Verb Overview, Indicative Mood

We will learn the tenses as we translate, but here is an overview so you know there is indeed a method to the madness.

Latin Verb Tense Overview: Indicative Mood (a statement of fact)

1. Present Tense: Lessons 1-18.

The present tense simply uses the personal endings. Use the present stem from the second principal part in your dictionary: use "voca" from "vocare." There are variations in the vowels used depending on the verb group or conjugation (see p. 309, top, of your textbook).

(Note: the second principal part is also known as the infinitive--vocare, to call.)

Active:

Singular

o

s

t

Plural

mus

tis

nt

Passive:

Singular

r

ris

tur

Plural

mur

mini

ntur

Exempla: vocat, he calls; vocatur, he is called

These personal endings, both active and passive, will also form part of the following tenses to tell us the person or subject of each verb we encounter.

2. Past Tenses

A. Imperfect: continuing action in the past. Lesson 19.

Translate: Active: I was calling, they were calling, etc.

Passive: I was being called, they were being called, etc.

Active: bam, bas, bat, bamus, batis, bant

Passive: bar, baris, batur, bamur, bamini, bantur

Also use the present stem from the second principal part as done for the Present Tense.

Exempla: vocabat, he was calling; vocabatur, he was being called

B. Perfect: action completed sometime in the past ("I called") or past action now completed ("I have called, he has called"). Lesson 21.

1. Active: Use third principal part: vocavi

Endings: i, isti, it, imus, istis, erunt

Exemplum: vocavit, he called or he has called

2. Passive: Use 4th principal part (perfect passive participle) plus the verb "to be"

vocatus, a, um + sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt

Exemplum: vocatus est, he has been called

C. Pluperfect: action even further in the past than the perfect tense (I had called). Lesson 24.

1. Active: Use third principal part since this is also a perfect tense, but add these endings:

Endings: eram, eras, erat, eramus, eratis, erant.

Exemplum: vocaverat, he had called

2. Passive: Use again the 4th principal part (perfect passive participle) with another form of the verb "to be":

vocatus, a, um + eram, eras, erat, eramus, eratis, erant

Exemplum: vocatus erat, he had been called

3. Future Tenses:

A. Simple Future: Use present stem from the second principal part or infinitive (as you also did for the present and imperfect tenses: voca). Lesson 20.

For the 1st conjugation (verbs like voco, vocare) and the 2nd conjugation (verbs like moneo, monēre), use these endings:

Active: bo, bis, bit, bimus, bitis, bunt

Passive: bor, beris, bitur, bimur, bimini, buntur

Exempla: vocabit, he will call; vocabitur, he will be called

For all other types of verbs (verbs like rego, regere, rule; capio, capere, seize; audio, audire, hear),

use these endings:

Active: am, es, et, emus, etis, ent

Passive: replace the personal endings above with r, ris, tur, mur, mini, ntur

Exempla: reget, he will rule; regetur, he will be ruled

B. Lesson 30: Future Perfect: future action that happened before another future action (I will have called)

1. Active: Use third principal part since this is a perfect tense: vocav

Endings: ero, eris, erit, erimus, eritis, erint

Exemplum: vocaverit, he will have called

2. Passive: Use fourth principal part (perfect passive participle)

vocatus, a, um + ero, eris, erit, erimus, eritis, erunt

Exemplum: vocatus erit, he will have been called