2. ĕs, be thou PLUR. 2. este, be ye
FUTURE 2. es tō, thou shalt be 2. es tōte, ye shall be
3. es tō, he shall be 3. suntō, they shall be
INFINITIVE
PRESENT esse, to be
PERFECT fuisse, to have been
FUTURE futūrus esse or fore, to be about to be
PARTICIPLE
FUTURE futūrus, -a, -um, about to be

For essem, essēs, etc., forem, forēs, foret, forent, are often used; so fore for futūrus esse.

The Present Participle, which would regularly be †sōns,

appears in the adjective īn-sōns, innocent, and in a modified form in ab-sēns, prae-sēns. The simple form ēns is sometimes found in late or philosophical Latin as a participle or abstract noun, in the forms ēns, being; entia, things which are.

Subjunctive: Present, siem, siēs, siet, sient; fuam, fuās, fuat, fuant; Perfect, fūvimus; Pluperfect, fūvisset.

The root of the verb sum is ES, which in the imperfect is changed to ER (see § 15. 4), and in many forms is shortened to S. Some of its modifications, as found in several languages more or less closely related to Latin, may be seen in the following table,— the Sanskrit syām corresponding to the Latin sim (siem):—

SANSKRIT GREEK LATIN LITHUANIAN
as-mi syām (optative) e)/mmi (old form) s-um sim (siem) es-mi
as-i syās e)ssi/ (old form) es sīs (siēs) es-i
as-ti syāt e)sti/ es-t sit (siet) es-ti
s-mas syāma e)sme/n s-umus sīmus es-me
s-tha syāta e)ste/ es-tis sītis es-te
s-anti syus e)nti/ (old form) s-unt sint (sient) es-ti

The Perfect and Supine stems, fu-, fut-, are kindred with the Greek e)/fu, and with Nhe English be.