11.03.24: introduction to 3rd conjugation verbs ... and how to be a worthless dice player!

First take a look at image #1 and you will see that many common verbs – verbs that you will frequently see and want to use – belong to the third conjugation.

In the earlier post discussing 2nd conjugation verbs, it was advised that, even though Classical Latin did not use the macron over vowels, you should indicate it for those verbs i.e. habēre, manēre etc. The reason for this will now become clear because 3rd conjugation verbs look as if they have the same ending. However, 3rd conjugation infinitives end in short /e/. Compare:

2nd conjugation: habēre (to have); manēre (to stay), sedēre (to sit)

The long /ē/ of the infinitive is stressed: habḗre [ha-BE-re]; manḗre [ma-NE-re]; sedḗre [se-DE-re]

3rd conjugation: légĕre [LE-ge-re] (to read); lúdĕre [LU-de-re] (to play); pṓnĕre [PO-ne-re] (to put)

The short /ĕ/ of the infinitive is unstressed. The stress is on the syllable of the stem and that applies to the whole conjugation of the present tense.

[i] To form the third conjugation, -ere is removed: bib¦ere (to drink) > bib-

[ii] To the stem the same personal endings are added as for the 1st and 2nd conjugation (-ō, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt):

For the 1st person singular, the personal ending is added directly to the stem

• bib ¦ ō: I drink

For the 3rd person plural /u / is inserted between the stem and the personal ending

• bib ¦ -u-nt: they drink

For all other parts /i/ is inserted between the stem and the personal ending e.g.

• bib ¦ -i-t: he / she / it drinks

Below is the verb in full; note that the accent marks [ʹ] and [˘] are only used here to show where the verb is stressed and unstressed; the accents are not used normally and will not be used again.

singular

• 1 bíbō: I drink
• 2 bíbĭs: you (sg) drink
• 3 bíbĭt: (s)he / it drinks

plural

• 1 bíbĭmus: we drink
• 2 bíbĭtis: you (pl) drink
• 3 bíbunt: they drink

Image #2 shows two more examples of the 3rd conjugation; again, remember that the accent marks ˘ and ʹ used are only to emphasise where the stress is: É-dĕ-re [E-de-re]

A good way of remembering anything is to put it in some kind of context; even a simple phrase will help to reinforce meaning. Below are some examples from the image which can be used to describe common activities.

• Librōs legō. I read books.
• Litterās scrībō. I write a letter / letters.
• Quid bibis? What do you drink?
• Vīnum bibō. I drink wīne.
• Quid edis? What do you eat?
• Ōva fricta edō. I eat fried eggs.
• Linguam Latīnam discō. I am learning Latīn.
• Vestīmenta vēndō. I sell clothes.
• Vestīmenta emō. I buy clothes.
• Aleā lūdō. I play at dice.* [Note that what you play at is in the ablative case: Nom: alea > Abl: aleā]

*Not chosen randomnly! Here is part of a brief quotation from a damning remark made by Cicero:

• … hominem omnium nēquissimum quī nōn dubitāret vel in forō āleā lūdere
• … the most worthless man of them all,—one who would not hesitate to play at dice even in the forum

But, if you are engaged in worthless dice games, then you now know how to say it, even though Cicero didn't approve, and image #3 shows some actual worthless dice players in Pompeii!