Latin for Learners: tenses: present

The infinitives of first conjugation verbs end in -āre e.g. habitāre (to live), labōrāre (to work) etc. The stem vowel, when -re is removed ends in -ā / -a to which the personal endings -ō, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt are then added.

The infinitive of 2nd conjugation verbs, an example of which is vidēre (to see) ends in -ēre. The same rules apply for the adding of personal endings: remove the -re and add the personal endings to the stem vowel /e/; this time, unlike the first conjugation where first person singular also loses the stem vowel, the second conjugation adds the personal endings to the stem vowel in all forms of the verb:

[1] infinitive: vidēre

[2] remove -re: vidē- which gives you the stem

[3] add the personal endings to the stem; apart from the third person singular, which has a short /e/ stem vowel, all other forms of the verb have a long /ē/ in the stem

[4] the accent mark [ʹ] is only there to indicate where the syllable is stressed; it will not be used again

vídeō│ I see; I do see; I am seeing

vídēs│you (sg.) see

vídet│he / she / it sees

vidḗmus│we see

vidḗtis│you (pl.) see

vídent│ they see

[5] The video includes two subject pronouns:

nōs: we

vōs: you (plural), when talking to more than one person

As with other subject pronouns, they are generally not required, but can be used:

[1] for emphasis:

nōs puerī … │ we boys …

[2] when the people being addressed are named, for example:

Vōs, mīlitēs, … │ You, soldiers, …

Friday, January 30, 2026

23.04.26: Level 1 (review); verbs; first conjugation present tense

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/397175869560354/

Saturday, May 17, 2025

28.08.25: Level 1: 3rd-iō conjugation verbs

This post follows on from the previous posts on 3^rd and 4^th conjugation verbs.

Links:

Level 1; Road to Latin [33]; [i] In peristȳlō [ii] Dē equō ligneō; (2) grammar: 3^rd conjugation verbs

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/220825-level-1-road-to-latin-33-i-in.html

Level 1; Road to Latin [34]; [i] In peristȳlō [ii] Dē equō ligneō; (3) grammar: 3^rd conjugation verbs; links

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/220825-level-1-road-to-latin-34-i-in.html

Level 1; Road to Latin [35]; [i] In peristȳlō [ii] Dē equō ligneō; (4) grammar: 4^th conjugation verbs

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/250825-level-1-road-to-latin-35-i-in.html

Level 1; Road to Latin [36]; [i] In peristȳlō [ii] Dē equō ligneō; (5) grammar: 4^th conjugation verbs; links

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/250825-level-1-road-to-latin-36-i-in.html

I leave this conjugation until last because it is formed partly from the 3^rd conjugation and partly from the 4^th i.e. it is better to be familiar with the 3^rd and 4^th before looking at what is happening in the 3^rd-iō. The information below has been posted before:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/180304-3rd-io-conjugation.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/409226905021917/

However, a summary is posted here again since it naturally follows on from what has already been discussed.

If you look at the first image posted, you see two verbs side by side; in grammar books they are generally presented this way because both of them are classified as 3rd conjugation, the infinitive in short /e/. However, the verb on the right can be noted as [3-iō] although wiktionary (rather threateningly) lists this verb type as “third conjugation iō-variant”.

Why is it called this?

[i] Here’s a 3rd conjugation: bibō, bibere [3]: drink

bibō

>> bibis <<

>> bibit <<

>> bibimus <<

>> bibitis <<

bibunt

[ii] Here’s a 4th conjugation: audiō, audīre [4]: hear

>> audiō <<

audīs

audit

audīmus

audītis

>> audiunt <<

[iii] Now, the final ‘tick box’ of the conjugations:

faciō, facere [3-iō]: do; make

Take a second look; the first person singular looks like audiō [4th conjugation] but the infinitive is short /e/ -ere, like bibere [3rd conjugation], and what emerges is a combination of the two:

[1] fáciō [like 4th conjugation; compare audiō]: I do

Now it has the endings of the 3rd conjugation:

