Forms of Conjugation

The forms of the several conjugations from which, by adding the verb-endings in § 166, all the moods and tenses can be made are as follows:—

The First Conjugation includes all verbs which add ā- to the root to form the present stem:

as, amā-re; with a few whose root ends in a (†for, fā-rī; flō, flā-re; nō, nā-re; stō, stā-re).

1. The stem-vowel ā- is lost before -ō: as, amō = †amā-(y)ō; and in the present subjunctive it is changed to ē: as, amē-s, amē-mus.
2. The perfect stem regularly adds v, the supine stemt, to the present stem: as, amā-v-ī, amā-t-um. For exceptions, see § 209. a.

The Second Conjugation includes all verbs which add ē- to the root to form the present stem: as, monē-re; with a few whose root ends in ē; as, fle-ō, flē-re; ne-ō, nē-re; re-or, rē-rī (cf. § 176. e).

1. In the present subjunctive ā is added to the verb-stem: as, mone-ā-s, mone-ā-mus (cf. § 168. e).
2. A few verbs form the perfect stem by adding v(u), and the supine stem by adding t, to the present stem: as, dēlē-v-ī, dēlē-t-um. But most form the perfect stem by adding v(u) to the root, and the supine stem by adding t to a weaker form of the present stem, ending in ĭ: as, mon-u-ī, monĭ-t-um. For lists, see § 210.

The Third Conjugation includes all verbs (not irregular, see § 197) which add ĕ- to the root to form the present stem: as, tegĕre, capĕ-re; with a few whose root ends in e: as, se-rĕ-re for †se-se-re (reduplicated from SE, cf. sătum).

1. The stem-vowel ĕ is regularly lost before -ō, and becomes u before -nt and ĭ before the other endings of the indicative and imperative: as, teg-ō, tegi-t, tegu-nt; in the imperfect indicative it becomes ē: as, tegēbam, tegē-bās, etc.; in the future, ē: as, tegē-s (except in the first person singular, tega-m, tega-r); in the present subjunctive, ā: as, tegā-s.

   Verbs in -iō lose the i before a consonant and also before ĭ, ī, and ĕ (except in the future, the participle, the gerund, and the gerundive). Thus,capi-at, capi-unt, capi-ēbat, capi-ēs, capi-et, capi-ent; but, cap-it (not †capi-it), cap-eret.

2. All varieties of perfect and supine stems are found in this conjugation. See lists, § 211. The perfect is not formed from the present stem, but from the root.

The Fourth Conjugation includes all verbs which add ī- to the root to form the present stem: as, audī-re.

In these the perfect and supine stems regularly add v, t, to the verb-stem: as, audī-v-ī, audīt-um.

Endings like those of the third conjugation are added in the third person plural of the present (indicative and imperative), in the imperfect and future indicative, and in the present subjunctive: as, audi-unt, audi-ēbat, audi-ētis, audi-at, the i being regularly short before a vowel.

The Present Imperative Active (second person singular) is the same as the present stem: as, amā, monē, tegĕ, audī. But verbs in -iō of the third conjugation omit i: as, capĕ (not †capie).

The tenses of completed action in the Active voice are all regularly formed by adding the tense-endings (given in § 166) to the perfect stem: as, amāv-ī, amāv-eram, amāv-erō, amāv-erim, amāv-issem, amāv-isse.

The tenses of completed action in the Passive voice are formed by adding to the perfect participle the corresponding tenses of continued action of the verb esse: as, perfect amātus sum; pluperfect amātus eram, etc.

The following synopsis shows the forms of the verb arranged according to the three stems (§ 164). Amō, a regular verb of the first conjugation, is taken as a type. PRINCIPAL PARTS: Active, amō, amāre, amāvī, amātum. Passive, amor, amārī, amātus sum.

In tenses formed upon the Perfect Stem, v between two vowels is often lost and contraction takes place.

