How to Conjugate Verbs in the Active and

Passive Voices
First Conjugation

Jonathan Edgington

Verb Stems
Present, Perfect and Participial
Most verbs in Latin have four principal parts: the present indicative, infinitive,
perfect indicative, and supine. These principal parts are used to form the verb
stems utilized throughout all twelve conjugations of a Latin verb. However, there are
only three stems the first principal part is used as is to represent the first person
singular conjugation. Heres how to find them:

Present Stem
Find the second principal part of the verb.
o voc vocre vocv voctum call
Drop the re at the end of the principal part.
o vocre voc

Perfect Stem
Find the third principal part of the verb.
o voc vocre vocv voctum call
Drop the at the end of the principal part.
o vocv vocv

Participial Stem
Find the fourth principal part of the verb.
o voc vocre vocv voctum call
Drop the um at the end of the principal part.
o voctum voct
Here is a chart that shows which tenses use each of the stems:

Present Stem

Present Active
Imperfect Active
Future Active
Present Passive
Imperfect Passive
Future Passive

Perfect Stem

Perfect Active
Pluperfect Active
Future
Perfect
Active

Participial Stem

Perfect Passive
Pluperfect Passive
Future
Perfect
Passive

Formation and Endings of Verbs

Differences Between Active and Passive Voices
In Latin, active and passive verbs are fairly similar in the present system, which
includes the present, imperfect, and future conjugations. The only differences
between the two tenses are the personal endings, which, in reality, arent that
different to begin with. Below is a list:

Active

Plural
mus
tis
nt

Passive

Singular
Singular
Plural

r / r
mur
s
ris
min
t
tur
ntur
Note the similarities between each personal ending. In the imperfect and future, the
infixes b and
b are added, respectively.
In the perfect system, the story is an entirely different one. All verbs in the active
perfect system are created by using the third principal part with the relative form of
sum as the suffix (excluding the perfect.) In the pluperfect, the form of sum is
imperfect; in the future perfect, the form is perfect. See the chart below. Note that
the endings are based on the perfect form, and that forms such as will change in
other tenses ( eram for pluperfect, er for future perfect.)
All verbs in the passive perfect system are comprised of an adjective and a linking
verb. This linking verb is the imperfect for the pluperfect, and the future form for
the future perfect. In this voice, the fourth principal part is used as an adjective, and
a masculine, feminine, or neuter ending is used, depending on the gender of the
noun receiving the verbs action. Here are all the perfect system endings:

Active
Singular

ist
it

Plural
mus
stis
runt

Passive
Singular
us, a, um
sum
us, a, um es
us, a, um
est

Plural
us ()
sumus
us ()
estis
us ()
sunt

The following page contains the complete conjugation of a verb in all tenses and
numbers.

Present
Active
voc
vocs
voct
vocmus
voctis
vocnt

Imperfect
Active
vocbam
vocbas
vocbat
vocbamus
vocbatis
vocbant

Meaning
I am calling
you are calling
he () is calling
we are calling
you all are calling
they are calling

Meaning
I was calling
you were calling
he () is calling
we were calling
you all were calling
they were calling

Present
Passive

Meaning
I am called
you are called
he () is called
we are called
you all are called
they are called

vocr
vocris
voctur
vocmur
vocmin
vocntur

Imperfect
Passive

Meaning

vocbar
vocbaris
vocbatur
vocbamur
vocbamin
vocbantur

I was being called

you were being called
he () was being called
we were being called
you all were being
called
they were being called

Future Active

Meaning

Future Passive

Meaning

vocbo
vocbis
vocbit
vocbimus
vocbitis
vocbunt

I will call
you will call
he () will call
we will call
you all will call
they will call

vocbr
vocberis
vocbitur
vocbimur
vocbimin
vocbuntur

I will be called
you will be called
he () will be called
we will be called
you will be called
they will be called

Perfect Active Meaning

Perfect Passive

Meaning

vocvi
vocvisti
vocvit
vocvimus
vocvistis
vocverunt

I called
you called
he () called
we called
you all called
they called

voctus*
voctus*
voctus*
voctus*
voctus*
voctus*

I was called
you were called
he () was called
we were called
you all were called
they were called

Pluperfect
Active

Meaning

Pluperfect
Passive

vocveram
vocveras
vocverat
vocveramus
vocveratis
vocverant

Future P.
Active
vocvero
vocveris
vocverit
vocverimus

I had called
you had called
he () had called
we had called
you all had called
they had called

Meaning
I will have called
you will have called
he () will have
called
we will have called

voctus*
voctus*
voctus*
voctus*
eramus
voctus*
voctus*

sum
es
est
sumus
estis
sunt

eram
eras
erat

I had been called

you had been called
he () had been called
we had been called
you all had been called
they had been called

eratis
erant

Future P.
Passive
voctus*
voctus*
voctus*
voctus*

Meaning

Meaning
ero
eris
erit
erimus

I will have been called

you will have been
called
he () will have been
called

vocveritis
vocverint

you all will have

called
they will have called

voctus* eritis
voctus* erunt

FINIS

we will have been

called
you all will have been
called
they will have been
called