[2] fácĭs [compare: bíbĭs]: you (sg.) do

[3] fácĭt [compare: bíbĭt]: he / she / it does

[4] fácĭmus [compare: bíbĭmus]: we do

[5] fácĭtis [compare: bíbĭtis]: you (pl.) do

Then …

[6] fáciunt [like 4th conjugation: audiunt]: they do

The table below shows the three conjugations – 3rd, 3-iō and 4th – side-by-side. The accent marks [ʹ] and [˘] are only used here to show the differences in stresses. Note the way in which the 3-iō conjugation is formed partly from the third conjugation and partly from the fourth.

Compare the way in which 3rd, 3-iō and 4^th conjugations are listed:

dūcō, -ere [3]; -ō / -ere

capiō, -ere [3-iō]; -iō / -ere

audiō, -īre [4]; -iō / -īre

Some frequently occurring verbs are of the 3-iō type:

accipiō, accipere [3-iō]: receive

capiō, capere [3-iō]: take; capture

cupiō, cupere [3-iō]: desire

effugiō, effugere [3-iō]: flee / escape from

fugiō, fugere [3-iō]: flee

iaciō, iacere [3-iō] throw

interficiō, interficere [3-iō]: kill

rapiō, rapere [3-iō]: seize; of course, the highly unpleasant word ‘rape’ is derived from this, but the original word, which, yes, could mean ‘rape’ also had a far wider meaning of ‘snatch; carry off; abduct’

Links

[1] further posts on the 3-iō conjugation

18.03.24: 3rd-iō conjugation

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/180304-3rd-io-conjugation.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/409226905021917/

18.03.24: practice in the 3-iō conjugation

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/180324-practice-in-3-io-conjugation.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/409455001665774/

[2] 3^rd, 3-iō and 4^th conjugations: all posts

[i] 3^rd and 3-iō conjugation

https://mega.nz/file/GB9HXJyQ#rAlmUqjUcF0fjIlKKbqo0F0MWGj0FQB5zIvwHM2EpVo

[ii] 4^th conjugation

https://mega.nz/file/aVUnDRwD#HnIrEIqAdtRrB4xOxakJ0v80ekm6Y60xt6xXhp0q5pA

Friday, May 16, 2025

22.08.25: Level 1; Road to Latin [33]; [i] In peristȳlō [ii] Dē equō ligneō; (2) grammar: 3rd conjugation verbs

We first focus on 3^rd conjugation verbs (indicated in bold):

In peristȳlō

Peristȳlum līberōs Tulliae dēlectat. Puellae statuās saepe ōrnant. Aulus et Lūcius ibi student. Puerī parvī in peristȳlō libenter lūdunt quod in peristȳlō est aqua. Puerī parvī nāviculās ligneās habent. Tullia in peristȳlō saepe sedet et lūdōs līberōrum spectat. Interdum Tullia cum līberīs lūdit. Hodiē Publius et Servius domī sunt sed Lūcius et Aulus in lūdō sunt. Ā domiciliō Tullia clāmat, “ubi es, Pūblī? Quid agis?” Pūblius respondet, “lūdō in peristȳlō, Tullia.” Tum Tullia clāmat, “ubi tū lūdis, Servī?” “ego quoque in peristȳlō lūdō,” respondet Servius. “num in aquā lūditis?” Rogat Tullia. “in aquā nōn lūdimus sed nāviculae nostrae sunt in aquā. Nāviculās ad Graeciam et ad Crētam mittimus,” respondent puerī parvī. “Quid audīs, Pūblī? Quis venit?” Subitō rogat Servius. “Lūcius et Aulus in domicilium veniunt,” respondet Pūblius. “venitne paedagōgus cum puerīs, Pūblī?” “puerī cum paedagōgō veniunt.” “cūr, Lūcī, ā lūdō mātūrē venis?” Clāmat Pūblius. “veniō quod magister est aeger,” respondet Lūcius. “nōnne tū et Aulus in peristȳlum venītis?” Clāmat Servius. “in peristȳlum nōn venīmus. Ad Tulliam venīmus,” puerī respondent.