Perfects in -āvī, -ēvī, -ōvī, often contract the two vowels into ā, ē, ō, respectively: as, amāsse for amāvisse; amārim for amāverim; amāssem for amāvissem; cōnsuērat for cōnsuēverat; flēstis for flēvistis; nōsse for nōvisse. So in perfects in -vī, where the v is a part of the present stem: as, commōrat for commōverat.

Perfects in -īvī regularly omit v, but rarely contract the vowels except before st and ss, and very rarely in the third person perfect:—

1. audieram for audīveram; audīsse for audīvisse; audīstī for audīvistī; abiit for abīvit; abiērunt for abīvērunt.

Four verbs,dīcō, dūcō, faciō, ferō,—with their compounds, drop the vowel-termination of the Imperative, making dīc, dūc, făc, fĕr; but compounds in -ficiō retain it, as, cōnfice.

For the imperative of sciō, the future form scītō is always used in the singular, and scītōte usually in the plural.

The following ancient forms are found chiefly in poetry:

1. In the fourth conjugation, -ībam, -ībō, for -iēbam, -iam (future). These forms are regular in eō, go (§ 203).
2. In the present subjunctive, -im: as in duim,perduim, retained in religious formulas and often in comedy. This form is regular in sum and volō and their compounds (§§ 170, 199).
3. In the perfect subjunctive and future perfect indicative, -sim, -sō: as, faxim,faxō, iussō, recēpsō (= fēcerim etc.); ausim (= ausus sim).
4. In the passive infinitive, -ier: as, vocārier for vocārī;agier for agī.
5. A form in -āssō, -āssere is found used as a future perfect: as, amāssis. from amō;levāssō, fromlevō; impetrāssere, from impetrō;iūdicāssit, from iūdicō (cf. § 263. 2. b. N.).

The First Conjugation includes all verbs which add ā- to the root to form the present stem, with a few whose root ends in a-. The verb amō, love, is conjugated as follows:— PRINCIPAL PARTS: Present Indicative amō, Present Infinitive amāre, Perfect Indicative amāvī, Supine amātum.

PRINCIPAL PARTS: Present Indicative amor, Present Infinitive amārī, Perfect Indicative amātus sum.

The Second Conjugation includes all verbs which add ē- to the root to form the present stem, with a few whose root ends in ē-. PRINCIPAL PARTS: Active, moneō, monēre, monuī, monitum; Passive, moneor, monērī, monitus sum.

The Third Conjugation includes all verbs (not irregular, see § 197) which add ĕ- to the root to form the present stem, with a few whose root ends in ĕ-. PRINCIPAL PARTS: Active, tegō, tegĕre, tēxī, tēctum; Passive, tegor, tegī, tēctus sum.

Verbs of the Third Conjugation in -iō have certain forms of the present stem like the fourth conjugation. They lose the i of the stem before a consonant and also before ĭ, ī, and ĕ (except in the future, the participle, the gerund, and the gerundive).

Verbs of this class are conjugated as follows:— PRINCIPAL PARTS: Active, capiō, capĕre, cēpī, captum; Passive, capior, capī, captus sum.

Many verbs have more than one set of forms, of which only one is generally found in classic use:—

1. lavō, lavāre or lavĕre, wash (see § 211. e).
2. scateō, scatēre or scatĕre, gush forth.
3. lūdificō, -āre, or lūdificor, -ārī, mock.
4. fulgō, fulgĕre, or fulgeō, fulgēre, shine.

Deponent Verbs have the forms of the Passive Voice, with an active or reflexive signification:—

Deponents have the participles of both voices:—

The perfect participle generally has an active sense, but in verbs otherwise deponent it is often passive: as, mercātus, bought; adeptus, gained (or having gained).

The future infinitive is always in the active form: thus, sequor has secūtūrus (-a, -um) esse (not secūtum īrī).

The gerundive, being passive in meaning, is found only in transitive verbs, or intransitive verbs used impersonally:—

1. hōc cōnfitendum est, this must be acknowledged.
2. moriendum est omnibus, all must die.

Most deponents are intransitive or reflexive in meaning, corresponding to what in Greek is called the Middle Voice (§ 156. a. N.).

Some deponents are occasionally used in a passive sense: as, crīminor, I accuse, or I am accused.

