Welcome to Vergil's Verb Tips Page. Here you will learn all you need to know to negotiate your way successfully through Latin verbal forms such as infinitives, participles, ablative absolute (Mr. A's favorite construction), gerunds and gerundives, and the supine. Construction will obviously take some time. More information may be available on the links to your left. Check out the following tables for basic assistance: infinitives, participles, supines, ablative absolute (including new exercises by me), reduplicating verbs, and gerunds and gerundives, now available in .pdf format. Check out the forms of every deponent verb in Ecce Romani II and Cambridge Unit 3here. Coming soon: inchoatives and semideponent verbs. Help for our friends using Cambridge Latin Course.
JUST ADDED: Practice participles with Vergil's Aeneid.
last updated: ante diem tertium Nonas Semptembres, A.D. duo milia sex
VERGIL'S VERB TIPS: THE INFINITIVE
If the verb form ends in . . .
. . . it's this kind of infinitive:
. . .and is normally translated as follows:
-āre / -ēre / -ere / -īre / -esse (sum and its compounds)
present active
to X
-ārī / -ērī / -ī / -īrī
present passive
to be X'ed
present active of deponent verbs
to X
(3rd principal part stem +)-isse (but nōsse common for nōvisse)
perfect active
to have X'ed
-us/-a/um (4th principal part) + esse
perfect passive
to have been X'ed
perfect active of deponent verbs
to have X'ed
(4th principal part stem +)-ūrus/-a/-um + esse (but fore common for futûrus esse)
future active
to be about to X
-um (neuter 4th principal part) + īrī
future passive
to be about to be X'ed
VERGIL'S VERB TIPS: THE PARTICIPLE
If the participle ends in . . .
. . . it's this kind of participle
. . . and is normally translated as follows:
-āns / -ēns / -iēns (genitive singular: -ntis)
present active
X'ing
-tus/-ta/-tum or -sus/-sa/-sum (= 4th principal part)
perfect passive
(having been) X'ed
perfect active of deponent verbs
having X'ed
-tūrus/-a/-um or -sūrus/-a/-um (4th principal part stem + -ûrus/-a/-um)
future active
about to X
-andus/-a/-us or -endus/-a/-um or -iendus/-a/-um (verb stem minus any vowel/s + endings)
future passive (a.k.a. gerundive)
(needing) to be X'ed
VERGIL'S VERB TIPS: THE SUPINE
If the supine is . . .
. . . it will take this form . . .
. . . and be used with . . .
. . . and be translated as follows:
accusative
(4th principal part)-um
motion verbs (particularly eō)
to X
ablative
(4th principal part)-ū
an adjective as an ablative of respect
to X
Ablative Absolute (selected online sources of information with evaluative commentary)
Here's an excellent site that teaches you everything you need to know about the "Rolls Royce" of Latin grammar constructions. It even tells you to start by adding "with" to your translation. Great preparation for Caesar. Click around a bit to read other commentary at the same site.
More commentary, almost as good, but I'd always start translating by adding "with" first, then refining. These are the people who have given us some of our Ecce Romani 1 links. You can do some practice and compare your answers with theirs.
DEPONENT VERBS in ECCE ROMANI II and CAMBRIDGE UNIT 3
NOTE: Deponent verbs are active in form but passive in meaning. They have three principal parts. The third principal part consists of a participle + a form of sum. In the table that follows you will see the masculine singular form of the participle. In other circumstances the participle might be feminine or neuter or plural.
MODEL OF PRINCIPAL PARTS
Principal Part
Sample Form
Identification
Translation
1st Principal Part
proficīscor
(1st person singular present active indicative)
I set out
2nd Principal Part
proficīscī
(present active infinitive)
to set out
3rd Principal Part
profectus sum
(1st person singular perfect active indicative)
I have set out
FIRST CONJUGATION
admīror
admīrārī
admīrātus sum
marvel at
comitor
comitārī
comitātus sum
accompany
cōnor
cōnārī
cōnātus sum
try
cōnspicor
cōnspicārī
cōnspicātus sum
catch sight of
grātulor + dative
grātulārī
grātulātus sum
congratulate
hortor
hortārī
hortātus sum
encourage, urge on
luctor
luctārī
luctātus sum
wrestle
mīror
mīrārī
mīrātus sum
wonder, admire
moror
morārī
morātus sum
delay
precor
precārī
precātus sum
pray
rixor
rixārī
rixātus sum
quarrel
suspicor
supicārī
suspicātus sum
suspect
SECOND CONJUGATION
polliceor
pollicērī
pollicitus sum
promise
vereor
verērī
veritus sum
fear
THIRD CONJUGATION
adipīscor
adipīscī
adeptus sum
obtain
alloquor
alloquī
allocūtus sum
speak to, address
amplector
amplectī
amplexus sum
embrace
collābor
collābī
collāpsus sum
collapse
colloquor
colloquī
collocūtus sum
converse, speak together
cōnsequor
consequī
consecūtus sum
pursue
expigīscor
expigīscī
experrēctus sum
wake up
lābor
lābī
lāpsus sum
slip, glide
loquor
loquī
locūtus sum
speak
nāscor
nāscī
nātus sum
be born
persequor
persequī
persecūtus sum
pursue
proficīscor
proficīscī
profectus sum
set out
sequor
sequī
secūtus sum
follow
subsequor
subsequī
subsecūtus sum
follow (up)
ulcīscor
ulcīscī
ultus sum
avenge
ūtor
ūtī
ūsus sum
use + ablative
vescor + abl.
vescī
-------
eat
THIRD-IŌ CONJUGATION
aggredior
aggredī
aggressus sum
approach, attack
congredior
congredī
congressus sum
come together
ēgredior
ēgredī
ēgressus sum
go out
ingredior
ingredī
ingressus sum
enter
morior
morī
mortuus sum
die
prōgredior
prōgredī
prōgressus sum
advance
regredior
regredī
regressus sum
go back, return
trānsgredior
trānsgredī
trānsgressus sum
cross
FOURTH CONJUGATION
adorior
adorīrī
adortus sum
attack
coorior
coorīrī
coortus sum
arise
experior
experīrī
expertus sum
test / prove
ōrdior
ōrdīrī
orsus sum
begin
orior
orīrī
ortus sum
rise
Need help with verbs?
Send your questions. As time permits, I'll try to help you. Priority for my students. Best tip of all: MEMORIZE!!
REDUPLICATING VERBS
Reduplicating verbs are those Latin verbs that form their perfect tenses by repeating their initial sound in the creation of the 3rd principal part. Reduplication is a very ancient component of Indo-European languages. Very common in Ancient Greek, Latin possesses a handful of these verbs. Reduplication was even a feature of Old English, where the verb "go" was originally "gangan." The following list of verbs is by no means exhaustive, but many of these occur in the standard textbooks. Students of Latin would do well simply to learn these verbs by heart since there is no standard pattern at work in their construction.
Coming Soon: More on Gerunds and Gerundives. Thanks for your patience and interest in the topic. Click the globe to the left for some information on the topic.
Specific Help for Friends and Colleagues Using the Cambridge Latin Course:
The following .pdf files contain the principal parts for every verb in Units 1 and 2, alphabetized by conjugation. Fruantur! You may need the free Acrobat Reader.
Stages 1-4 (includes rules for present tense, explanation of principal parts, and present of sum)
Stages 5-6 (includes summaries of imperfect and perfect formation)