We can use the verb lūdō, lūdere as an example of a third conjugation verb:

lūdō, -ere [3]: to play; note the difference between 2^nd and 3^rd conjugation infinitives:

respondeō, respondēre [2]: reply; the infinitive ending has a long and stressed ē [re-spon-dḗ-re]

lūdō, lūdere [3]: play; the infinitive ending has a short and unstressed e [lū-dĕ-re]

the 3^rd conjugation is formed by removing the infinitive ending i.e. lūd¦ere > lūd- to which the following endings are added:

lūdō: I play, am playing [the personal ending is added directly to the stem]

lūdis: you (sg.) play [personal ending + stem vowel -i-]

lūdit: he / she / it plays

lūdimus: we play

lūditis: you (pl.) play

lūdunt: they play [personal ending + stem vowel -u-]

Dē equō ligneō

Multī dominī Rōmānī servōs Graecōs habent. Servī Graecī saepe sunt paedagōgī puerōrum Rōmānōrum. Dominī paedagōgōs cum fīliīs ad lūdum mittunt. Paedagōgus Lūcī et Aulī est Graecus. Puerīs fābulās dē Graeciā saepe nārrat. Fābula dē equō ligneō Lūcium et Aulum dēlectat.

"Graecī sunt īrātī quod Troiānī pulchram fēminam Graecam Troiae tenent. Itaque multī armātī ōrās Graeciae relinquunt et Troiam nāvigant. Interim Troiānī arma et frūmentum cōgunt et mūrōs Troiae dīligenter mūniunt. Posteā Graecī mūrōs oppugnant et longum bellum cum Troiānīs gerunt. Sunt multa proelia in ōrīs Troiae sed deī neque Graecīs neque Troiānīs victōriam dant.

"Tandem Graecī magnum equum ligneum aedificant. Noctū multī armātī in equum ascendunt. Tum reliquī Graecī ad īnsulam parvam nāvigant sed equum extrā mūrōs Troiae relinquunt. Māne Troiānī ā Troiae mūrīs equum magnum vident. Portās celeriter aperiunt et ad equum properant. Multī clāmant, 'Est certē dōnum deōrum! Troiānī equum nōn timent sed dēsīderant; itaque equum intrā mūrōs trahunt. Noctū armātī ex equō veniunt. Troiānī Graecōs nōn impediunt quod armātōs nōn audiunt. Ab īnsulā parvā ad Troiae portās reliquī Graecī properant. Tum armātī ad portās veniunt et sociōs intrā mūrōs dūcunt. Sīc Graecī Troiānōs vincunt et Troiam incendunt."

Examples from the texts:

[1] lūdō, -ere [3]: play

Ego quoque in peristȳlō lūdō. │ I’m also playing in the peristyle garden.

Ubi tū lūdis? │ Where are you playing?

Tullia cum līberīs lūdit. │ Tullia is playing with the children.

In aquā nōn lūdimus. │ We’re not playing in the water.

Num in aquā lūditis? │ You’re (pl.) not playing in the water, are you?

Puerī parvī in peristȳlō lūdunt. │ The little boys are playing in the peristyle garden.

[2]

ascendō, ascendere [3]: to climb

Multī armātī in equum ascendunt. │ Many armed men climb into the horse.

cōgō, cōgere [3]: to collect; compel, force

Troiānī arma et frūmentum cōgunt. │ The Trojans collect arms and grain.

dūcō, dūcere [3]: to lead, guide

Armātī … sociōs intrā mūrōs dūcunt. │ The armed men lead (their) comrades inside the walls.

gerō, gerere [3]: to carry on; wear; bellum gerere [3]: to wage war

Graecī … longum bellum cum Troiānīs gerunt. │ The Greeks wage a long war with the Trojans.

incendō, incendere [3]: to burn, set fire to

Graecī … Troiam incendunt. │ The Greeks set fire to Troy.

mittō, mittere [3]: to send

Nāviculās ad Graeciam et ad Crētam mittimus. │ We are sending the little ships to Greece and Crete.

