A Summary of the Latin Verb as Presented in Unit 1 of the Cambridge Latin Course

• Every Latin verb includes a personal ending that indicates both the person of the verb and
the number of the verb.
• There are three persons (first, second, and third) and two numbers (singular and plural), and
so there are six personal endings.
• Each personal ending may be understood as a personal pronoun supplying a built-in
subject for the verb.
• There are two distinct sets of personal endings, one for the perfect tense alone, the other for
all the other tenses.
The Three Persons, Singular and Plural
First Person Singular: I
Second Person Singular: you
Third Person Singular: he / she / it
First Person Plural: we
Second Person Plural: you
Third Person Plural: they
 
Personal Endings
Present and Imperfect Tenses Perfect Tense

-ō / -m (I) -ī (I)
-s (you) [singular] -istī (you) [singular]
-t (he / she / it) -it (he / she / it)
-mus (we) -imus (we)
-tis (you) [plural] -istis (you) [plural]
-nt (they) -ērunt (they)

The Verb to be
Number Person Present Tense Imperfect Tense Personal Ending
Singular 1st
sum I am eram I was -m
2nd
es you are erās you were -s
3rd est he is erat he was -t
Plural 1st sumus we are erāmus we were -mus
2nd estis you are erātis you were -tis
3rd sunt they are erant they were -nt
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Grammar . Latin . Verb . Latin I.A
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 The Regular Verb
PRESENT TENSE: describes simple, continuous, or emphatic action in the present. The
present stem of the word in the example below is porta- . We affix the personal ending to the
present stem in order to form the present tense of the verb.
Number Person Verb Personal Ending Meaning
Singular 1st
porto -o I carry, am carrying, do carry
2nd
portās -s you carry, are carrying, do carry
3rd portat -t he carries, is carrying, does carry
Plural 1st portāmus -mus we carry, are carrying, do carry
2nd portātis -tis you carry, are carrying, do carry
3rd portant -nt they carry, are carrying, do carry
IMPERFECT TENSE: describes incomplete action in the past, including past actions that
were continuous, repeated, persistent, habitual, or beginning. The constant sign of the imperfect
tense is -ba-. In the example below, the present stem is porta-. To form the imperfect tense, we
affix the -ba- to the present stem of the verb, then we affix the personal ending to the -ba-.
Number Person Verb Personal Ending Meaning
Singular 1st
portābam -m I was/began/kept carrying, used to carry
2nd portābas -s you were/began/kept carrying, used to carry

3rd portābat -t he was/began/kept carrying, used to carry

Plural 1st portābāmus -mus we were/began/kept carrying, used to carry

2nd portābatis -tis you were/began/kept carrying, used to carry

3rd portābant -nt they were/began/kept carrying, used to carry
PERFECT TENSE: describes unique or completed action in the past. In the perfect tense, the
stem of the word usually changes from its present-tense form. In the example below, the present
stem, porta-, has changed, with the addition of a -v-, to become the perfect stem, portav-. To form
the perfect tense, we affix to the perfect stem of the verb the perfect-tense personal ending.
Number Person Verb Personal Ending Meaning
Singular 1st
portāvi -ī I carried, have carried, did carry
2nd
portāvistī -istī you carried, have carried, did carry
3rd portāvit -it he carried, has carried, did carry
Plural 1st portāvimus -imus we carried, have carried, did carry
2nd portavistis -istis you carried, have carried, did carry
3rd portavērunt -ērunt they carried, have carried, did carry
 
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Grammar . Latin . Verb . Latin I.A
Copyright 2013
The Lancaster Center for Classical Studies
910 Marietta Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17603
 
 The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Conjugations of the Regular Latin Verb
Present, Imperfect, and Perfect Tenses, All Persons and Numbers
A Basic Study-Chart for the Tense-forms of the Verb Introduced in Unit 1 of the Cambridge Latin Course

Tense Number Person First Conjugation Second Conjugation Third Conjugation Fourth Conjugation
to carry to teach to drag / pull / draw to hear / listen to

Present Singular 1st portō doceō trahō audiō

2nd portās docēs trahis audīs
3rd portat docet trahit audit
Plural 1st portāmus docēmus trahimus audīmus
2nd portātis docētis trahitis audītis
3rd   portant docent trahunt audiunt
Imperfect Singular 1st portābam docēbam portābam audiēbam
2nd portābās docēbās portābās audiēbās
3rd portābat docēbat portābat audiēbat
Plural 1st portābāmus docēbāmus portābāmus audiēbāmus
2nd portābātis docēbātis portābātis audiēbātis
3rd   portābant docēbant portābant audiēbant
Perfect Singular 1st portāvī docuī trāxī audīvī
2nd portāvistī docuistī trāxistī audīvistī
3rd portāvit docuit trāxit audīvit
Plural 1st portāvimus docuimus trāximus audīvimus
2nd portāvistis docuistis trāxistis audīvistis
3rd  
portāvērunt docuērunt trāxērunt audīvērunt
 
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Grammar . Latin . Verb . Latin I.A
Copyright 2013
The Lancaster Center for Classical Studies
910 Marietta Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17603
 
 The Present, Imperfect, and Perfect Tenses of the Latin Verb to be
In All Persons and Numbers
A Basic Study-Chart for the Tense-forms of the Verb to be Introduced in Unit 1

Nota bene: This chart includes the perfect tense of the Verb to be. That form of the verb to be is not
introduced in Unit 1 of the Cambridge Latin Course, but it is easy to learn. The perfect stem of the verb to
be is fu-. As with the perfect tense of all verbs, in order to form the perfect tense of the verb to be, you
affix the common perfect-tense personal endings (-ī,-istī, -it, -imus, -istis, -ērunt) to the perfect stem fu-.

Number Person Present Tense Imperfect Tense Perfect Tense

Singular 1st sum I am eram I was fuī I have been

2nd es you are erās you were fuistī you have been

3rd est he is erat he was fuit he has been

Plural 1st sumus we are erāmus we were fuimus we have been

2nd estis you are erātis you were fuistis you have been

3rd   sunt they are erant they were fuērunt they have been

Study Tips
Study all persons, numbers, and tenses of all four conjugations of the regular verb
and of the verb to be, as exhibited in the two foregoing charts. Conduct your study by
periodically reviewing all of the forms in a thoughtful, observant manner, first 1.)
mentally (reading them silently to yourself), then 2.) orally (reading them aloud to
yourself or to a parent or sibling), and finally 3.) in writing (writing them out in an
organized manner, including the labels). Rather than trying to learn the two charts at
once, in their entirety, work at them a section at a time, gradually building your command.
Learn the present tense of the first conjugation, then move to the imperfect tense of the
first conjugation, and so on. Or, learn the present tense of the first conjugation, then move
to the present tense of the second conjugation, and so on. Quiz yourself periodically on
the sections that you have been working on recently, and reinforce your gains by going
back to quiz yourself on earlier sections as well. Study by reviewing the forms in a given
section of the charts thoughtfully and attentively, doing so now mentally, now orally, now
in writing, until you truly know the details of each section thoroughly, not by rote, but by
heart. Build up your mastery steadily, section by section, until you have gained control of
the entire system of both the regular verb and the verb to be As you conduct your periodic
reviews, always be thinking of the meaning and function of each word in each of its
particular forms. Make a game of your learning! A Latin word for school is ludus, which
also means a game. Enjoy your work.  
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Grammar . Latin . Verb . Latin I.A
Copyright 2013
The Lancaster Center for Classical Studies
910 Marietta Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17603