About twenty verbs have an active meaning in both active and passive forms: as, mereō or mereor, I deserve.

More than half of all deponents are of the First Conjugation, and all of these are regular. The following deponents are irregular:—

1. adsentior, -īrī, adsēnsus, assent.
2. apīscor, (-ip-), -ī, aptus (-eptus), get.
3. dēfetīscor, -ī, -fessus, faint.
4. expergīscor, -ī, -perrēctus, rouse.
5. experior, -īrī, expertus, try.
6. fateor, -ērī, fassus, confess.
7. fruor, -ī, frūctus (fruitus), enjoy.
8. fungor, -ī, fūnctus, fulfil.
9. gradior (-gredior), -ī, gressus, step.
10. īrāscor, -ī, īrātus, be angry.
11. lābor, -ī, lāpsus, fall.
12. loquor, -ī, locūtus, speak.
13. mētior, -īrī, mēnsus, measure.
14. -minīscor, -ī, -mentus, think.
15. morior, -ī (-īrī), mortuus (moritūrus), die.
16. nancīscor, -ī, nactus (nānctus), find.
17. nāscor, -ī, nātus, be born.
18. nītor, -ī, nīsus (nīxus), strive.
19. oblīvīscor, -ī, oblītus, forget.
20. opperior, -īrī, oppertus, await.
21. ōrdior, -īrī, ōrsus, begin.
22. orior, -īrī, ortus (oritūrus), rise (3d conjugation in most forms).
23. pacīscor, -ī, pactus, bargain.
24. patior (-petior), -ī, passus (-pessus), suffer.
25. -plector, -ī, -plexus, clasp.
26. proficīscor, -ī, profectus, set out.
27. queror, -ī, questus, complain.
28. reor, rērī, ratus, think.
29. revertor, -ī, reversus, return.
30. ringor, -ī, rictus, snarl.
31. sequor, -ī, secūtus, follow.
32. tueor, -ērī, tuitus (tūtus), defend.
33. ulcīscor, -ī, ultus, avenge.
34. ūtor, -ī, ūsus, use, employ.

The following deponents have no supine stem:—

A few verbs having no perfect stem are regular in the present, but appear in the tenses of completed action as deponents. These are called Semi-deponents. They are:—

From audeō there is an old perfect subjunctive ausim. The form sōdēs (for sī audēs), an thou wilt, is frequent in the dramatists and rare elsewhere.

The active forms vāpulō, vāpulāre, be flogged, and vēneō, vēnīre, be sold (contracted from vēnum īre, go to sale), have a passive meaning, and are sometimes called neutral passives. To these may be added fierī, to be made (§ 204), and exsulāre, to be banished (live in exile); cf. accēdere, to be added.

A Periphrastic form, as the name indicates, is a “roundabout way of speaking.” In the widest sense, all verb-phrases consisting of participles and sum are Periphrastic Forms. The Present Participle is, however, rarely so used, and the Perfect Participle with sum is included in the regular conjugation (amātus sum, eram, etc.). Hence the term Periphrastic Conjugation is usually restricted to verb-phrases consisting of the Future Active Participle or the Gerundive with sum.

There are two Periphrastic Conjugations, known respectively as the First (or Active) and the Second (or Passive).

The First Periphrastic Conjugation combines the Future Active Participle with the forms of sum, and denotes a future or intended action.

The Second Periphrastic Conjugation combines the Gerundive with the forms of sum, and denotes obligation, necessity, or propriety.

The periphrastic forms are inflected regularly throughout the Indicative and Subjunctive and in the Present and Perfect Infinitive.

The First Periphrastic Conjugation:—

So in the other conjugations:—

1. Second: monitūrus sum, I am about to advise.
2. Third: tēctūrus sum, I am about to cover.
3. Fourth: audītūrus sum, I am about to hear.
4. Third (in -iō): captūrus sum, I am about to take.