Dominī paedagōgōs cum fīliīs ad lūdum mittunt. │ The masters send the tutors with (their) sons to school.

relinquō, relinquere [3]: to leave, abandon

Multī armātī ōrās Graeciae relinquunt. │ Many armed men leave the shores of Greece.

trahō, trahere [3]: to drag, draw

Equum intrā mūrōs trahunt. │ They drag the horse inside the walls.

vincō, vincere [3]: to conquer, subdue, overcome

Graecī Troiānōs vincunt. │ The Greeks conquer the Trojans.

Sunday, September 15, 2024

26.10.24: Level 1; review; practice in the verbs [9]; 4th conjugation

venīre [4]│ to come

veniō │ I come

venīs │ you come

venit │ he / she comes

venīmus │ we come

venītis │ you (pl.) come

veniunt │ they come

____________________

aperiō, -īre [4]: open

audiō, -īre [4]: hear

cūstōdiō,-īre [4]: guard

dormiō, -īre [4]: sleep

mūniō, -īre [4]: fortify

veniō, -īre [4]: come

[A]

Ego captīvōs __________. │ I guard the prisoners.
Ego castra fossā __________. │I fortify the camp with a ditch.
Ego ex Galliā __________.│ I come from Gaul.
Ego in cubiculō __________. │ I sleep in the bedroom.
Ego portās __________. │ I open the gates.
Ego tubam __________. │ I hear the trumpet.

aperiō; audiō; cūstōdiō; dormiō; mūniō; veniō

[B]

Complete the sentences

Nōs castra vāllō __________.
Dux castra vāllō __________.
__________nē in cubiculō, Mārce?
__________nē in cubiculō, puerī?
Vōs portās __________.
Tū portam __________.
Mīlitēs tubam __________.
Mīles Rōmānus captīvōs __________.
Mīlitēs Rōmānī captīvum __________.
Barbarī ē Germāniā __________.
Barbarus ē Germāniā __________.
Unde __________, barbare?

[C] Match the English with the Latin verbs in the word cloud

Are you (pl.) hungry?
Do you (sg.) know?
he / she is hungry
he / she knows
I know
I’m hungry
they are hungry
they know
to know
to not know
we know
we’re hungry
you (pl.) know
you (sg.) know
you’re (sg.) hungry

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

21.10.24: Level 1; review; practice in the verbs [5]; 1st conjugation; present tense; more practice

[A] Questions to the Roman and Barbarian soldiers military personnel. Complete the Latin with the verbs listed below.

__________ne victōriam, lēgātī? │ Are you (pl.) announcing the victory, ambassadors?
__________ne Ītaliam, barbarī? │ Are you (pl.) occupying Italy, barbarians?
__________ne equōs, aurīgae? │ Are you (pl.) spurring on the horses, charioteers?
Rōmānī, __________ne pecūniam Gallīs?│Romans, are you (pl.) giving money to the Gauls?
Lēgātī, __________ne pecūniam Rōmānīs?│Ambassadors, are you (pl.) giving money to the Romans?
Lēgātī, __________ne bellum? │ Ambassadors are you (pl.) preparing for war?
__________ne oppidum, Ō Rōmānī? │ Are you (pl.) storming the town, Romans?
__________ne nostrōs? │ Are you (pl.) encouraging our men?
__________ne agrōs? │ Are you (pl.) laying waste to / destroying the fields?
__________ne Rōmānōs? │ Are you (pl.) conquering the Romans?
__________ne signum proeliī, lēgātī? │ Are you (pl.) giving the sign for battle, ambassadors?
__________ne Rōmānōs, Gallī? │ Are you (pl.) chasing away the Romans, Gauls?
__________ne in Britanniā? │ Are you (pl.) spending the winter in Britain?

datis; datis; dātis; expugnātis; fugātis; hiemātis; incitātis; incitātis; nūntiātis; occupātis; parātis; superātis; vastātis

[B] Choose the appropriate verb form to complete each sentence.

