Latin for Learners: 03.09.25: Level 1; readings [19]; Roaming Davus; eō, īre and its compounds; present, imperfect and future tenses

While Marcus talks with his friends, he sees Davus, the slave of one of his friends, passing by the inn. Since that one likes to roam in the city, Marcus calls him:

M: Heus tū, quō is?

D: Eō, ehem, immō vērō ībam, nam nunc tū mē tenēs et rogās…

M: Quō ībās, furcifer?

D: Ībāmus, Mārce, nam Gallus mēcum it…

M: Sī Gallus tēcum ībit, tūtus ībis. Cōnstat enim cūnctōs Gallōs virōs firmōs esse.

D: Sed meus Gallus vir firmus nōn est. Ecce, ante templum stat neque in templum īre audet propter tē; timidus enim est.

M: Appāret nōnnūllōs Gallōs timidōs esse. Sed satis dē Gallīs! Quō nunc ībitis?

[D: tacet]

M: Respondēbō prō tē: “Per cūnctās viās ībimus, cūncta templa praeteribimus, postrēmō ad circum adībimus, quō cūnctī ōtiōsī eunt.”

[D: rīdet]

M: Quid rīdēs? Vōs nōn in circum ībitis, sed statim ad dominōs vestrōs redībitis neque per cūnctās viās errābitis. Quid exspectātis? Ī, Dāve! Abī, Galle! Properāte! Abīte!

eō, īre [irregular]: go, and its compounds

[1] Image #1: the verb eō, īre (go) is irregular in the present tense but its imperfect and future tense forms are regular. At first sight, the verb seems unusual in that its stem (apart from the 3^rd person plural present tense) is formed from a single vowel, but the personal endings are simply added to that stem:

[a] present tense

eō │ I (am) go(ing)

is │ You (singular) (are) go(ing)

it│He / she / it goes / is going

īmus │ We (are) go(ing)

ītis│ You (plural) (are) go(ing)

eunt │ They (are) go(ing)

[b] The imperfect and future tenses add the endings to the single vowel stem ī-

ībam, ībās etc.

ībō, ībis etc.

[c] The imperative (command) form is a single vowel in the singular to which -te is regularly added when the command is plural:

ī! go! (singular); īte! go! (plural)

[d] to eō, īre prefixes can be added which specify the type of movement involved, for example:

abeō, abīre: go away

adēō, adīre: approach; go towards

trānseō, trānsīre: go across

Regardless of the prefix, the verb itself will always be conjugated in the same way in the present, imperfect and future tenses.

Image #2 shows many of the prefixed verbs of eō, īre

Examples from the text:

[i] Present

Quō is? │ Where are you going to?

Gallus mēcum it │ The Gaul is going with me.

… quō cūnctī ōtiōsī eunt. │ … where all the idlers go to.

[ii] Imperfect

ībam │ I was going

ībāmus │ we were going

[iii] Future

Sī Gallus tēcum ībit, tūtus ībis │If the Gaul goes [literally: will go] with you, you will go safely.

Quō nunc ībitis? │ Where will you (pl.) go to now?

Per cūnctās viās ībimus │ We will go through all the streets.

Ad circum adībimus │ We will approach / go to(wards) the circus.

Cūncta templa praeteribimus │ We will go past all the temples.

Vōs nōn in circum ībitis, sed statim ad dominōs vestrōs redībitis │ You (pl.) will not go into the circus, but (you [pl.]) will immediately go back / return to your masters.

[iv] Imperative

Ī, Dāve! │ Go, Davus!

Abī, Galle! │ Go away, Gaul!

Note in the first two examples the use of the vocative case in -e since Davus and the Gaul (Gallus) are each addressed directly.

Abīte! │ Go away! (addressing more than one person)

[v] Infinitive

neque in templum īre audet │ and he does not dare to go into the temple

[e] All previous posts on this topic are available as one file here:

https://mega.nz/file/2YlhgZAI#ND1ssYsC85ylcjS9EVHKcY2d4GthuGxSua7P-lG9Ebw

Separate links are listed below:

16.03.24: eō, īre [irregular]: go; compounds of eō, īre

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/160324-eo-ire-irregular-go-compounds-of.html