The Second Periphrastic Conjugation:—

So in the other conjugations:—

1. Second: monendus sum, I am to be, must be, advised.
2. Third: tegendus sum, I am to be, must be, covered.
3. Fourth: audiendus sum, I am to be, must be, heard.
4. Third (in -iō): capiendus sum, I am to be, must be, taken.

Several verbs add some of the personal endings of the present system directly to the root,

or combine two verbs in their inflection. These are called Irregular Verbs. They are sum, volō, ferō, edō, dō, eō, queō, fīō, and their compounds.

Sum has already been inflected in § 170.

Sum is compounded without any change of inflection with the prepositions ab, ad, dē, in, inter, ob, prae, prō (earlier form prōd), sub, super.

In the compound prōsum (help), prō retains its original d before e: PRINCIPAL PARTS: prōsum, prōdesse, prōfuī, prōfutūrus

Sum is also compounded with the adjective potis, or pote, able, making the verb possum (be able, can). Possum is inflected as follows:—

PRINCIPAL PARTS: possum, posse, potuī Potuī is from an obsolete †potēre.

PARTICIPLE

1. PRES. potēns (adjective), powerful

volō, nōlō, mālō

1. PRINCIPAL PARTS: volō, velle, voluī,—, be willing, will, wish nōlō, nōlle, nōluī,—, be unwilling, will not mālō, mālle, māluī,—, be more willing, prefer

Ferō, bear, carry, endure

PRINCIPAL PARTS: ferō, ferre,Ferre, ferrem, are for †fer-se, †fer-sēm (cf. es-se, es-sem), s being assimilated to preceding r; or ferre, ferrem, may be for †ferese, †feresēm (see § 15. 4). tulī, lātum

The compounds of ferō, conjugated like the simple verb, are the following:—

Edō, edere, ēdī, ēsum, eat, is regular of the third conjugation, but has also an archaic present subjunctive and some alternative forms directly from the root (ED), without the thematic vowel. These are in full-faced type.

In the Passive the following irregular forms occur in the third person singular: Present Indicative ēstur, Imperfect Subjunctive ēssētur.

The irregular verb dō, give, is conjugated as follows:— PRINCIPAL PARTS: dō, dăre, dedī, datum

1. For compounds of dō, see § 209. a. N.

Eō, go.

PRINCIPAL PARTS: eō, īre, iī (īvī), ĭtum

The compounds adeō, approach, ineō, enter, and some others, are tran sitive. They are inflected as follows in the passive:—

Thus inflected, the forms of eō are used impersonally in the third person singular of the passive: as, itum est (§ 208. d). The infinitive īrī is used with the supine in -um to make the future infinitive passive (§ 193. N.). The verb vēneō, be sold (i.e. vēnum eō, go to sale), has also several forms in the passive.

In the perfect system of eō the forms with v are very rare in the simple verb and unusual in the compounds.

ii before s is regularly contracted to ī: as, īsse.

The compound ambiō is inflected regularly like a verb of the fourth conjugation. But it has also ambībat in the imperfect indicative.

Prō with eō retains its original d: as, prōdeō, prōdīs, prōdit.

Faciō, facere, fēcī, factum, make, is regular. But it has imperative fac in the active, and, besides the regular forms, the future perfect faxō, perfect subjunctive faxim. The passive of faciō is—

1. fīō, fiĕrī, factus sum, be made or become.

The present system of fīō is regular of the fourth conjugation, but the subjunctive imperfect is fierem, and the infinitive fierī.

Most compounds of faciō with prepositions weaken ă to ĭ in the present stem and to ĕ in the supine stem, and are inflected regularly like verbs in -iō:—

1. cōnficiō, cōnficĕre, cōnfēcī, cōnfectum, finish.
2. cōnficior, cōnficī, cōnfectus.

Other compounds retain a, and have -fīō in the passive: as, benefaciō, -facere, -fēcī, -factum; passive benefīō, -fierī, -factus, benefit. These retain the accent of the simple verb: as, bene-fă'cis (§ 12. a, Exc.).