Barbarī cum Rōmānīs [a] pugnat [b] pugnant [c] pugnātis.
[a] Pugnātisne [b] Pugnāsne [c] Pugnatne cum Rōmānīs, barbarī?
Cōpiae Caesaris oppidum vāllō [a] circumdat [b] circumdatīs [c] circumdant.
Lēgātus victōriam [a] nūntiant [b] nūntiat [c] nūntiās.
Lēgātī victōriam [a] nūntiant [b] nūntiat [c] nūntiās.
[a] Nūntiāsne [b] nūntiatne [c] nūntiantne victōriam, ō lēgāte?
Aurīga equum [a] incitant [b] incitat [c] incitātis.
Cōpiae Rōmānae in Britanniā [a] hiemant [b] hiemat [c] hiemās.
Ubi [a] hiemat [b] hiemās [c] hiemātis, ō Rōmāne?
Quis signum proeliī [a] datis [b] dās [c] dat?

21.10.24: Level 1; review; practice in the verbs [4]; 1st conjugation; present tense

amāre [1] │ to love

amō │I love

amās │you (sg.) love

amat │he / she / it loves

amāmus │we love

amātis │you (pl.) love

amant │they love

[A] “In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s The Golden Legend, the bells of Strasbourg Cathedral explain their religious and political office, even while under attack by Lucifer and his demons”

https://blogs.hope.edu/belltower/bell-tower-volume-1-issue-1/the-bells-of-our-lives/

Complete the Latin text with the verbs listed below

__________ deum vērum! │ I praise the true God

Plēbem __________! │ I call the people

__________ clērum! │ I gather the clergy

Dēfūnctōs __________! │I weep for the dead

Nimbum __________! │ I chase away the storm cloud

Fēsta __________! │ I adorn feasts

__________ lentōs! │ I rouse the lazy

Dissipō __________! │ I scatter the winds

__________ cruentōs! │I pacify bloodshed

congregō; decorō; dissipō; excitō; fugō; laudō; pacō; plōrō; vocō

[B] Motto on a church bell; complete the Latin with the verbs listed below:

Patrem nostrum __________ │ We celebrate our Father

Chrīstum fīlium __________ │ We greet Christ the Son

Sānctum spīritum __________ │ We praise the Holy Spirit

Carōs mortuōs __________ │ We weep for the dear departed

Vīvōs ad precēs __________ │ We call the living to prayers

vocāmus; salūtāmus; plōrāmus; laudāmus; celebrāmus

[C] A statement can be turned into a question by the addition of -ne at the end of the word at the beginning of the sentence; the word is not necessarily a verb. Complete the Latin with the verbs listed below.

[i] Questions to Caesar …

__________ oppidum, Caesar? │ Are you occupying the town, Caesar?

__________ mūrum, Caesar? │ Are you storming the wall, Caesar?

__________ signum, Caesar? │ Are you giving the signal (to attack), Caesar?

Victōriamne __________, Caesar? │ Are you announcing the victory, Caesar?

[ii] Questions to a Roman soldier …

__________ne barbarum? │ Are you wounding the barbarian?

__________ne barbarōs? │ Are you alarming the barbarians?

__________ne in Britanniā? │ Are you spending the winter in Britain?

__________ne oppidum vāllō? │ Are you surrounding the town with a fortification?

__________ne prōvinciam? │ Are you pacifying the province?

[iii] Questions to a Barbarian soldier …

__________ agrōs Rōmānōrum? │ Are you laying waste to / destroying the fields of the Romans?

__________ Rōmānum? │ Are you overcoming the Roman?

circumdās; dāsne; expugnāsne; hiemās; nūntiās; occupāsne; pācās; perturbās; superāsne; vastāsne; vulnerās

Thursday, June 20, 2024

24.07.24: level 1; 4th conjugation verbs

Match the verbs with the images. The list isn’t entirely random; the first two are obvious, but take a look at the derivatives of most of the others (in bold) in the word cloud.

