Definition: The Action takes place in the present. It is happening now

English Examples:

• Active: I am reading, you run/you are running, he does see, she is hears, we love

• Passive: he is seen, I am loved, we are being heard

How to Form the Present ACTIVE**:

• Second Principal part

• Minus "re"

  • • 3rd conjugation verbs change the short "e" to "i"

• Add PERSONAL ENDINGS

  • • 1st person singular simply comes from the FIRST principal part

How to Translate:

• • Active: the Subject verbs the subject am/is/are verbing the subject does verb

  • Passive: the subject am/is/are (being) verbed

Latin Examples

• Amo, amare: amas = you love, you are loving

• Video, videre: videt = he sees, she is seeing

• Duco, ducere: ducimus = we lead, we are leading

• Audio, audire: audiunt = they hear, they are listening

**for translating the passive, see here

Practice the Present Tense

Definition: Habitual, repetitive, or incomplete action that took place in the PAST.

Examples:

• Active: I was reading, you were running, he was seeing

• Passive: he was seen, I was being seen, we were being heard

How to Form the Imperfect ACTIVE**:

• Second Principal part

• Minus "re"

• Add "ba"

  • • 3rd io verbs and 4th conjugation verbs use "ie" before the "ba"

• Add PERSONAL ENDINGS

How to Translate:

• • Active: the subject was/were verbing

  • Passive: the subject was/were (being) verbed

Latin Examples

• Amo, amare: amabas = you were loving, you used to love

• Video, videre: videbat = he was seeing, she used to see

• Duco, ducere: ducebamus = we were leading, we used to lead

• Audio, audire: audiebant = they were hearing, they used to listen

**for translating the passive, see here

Practice the Imperfect Tense

Definition: The action has yet to occur, but it WILL occur in the future.

English Examples:

• Active: I will read, he will run

• Passive: I will be seen, we will be heard

How to Form the Future ACTIVE**:

• Second Principal part

• Minus "re"

• 1st/2nd conjugation verbs: add "bo/bi/bu"

  • "bo" = 1st person singular; "bu" = 3rd person plural; all other person and number = "bi"

• 3rd/4th conjugation verbs: Change the stem vowel ("e" or "i") to "a" and "ē"

  • • "a" +m = 1st person singular; all other persons and numbers switch to the long "e" (ē )

    • 3rd-io and 4th conjugations verbs retain an "i" in front of the "a/e" (dicam vs. capiam)

• Add PERSONAL ENDINGS

How to Translate:

• • Active: the subject will verb

  • Passive: the subject will be verbed

Latin Examples

• Amo, amare: amabis = you will love

• Video, videre: videbo = I will see

• Duco, ducere: ducemus = we will lead

• Audio, audire: audient = they will listen

**for translating the passive, see here

Practice the Future Tense

Definition: The Action of the verb has been completed. In English, we often use "-ed" for simple past or the auxiliary verb "has/have" for past progressive

Examples:

• Active: I walked, you have walked, she has spoken, we sung

• Passive: I have been heard, we were spoken to, she has been seen

How to Form the Perfect ACTIVE*:

• Third principal part

• Minus "i"

• Add PERFECT ACTIVE ENDINGS

  • The Perf. Act. Indicative has its OWN set of endings that you must memorize separately.

  • i/isti/it/imus/istis/erunt

How to Translate:

• • Active: the Subject verbed the subject has/have verbed the subject did verb

  • Passive: the subject has/have been verbed the subject was/were verbed

Latin Examples

• Amo, amare, amavi: amavisti = you loved, you have loved

• Video, videre, vidi: vidit = he saw, she has seen

• Duco, ducere, duxi: duximus = we led, we have led

• Audio, audire, audivi: audiverunt = they led, they have heard

**for translating the perfect passive, see here

Definition: The Action of the verb took place prior to another completed action. The auxiliary verb "had" is regularly employed.

English Examples:

• Active: I had walked, you had heard, we had laughed

• Passive: I had been heard, you had been seen, we had been listened to

How to Form the Perfect ACTIVE**:

• Third principal part

• Minus "i"

• Add "era"

• Add PERSONAL ENDINGS

How to Translate:

• • Active: the Subject HAD verbed

  • Passive: the subject HAD been verbed

Latin Examples

• Amo, amare, amavi: amaveras = you had loved

• Video, videre, vidi: viderat = he had seen

• Duco, ducere, duxi: duxeramus = we had led

• Audio, audire, audivi: audiverant = they had heard

**for translating the perfect passive, see here

Definition: The Future Perfect tense is used to convey an action that will have been completed prior to something else. The auxiliary verbs "will have" are used to convey this.

Examples:

• Active: I will have heard, you will have listened, we will have seen

• Passive: I will have been heard, we will have been seen

How to Form the Perfect ACTIVE**:

• Third principal part

• Minus "i"

• Add "eri"

  • First person singular = "ero" with no other ending

• Add PERSONAL ENDINGS

How to Translate:

• • Active: the Subject WILL HAVE verbed

  • Passive: the subject WILL HAVE been verbed

Latin Examples

• Amo, amare, amavi: amaveris = you will have loved

• Video, videre, vidi: videro = I will have seen

• Duco, ducere, duxi: duxerimus = we will have led

• Audio, audire, audivi: audiverint = they will have heard

**for translating the perfect passive, see here