A few isolated forms of fīo occur in other compounds:—

1. cōnfit, it happens, cōnfīunt; cōnfīat; cōnfieret, cōnfierent; cōnfierī.
2. dēfit, it lacks, dēfīunt; dēfīet; dēfīat; dēfierī.
3. effierī, to be effected.
4. īnfīō, begin (to speak), īnfit.
5. interfīat, let him perish; interfierī, to perish.
6. superfit, it remains over; superfīat, superfierī.

Some verbs have lost the Present System, and use only tenses of the Perfect, in which they are inflected regularly. These are—

The passive of coepī is often used with the passive infinitive: as, coeptus sum vocārī, I began to be called, but coepī vocāre, I began to call. For the present system incipiō is used.

The Perfect, Pluperfect, and Future Perfect of ōdī and meminī have the meanings of a Present, Imperfect, and Future respectively:—

1. ōdī, I hate; ōderam, I hated (was hating); ōderō, I shall hate.

Many verbs are found only in the Present System. Such are maereō, -ēre, be sorrowful (cf. maestus, sad); feriō, -īre, strike.

In many the simple verb is incomplete, but the missing parts occur in its compounds: as, vādō, vādere, in-vāsī, in-vāsum.

Some verbs occur very commonly, but only in a few forms:—

Âiō, I say:—

The vowels a and i are pronounced separately (a-is, a-it) except sometimes in old or colloquial Latin. Before a vowel, one i stands for two (see § 6. c):—thus âiō was pronounced ai-yō and was sometimes written aiiō.

Inquam, I say, except in poetry, is used only in direct quotations (cf. the English quoth).

The only common forms are inquam, inquis, inquit, inquiunt, and the future īnquiēs, inquiet.

The deponent fārī, to speak, has the following forms:—

Several forms compounded with the prepositions ex, prae, prō, inter, occur: as, praefātur, praefāmur, affārī, prōfātus, interfātur, etc. The compound īnfāns is regularly used as a noun (child). īnfandus, nefandus, are used as adjectives, unspeakable, abominable.

Queō, I can, nequeō, I cannot, are conjugated like eō. They are rarely used except in the present. Queō is regularly accompanied by a negative. The forms given below occur, those in full-faced type in classic prose. The Imperative, Gerund, and Supine are wanting.

Quaesō, I ask, beg (original form of quaerō), has—

Ovāre, to triumph, has the following:—

A few verbs are found chiefly in the Imperative:—

1. PRES. singular salvē, plural salvēte, FUT. salvētō, hail! (from salvus, safe and sound). An infinitive salvēre and the indicative forms salveō, salvētis, salvēbis, are rare.
2. PRES. singular avē (or havē), plural avēte, FUT. avētō, hail or farewell. An infinitive avēre also occurs.
3. PRES. singular cĕdo, plural cĕdite (cette), give, tell.
4. PRES. singular apage, begone (properly a Greek word).

Many verbs, from their meaning, appear only in the third person singular, the infinitive, and the gerund. These are called Impersonal Verbs, as having no personal subject.

The passive of many intransitive verbs is used in the same way.

Impersonal Verbs may be classified as follows:—

Verbs expressing the operations of nature and the time of day:—

Verbs of feeling, where the person who is the proper subject becomes the object, as being himself affected by the feeling expressed in the verb (§ 354. b):—

Verbs which have a phrase or clause as their subject (cf. §§ 454, 569.2):—

1. accidit, contingit, ēvenit, obtingit, obvenit, fit, it happens.

The passive of intransitive verbs is very often used impersonally (see synopsis in § 207):—

1. ventum est, they came (there was coming).
2. pūgnātur, there is fighting (it is fought).
3. ītur, some one goes (it is gone).
4. parcitur mihi, I am spared (it is spared to me, see § 372).

There are about 360 simple verbs of the First Conjugation, most of them formed directly on a noun-or adjective-stem:

1. armō, arm (arma, arms); caecō, to blind (caecus, blind); exsulō, be an exile (exsul, an exile) (§ 259).

Their conjugation is usually regular, like amō; though of many only a few forms are found in use.

The following verbs form their Perfect and Supine stems irregularly. Those marked * have also regular forms.