fīniō, -īre [4]

pūniō, -īre [4]

____________________

aperiō, -īre [4]

audiō, -īre [4]

cūstōdiō, -īre [4]

dormiō, -īre [4]

impediō, -rē [4]

mūniō, -īre [4]

oboediō, -īre [4]

sciō, -īre [4]

sentiō, -īre [4]

sepeliō, -īre [4]

veniō, -īre [4]

____________________

ēsuriō, -īre [4]

feriō, -īre [4]

nesciō, -īre [4]

saeviō, -īre [4]

saliō, -re [4]

sitiō, -īre [4]

vinciō, īre [4]

21.07.24: level 1; 3rd conjugation verbs

Match the verbs with the images.

1. bibō, bibere [3]

2. cadō, cadere [3]

3. currō, currere [3]

4. discō, discere [3]

5. dūcō, dūcere [3]

6. edō, edere [3]

7. emō. ēmerē [3]

8. legō, legere [3]

9. lūdō, lūdere [3]

10. pōnō, pōnere [3]

11. scrībō, scribere [3]

12. vēndō, vēndere [3]

Sunday, April 14, 2024

18.03.24: practice in the 3-iō conjugation

Some simple exercises to practise the 3-iō conjugation

[1] Put the 3rd-iō conjugation verbs into the corresponding singular or plural form, for example:

faciō > facimus

accipitis
capit
cupitis
dēcipit
fodiunt
ēicis
facit
fugit
iacimus
interficiō
rapiō
reficis

[2] Translate:

Agricola scapham reficit.
Cōpiae Rōmānae barbarōs capiunt.
Cūr illum virum dēcipis?
Incolae argentum fodiunt.
Pōpulus tyrannum ex oppidō ēicit.
Puerī saxa iaciunt.
Quid cupitis?
Troiānī equum ligneum ā Graecīs accipiunt.

[3] Image #1: What are these people doing? Choose the appropriate verb.

[4] Image #2: Put the verbs into their appropriate forms.

accipiō, -ere [3-iō] > dōnum accipere │ to receive a gift

capiō, ere [3-iō] > manum capere │ to take / grasp the hand

cupiō, -ere [3-iō] > rēgnum cupere │ to desire the kingdom, power, authority

dēcipiō, -ere [3-iō] > hominem honestum dēcipere │ to deceive an honourable man

ēiciō, -ere [3-iō] > tyrannum ēicere │ to drive out the tyrant

faciō, -ere [3-iō] > ignem facere │ to make a fire

fodiō, -ere [3-iō] > argentum fodere │ to mine / dig for silver

fugiō, -ere [3-iō] > perīculum fugere │ to flee from / escape the danger

iaciō, -ere [3-iō] > pilam iacere │ to throw a ball

interficiō, -ere [3-iō] > rēgem interficere │ to kill the king

rapiō, ere [3-iō] > puerum rapere │ to carry off the child

reficiō, -ere [3-iō] > nāvem reficere │ to repair the ship

18.03.24: 3rd-iō conjugation

When you complete this post, you’ll have reached a major milestone because you will have seen all the verb conjugations in the present tense; that will provide the basis for you to move on to other tenses which will give you the inroad into reading the authors.

Why is it called this?

[i] Here’s a 3rd conjugation

bibō, bibere [3]: drink

bibō
>> bibis <<
>> bibit <<
>> bibimus <<
>> bibitis <<
bibunt

[ii] Here’s a 4th conjugation

audiō, audīre [4]; hear

>> audiō <<
audīs
audit
audīmus
audītis
>> audiunt <<

[iii] Now, the final ‘tick box’ of the conjugations:

faciō, facere [3-iō]: do; make

Take a second look; the first person singular looks like audiō [4th conjugation] but the infinitive is short /e/ -ere, like bibere [3rd conjugation], and what emerges is a combination of the two:

[1] fáciō [like 4th conjugation; compare audiō]: I do

***

Now it has the endings of the 3rd conjugation

[2] fácĭs [compare: bíbĭs]: you (sg.) do

[3] fácĭt [compare: bíbĭt]: he / she / it does

[4] fácĭmus [compare: bíbĭmus]: we do

[5] fácĭtis [compare: bíbĭtis]: you (pl.) do

***

Then …

[6] fáciunt [like 4th conjugation: audiunt]: they do

Some frequently occurring verbs are of the 3-iō type:

accipiō, accipere [3-iō]: receive

capiō, capere [3-iō]: take; capture

cupiō, cupere [3-iō]: desire

effugiō, effugere [3-iō]: flee / escape from

fugiō, fugere [3-iō]: flee

iaciō, iacere [3-iō] throw

interficiō, interficere [3-iō]: kill

You’ve now been introduced to all the present tense conjugations and all the principal parts that you need for the moment. They are shown in the second image.

Saturday, April 13, 2024

17.03.24: practice in the 4th conjugation

Some simple exercises to practise the 4th conjugation; all the verbs were given in previous posts

[1]

First of all, [i] translate the verbs and then [ii] change the Latin verbs into the equivalent plural forms and give a translation, for example:

audiō [i] I hear > [ii] audīmus: we hear

ēsūrīs
feriō
fīnīmus
impedītis
nescit
oboedit
saeviunt
saliō
scīs
sentīmus
sepelītis
sitiunt

[2] Look at the images posted and put the verbs into their appropriate forms.

[3] Translate

Captīvōs cūstōdītis.
Castra mūnīmus.
Illam fēminam nōn audiō.
Iānuam aperīs.
Discipulae magistrum semper audiunt.
Discipulum pigrum pūnīs.
Iam duās hōrās dormit.
Cūr in aquam salītis, puerī?
Mortuum noctū sepeliunt.
Nōmen magistrī meī nesciō.
Nūntius Rōmānus in oppidum venit.
Puerī in scholā numquam dormiunt.

captivus: captive; prisoner
mortuus, -a, -um: dead; mortuus (noun): dead man / person; corpse

17.03.24: 4th conjugation; reading

In this little text you will see the three verb conjugations already discussed, plus a new conjugation: the fourth. The fourth is indicated in bold, and will be introduced in the notes.

[The Road to Latin (Chesnutt) 1932]

Peristȳlum līberōs Tulliae dēlectat. Puellae statuās saepe ōrnant. Aulus et Lūcius ibi student. Puerī parvī in peristȳlō libenter lūdunt quod in peristȳlō est aqua. Puerī parvī nāviculās ligneās habent. Tullia in peristȳlō saepe sedet et lūdōs līberōrum spectat. Interdum Tullia cum līberīs lūdit. Hodiē Publius et Servius domī sunt sed Lūcius et Aulus in lūdō sunt. Ā domiciliō Tullia clāmat, “ubi es, Pūblī? Quid agis?” Pūblius respondet, “lūdō in peristȳlō, Tullia.” Tum Tullia clāmat, “ubi tū lūdis, Servī?” “ego quoque in peristȳlō lūdō,” respondet Servius. “num in aquā lūditis?” Rogat Tullia. “in aquā nōn lūdimus sed nāviculae nostrae sunt in aquā. Nāviculās ad Graeciam et ad Crētam mittimus,” respondent puerī parvī. “Quid audīs, Pūblī? Quis venit?” Subitō rogat Servius. “Lūcius et Aulus in domicilium veniunt,” respondet Pūblius. “venitne paedagōgus cum puerīs, Pūblī?” “puerī cum paedagōgō veniunt.” “cūr, Lūcī, ā lūdō mātūrē venis?” Clāmat Pūblius. “veniō quod magister est aeger,” respondet Lūcius. “nōnne tū et Aulus in peristȳlum venītis?” Clāmat Servius. “in peristȳlum nōn venīmus. Ad Tulliam venīmus,” puerī respondent.

Vocabulary

ibi there: in that place

mātūrē: early

subitō: suddenly

paedagōgus: Generally of Greek origin, a paedagōgus was an educated slave or freedman who educated Roman children; a ‘governor’

1st conjugation verbs

Many of the verbs listed here you have already seen, but the list is here to show how verb forms, at this stage, should be noted. After this, only new verbs will be included in the vocabulary.

clāmō, clāmāre [1]: shout (If you’re already confident with the principal parts, you can shorten them to clāmō, -āre [1], or even simply clāmō [1])

dēlectō, dēlectāre [1]: delight

ornō, ornāre [1]: decorate

rogō, rogāre [1]: ask

spectō, spectāre [1]: look at

2nd conjugation verbs

habeō, habēre [2]: have (habeō, -ēre [2] or habeō [2])

respondeō, respondēre [2]: reply

sedeō, sedēre [2]: sit

studeō, studēre [2]: ‘study’ (see notes)

3rd conjugation verbs

agō, agere [3]: do, drive (agō, -ere [3])

lūdō, lūdere [3]: play

mittō, mittere [3]: send

irregular

sum, esse [irr.]: to be

And the new conjugation: take a close look at the stem vowel of the first person singular and the ending of the infinitive; these are the two markers of the 4th conjugation

audiō, audīre [4]: hear, listen to

veniō, venīre [4]: come

Notes:

[1] peristȳlum (or peristȳlium): inner courtyard surrounded by columns

[2] studeō, -ēre [2]: although used to convey ‘study’ in the text, the verb has a much wider meaning, for example, to dedicate oneself to something, busy oneself with something, show zeal or enthusiasm for something, and is followed by the dative case; by Mediaeval times, the verb certainly has the distinct meaning of ‘study’: agricultūra > agricultūrae studeō: I devote myself to agriculture; Discipulī litterīs Graecīs student: The students apply themselves to Greek literature, but, depending upon context, ‘study’ will work.

[3] Ā domiciliō Tullia clāmat: Tullia shouts from the dwelling (house)

[4] "Ubi es, Pūblī?"; "Ubi tū lūdis, Servī?” “Where are you, Publius?”; “Where are you playing, Servius?” Note the vocative case of nouns in -ius: Publius > Publī; Servius > Servī

[5] Quid agis? You already know this phrase from a very early post meaning “How are you?” but you see that it can have a more general meaning of “What are you doing?”

[6] A reminder:

[i] Nōnne tū et Aulus in peristȳlum venītis?” You are Aulus are coming into the courtyard, aren’t you?

[ii] Num in aquā lūditis? You’re not playing in the water, are you?

Nōnne introduces a question that expects a positive answer, whereas num introduces a question that expects a negative answer – even if the answers are not what you expected.

The fourth conjugation

The text introduces one fourth conjugation verb in full:

Veniō quod magister est aeger. I’m coming because the teacher is ill.

Cūr, Lūcī, ā lūdō mātūrē venīs? Why are you coming early from school, Lucius?

Venitne paedagōgus cum puerīs, Pūblī?” Is the governor coming with the boys, Publius?

In peristȳlum nōn venīmus. We’re not coming into the courtyard.

“Nōnne tū et Aulus [plural] in peristȳlum venītis? You and Aulus are coming into courtyard, aren’t you?

Puerī cum paedagōgō veniunt. The boys are coming with the governor.

So, here is the verb:

veni¦ō, venīre [4]: come; note [i] the stem vowel in -i- and [ii] the infinitive in -īre

In all parts of the 4th conjugation the personal endings are added, just like in the other conjugations, but there is a stem vowel in -i- or -ī- [again, the accent mark (ʹ) is only showing you where the stress is on the verb when you pronounce it]

vén-i-ō: I come

vén-ī-s: you (sg.) come

vén-i-t: he / she / it comes

ven-ī́-mus: we come

ven-ī́-tis: you (pl.) come

vén-iu-nt : they come

One of the images shows the same endings for the verb audiō, audīre [4]: hear; listen to

The next post gives further examples of 4th conjugation verbs.